Yoga vs. Pilates: Which Is Better for Weight Loss?

If you're trying to lose weight, here's some good news: There's not really a ‌bad‌ workout for weight loss. Sure, HIIT workouts blast calories and weight lifting will help boost your metabolism by increasing your muscle mass, but the truth is, any form of movement — especially one you enjoy and stick to — can help you drop pounds.

That can include low-impact workouts like yoga and Pilates, as long as they're part of an overall effective weight-loss plan.

"Neither yoga nor Pilates alone would be good choices for losing weight," says James Bagley, PhD, an assistant professor of kinesiology at San Francisco State University. "But I recommend them for other reasons: They build muscle strength and endurance, help you develop relaxation strategies and improve your balance and coordination."

If you're serious about losing weight, Bagley suggests cutting about 500 calories from your diet a day and doing endurance exercise or high-intensity interval training most days of the week.

"Any rhythmic exercise that uses large muscle groups — like running, fast-walking, swimming and cycling — is ideal for weight loss," Bagley says. "Combine this with yoga, Pilates and/or weightlifting a couple of times a week, and you'll be on the right track for weight loss."

Trying to decide which workout deserves more of your time and effort? Here are some things to keep in mind.

‌Read more:‌ The Best Weight-Loss Exercises You Can Do at Home

Even though neither Pilates nor yoga burns as many calories as, say, running or HIIT, you're still moving and that's going to burn calories.

A 130-pound person will burn 354 calories doing an hour of Bikram yoga, 413 calories in an hour of Ashtanga/power yoga and 148 calories doing an hour of Hatha yoga, according to WebMD. That same person will burn 177 calories doing an hour of beginner Pilates and 354 calories when they progress to advanced.

But intensity matters, and the good thing about Pilates and yoga, like most workouts, is that you can switch up the intensity based on your needs. Trying to burn more calories? Take a Lagree class, a more intense version of Pilates. Trying to recover from your long run the previous day? Try some restorative yoga instead. Either workout can be more effective than the other, depending on which you're more likely to do at a higher intensity.

For starters, yoga and Pilates can make your workout routine more well-rounded, which is important for weight loss. A July 2014 ‌Journal of Applied Physiology‌ study found that people lost more weight (and body fat) when they committed to a mix of workouts — including endurance training, Pilates and yoga — versus just resistance training.

"It's very difficult to just lift weights or only do the treadmill or the elliptical machine and be healthy," Paul Arciero, the study author, said in a press release. "Your exercise regimen needs to encompass as much of what makes you a fully integrated living person as possible." That means moving (and challenging) your body in different ways as much as you can.

And even though yoga and Pilates don't burn as many calories as some other workouts, they can reduce stress (this is especially true for yoga), which may encourage you to eat better. In fact, an August 2009 ‌Journal of the American Dietetic Association‌ study found that yoga can help you eat more mindfully.

The same goes for sleep: Research presented at the 2015 SLEEP conference in Seattle, WA, found that both workouts can help improve your sleeping habits. And since a lack of quality sleep is also associated with a high-calorie diet, these workouts may indirectly steer you towards more weight-loss-friendly foods.

‌Read more:‌ 12 Benefits of Pilates (Besides Strong Abs!)

We hate to dodge the question, but you're doing yourself a disservice if you're looking at these workouts in isolation. Your weight-loss success truly depends on finding a workout you enjoy (and therefore, actually do regularly — and probably at a higher intensity), whether or not you reduce your calorie intake (the biggest factor when it comes to weight loss) and the other workouts you add to your arsenal.

So, in some ways, "What workout will I do the most?" is the real question you should be asking.