How should strength training to lose weight and tone up go?

So I am trying to lose weight and tone up. I do strength every other day Mon, Wed, and Friday. I was wondering....Should I train one area each day or do all over strength each day? What is better and what are the ups and down of each? I do 30 minutes of cardio on those days too. Tuesday and Thursday I do 45 minutes of just cardio. I rest Saturday and Sunday. I do something family wise Saturday whether it be hiking, biking, or a simple walk to the park with the family. I eat 1200 calories and day and eat back the calories I burn. I hope I am taking the right approach. Now I just need to know if I should working different body parts per strength training?


Thanks,
Chrystal

It's a good question but it would better put as, "how should you eat to lose bodyfat, and strength train?". When it comes to getting tone it starts with the diet, but really any fitness goal starts with diet; diet dictates your outcome. Make sure you start with a safe diet deficit that will allow your body to lose bodyfat without putting your metabolism at risk for becoming suppressed or slowed. You can just do a straight-forward diet when you watch your macro's and make good "clean food" selections. Paleo foods are always a good choice (i.e. Sweet Potatoes, Red Potatoes, Chicken, lean beef, green veggies). Or you can try something like Carb Back-Loading (CBL).

From an exercise perspective, typically lifting heavier weights for lower volume will provide the best strength gains while preserving more muscle mass during a deficit. If you're a beginner without a trainer or knowledgeable friend then look-up Starting Strength, StrongLifts 5x5, or New Rules of Lifting.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/560459-stronglifts-5x5-summary

If you're strength-training, then how are you getting enough protein in your diet on only 1200 calories? Or is that net calories after eating back your exercise calories?

Anyway, in New Rules of Lifting for Women, it says that if you are trying to lose fat, then to keep your deficit around 300 calories. That makes it easier to get enough protein to repair your muscles.

It depends largely on your goals. I hit everything twice a week, but that means I am in the gym 5 days a week. It requires a lot of dedication, and more than anything else a certain level of enjoyment to get you there everyday.

If you're toying with how many days or what to do, I highly recommend Stronglifts 5x5. It has you doing 3-4 compound lifts per session (these are the basic lifts that should be at the center of any strength/toning routine, they hit EVERY muscle in your body), and has a steady plan for increasing your weight that starts out with the bar so it's very managable.

NROL4W is good too, and the book has great info, but I find the actual routine is a little more complicated (read: not worse or better).

The best part about it is that you could do the prescribed 3 times a week (optimal), or you could do less depending on what your week looks like. Each session has the same lifts, and it's a total body workout.

You don't strength train to lose weight. You eat (in a calorie deficit) to lose weight.
The reason to strength train is to gain strength, preserve or gain muscle, preserve or gain bone density, improve fitness.
For a novice, the most time-efficient way to get results is by doing the full-body compound lifts and by following a tried and true program.

Taso is correct.