Vegan looking to tone up not bulk up

rawfitbitch

You seem fairly lean if that picture is current. It may be a good idea to continue eating at a very slight deficit below actual TDEE to procure "newbie" gains in lean body mass while slowly reducing body fat percentage as you introduce strength training. After doing this for about two months, you can then go back up to maintenance for a few weeks before doing a 2 to 3 month short bulk to specifically increase lean body mass. If you do these short cycles of bulks-to-cuts, you can tweak your body composition to a favorable spot.

I suggest reading articles such as these by Lyle McDonald:

http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/setting-the-deficit-small-moderate-or-large.html

http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/muscle-gain/general-philosophies-of-muscle-mass-gain.html

Thank you! I actually found the links pretty interesting I'll definitely give it a go.

ladyraven68

I'm not trying to lose much more in the line of weight, maybe 5 lbs tops, but I'm really looking to tone and define. I go to the gym (fully equipped) about 3 - 4 times a week, some times more. I mainly do the elliptical, bike, treadmill and calisthenics.

I don't want to get bulky, I just want to tighten up, especially around my thighs/buns/lower abs.

Is there anything I can do to speed the process along/get better results?

I take green tea extract in the morning along with a raw vegan meal replacer. After gym time I use hemp protein.

Any particular exercises or *raw* health snacks?

Don't worry about getting bulky - there are some very heavy lifters here, and they all look hot. .

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/884447-do-you-lift-heavy-are-you-bulky

Lupercalia

Lift heavy weights and come to grips with the fact that there is no such thing as "toning up".