Hi all.
I have been a memer on here for some time now, I was quite active a while back but have since had major surgery and left for a while.
I am now back at the gym (op was a good few years ago now) and have lost 35lb.
I am 37, a mother of 3 and about 152lbs. 5'8" tall. In clothes I look pretty good, but undressed is another matter, I have a flat tummy, but my legs are quite chunky and my hips are rounder than I'd like.
I have started training properly again, 1-2 body parts daily and some cardio, but any advise on how to achieve slim toned legs? Mine arnt flabby, just bigger than I would like, I dont want to build huge muscle, just nice toned legs.
My diet is pretty good, but I do have a weakness for sweet things.
Any help gratefully recieved.
Katey x
Congratulations on your weight loss, young lady! Great Job!
IMO, toning is a misused or at least a misunderstood term.
In order to see (more clearly if you will) ones work from building muscle, Body Fat must be low enough to reveal the shape and contraction set of the muscle, and this Body Fat percentage can vary per person (and gender), but there is some average foundations to work toward.
For example, one could look pretty sharp at 10% body fat (higher for females), while another may not look quite as good, and the difference can be just bodily composition (amount of muscle, muscle structure, and where fat is personally accumulated specific to the person, etc).
1.
Build some appropriate muscle through proper training and dietary habits.
The diet you use to build muscle and progress in your goal, may not be the same one used as you get VERY CLOSE to your personal goal want.
An example (hypothetically): Let's say you worked hard for 6 to 8 months and built some muscle, but you are not quite satisfied with your BF or the way you look in the mirror and still believe you are carrying too much body fat.
Some will "just" implement a calorie deficit, believing that this alone will work. Sometimes this is absolutely true,
for some its not.
Some persons require a manipulation of macro nutrients AND a calorie deficit, and a minor tweak in their program (dependent on what this program is), and a lot of persons simply do not manipulate their diets correctly, cause sometimes a deficit (ALONE) isn't enough (especially) when body fat is low and near what I call the bodies coveted level (variable to the person).
Some are completely "stubborn" on some of their lifestyle habits.
If they possess low body fat (and want to get sub-10%, or a level applicable for females), it just may require them to change (or remove) this bad lifestyle habit (bad in the sense as it pertains to EARNING their goal).
Some will change, some will not. But, its their fault: PERIOD, if they are not willing to modify what is necessary.
2.
At the correct goal position point, decide if any tweaks in your dietary habits are needed and/or necessary. Do NOT miss the ship, like some do.
At the "proper" personal goal point, "it is the diet", that enhances the so-called tone look---once you built your physique UP properly.
I wish you the best in what you want to do,
Chillen
