Toning but no real results...?

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mlrosa123
mlrosa123 Posts: 64 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I've been working out almost every day since April 2011... I started @ 216 and now I'm at a plateau range of 180-190.... I see my body looks more toned but I haven't lost any weight or inches since September. I want to say its due to a birth control that I began taking in sep and I've decided to quit ... Is this possible that it has caused me to stop losing weight!? I stopped 3 weeks ago but I'm still the same. Right now I'm at 190. I want to be at 150 by April.... Can you offer me advice? I started eating breakfast a month ago... And only ate fast food once in 3 weeks... I eat 2 egg whites and one egg for breakfast... For lunch I eat tuna sandwich or ham and cheese.... And the bad part is I eat dinner after 7 sometimes 8. I am nor perfect .., I still eat cookies sometimes lol ummm but I workout A LOT! Monday's: 1 hour Zumba + 1 hour cardio and weights at the gym Tuesday: 1 hour cardio at the gym and some weight Wednesday: same as Monday Thursday: body pump + 1 hour cardio Friday: cardio at gym 1 hr same sat and sun.... Everyday!!!!! Please help :)
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  • mlrosa123
    mlrosa123 Posts: 64 Member
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    I also drink about 10 cups of water a day... NO soda! No coffe!
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,701 Member
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    "Toning" is mislabeled as a way to say "lifting light weights" and "not getting bulky or muscular". You want to drop some weight and "harden" up? Lift heavy keeping reps under 8 for every exercise. There are many females here who prove this time and again on the site.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • SergeantSunshine_reused
    SergeantSunshine_reused Posts: 5,382 Member
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    to get a "tone" look you have to lose the fat that is covering the muscle. You want to lift weights so that you retain your muscle and do not look skinny fat. Lifting light weights will do you no good. HEAVY weights is what you need to get that defined tone look :D
  • VinVenture
    VinVenture Posts: 290
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    Cut down on the cardio and begin lifting heavy weights. Your body is probably used to all of the cardio/your general work out, and it's time to switch it up.

    Eat more protein (unless you're already at 1g per lb body weight, anything below that and you can increase it), and start lifting weights. I'm not talking low weights high rep, that does virtually nothing. You can't get bulky, and you won't get results if you can lift something more than 12 times in a row. Suggested range is no less than 8, no more than 12.

    A lot of people think its best to switch up their routine a bit every six weeks. An example is going from 8-12 range to 6-8 range, then later to the 4-6 range. Check out the group on women lifting weights. They know a lot.

    And good luck!
  • mlrosa123
    mlrosa123 Posts: 64 Member
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    O I C... When I do weights at the gym I do the arm push thing... But I do 5 sets of 40 lbs... And arm raises 3 of 15lbs.... And some other arm/back exercise @ 45.... Too much??? Maybe if I slow down on lifting weights cuz I do body pump too... Which varies...
  • mlrosa123
    mlrosa123 Posts: 64 Member
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    Agh. ... No I want to lose fat not be buff... I wanna be toned but not buff. I can tell my body looks toner but I'm not skinnier. Make sense?? Sry I'm on my phone and it's hard to keep up with posts... Lol
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,701 Member
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    O I C... When I do weights at the gym I do the arm push thing... But I do 5 sets of 40 lbs... And arm raises 3 of 15lbs.... And some other arm/back exercise @ 45.... Too much??? Maybe if I slow down on lifting weights cuz I do body pump too... Which varies...
    ??? Body pump doesn't focus on heavy lifts. Learn compound lifts: squats, deadlifts, bench presses, pullups. Add in a couple of isolation movements for the arms and shoulders. Lift heavy (meaning the last 2 reps should be VERY difficult) for every exercise and keep your reps within 8.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,701 Member
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    Agh. ... No I want to lose fat not be buff... I wanna be toned but not buff. I can tell my body looks toner but I'm not skinnier. Make sense?? Sry I'm on my phone and it's hard to keep up with posts... Lol
    You will lose fat. That's the whole point of heavy lifting. It raises your resting metabolic rate. And if you want to be "toned" then don't let your body fat drop below 20%.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • mlrosa123
    mlrosa123 Posts: 64 Member
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    Nah I do body pump AND other stuff Besides that class :) so I do both. I meant body pump varies... Yes squats and the others u mentioned :)
  • VinVenture
    VinVenture Posts: 290
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    You cannot get buff. This is a misconception. Unless you take steroids or are half man to begin with (and I do apologize if you are), you don't have enough testosterone to get bulky.

    I will also give you a visual example.

    A woman who eats nothing but chicken breasts and broccoli, dehydrates herself and works extra hard 8 or more hours in a day to look like this.

    JamieEason21.jpg

    The same woman, when she isn't dedicating her time specifically to look like that.


    230317_10150620977135574_327738720573_18957089_7616993_n.jpg

    Any questions?
  • SergeantSunshine_reused
    SergeantSunshine_reused Posts: 5,382 Member
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    Agh. ... No I want to lose fat not be buff... I wanna be toned but not buff. I can tell my body looks toner but I'm not skinnier. Make sense?? Sry I'm on my phone and it's hard to keep up with posts... Lol

    Lifting weights will not make you bulk up. Lifting heavy will make you tone and defined as you get smaller. If you don't lift heavy then you will most likely get smaller but still look flabby.

    Women do not have the testosterone that is needed to get bulky. The only way you are going to be bulky and buff is to take steroids. If you don't want to be lean and defined, then keep body fat % about 20% like niner said
  • mlrosa123
    mlrosa123 Posts: 64 Member
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    Great!!! Thanks !!!! Yea the first pic is awful! Thanks very much >.<
  • VinVenture
    VinVenture Posts: 290
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    Well, you'll have to focus and dedicate your life to pretty much looking like the first pic, just lifting weights will end you up in the last pic. :)

    Try this on for size:
    http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/womans_lean_sexy_bible.htm
    Nice, pre-made workout schedule that really adapts you into lifting.
    (But as someone mentioned, you might want to go to a lower range, for example 6-8 rather than 8-12 for quicker gains.)
  • SergeantSunshine_reused
    SergeantSunshine_reused Posts: 5,382 Member
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    Well I wouldn't say awful... That is like my dream body haha xD
  • mlrosa123
    mlrosa123 Posts: 64 Member
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    Lol ! You go girl! Haha ;-) I also wanted to know if it's okay that I haven't changed since sep... Except for looking to er, I haven't lost inches or weight.... But workout hard... Why?
  • TenderBranson
    TenderBranson Posts: 114 Member
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    The women in here are correct. Lifting heavy will not get you "Buff" or "stocky" or any other adjective you can think of to describe that bodybuilder physique that you're imagining. The physique you're imagining takes years of extreme eating & exercise, a high calorie surplus diet, & heavy supplementation to attain.

    Lifting will definitely benefit you Add some compound lifts to your routine. Squats/Deadlifts/Upright rows etc. Monitor your intake, stay in a caloric defecit, and hit your macros. You can achieve it, good luck.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,701 Member
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    Lol ! You go girl! Haha ;-) I also wanted to know if it's okay that I haven't changed since sep... Except for looking to er, I haven't lost inches or weight.... But workout hard... Why?
    You THINK you work out hard. Perception and reality are 2 different things.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • DKBelle
    DKBelle Posts: 585
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    What I do is eat healthy and workout daily 6 times a week. I recently started to do interval trainings to boost my metabolism. I think when you workout too long your body metabolism slows down so you need to boost up by changing up the daily habits.
    Check these free sites that might help you. Also if you feel like friends me .
    https://www.facebook.com/pages/Cooking-ideasHomemade-Healthy-Foods/179121125503371
    www.bodyrock.tv
    www.myomytv.com
  • DKBelle
    DKBelle Posts: 585
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    yup, its so true
    Agh. ... No I want to lose fat not be buff... I wanna be toned but not buff. I can tell my body looks toner but I'm not skinnier. Make sense?? Sry I'm on my phone and it's hard to keep up with posts... Lol

    Lifting weights will not make you bulk up. Lifting heavy will make you tone and defined as you get smaller. If you don't lift heavy then you will most likely get smaller but still look flabby.

    Women do not have the testosterone that is needed to get bulky. The only way you are going to be bulky and buff is to take steroids. If you don't want to be lean and defined, then keep body fat % about 20% like niner said
  • mlrosa123
    mlrosa123 Posts: 64 Member
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    I don't even know what to say to that... I always keep my heart rate up. When I do cardio I check that it's at 160 or so... I increase weights when I feel my body can take it... I do 2 hrs 3 days a week... And 1 hour 4 says a week...i go everyday , unless for some reason I can't. I push so that I'm dripping sweat throughout the entire workout.... But yea I guess I don't try then. ..

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