I've been LCing for around five months now and the majority has been while sedentary and not exercising.
While I've done this, I seem to have become just a smaller fat person. I've still got that jiggle all over my body - mainly my stomach.

I've read weight resistance will diminish this 'skinny-fat' look and tone you up. A friend of mine is a fitness instructor and tested how many reps I could do. I explained the parts I wanted toning, stomach etc. and he advised I do chest presses, leg presses, and shoulder presses all at 10-15 reps each. Do I need to increase my weight resistance workout to something more intense than this, or in a month's time will I be seeing results from 3x a week?

I've not got much lean muscle tissue left and want to gain back muscle to increase my metabolism. But mainly because I'm sick of being 110 pounds and still flabby. I wouldn't mind putting on a few pounds, aslong as this podge on my stomach disappears! I'm also intending to do 30-40 minutes of cardio on a stationary bike 6 x a week. However, I think I'm going to struggle with that alone as my legs feel extremely weak when just climbing stairs or walking at a moderate pace.

Is there anyone here that could give the much appreciated advice?
The whole ordeal and frustration of feeling constantly weak is stressing me so much that it reduces me to tears.

Thanks.

Follow the fitness instuctors advice. It is best to start with lower weights and more reps to avoid injury to the muscles. After a month, you can add more body parts and increase the intensity.

I would start the cardio by doing the bike only three to four days a week. Start with 15 minutes and see how you feel the next day. Increase the time by no more than 5 minutes/day per week. Trying to do to much too fast is the main reason lots of people quit exercising.

I think I understand that you weigh 110 pounds and are 5'5" inches tall. How many calories are you eating a day? You are probably depressed and have no energy because of lack of food for one thing. Remember that what you eat is very important, and especially when you are weight training. You need a routine that incorporates your entire body. All your muscles have to be trained. Having opposing muscles that are not worked will cause you trouble. Ask your friend for a work-out that works your entire body. I usually tell people when they first start weight training to do pretty light weights one set 15 reps for a couple of weeks to get the form down pat and not get so sore they hate weight training. As far as cardio goes, if you just feel like you have to do it right now, 15 to 20 mins. 3 times a week is plenty. And do it AFTER weight training. You need most of your energy for lifting. Concentrate on building muscle right now.
I hope you are at least eating 1500 calories a day. And plenty of protein. Please post your meal plan.

Aaaahhh....my problem too. See my posts on protruding belly and those of others. Quite a common problem.

Smaller but the same bulb on the belly...

The positive is: the bulb has become absolutely less than before. So I keep the hope. There is no short road to success here, I at least don't see it.

Thanks so much for the replies and support.

Galatia, you hit the nail on the head with the depression. I've been feeling abnormally down recently and snappy with my family. I think you may be right as I'm consuming the average of 1200 calories a day. It's a vicious circle for me because when I'm depressed, I don't have the motivation to move from one's backside all day. Then to compensate for the inactivity, I keep my calories to a minimum.

My meal plan usually consists of -

Breakfast - 3 sausages, 2 cups of cauliflower, 1 cup of lettuce, couple of sliced jalapeno peppers, and a tablespoon of mayo.
Lunch - Smoked mackerel / shrimp / chicken, 2 cups of broccoli, 1 cup of lettuce, a few cherry tomatoes, tablespoon of mayo.
Dinner - 3 boiled eggs or an individual piece of meat.

Is there anything I should alter here? I try to keep my net carbs to 25.

I've adapted my eating to the king for breakfast, a prince for lunch, and a pauper for dinner method.
I feel this is what suits my hunger levels best as I'm starving in the morning and can't stomach much at night.

I was having one of my bad days yesterday. However today, I had my breakfast, waited a few hours and forced myself up onto the stationary bike. I done 30 minutes straight without resting once! And I definitely feel a little better and proud of myself. Now I just have to keep it up.

With the weight resistance, I have to wait a week until my friend returns from vacation. So I'm gonna see how 30 minutes of cardio effects my body over this week, then take your advice of finding a weights routine that works my whole body. I would walk into the gym and ask one of the staff to help but I'm way too shy and feel intimidated going into a weights room full of 30 year old men (which seems to be the average age group at my gym).

Watcher16, if you don't mind me asking, what exercise regime have you been following to see improvement? I wouldn't expect my body to respond in the same way, but to hear someone else solving the same dilemma definitely gives me inspiration. I'm finding it so hard to see light at the end of the tunnel at the moment, which then consequently triggers my depression.

Once again, thanks a lot for the responses.

I have been doing for a couple of years:

Bicycling two time a week (1 h 15 min),
Tennis 1 h,
Strength training (10 min warming up + 20 stretching + weight training HIT style 45 min)

Now the weights are the only ones for some months, I have to get a 'new' (used) racingbike and find a new tennispartner.

Lozzz,
Yep, skinny-fat. I sometimes peruse the success photos posted on this board, and see alot of people, who've lost alot of weight, without exercise (specifically, weight trainingi), and are basically smaller versions of their fatter selves. This is not what I want to achieve. Seems like it's happened to you, BUT the good news is, you can fix it. Heavy (for you) weight training and a good diet will help you recompose your body.

Galatia offered some very good advice, IMO, about starting out. I would suggest tracking your food for a few weeks so you can get an idea of how much P,C,F you're getting. For muscle gain, which is what you want, you need to keep your protein intake at 1-1.5g per pound of body weight, increase your calories, and add back carbs (specifically around your workouts).

Don't do too much cardio........it will compete with muscle gain. As Deb (Galatia) said, and Dodger, too, 3x a week, 20-30' is all you need, for heart health, and to keep the higher calories from being stored as fat.

Tell your traininer you want to add muscle. A full body routine, 3 times a week, alternating days to start. Free weights are best, IMO, but machines are ok, too, to start. Again, as Deb said, start with lighter weights/more reps, just for the first few workouts, so you can learn proper form. Then make it a point to try to do 2 or 3 sets per exercise, 6 to 10 reps per set, using a weight that will allow you to do so. Like, if you can do 12-15 reps, the weight is too light, and if you can only do 2 reps, the weight is too heavy.

Every workout, try to increase somewhere, either one more rep, or a bit of weight, etc.

This is all general stuff. If you are TRULY serious, and you are committed to doing it, you can have a fabulous body, and it doesn't take as long as you'd think. Visible results in 6 weeks, guaranteed,

A few good sites to visit:
www.stumptuous.com
www.beyondlowcarb.net

Good luck to you!

My personal hate is the expression "tone up" - it is sooooo misused. Everyone thinks that somehow you are going to turn those flabby bits into muscle and then you'll be fine.

To "tone up" means to decrease in body fat, and increase in muscle size. The two components are completely seperate, with one never becoming the other or vice versa.

So it is obvious that if you wish to "tone up" you will need to engage in an activity that allows you to increase your muscle mass. The extra energy your body expends maintaining any new muscle you develop will aid in your reduction of body fat.

Yes, the rep range of 10-15 for a beginner is adequate. After 6-8 weeks of training, your central nervous system will have adapted to the stresses that weight training put on it, and you can then look at training to failure each and every time you train. The rep range will then depend on how much you are challenging yourself. You should always be lifting a weight that you can perhaps just manage 8-10 reps with. Then as your strength increases, you will be able to lift more reps with that same weight - up to perhaps 12-15 (15 being a little high IMHO) - that will then be the sign for you to increase your weight again, to a weight were you can again perhaps just manage 8.

Hope that is of some help.

I was a qualified gym instructor for 10 years before I had my son.

P.S. The key phrase above is "challenging yourself!" - especially when it comes to training in the gym.

This is my take on “toned up.”

‘Toned up’ in its truest or most functional since, is a result of increased muscle density (Myofibril Hypertrophy). I do not see where it has much to do with low bodyfat levels, except where that would make toned muscle more visible. A person with a high bodyfat percentage can have excellent muscle tone underneath the fat layer. Look at strongmen/strongwomen competitors. The opposite is true as well.

The less functional sense of the term ‘toned up’ comes from Sarcoplasmic Hypertrophy. This kind of muscle tone is more temporary and requires frequent filling (water and fuel) of the sarcoplasm to be maintained. This is form above function.

I agree that it is a highly abused term.

I would like to suggest, in addition to some of the other advice given that you look into a Pilates program, which will help you strengthen your "core" or the torso. It is a wonderful way to strengthen your stomach muscles and achieve a leaner look. good luck

It is very easy to be a fat-skinny person... I was just reading just such information in Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle.

I've been skinny before, but without the type of workout routine that I do now on BFL. And you know what? At 183 (give or take) I am actually wearing the same size or smaller than I was at 170. Plus my body looks better, I can actually see muscles.

I'm a true convert now... I believe 100% that you can lose weight but to truly change your body you also need to have an exercise routine.

My take on "tone up" is the public perception of what it is they hope to achieve by "toning up". They are hoping to look smoother and less flabbier. Which in my book means that they have to increase their muscle mass - and decrease their body fat. It's very hard to get that smooth look without some increase in muscle mass, otherwise this thread probably wouldn't have started in the first place! There would be no skinny flabby people out there!

Tone:Physiology--
1. The normal state of elastic tension or partial contraction in resting muscles.
2. Normal firmness of a tissue or an organ.
from www.dictionary.com

Therefore, wanting to increase muscle tone is a legitimate goal.

But it's all semantics....... eat right, lift iron, move your body.

I LOVE that e-book!

When I read where someone wants to tone up, my mind translates it to mean, they want to be firm but NOT muscular. Oddly a lot of people really don't care for the look of muscles. I have a hard time with the concept, but I've talked to enough people to know it's true. My own son tells me my arms are too muscular for a woman. I've often thought about starting a thread to poll people on their thoughts on muscularity. But I'm sure it's like everything else-- not everyone thinks the same things look good. This is just another one of those things.
The beauty of just wanting to be toned is, you sure don't have to work nearly as hard. I'd say to someone who just wants to tone, lift weights, if you start seeing more muscle than you'd like, back off the poundage. Your muscles grow in accordance to the requirements you put on them. I go as heavy as I safely can go, try to eat properly for muscle growth, and use creatine. But.....I want to be as muscular as I can naturally be. And at 50 years old, I'm not expecting too much.

Well-said, Deb!