What am I doing wrong?

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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! :)
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Replies

  • katamus
    katamus Posts: 2,363 Member
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    What type of exercise are you doing besides the bike? (I can't see your diary)
  • onesongaboutagirl
    onesongaboutagirl Posts: 13 Member
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    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
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    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
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    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
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    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
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    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
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    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
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    you need to lift heavy
  • Scotts_Foods
    Scotts_Foods Posts: 2 Member
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    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
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    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
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    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
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    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
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    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
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    You need to incorporate strength training into your exercise regimen if you want to see any toning.
  • Jxnsmma
    Jxnsmma Posts: 919 Member
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    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
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    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
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    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
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    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
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    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
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    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.

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