Q: my basal metabolic rate is 2312 and my lean body mass is a 163 pounds. this means that one pound of lean body mass only burns around 14 calories a day so wouldnt cardio be more effective in losing weight?

A: The BMR number is just a rough approximation of how many calories are burned during an average day. It does not include the effects of cardio or weight training or the diet. You certainly shouldn't assume that your BMR divided by your lean body mass is how much your body will always burn, even when you weight train.

Weight training is incredibly effective in increasing your metabolism, not only because of the extra calories burnt in the actual gym lifting weights but even more because of the extra recovery and rebuilding your body has to go through in between sessions. That's why big compound exercises like squat and deadlift are most effective in increasing metabolism -- they work a large proportion of all your muscle mass forcing your body to rebuild more of it, thus burning more extra calories.

Cardio is GREAT for you (as long as you don't overdo it, just like weights) and it WILL contribute to weight loss, but it does not carry the same 24x7 metabolic boost as does heavy weight training. Furthermore, excessive cardio, especially without weight training, will cause your body to burn more muscle along with fat to supply you with the necessary energy. This will actually lower your BMR. My recommendation is to definitely do cardio, but not to count on it as a big contributor to effective fat loss. Maybe 2-3 runs per week of 30 minutes each. Instead emphasize weight lifting and diet to burn the most fat while preserving muscle.