Not wanting to lose weight but tone up. Suggestions?

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Kristina661
Kristina661 Posts: 32 Member
edited January 2015 in Health and Weight Loss
Dont need to "lose weight" per say. Im 5"9 and 140 lbs..but I do want to lose inches around stomach and legs. I dont eat 1200 calories a day I just cant...I eat every 3 hours though and power walk 3 miles a night with hand weights incorporated, and eat healthy. Any more suggestions? Anyone have this work for them?

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  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,708 Member
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    Full body workout with resistance that challenges it at least 2 times a week. And no, 5lb weights (unless for laterals) aren't that challenging for the average female.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
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  • crownedether
    crownedether Posts: 13 Member
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    Lift heavier weights. I am the same height and weight as you, and when I first started I had AMAZING results with lifting heavy weights, some light cardio daily, and eating around 1800 calories a day. I lost a couple lbs but more importantly I lost inches around my stomach which was my major problem area. The hardest part is definitely keeping the diet in check, but it becomes much easier when you are able to consume more calories because of your activity level.
  • Kristina661
    Kristina661 Posts: 32 Member
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    well I just got back into fitness so I used 5 lbs weights last night and I was sweating pretty hard with that. Its a power/walk/aerobics/weight lifting program for 3 miles. I do have 15lb weights also that I will upgrade to gradually. Eating healthy is not hard just eating enough is. I have my meals set for the day already and its only 990 calories and I stay satisfied through the day. any suggestions on what to eat thats healthy that can boost up that count? lol
  • Kristina661
    Kristina661 Posts: 32 Member
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    I encorporate whole wheat breads, bananas, tuna, eggs, cottage cheese, chicken, broccoli..
  • Cherimoose
    Cherimoose Posts: 5,209 Member
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    Follow a professionally designed strength program (NROL, Stronglifts, personal trainer, etc). Post your results in 6 months.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,708 Member
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    Kristina661 wrote: »
    well I just got back into fitness so I used 5 lbs weights last night and I was sweating pretty hard with that. Its a power/walk/aerobics/weight lifting program for 3 miles. I do have 15lb weights also that I will upgrade to gradually. Eating healthy is not hard just eating enough is. I have my meals set for the day already and its only 990 calories and I stay satisfied through the day. any suggestions on what to eat thats healthy that can boost up that count? lol
    Lifting light weights will work on your ENDURANCE, but doesn't do much for toning up muscle. The muscle has to be challenged (with resistance to make it work) and light weights won't do that. Heck, even body weight exercises are a good option. Pushups, inverted pullups, walking lunges, etc.
    And if you need to increase your calories, go for higher calorie foods like avocado, peanut butter, cheese.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
    9285851.png

  • ana3067
    ana3067 Posts: 5,623 Member
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    Lift weights. Eating at maintenance might help you recomp a bit since you'd benefit from newbie gains (3-10 rep range would probably be a good range to use while at maintenance or bulking - I can't do more than 6 reps while actively losing weight, too draining).

    Once you get to a point where you want more definition, start eating at a small deficit (about 10% below your maintenance needs usually suffices if you are not looking to lose that much). If you want to put on more mass, then eat at a slight surplus (5-10% extra cals).
  • ana3067
    ana3067 Posts: 5,623 Member
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    Kristina661 wrote: »
    well I just got back into fitness so I used 5 lbs weights last night and I was sweating pretty hard with that. Its a power/walk/aerobics/weight lifting program for 3 miles. I do have 15lb weights also that I will upgrade to gradually. Eating healthy is not hard just eating enough is. I have my meals set for the day already and its only 990 calories and I stay satisfied through the day. any suggestions on what to eat thats healthy that can boost up that count? lol

    You can eat whatever you want. You can go eat a few slices of pizza if you want as long as you remain within your caloric needs. At only 900 calories you are unlikely to be meeting your protein, fat, and micro needs.
  • markandersun
    markandersun Posts: 1
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    You could try a yoga or piyo class. Typically a gym will have such a class at least 2 or 3 times per week. The classes can be difficult, and you have to keep going to them regularly else you will get out of shape for that type of exercise. But it's fun, with great people in the classes.
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
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    Your power walk is cardio ...where's the weight lifting?

    Weight lifting is great for women
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,411 MFP Moderator
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    Kristina661 wrote: »
    well I just got back into fitness so I used 5 lbs weights last night and I was sweating pretty hard with that. Its a power/walk/aerobics/weight lifting program for 3 miles. I do have 15lb weights also that I will upgrade to gradually. Eating healthy is not hard just eating enough is. I have my meals set for the day already and its only 990 calories and I stay satisfied through the day. any suggestions on what to eat thats healthy that can boost up that count? lol
    Well if you want to stop losing weight, you will probably need 2 to 3x as much food. If you struggle with calories, i suspect you are eating the wrong types of food or you have labelled food as good or bad.

    Start to incorporate, nuts, dairy (cheese or even drink milk), higher calorie meats (red), cook meats in olive oil, eating high calorie protein bars or drink high calorie protein drinks, eat peanut butter out of a jar or ice cream.
  • maxit
    maxit Posts: 880 Member
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    Lift heavier weights, don't waste time walking with them - NROL is a good place to start and there are tons of youtube vids so you can make sure your form is good - NROL also has some decent information about nutrition you will need to support weight training.

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