Losing fat and weight training.

I am a big proponent of using strength training (a.k.a lifting weights) as your main form of exercise. Even if fat loss is the goal. This goes against the popular belief that you should do tons of cardio and a little bit of strength training to lose fat.
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This is not to say cardio is “wrong”. Cardio has several health benefits and I suggest most people incorporate at least 1 cardio session per week to attain these health benefits. But when it comes to losing fat, just doing more cardio typically isn’t enough. Multiple studies show that cardio by itself doesn’t burn enough calories to put you in a significant calorie deficit for fat loss [1, 2].
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Dialing in your nutrition and controlling calorie intake is the foundation of a fat loss phase [3]. Additional cardio can help, but it should be seen as a tool you use to increase energy expenditure, which helps you greater a larger calorie deficit.
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For those seeking to lean down and have more muscle definition, it’s helpful to keep strength training as your main form of exercise. Lifting weights helps you maintain muscle while losing body fat [4]. There is also research to suggest that effective muscle maintenance while dieting helps with weight loss maintenance [5]. Losing significant muscle in a diet has been found to increase appetite, resulting in faster weight regain.
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References:
1. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/obr.12536/full
2. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3771367/
3. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28507015
4. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28871849/
5. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31950141/