Which is Better for Fat Loss? Cardio or Weightlifting?

For a long time I would’ve answered this question by saying low intensity cardio would be the best bang for your buck fat loss. I’m sure many of you have heard of the “fat-burning zone”. The idea was that if you keep your heart rate at a certain level your body will burn primarily fat because you don’t need immediate energy from glycogen (carbs). Our bodies don’t really work so specifically though it turns out. 

My understanding is that, yes, at a lower exercise intensity a higher percentage of calories burned will come from fat storage, but you aren’t burning as many total calories as you would while exercising at a higher intensity. So if you burned a total of 100 calories and 80 of those were from fat at a low intensity and in the same amount of time you burn 200 calories, 100 of which are from fat, your total calorie loss and fat calories is higher.

Long story short, I used to think cardio was better for fat burning because you could keep a low intensity. 

Here is why I have changed my opinion to weight lifting being better. 

First, calorie burn is not nearly as important as calorie intake when it comes to fat loss. Most people wildly overestimate how many calories they burn and underestimate what they take in. So, don’t worry much about calorie burn when it comes to fat loss.

Next, fat loss is specific, it's not the same as weight loss. Most people will say they want to lose weight but what they mean is fat loss. If we dive deeper into goals, the actual number on the scale doesn’t matter as much as looking, feeling and being healthy to most folks. So, if we can change our body composition around to have more muscle and less fat you’ll get the results you were wanting. 

Changing body composition, “turning fat into muscle”, happens through strength training, which is why I now think weightlifting is more important for fat loss.