When to start toning?

tworthen79

Just wondering what you all did. Did you lose weight first and once you reached your goal, then start toning? Or did you tone as you went along? I've had 4 c sections and I know this kangaroo pouch will be the death of me.

cjcmrn

I'm toning as I go, no point in being 'skinny fat'; I'd rather be fit and toned along the whole journey

nomeejerome

Calorie deficit for weight loss. Exercise for fitness. Cardio for heart health. Strength train to keep lean body mass while eating at a deficit. Once you lose body fat, the muscles underneath will reveal themselves.

michellekicks

There's really no such thing as toning. Losing body fat reveals the muscle left behind. If you don't have as much muscle as you'd like, you need to lift heavy weights and keep your deficit small to preserve the muscle you do have.

chantwizzle83

Muscle helps burn fat. Lift smaller weights at higher reps/sets. You get toned while you're losing.

tworthen79

I've seen mothers who have had c sections and once the fat is gone, all that's left is hanging skin. And that's my fear, will I ever be able to rid myself of it, naturally. Not only do I want to be healthy, but be sexy, flappy skin..not so much! lol

sarahrbraun

Just wondering what you all did. Did you lose weight first and once you reached your goal, then start toning? Or did you tone as you went along? I've had 4 c sections and I know this kangaroo pouch will be the death of me.

Start toning ASAP! The scale has not really moved for me in 6 months, but my body has changed quite a lot.


IMG00817-20121113-0848 by crochetmom2010, on Flickr


Untitled by crochetmom2010, on Flickr

all of these pictures are of me at about 195 lbs. The top was November or December...the bottom is the last few months.

tworthen79

What exercise/equipment are best for toning?

taso42

normally, as you lose fat, you will "tone", for most definitions of "tone"

taso42

What exercise/equipment are best for toning?

NO

Achrya

What exercise/equipment are best for toning?

I find the food scale and measuring cups have been crucial in giving me a more toned look

taso42

What exercise/equipment are best for toning?

I find the food scale and measuring cups have been crucial in giving me a more toned look

YES

Lyadeia

Muscle helps burn fat. Lift smaller weights at higher reps/sets. You get toned while you're losing.

Actually, those smaller weights with higher reps will not "tone" the muscle. They will improve your endurance and help you with the heavier weights with fewer reps which builds the muscle.

michellekicks

I've seen mothers who have had c sections and once the fat is gone, all that's left is hanging skin. And that's my fear, will I ever be able to rid myself of it, naturally. Not only do I want to be healthy, but be sexy, flappy skin..not so much! lol

Well, once you lose the fat you'll know whether you're going to have flappy skin. So just get started and don't worry about it. It's genetic. It will either shrink back or it won't. But skin that's just skin is still just skin. Skin with fat in it jiggles more.

michellekicks

What exercise/equipment are best for toning?

I find the food scale and measuring cups have been crucial in giving me a more toned look

QFT.

WannabeStressFree

I'm "skinny fat" I'm flabby. Most people say I'm not fat, but I am!
So I just bought 2 Powerblock barbells, they can be increased in weight up to 25lbs each, they're great! I started to do P90X upper body dvd's.. My main goal is marathon training, But I want to be more toned!
My whole body is soft, I want to be hard! Lol, I still have about 25 lbs to lose, but I agree that it can be done with weight loss and muscles help burn fat when we train them.
So I don't think it will hurt.
Many people here do Jillian Michaels 30 day shred.

jonnythan

You have body fat and you have muscle. You can't "tone." Your options are:

1) Lose body fat and lose muscle
2) Lose body fat while preserving muscle
3) Lose body fat while gaining muscle
4) Gain body fat while gaining muscle
5) Gain body fat while not gaining muscle

1 is what happens when you lose weight without exercising.
2 is what happens when you lose weight while exercising. Progressive heavy resistance training, such as with a barbell, maximizes preservation of lean mass during this process. "Toning" exercises with low weights are very bad at it.
3 is what happens while you maintain your weight while doing heavy resistance training. It's a very slow process.
4 is what happens when you resistance train while gaining weight
5 is what happens when you gain weight without resistance training

2 is what you want to do. Cut away the fat and reveal the muscle that you have underneath. This is where definition and "tone" come from. There is no such thing as "toning exercises." Getting toned is simply the process of getting rid of excess body fat so that the muscle underneath can show through.

sarahstrezo

I've seen mothers who have had c sections and once the fat is gone, all that's left is hanging skin. And that's my fear, will I ever be able to rid myself of it, naturally. Not only do I want to be healthy, but be sexy, flappy skin..not so much! lol

No exercise is going to help excess skin, if that's your problem. I've had 3 babies in 4 years.....the first of which was a c-section. I still have a shelf/ridge, what-have-you right above my scar. It isn't going anywhere....I had surgery. I have a friend that had 3 babies (no c-section), she is very lean and in great shape.....has quite a bit of loose skin on her lower abdomen. It's just the genes she was dealt.

As for toning...there is no such thing. As for when you should start weight training....yesterday.

DopeItUp

To answer your question, you should have started lifting weights years and years ago. Start them today or tomorrow if possible.

SilverLotusGirl

Just wondering what you all did. Did you lose weight first and once you reached your goal, then start toning? Or did you tone as you went along? I've had 4 c sections and I know this kangaroo pouch will be the death of me.

Start toning ASAP! The scale has not really moved for me in 6 months, but my body has changed quite a lot.


IMG00817-20121113-0848 by crochetmom2010, on Flickr


Untitled by crochetmom2010, on Flickr

all of these pictures are of me at about 195 lbs. The top was November or December...the bottom is the last few months.

I'm not the only one with that problem. I'm at 215 and have been since December but I'm doing strength work and stuff to keep up muscle mass and I've gotten smaller but I still weight the same. I feel better knowing that someone else is in the same boat and that this isn't just a case of my body trolling the heck out of me.

Mcgrawhaha

i have had 5 kids, in a 7 year period. in september, i had this thing, this flabby flap thing that hung over my underwear. its gone. i have been eating at a deficit, doing cardio, and also strength training since the beginning (september)... i would go ahead and incorporate strength training into your weight loss plan.

peggymdellinger

To answer your question, you should have started lifting weights years and years ago. Start them today or tomorrow if possible.

QFT