No. Cardio exercise is less effective than dieting for weight loss. At its core, losing weight permanently boils down to the energy balance and fat loss is no different. Dieting is much easier than performing exercises to reduce calories since cardio does expend calories but a normal range of calories is more easily consumed. In addition, studies indicate that the actual loss in weight as a result of performing cardio exercise is only about 20 to 50 percent of the expected loss based on the number of calories spent on it, since most individuals overeat to compensate or underperform in activities such that they have to expend no more calories than required in exercise. Therefore cardio should only be used as an adjunct to your dieting regimen and not mainly for weight loss.