when i first started working out, i could eat whatever i wanted and still manage to lose weight. now that i work out nearly everyday, my body reacts to every calorie i ingest...

i definitely have to watch the calories as well as workout. if i give up on either it shows.

I'm supposed to be watching calories as well as working out, but I'll be the first to tell you I'm terrible at it. I just try to put as many physical activites as possible in my day to keep it in check.

Calorie intake is the biggest factor, period. Cardio and other forms of exercise help keep you healthy, but in terms of fat/weight, it is ALL about calories. Don't fool yourselves.

I workout quite a lot and I can pretty much eat whatever I want without gaining weight. However, I am counting my calorie - but for a different reason... I need to make sure I eat enough so that I do not lose any more weight.

sigh, don't remind me!

Counting calories is a pain in the butt, yet if i don't count, then my butt will only get bigger. Must do cardio and cal counting to lose the weight. -.-

I do have to watch calories. But cardio definitely helps. But its a combination of all.

I do both, but a little on the sliding scale, if I indulge in a treat then I workout a little more to balance it out, but honestly my cardio isn't a calorie burning thing so much as it just makes me feel good. I get crabby if I don't run.

cardio for me helps maintain weight loss--but to lose weight it's all about diet.

I work out a lot on the days when I really want to eat. When I don't work out, I just don't have the desire to eat, nor can I digest it

I only need to count calories when I'm trying to lose weight.. otherwise cardio keeps me at the same weight.

I don't know. Any exercise I've done has been mostly cardio anyway, and I've always eaten a healthy diet. But since I'm trying to lose some serious weight, increasing cardio and decreasing calories has only helped a very little bit. I rely on cardio to lose weight, but I don't know what's going on. Oh well, best to keep going at it...

I think I'm somewhere in between the first two options. I generally eat well, but doing cardio (running) allows me to indulge when I want to and not get overly conscious of how many calories I'm eating.

If I work out a standard amount, I can eat whatever I want (within reason) and still maintain my weight but I feel like crap. Instead, I eat a lot but stick to mostly healthy options so I have enough energy. To me eating healthy and working out go hand in hand, not just for weight but for feeling good and having a healthy body image.

No, for me, it's a combination of being mindful of what I eat, cardio, AND weight training. Getting enough sleeps helps, too.

I EAT whatever I want on the weekends. But during the week I stick to a very closely monitored healthy diet and work out.

I'm at a healthy weight but have to eat 100% clean and workout everyday, weights and cardio. I have hypothyroidism, so if I don't watch both diet and cardio, I will immediately gain - it's so unfair! I used to be able to eat anything I want!

I am not an "eat whatever I want girl". I love to work out but the older I get and the more I get to know the way my body reacts, I've learned I MUST eat healthy to be at an okay weight.

I have to count calories and workout. When I was in high school I had a super metabolism and was an athlete so I ate what I wanted but never gained weight. Then when I went to college I gained over 150 lbs in less than 2 years when I stopped working out but kept eating as always. I have lost the weight but will always be on maintenance because my body isn't what it used to be.

I maintain or lose weight by focusing on 30% exercise and 70% diet. It seems as I get older (ahem, almost 30) I have to pay so much closer attention to what I eat.

I wish there was an "other" option. The more I exercise, the hungrier I am. I was injured last year and unable to work out for 6 weeks and I was worried about not being able to run or ride my bike because I thought I'd gain weight. But it turns out that I just ate less during that time and remained at the same weight. Knowing that cardio doesn't affect my weight as much as I thought takes the pressure off...I can just enjoy running or biking.

I don't rely solely on cardio, but it definitely helps a lot. I eat a fairly healthy overall diet, so doing cardio just helps me be able to indulge a little bit more than I would otherwise.

i like to eat whatever i want to eat whenever i want to eat it. so i have eaten what i wanted to, and actually lost weight thanks to doing cardio and strength and weight training almost everyday. as long as i'm not going to mcdonald's everyday, maybe 2 or 3 times a week at the most, and i don't go over my alloted daily caloric intake, i just eat what i want whether it be healthy or not so healthy. we only live once, and good food is just too good to pass up.

I find that cardio doesn't really affect my weight much. I still work out 4-6 times per week, and I really try to push myself, but like littlekaren said, I don't fool myself. My weight only budges when I drop my calorie intake. However this is just my own personal experience--I'm not saying everyone is like me.

I don't do any cardio at all. I watch what I eat for the most part but splurge here and there. I only do yoga and I do that everyday

I prefer to mix it up as much as possible with different kinds cardio (boxing, bootcamps etc)weight training, and using your own body weight

That mix allows me to eat pretty much whatever I want and maintain my current weight.
To lose, you would have to cut calories/carbs which doesn't really appeal to me.

I do cardio and watch what I eat. When I work out, eating something full of empty calories makes me feel like I wasted 90 mins at the gym.

If I ate whatever I wanted then I would not go to the gym. Some of the foods I love eating make me feel sluggish.

Cardio + eating no junk food + NO EATING PAST 530pm = my ok body weight. I'm a girl, of course I have to work really hard to keep myself fitting into a size 6. I feel a lot better when I run or swim hard though. I sleep sooo much better with 30 minutes of intense sweating during the day.

Cardio Daily - Healthy Eating Daily! I never ever have a "cheat day" and the only time I will ever miss the gym is if I have food poisoning in which I am "praying to the porslin gods" or I am in the hospital (which did happen to me recently - a 5 day stint - which was the longest I ever went without exercise!!!)

Glasbash, I"m curious about what you mean by "cheat day"?