The deficit alone is enough for weight loss. Cardio will speed up the process, plus it's good for your overall health.
I agree with Ian regarding the "skinny fat" that may result from cardio alone. If you are eating at a deficit plus cardio and losing at a good clip, you are losing muscle as well. If you work to maintain that muscle, you will lose more fat than muscle. Not only is the "skinny fat" probably not the look you're going for, it's also not as healthy because you may still have a higher percentage of body fat when you're done losing compared with what you would have if you had worked to maintain muscle during the loss. This could leave you at more risk of obesity-related problems than if you have a lower body fat, even with having lost the weight.
As Ian said, a proper amount of lean protein is very helpful for maintaining the muscles. Strength training has a variety of benefits beyond cardio for your health, including healthy bones from weight-bearing exercise.
I'm the opposite of you where I dread cardio and feel she-hulk awesome when I lift. But, you don't have to lift to get strengthening exercises that will help preserve muscle. It's important you enjoy and can stick to your exercise program. You can use bodyweight-based exercises like pushups, sit ups, squats, etc. I used to take a group class called Body Pump at the Y. It wasn't "heavy" lifting, but still involved strength training and was a nice atmosphere in the group. There are also classes like barre, pilates, and strength-based yoga that you may find enjoyable.
To summarize...if you're in a calorie deficit you will lose weight. Cardio has great benefits for your health and fitness so it's good you enjoy it. However, in order to maintain your muscle mass so that as much of your loss as possible is body fat, as well as reaping other health benefits, I encourage you to look into continuing strength training. This doesn't have to involve just picking up heavy things and setting them back down!
Last edited by atmos; 07-09-2015 at 11:10 AM.
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