What am I doing wrong?

onesongaboutagirl
onesongaboutagirl Posts: 13 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi guys,

Just a bit of background information: I'm a female, 19 years old, 174cm tall and weigh approximately 64kg.

I foresee that many people will be quick to jump on those numbers and tell me I don't need to lose weight, yaddah yaddah yaddah. Please know that I am under no impression that I am fat or anything similar.

That being said, I do want to tone up a bit, and in order to do so I have made some dietary changes and included much more exercise in my routine. I think my diet is very healthy (and is also one I am quite happy to follow), and I now ride my bike to uni or go on the exercise bike pretty much every day (coming to a minimum of 40 minutes exercise per day, but often more).

My problem is that I don't seem to be seeing any results. That's not to say I don't feel them - I definitely feel fitter, and that was one of my goals so I'm happy about that. However, my overall appearance doesn't seem to have changed at all. I don't care about my weight per se, as I know that I am probably gaining muscle, but given that I made these changes to my diet and lifestyle several months ago, I would have liked to have seen more improvement.

All I am really looking to do is become a bit more slender. Can anyone please tell me what sorts of things I may be unconsciously doing to hinder this?

Thanks so much! :)

Replies

  • katamus
    katamus Posts: 2,363 Member
    What type of exercise are you doing besides the bike? (I can't see your diary)
  • onesongaboutagirl
    onesongaboutagirl Posts: 13 Member
    Well I have to walk around a lot in the course of my study and work, but because I'm waiting on a knee reconstruction the only exercise I'm currently doing is normal and stationary bike riding :)
  • doodles80
    doodles80 Posts: 59
    If you want to tone up you need to do some weights - when you do them you need to do light weights and lots of reps rather than heavy weights with less reps - this builds more muscle.

    Cardio will not tone you up as quickly as you want it to!
  • katamus
    katamus Posts: 2,363 Member
    If you want to tone up you need to do some weights

    YES
    - when you do them you need to do light weights and lots of reps rather than heavy weights with less reps - this builds more muscle.

    NO
    Cardio will not tone you up as quickly as you want it to!

    Yes, again. Kind of.

    Strength training/resistance training/weight training -- necessary.
  • astrampe
    astrampe Posts: 2,169 Member
    If you want to tone up you need to do some weights - when you do them you need to do light weights and lots of reps rather than heavy weights with less reps - this builds more muscle.

    Cardio will not tone you up as quickly as you want it to!

    OIY!!! please.....:explode: :noway: Lift as heavy as you can, what on earth is wrong with building muscle??? You won't "bulk up" you are female and don't have the testosterone needed to do that........
    You might lose the fat that covers your muscle....And even if you get to "build" a little muscle, it will only mean a better metabolism....
  • doodles80
    doodles80 Posts: 59
    Woaaaaahhhh there! Enough with the attitude, i'm just saying what my trainer in the gym told me when I asked the same thing!
  • spammyanna
    spammyanna Posts: 871 Member
    Lift weights! Try a program like New Rules of Lifting for Women. I'm almost done with stage 1, and while I have gained 2 lbs, I've lost 4% body fat, and I am much slimmer than I was before.

    And lift heavy.

    It's fun.

    And stay far far away from the Barbie weights.
  • rudegyal_b
    rudegyal_b Posts: 593 Member
    you need to lift heavy
  • Scotts_Foods
    Scotts_Foods Posts: 2 Member
    Lift heavy- 3 to 4 days per week, dump the cardio- two days per week 30 to 40 minutes at the most. Muscle is what shapes you, you cannot shape tone or sculpt fat.
    True that in order to bulk up or gain excess muscle you would need to bolster testosterone. This will not happen naturally.
    Good that you are not obsessed with the scale, the number doesn't matter anyway, it's how you look and feel. Weekly progress pics are the best method of gauging your progress.
    Don't read any fitness magazines, they are full of **** that does nothing more than convince you you must need something more... something they're selling!
    There are plenty of forums out there that have real people doing what they need to do to progress.
    Lastly, there is NO quick fix, anyone who promises one is probably selling snake oil on the side as well.

    Good luck on your journey,
    Scott
  • Brendajo510
    Brendajo510 Posts: 153
    If you want to tone up you need to do some weights - when you do them you need to do light weights and lots of reps rather than heavy weights with less reps - this builds more muscle.

    Cardio will not tone you up as quickly as you want it to!

    I agree for the most part. My favorite exercise DVDs for this seem to be 30 Day Shred and Bob Harper's Kettlebell. Lifting is going to help get you toned but I disagree that you should just go lift the heaviest thing you can. You might get hurt doing that if it is done improperly. If you go light or medium, I've always been told its better to use control when lifting, not quick reps.
  • GoldspursX3
    GoldspursX3 Posts: 516 Member
    Woaaaaahhhh there! Enough with the attitude, i'm just saying what my trainer in the gym told me when I asked the same thing!

    I don't think she had an attitude. This myth has been spread by trainers and fitness magazines for decades. A woman lifting heavy weights will not turn into Hulk Hogan.
  • jesz124
    jesz124 Posts: 1,004 Member
    I hate hate hate this stupid myth that you will 'bulk up' if your a woman doing heavy weights. In just under a month of following new rules of lifting for women I have seen more change in my body than i could of by doing cardio and low calories eating for months on end. It is by far the best method I know to improve your body shape. Please ladies, stop perpetuating the myth that low weight and high reps is the way to go. To do what the OP seems to want she needs to build some muscle (IMO) and she won't get that from chucking barbie weights around.
  • 2hobbit1
    2hobbit1 Posts: 820 Member
    There are groups on MFP for both stronglifts 5x5 and New Rules of Lifting for Women. Both have good info on the programs

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/forums/show/4618-stronglifts-5x5-for-women

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/forums/show/119-new-rules-of-lifting-for-women-

    Take a look at the pix in this link to see how change in body fat % changes you look

    http://www.leighpeele.com/body-fat-pictures-and-percentages
  • PayneAS
    PayneAS Posts: 669 Member
    You need to incorporate strength training into your exercise regimen if you want to see any toning.
  • Jxnsmma
    Jxnsmma Posts: 919 Member
    Woaaaaahhhh there! Enough with the attitude, i'm just saying what my trainer in the gym told me when I asked the same thing!

    Then you need a new trainer... sorry ;)
  • 1holegrouper
    1holegrouper Posts: 323 Member
    I agree that strength training is what will give you the results you are looking for. You are probably very busy. I know my girls were at your age. You don't have to go to a gym for strength training- all though there's nothing wrong with it.

    I disagree with those that are always de-emphasizing cardio exercise though. They would never make it in the military. I'll just leave that one there- keep that going. Strength training without cardio is mainly cosmetic. Strength training with cardio training allows us to be fit and ready to tackle all of life's physical challenges. With adding strength training you will want to take a second look at your diet to make sure you are packing in enough nutrition and calories in that order of priority. Are you taking a multivitamin? Are you drinking enough water before, during and in between workouts? When you do this right you will find that you have even more energy than you do now and any additional time you are adding to your schedule for fitness training will be compensated by the extra energy you have and can give to the rest of your schedule.
  • astrampe
    astrampe Posts: 2,169 Member
    Woaaaaahhhh there! Enough with the attitude, i'm just saying what my trainer in the gym told me when I asked the same thing!

    Then you need a new trainer... sorry ;)

    Yep....definitely....And there was no attitude, just annoyance with people who jump up and down about barbie weights....I wish i knew about heavy lifting earlier on...
  • rose313
    rose313 Posts: 1,146 Member
    How long have you been trying to tone up? No one sees instant results. Stick with a new habit for 3 weeks until you expect to see changes.
  • kingscrown
    kingscrown Posts: 615 Member
    Weight train. I'm still 40 pounds over weight and I have a toned body peaking out. I get all the time "look at your arms they look great". "Look at your calves you look great!" Your biking definitely on the right track. You just need to add some other things in to help tone you up. I'm sure you look great, but I know you want to look fabulous.
  • jesz124
    jesz124 Posts: 1,004 Member
    I agree that strength training is what will give you the results you are looking for. You are probably very busy. I know my girls were at your age. You don't have to go to a gym for strength training- all though there's nothing wrong with it.

    I disagree with those that are always de-emphasizing cardio exercise though. They would never make it in the military. I'll just leave that one there- keep that going. Strength training without cardio is mainly cosmetic. Strength training with cardio training allows us to be fit and ready to tackle all of life's physical challenges. With adding strength training you will want to take a second look at your diet to make sure you are packing in enough nutrition and calories in that order of priority. Are you taking a multivitamin? Are you drinking enough water before, during and in between workouts? When you do this right you will find that you have even more energy than you do now and any additional time you are adding to your schedule for fitness training will be compensated by the extra energy you have and can give to the rest of your schedule.

    Correct me if I'm wrong but where was this thread about doing cardio to join the military?! Lol. The op wants to 'tone up' not improve fitness to pass military entrance tests.
  • asaffell
    asaffell Posts: 43 Member
    Take pictures and measurements. You won't see those changes in your mirror because you see yourself daily.
  • Gramps251
    Gramps251 Posts: 738 Member
    Woaaaaahhhh there! Enough with the attitude, i'm just saying what my trainer in the gym told me when I asked the same thing!

    All the new information I've been reading suggest going heavy on the weights. I remember people used to think women should do light so they don't bulk up but I think the newer thought is women won't bulk up without supliments. (hormones and drugs).....but Im just a bozo on the web.
  • Girl_Bomb
    Girl_Bomb Posts: 195
    Weight training!!!!!! Maybe some HIIT, straight cardio isn't going to give you the results you want especially if your already slim. I'll do the elliptical but up the level to like 10 and move slow, I feel it in my muscles a lot more, or I'll walk stairs, a lot of stairs (best workout to tone those legs in my opinion) also, to much cardio can start eating at your muscles therefor making it harder to build muscle lol up the protien and hit the weights girl. I lift HEAVY weight and do less reps, I pick the highest weight I can lift for 5 reps and do 3 sets, my strength has increased a lot
  • 1holegrouper
    1holegrouper Posts: 323 Member
    I agree that strength training is what will give you the results you are looking for. You are probably very busy. I know my girls were at your age. You don't have to go to a gym for strength training- all though there's nothing wrong with it.

    I disagree with those that are always de-emphasizing cardio exercise though. They would never make it in the military. I'll just leave that one there- keep that going. Strength training without cardio is mainly cosmetic. Strength training with cardio training allows us to be fit and ready to tackle all of life's physical challenges. With adding strength training you will want to take a second look at your diet to make sure you are packing in enough nutrition and calories in that order of priority. Are you taking a multivitamin? Are you drinking enough water before, during and in between workouts? When you do this right you will find that you have even more energy than you do now and any additional time you are adding to your schedule for fitness training will be compensated by the extra energy you have and can give to the rest of your schedule.

    Correct me if I'm wrong but where was this thread about doing cardio to join the military?! Lol. The op wants to 'tone up' not improve fitness to pass military entrance tests.

    LOL, my point that apparently was not clear was that most of us want to have a well rounded level of fitness. Not just toned and muscled but also to be able to go up a flight of stairs, etc. without losing our breath. With my relatives in the military I am able to see that this is their approach as well.
  • runningfromzombies
    runningfromzombies Posts: 386 Member
    Lift heavy. Waiting on knee reconstruction surgery is going to make that hard (you probably can't do squats, deadlifts, lunges...), but you can focus on the upper body for now (push-ups, rows, lat pulldowns). Building muscle will give you the toned body you want, but you can't be afraid to pick up very heavy things. ;)
  • LorinaLynn
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,247 Member
    Also "lifting heavy" doesn't mean "lifting something so heavy that you're going to hurt yourself."

    Heavy is relative. It should be an amount that's challenging, yet you can complete your reps with good form. If it's not the least big challenging, it's too light. If you can't do it with good form, it's too heavy. If you're doing it right, you won't hurt yourself.
  • joybedford
    joybedford Posts: 1,680 Member
    I too vote for lifting heavy, I am new to lifting and by no means up to really heavy weights. I also do cardio i run and I am training for my first marathon. I feel i can do both I run 3-4 days a week and lift 3 days a week sometimes i will lift and run on the same day. Since i have added in the lifting I have lost very little weight but even i (my husband says i have body dysmorphia) can see a huge difference in my body. My abs are shaping up nicely, this is amazing as I have had 3 kids one weighed 9lb7 and the other 2 are twins weighing in at 14lb4 combined weight. I am also 41 years old if I can shape up anyone can. You need to give lifting a go it has worked womders for me.
  • onesongaboutagirl
    onesongaboutagirl Posts: 13 Member
    Oh my gosh, so many replies! Thank you so much for wanting to help me everyone, I really appreciate it :)

    It seems that the consensus is to start doing weight training! My younger brother is fairly experienced in this area and has been trying to get me to do some for a while, so I will ask him to help me.

    It seems like I may also benefit from posting weekly photos. If I remember, I'll try to start doing that too!

    Thanks again everyone, it's so lovely to find such a supportive site :)

    Good luck to you all with your fitness goals!

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