naeb-
good points, and thanks for the clarification. i agree 100% that the first step is and always should be getting your eating habits corrected. you can lift weights religiously and gain nothing without the proper nutrition. you can run 5 miles a day and lose zero fat if youre constantly feeding your body excess carbs and fat.
cardio is not the end all be all number one answer to losing fat. do i think it has a place in a proper total fitness plan? absolutely. do i believe you cannot lose fat without cardio? no, and i think that idea is absolutely ridiculous. you can indeed lose fat by simply eating right and gaining muscle. will cardio speed up the fat loss portion of your results? without a doubt.
also, i do not believe anyone should starve their body "for an hour or more" after cardio.....i always slam a protein shake immediately following.
DIET DIET DIET! (and by that I don't mean "diet" the way it's generally thought of) what I mean is having a healthy, sensible way of ALWAYS eating, not just for a month.sound advice....my thoughts exactly.
aa