5 Ugly Truths About Cardio You Need to Know

In a world where running shoes usually graced the feet of lean gazelles, there I was, a 100-kilogram outlier donning my worn-out trainers like a badge of defiance. In the pre-dawn darkness, I'd drag myself out of bed, rub away the sleep from my semi-closed lids and hit the pavement. It didn't start easy for me. I hated having to wake so early but loved the comforting cloak of darkness... Before the sun illuminated my hefty body which defied the conventional grace associated with runners. I especially hated being overtaken by others, hearing my own labored breathing punctuating the crisp morning air and feeling the burning in my lungs. But the ache in my muscles bore witness to my relentless pursuit of a lighter self. That was me for years, wholeheartedly believing that cardio held the key to shedding those extra pounds.

But is cardio truly the answer? Is it the best long-term fat loss solution? I'll be spilling the beans on my love-hate affair with cardio - my main tool for weight loss all those years ago, when I first started out on my fitness journey. Instead of sunshine and rainbows, I'll be sharing the good, the bad, and the downright ugly truths about relying solely on cardio for weight loss. So lace up your sneakers and join me in my no holds barred exploration of depending on cardio to shed stubborn pounds. It's time to separate fact from fiction and unveil the little known secrets of cardio.

How my relationship with cardio began...

My initial weight loss plan when I was 118kg included daily runs which gradually increased to hours of cardio sessions a day. Well it wasn’t really a plan or a strategy, more of a trial-and-error and wanting to just start on something I knew I could execute with relative ease. No confusing equipment? No hot bods staring me down? Little injury potential? Sign me up! Initially it all worked out amazing for me and I saw such quick results. The weight melted off fast as I had mostly been sedentary most of my life. (I share more on this in my intro episode of The Whole Gains Show; do check it out for my origins story.) As my weight steadily fell, I grew to believe that cardio was the magical answer, the weight loss solution I could rely on FOREVER. I grew to see cardio as a way to burn off meals I didn’t feel too good about eating… Now look, I used to be a huge fan of fast food - and this quick fix of burning off the excess consumed versus taking the time to form new habits and improving on my eating was much more attractive. But as time went by, I fell into a cycle of endless cardio, becoming obsessive with the numbers on my fitness tracker, wanting to burn more and MORE calories daily with my runs.

The more I ran the harder I pushed but still I STILL SAW LESS RESULTS. At one point, my weight loss stalled completely. Not knowing that plateaus were a part of the fat loss journey, I became stuck in vicious cycles of turning to cardio to undo excess caloric consumption.

Are you the same, spending upwards of 60 minutes slogging it out on a treadmill, bike, or elliptical machine staring down your watch, hoping and praying that somehow time moves faster? Somehow realising that your weight loss progress doesn't seem to be going as smoothly? If this sounds like you, you’re not alone. Millions start out on cardio hoping that it will provide the weight loss results they seek. Many end up wondering what they have done wrong when results start stalling... I've been there and I'm here to help. Let's get real about cardio and what it truly brings to the fitness.

Here are 5 ugly truths about cardio I wish I knew: #1 - Initial Progress vs. Inevitable Plateau

Initially, especially in the initial stages, steady-state cardio may lead to significant calorie-burn.

The body responds well to the new routine, shedding water weight and burning calories. It becomes easy to think that this is the golden ticket to weight loss.

It's a euphoric phase where every step feels like a huge stride toward my transformation. It made the discomfort and long training sessions worth it.

However, this honeymoon period doesn't last forever. Our bodies are incredibly adaptive. Once our bodies get accustomed to the repetitive nature of cardio, what once caused a surge in calorie burn becomes the new normal, and weight loss hits a standstill. This is the notorious plateau, the phase where the numbers on the scale stalls, and frustration sets in. It was the same for me; found myself investing the same time and effort, but all for fewer results.

I didn't want to give up... but the more I ran, the more efficient my body got at running! This is because over time, my cardiovascular system adapted and the energy expenditure for the same workout diminishes.

As our body adapts, the caloric expenditure for the same duration and intensity of exercise tended to plateau… which meant I had to run for even longer periods of time just to see results. When this collides with changes in life stages, trouble brews as it isn't a sustainable long term strategy. What happens next is that you'll have to switch things up - be it choosing to explore other cardio options, introduce HIIT (high intensity interval training) or better yet, adopt resistance training as a complementary weight loss tool!

#2 - Calorie-Burn Illusion

Fitness trackers are now all the rage. When I leave my home without a tracker, something fees like it's missing. With fitness trackers strapped to our wrists, it's easy to think that we've got an accurate measure of the calories we've burnt during a cardio session. However, reality is murkier than the numbers displayed on our screens. The calorie-expenditure gauge is a rough estimation, influenced by factors like age, weight, and fitness level. I wrote previously on the components that make up our energy output, breaking down the key components of our Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE).

The sum of calories burned through various activities plays a crucial role in weight management. While cardio contributes to this equation as part of Exercise Activity Thermogenesis (EAT), its significance may not be as substantial as believed! Other components of TDEE, such as Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) and Thermic Effect of Food (TEF), demands our attention, with the former greatly affecting our daily energy output. How does this translate to our assessment of cardio's effectiveness for weight loss?

Cardio, with its promise of torching calories, often gives us a sweet sense of accomplishment.

Be it running, cycling, or stepping it up on the elliptical, there's something oddly satisfying about watching those calorie numbers climb on our fitness trackers. It feels like a win, right? BUT (and it's a big but), this sense of satisfaction might be a bit misleading.

The numbers on the tracker aren't the absolute truth and more of an estimation, and relying too much on them can lead us down a tricky path in our weight loss journey. There's also a phenomenon that could further derail your weight loss goals - the  'active couch potato syndrome' . I've heard this countless of times from coaching clients who ace a cardio session, thinking they've burnt a good chunk of calories and feeling like a fitness superhero. However, if we think that that's all that's needed to burn calories, and opt for a post-cardio couch session every single time, for the rest of the day, all the efforts you're making might be undermined. If we fall into the trap of becoming couch potatoes after a workout, thinking we've hit our calorie-burning goal for the day, we're in for a rude awakening. Our total daily energy expenditure (TDEE) involves more than just the workout – remember that it also includes our basal metabolic rate (BMR), non-exercise activity thermogenesis (NEAT), and the thermic effect of food (TEF)! These highlight the need for a more holistic approach to energy balance and to include cardio as a piece of the puzzle for weight loss, but definitely not the be-all and end-all solution.

#3 - Muscle vs Fat Loss: The Balancing Act

The biggest flip side of excessive cardio (while great for burning calories) is that it does not discriminate between burning fat and tapping into our muscle reserves. It's crucial to understand that weight loss (a drop in your scale weight), could stem from water weight, body fat and even muscle mass.

So weight loss refers to an overall reduction in body weight, weight loss depicted by a decreased in scale weight doesn't necessarily indicate the source of the lost weight. Prolonged steady-state cardio could potentially contribute to muscle loss, especially without the appropriate nutritional strategy! Though we're aiming for a lean and svelte physique, losing muscle along with fat is highly detrimental for our fat loss journey in the long run. Cardio's impact on muscle loss is a real concern, especially if we're not mindful of the balance.

If you’ve read my article on the 3 non-exercise methods to boost metabolism, you’d know that with weight loss, we burn less calories at rest!

Metabolism is our body's furnace. The more muscle we have, the higher our resting metabolism rate (BMR).

Enter excessive cardio - if we're not careful, it can lead to muscle loss. Guess what follows?

What happened was that this led to breakdown of muscle tissue for energy. And especially since I didn’t take the effort to understand the intricacies of meal composition and only thought I had to decrease caloric intake... I also wasn’t consuming sufficient amounts of protein my body needed to retain my lean mass (remember – protein is the building blocks of muscles!) With a lower resting metabolism rate, our body's natural calorie-burning efficiency is reduced.

Without a complementary strength training program and a comprehensive strategy, I lost even more muscle alongside fat, and my resting metabolic rate decreased substantially.

The repercussions can be a bit disheartening, explaining the weight loss plateau mentioned at point one– fewer calories torched at rest and a constant battle against the bulge.

#4 - Stress Buster or Stress Inducer?

Cardio has a split personality when it comes to stress. On one hand, it's a renowned stress buster, releasing those feel-good endorphins and providing a mental escape. I grew to love my morning runs, and really looked forward to running amidst nature. The cool breeze, melodic bird trills, rustling of leaves and towering trees... However, it can become a stress inducer if approached with an all-or-nothing mindset.

At one point, not only was I pouring in more and more effort, spending more and more time doing cardio daily, feeling exhausted, tired and desperate to break through my weight loss plateau, I was wondering what I was doing wrong. I was running (literally) myself into a brick wall over and over again. The pressure to meet calorie-burning goals, coupled with overtraining, can tip the scales toward stress.

The mental chatter that arose undermined the positive mental and emotional relieve that cardio used to bring me.

With elevated stress hormones, this potentially led to mental fatigue. The toll of a cardio-heavy routine and its potential impact on overall well-being is something that isn't often explored.

This became a colossal waste of time, energy and emotional distress that compounded over time!

#5 - Diet Adherence Dilemma

Excessive cardio has a knack for amping up hunger pangs. It's not a figment of our imagination – research suggests that long-term training is prone to increase the production of ghrelin (the hunger hormone) in those who are overweight. If not managed strategically, this hunger surge can lead us straight into a calorie-overconsumption trap.

Cardio without a solid nutritional plan is going to be detrimental for our progress in the long run. The increased hunger post-cardio can become a hurdle in adhering to a well-balanced diet. Without a strategic approach to fueling our bodies, we risk succumbing to cravings, overeating, and potentially undoing the hard work put into cardio sessions. As with all exercise, if we start a new routine or take on an intense exercise load, we might experience increased hunger pangs. If we lack the foundational habits to support our changes in physical activity, we might revert to old eating patterns. This was what happened to me at one point in my journey, when I was experiencing stress from changes in stages of my life from schooling to working life, at the peak of my cardio-obsession. I ended up eating more even though I was moving much more. This became not just a problem for me physically in terms of weight loss results but also emotionally and mentally, further exacerbating the stress I was feeling in trying to keep up with my fitness routine.

Conclusion

Of course, benefits do exist – cardio exercises are known for their effectiveness in improving endurance, stamina, overall cardiovascular health and effective caloric burn for weight loss.

And if you do enjoy a quick run outdoors, it’s definitely a great idea because the right choice of exercise that works for YOU is crucial for long-term weight loss success – finding activities that you enjoy and will stick to in the long run!

However, today’s article is not to dispute the benefits of cardio, but to share the perils of misusing it and overly depending on it as the ONLY and MAIN method for weight loss – as I did at the start of my own fitness journey.

An overlooked yet indispensable component of the holistic fat loss equation is self-care. Which is why we often run ourselves into the ground (literally) while pursuing our weight loss goals. Beyond extensive cardio and calorie-counting, self-care ensures that your weight loss efforts are aligned with your well-being. It's easy to get lost in the drive to lose as much weight as possible, seeing the scale drop and feeling clothes loosen up as we get the results we desire. Yet, remember that this journey should improve not just your physical health but overall well-being too! And this includes our emotional and mental states. Chronic stress can thwart even the most meticulous fat loss efforts. Self-care comes with listening to our bodies and understanding when rest and recovery is needed.

In my newly launched podcast The Whole Gains Show, I delve deeper into the pitfalls of long term weight loss and why it's important to adopt holistic practices for mental wellbeing too! I'll debunk fitness myths, share practical tips and deliver only the most essential nutrients for your journey (hence WHOLE GAINS - geddit?!) so be sure to follow my podcast here!

So there you have it.

These are five hard truths about the overhyped reliance on cardio for weight loss, vital facts I wish I knew before I began on my fitness journey. It begins with an initial swift progress but the inevitable plateau occurs requiring the switching up of cardio strategies. The lure of precise calorie burn from fitness trackers might also disguise the intricate factors influencing our overall energy expenditure. Excessive cardio could have a harsh mental and emotional toll, and post-cardio hunger surges pose a challenge to consistent diet adherence.

A holistic approach, blending strength training, mindful nutrition, and self-care will serve your fitness journey best in the long term, rather than putting all your weight loss hopes on the shoulders of cardio alone.

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