Help! Skinny but trying to tone up

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Jane717
Jane717 Posts: 21
in Fitness and Exercise
Hey everyone!

I don't really want to lose any weight but my problem is I'm short. So even though I'm skinny and at a healthy weight, any fat that I gain shows instantly and makes me look even shorter. I have some extra fat around my hips and it bothers me especially when it's summer time. My goal is to have a toned torso and thighs so I can be comfortable with my body.

I haven't been limiting my caloric intake much, because I hate going on diets. I exercise a lot so that I can eat regularly. But my eating habits are healthy, I try to include carbs in 2-3 meals but avoid them during dinner. I avoid junk food and fried food too. I have been doing cardio 5 times a week for around 30 minutes, with only around 10 minutes of lower-body resistance exercises 3 times a week (thighs, glutes). Looking around the success stories though, I'm not sure this is the way to go. A lot of the success stories I read talk about not doing cardio that burns muscle but instead getting that "toned" look by only lifting weights.

Should I be eating more calories (eating around 1200 now) and ditching the cardio for weights? I'm scared that it won't work and I'll just end up gaining a lot of fat from eating too much and not doing enough exercise to burn off the extra calories. Please help and tell me about your personal experiences with this issue!

Replies

  • skinnyinnotime
    skinnyinnotime Posts: 4,141 Member
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    I used to do loads of cardio whilst I was losing, since I've been on maintenance I rarely do any cardio and am lifting weights 2-3 times a week plus 1 karate class. I'm looking even leaner than when I was just doing cardio and find I have to eat more than what mfp tells me to NOT lose anymore weight.

    I believe my metabolism is much faster now. Give it a try, you will be pleasantly surprised with the results.
  • SRH7
    SRH7 Posts: 2,037 Member
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    You need weights! And not those little Minnie Mouse ones, but ones as big as you can pick up!

    Lorina's posts are great for giving you an idea of what can be done with weight training: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/LorinaLynn/view/how-i-did-it-2-electric-boogaloo-226007

    And a good starting point is this routine (easy to do, quick and really gets results - and doesn't need a gym membership, just some dumbbells): http://produmbbellworkouts.com/dumbbell-routines/full-body-high-volume/
  • SRH7
    SRH7 Posts: 2,037 Member
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    I used to do loads of cardio whilst I was losing, since I've been on maintenance I rarely do any cardio and am lifting weights 2-3 times a week plus 1 karate class. I'm looking even leaner than when I was just doing cardio and find I have to eat more than what mfp tells me to NOT lose anymore weight.

    I believe my metabolism is much faster now. Give it a try, you will be pleasantly surprised with the results.

    Great advice!

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