i have been on the low carb diet for three weeks and one day, lost 18 pounds and 9 inches.
So far for working out, I have been working out M,W, F going for a lower weight and more reps because I just want to tone, not actually build a lot of muscle. I have been working my abs and love it, but my belly is getting smaller but not toning as much, any suggestions on exercises for that, other than crunches which hurt my back, i do sitting down crunches with weights.

thanks
kellissia-troyal147

Wow! Congrats on the great weight loss!

You said that you are afraid of building a lot of muscle... it is much harder for women to build muscle than men. In the first year of starting a weight training program a woman might gain up to 8lbs of muscle. After that the muscle gain is much less than that... Don't let that figure scare you. One pound of muscle takes up significantly less space on your body than a pound of fat.

Your other question about abdominals... It's great that you are concentration on some abdominal exercises, just remember that they won't help spot reduce fat/weight but will help tone those muscles. A good idea is to change out your exercises every three months. It keeps your body from remembering your routine and re-trains your muscles.

I sometimes use one of those yoga balls at work to do crunches. It is much easier on the back and really works your abs.

Keep up the great work!
K