Diet Above Cardio.

January—the month when 30% of people suddenly decide they want to lose weight and start running outside early in the morning.

And yes, I totally pulled that number out of my ass.

Their goal? To finally be summer-ready and shed the fat they've been carrying for years.

The first thing that comes to mind? Cardio.

Wake up early, lace up those sneakers, and get that cardio in.

You see it everywhere, so naturally, it’s the first thing people think of when they want to lose fat.

Does it work?
Yes.

But is it effective?
Not really.

Why?

Think about it this way: A 150-pound person has to jog for 30 minutes to burn off one small slice of pizza.

Meanwhile, it takes the average person about five minutes to make an entire pizza disappear.

See the trade-off here?

And besides…

You’d have to keep up that level of cardio to maintain your progress. Stop, and you risk gaining it all back.

In my opinion, relying on cardio as your main fat-loss strategy is like slapping a Band-Aid on a broken leg.

Now, if you’re doing cardio for cardiovascular health, that’s awesome—keep at it!

But let’s be real: Most people do cardio because they want to lose fat.

So if you ask me what to prioritize for effective fat loss, here’s my recommendation:

Diet > Strength Training > Cardio

Why strength training instead of cardio?
Because more muscle mass means you burn more calories by default—even at rest.

So to everyone out there doing cardio in 2025 to lose fat: Rethink your strategy. Spend some time focusing on your diet instead.

Diet is the main lever-moving task that will get you to your weight-loss goals faster.

That’s it for this email!

Hope you found it helpful. Enjoy the rest of your day!

Kind regards,
Coach Loc