I haven't been getting much responds, Would like some help

psuLemon

I lose weight quickly off running on my treadmill. Lots of cardio I would say. If wanting to build muscle or "tone up" then strength training exercises and weights.

Find out what your daily calories are and log them.

I would look around and see what others log as far as food. Can you give an ideal what healthy and nutritional foods have been effective for some. Based on your personal taste you can pick and choose.

Basically you got to do a little foot work.

The problem with lots of cardio.. it tends to lead to lots of muscle loss too. Realistically, you want to lower your body fat %, which you accomplish most by doing a combination of weight training and cardio, as well as, a calorie deficit. But if your goal is lean and fit look (aka defined), then weight training is where you will see the greatest progress. Lets face it, I can show you may women who have gained weight and look better. For example, one of the best examples is staci in the below link. In the end, body composition plays a much greater role in your look that your weight does.

http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2011/07/21/meet-staci-your-new-powerlifting-super-hero/

That is why I said after if you want to build muscle or "tone up" strength training and weights. Some just want to lose weight at first the start strength training after.

The muscle or any definition that I have has been straight cardio. I just now, like the last few days starting strength training. It also depends on your intensity of cardio. I also ran at high speeds and inclines.

Tone up is a fancy name for losing fat. Also, when in a calorie deficit, you won't build muscle. In fact, the point of strength training is to minimize muscle loss. When you minimize muscle loss, you actually do a few things: maintain your metabolic rate, reduce the amount of weight you lose, and increase your strength. It's a far better approach to incorporate weight training from the beginning as you prevent the chances of having to do a bulk/cut phase or two. I can't tell you how many women I am helping to gain muscle because they lost too much with the cardio only approach. Keep in mind that if you have to gain new muscle and follow it with a cut it could add an additional 6-9 months to your journey. So why not prevent that and get the results from the beginning?

Sreneesa

I lose weight quickly off running on my treadmill. Lots of cardio I would say. If wanting to build muscle or "tone up" then strength training exercises and weights.

Find out what your daily calories are and log them.

I would look around and see what others log as far as food. Can you give an ideal what healthy and nutritional foods have been effective for some. Based on your personal taste you can pick and choose.

Basically you got to do a little foot work.

The problem with lots of cardio.. it tends to lead to lots of muscle loss too. Realistically, you want to lower your body fat %, which you accomplish most by doing a combination of weight training and cardio, as well as, a calorie deficit. But if your goal is lean and fit look (aka defined), then weight training is where you will see the greatest progress. Lets face it, I can show you may women who have gained weight and look better. For example, one of the best examples is staci in the below link. In the end, body composition plays a much greater role in your look that your weight does.

http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2011/07/21/meet-staci-your-new-powerlifting-super-hero/

That is why I said after if you want to build muscle or "tone up" strength training and weights. Some just want to lose weight at first the start strength training after.

The muscle or any definition that I have has been straight cardio. I just now, like the last few days starting strength training. It also depends on your intensity of cardio. I also ran at high speeds and inclines.

Tone up is a fancy name for losing fat. Also, when in a calorie deficit, you won't build muscle. In fact, the point of strength training is to minimize muscle loss. When you minimize muscle loss, you actually do a few things: maintain your metabolic rate, reduce the amount of weight you lose, and increase your strength. It's a far better approach to incorporate weight training from the beginning as you prevent the chances of having to do a bulk/cut phase or two. I can't tell you how many women I am helping to gain muscle because they lost too much with the cardio only approach. Keep in mind that if you have to gain new muscle and follow it with a cut it could add an additional 6-9 months to your journey. So why not prevent that and get the results from the beginning?

Point taken. I do agree.

sweetpea03b

Remember that muscle weighs more than fat, so the number on the scale doesn't reflect fat loss. I really wish I had taken measurements of my waist, hips, bust, thighs, etc.

Just to clear this up.... muscle does not weigh more than fat. Muscle weighs the same as fat... but takes up less room. But, still the same rule applies... you can weigh 180 before and after and lose a % or 2 of fat. Get a tanita scale that gives you a measurement of body fat %.

sjp_511

For weight loss, diet is really important. I am a runner - I have run 26 half marathons. But I had very little weight loss training and running for those half marathons because I didn't watch my diet. Once I started counting calories, the weight comes off.

To start dieting, log your food and eat normally. Just scale your portions down. Once you read labels, you will be surprised at how high calorie some foods are and learn to really limit them. I tend to do really well during the week and net as close to 1500 calories as possible (but I tend to get closer to 1700, especially on days I don't exercise). Then I give myself a little bit of slack on the weekends and allow myself to net closer to 2000 calories.

For me, meal planning is really important. I try to pack my lunch as much as possible to stay within my calorie goal.

A typical day is as follows:

Breakfast:
- Mocha (I have my espresso machine and so this is my daily indulgence - I skip it if I am not exercising that day) 230 calories
- Oatmeal with brown sugar and raisins (not the healthiest way to have it....): 400 calories

Lunch:
- Salad - usually just greens, grilled chicken and dressing - I switch up the dressing flavors. Low-fat dressing isn't neccesary as long as it is not overdone. 250 calories
- Fruit - I have been having fruit salad a lot lately: Grapes, strawberries, and blueberries in a lime juice and honey dressing. Yummy! A huge 2 cup serving is 165 calories.

Snack:
- 1 serving of cocoa-roasted almonds. 160 calories.

Dinner:
- Tonight is beef chili (with a slice of corn bread it is 560 calories (corn bread is high calorie!)
- Tomorrow night is a tuna patty - the patty is 250 calories, add a bun and some veggies on the side and it will be approx 500
- I do stir-fry with rice quite often - comes out to 400 calories
- chicken enchiladas for 475 calories

That brings me to 1205 calories before dinner. My dinners are anywhere from 400 calories to 700 calories for a daily total of 1600-1900 calories. I exercise 3-4 days per week, each workout with a 400-500 calorie burn. Brings my daily average net to ~1500 calories.

The weekends are more of a wild card. There is less structure for me to plan my meals around and eating out. I still try to make the best decisions for the situation I am in on those days.

Yooperm35

I personally don't worry about my macros. I eat when I am hungry and I eat a MINIMUM amount of calories not a maximum. (unless my day dictated otherwise - example, if it's a work day and I get too busy to eat). I don't think, "I can only eat 1200 calories (actually I have mine set to 1600). My mentality is I have to try to eat AT LEAST 1600 calories
It usually evens out and it's working for me.