To get an idea of how much cardio helps, is there anyone on the board who just adjusted diet and started lifts, THEN picked up cardio after a month or so? I would really like to know what kind of benifits, improvment, you got after starting cardio.

I always lift weights. I don't always do cardio though. i can lose weight easily enough by restricting calories, but when push comes to shove I always up my cardio because I've found it's really incredibly power. I do believe that restricting calories should be the vanguard in a weight loss approach but if you do cardio you can flank the fat, too :)

If I'm in a lazy stretch of the year I may do only 1-2 cardio/week, but now with me trying to lose some final lbs I'm doing at least five days/week of cardio. I swear, every time I start (I like running, if my knees can take it) the weight just starts flying off even faster.

It sounds to me that diet should be how you keep it off for life, and cardio is how you get down to your goal to keep there for life, am i right?

Diet is number one! No amount of exercise can manipulate a poor diet (except if you're one of those genetic-freaks). So for fat loss, proper nutrition and weight training are the two most essential components, while cardio as it's supplement.
That's the way I like to say it because personally, I never ride any cardio machine in the gym whatsoever. But I wouldn't say that I never do cardio. Why? Well because I'm incoorporating cardio in my everyday life; walking, jogging, taking the stairs, sports etc... So I guess it's safe to say that cardio can be enjoyable and not necessarily a pain in the ass (or in the legs).

As for what happens after a cardi session, well some studies says and confirmed that you'll burn more calories 30 minutes following an intense cardio session. This is why it's advicible not to eat 30 minutes after an intense cardio. :rolleyes: