RE: lean and toned body
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RE: lean and toned body - 4/9/2005 9:50:34 PM
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sunshine
Posts: 15
Joined: 3/19/2005
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hey guys. thanks for the words of encouragement. well, i live in Hong Kong and the gyms here are really small, super packed and expensive. And i just prefer to exercise at home and have been doing so for many years. I recently stepped up my exercise regimen, i used to exercise 2-3 times per week and now i'm up to 5-6 time per week.
in HK, there's an obsession for being super thin and these 2 girls i know remarked that i look 'fatter' so i assumed they meant ' bulker' because i've kept track of my progress and know i've lost inches on my legs, but nothing on my arms. i'm not even losing any fat on my upper body.
that's why i'm wondering if the weight lifting is causing my muscles to grow beneath my flab layer therefore causing me to look like a butch?
i know i'm stronger because i'm lifting heavier but my ultimate goal is to get lean and toned and it just feels like it's not happening despite my efforts.
(in reply to Alcazar)
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RE: lean and toned body - 4/10/2005 9:44:12 AM
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Bench270
Posts: 574
Joined: 1/23/2005
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do cardio, cardio and more cardio. lifting will tighten the muscles you have and build them a bit, but losing fat by doing cardio will get rid of the fat that doesn't tighten no matter how much you work out.
_____________________________
AGE 23
Height: 5'9"
Arms 14 5/8"
"TRAIN LIKE AN ANIMAL"
(in reply to sunshine)
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RE: lean and toned body - 4/10/2005 5:00:02 PM
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swilson
Posts: 6
Joined: 4/2/2005
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I can completely empathize with your situation as Im basically in the same boat.
Bottom line is that if you are doing weights everything is going to firm up a bit, but if you have a layer of fat its still going to be there, with a more defined musculature underneath but obscured by this layer.
This is not to say that you shouldn't lift weights, as weights will help you optimize fat burning over a longer period of time, but cardio is your best bet to burn flab. That being said, the flab that goes first is not necessarily going to come off the spots you want it to. Its a waiting game - I always find that "problem areas" are the last to go. Legs, boobs, everything before the damn arm and stomach fat. Anyway, maybe you've plateaued in terms of your cardio intensity. 45 minutes is ample time for a cardio workout so it is likely that if you are doing this amount of time and not seeing results, that your body is used to that level of exertion and needs a jumpstart with a more intense (shorter if necessary) cardio session.
On the adivce of DBB people, I recently started splitting up my weight lifting and my cardio (one morning, one evening) so I can give full attention and energy to each and really get the most out of my cardio workouts - the most possible exertion in the least possible amount of time. It is difficult waiting for the pay-off, but I find weights (3 sets of 12-10-8 reps at the highest weight I can manage) keep me happy short-term as I see everything tighten up. The arm fat isnt so bad when its not quite so jiggly! It makes waiting for it to come off alot easier.
(in reply to Bench270)
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RE: lean and toned body - 4/11/2005 12:23:47 AM
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sunshine
Posts: 15
Joined: 3/19/2005
Status: offline
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Thanks a lot for the clarification. I guess now I'll have to step up my cardio like you said. I'm going to split up my workouts like you suggested too swilson - funny you should mention it cuz i was just thinking the same thing today.
I just get confused cuz there's so much information out there. For example, if you do cardio, your heart rate should not be too intense because then you'll be working your cardiovascular muscle rather than burning fat. when i do my 45 min of tae bo, i'm sweating like a pig and i honestly feel like i've exhausted myself. but after 6 weeks and still no change? no wonder i'm getting frustrated. but it's good to know that i'm not the only one.
btw, someone ELSE said i looked fat today too! what the hell is up with these skinny chicks all calling me fat?? ok - fat-ter than before (my exercise regime). can you believe people are actually telling me to NOT exercise too much? they're saying my arms are too bulky. 
anyway, back to my point. i posted this question in another thread, but received hardly any replies. is there a particular level of exertion i should do in order to maximize fat burn? or is it just the intensity level and caloric expenditure?
i'm hoping if i follow all the rules, i'll finally see some results! tae bo is okay, but maybe i should mix up the cardio too right?
don't even get me started on nutrition. that's a whole other thread altogether!!
(in reply to swilson)
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RE: lean and toned body - 4/11/2005 7:36:54 AM
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Ceezer
Posts: 94
Joined: 2/24/2005
From: Sumter, SC via Marietta, OH
Status: offline
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It could be possible, depending on what time of the day they saw you. I look much thinner in the morning than I do in the evenings after my workouts. I believe thats because it has something to do with the stored fat being broken up by the exercise, so it settles into my body form, before being absorbed back up during rest periods. I bet I look 20 lbs heavier in the evenings than I do in the mornings. Its also possible that you are building muscle, and before where the fat used to be marbled in with the mass, its now being forced to the outter layers and is more visable. Should make it easier to burn off that way, too.
If you have a friend with a pool, Sunshine, I would say thats almost as good as running. As long as you're swimming laps and stuff, not just floating around and/or doggy-paddling.
It might have been mentioned, I didn't see it, by if you have the time, try tracking your calorie intake at a site like www.fitday.com . Find out what you should be consuming based on your body composition (there's a great outline here in one of these forums) for maintenance, and then you can calculate what you should be eating daily to lose weight (1-2lbs per week, safely).
(in reply to Alcazar)
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RE: lean and toned body - 5/1/2005 9:41:03 AM
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sunshine
Posts: 15
Joined: 3/19/2005
Status: offline
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Hi again everyone. Just wanted to give everyone an update on my current workout situation:
In my quest for a lean and toned body, i've now entered into week 9 of my exercise regime. I've taken photos of myself every 4 weeks and am totally discouraged to find that I can see no visible results even after 5-6 days/week workouts.
I follow all the rules with 30-45min of cardio daily and 45min of weights every other day. My diet is not super healthy, but it's not unhealthy either. lots of fruits, veg, water, protein, nuts. hardly any sugar, fat etc etc..
is this normal to not see any results even after 9 weeks? i feel stronger, but how can i get rid of the layer of fat obstructing my muscles and seriously - how long before i can see any results??? 3 months? 4???
Any advice would be greatly appreciated. thanks again guys.
(in reply to sunshine)
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RE: lean and toned body - 5/1/2005 9:50:10 AM
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sunshine
Posts: 15
Joined: 3/19/2005
Status: offline
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By the way, thanks for the fitday.com referral, it's great. i hope this will help track my fitness & diet regime.
(in reply to sunshine)
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RE: lean and toned body - 5/2/2005 4:41:08 AM
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sunshine
Posts: 15
Joined: 3/19/2005
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No, those people aren't friends. just people with an opinion.
You have a point about me being impatient. I guess you're right, consistency and patience. Good advice.
Well, good luck on your training too & hope you had a happy week 9. I'm on workout #50, is it weird to actually count? I just want to see how many workouts it takes before i see some visible results.
(in reply to sunshine)
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RE: lean and toned body - 5/2/2005 5:48:03 AM
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The Sheep Man
Posts: 1274
Joined: 3/27/2005
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I don't count but since i use http://www.bodybuildingjournal.com it counts for me, i am on workout 26 since i started logging them
(in reply to sunshine)
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RE: lean and toned body - 5/2/2005 8:03:09 AM
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meat hed
Posts: 131
Joined: 3/30/2005
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if you want to lose fat you might want to drop back the cardio to 2 or 3 times a week and just do HIT training which is meant to be up to 9 times better for losing fat than normal cardio..... and start doing full body workouts with maximum of 30 sec rest between sets... the rest is up to your diet ..
_____________________________
Height : 5 11
Weight : 70 KGs
Body fat: 13%
Aim : 10%
(in reply to The Sheep Man)
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RE: lean and toned body - 5/2/2005 10:09:35 PM
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sunshine
Posts: 15
Joined: 3/19/2005
Status: offline
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what's HIT training? weights? i actually do tae bo and step aerobics mixed with weights. then The Firm upper / lower body sculpting. Is that similar to what you're talking about?
re: diet, if i followed those diets that the specialists recommend, i feel like i'm starving all the time. i'm hungry all the time and each meal (i'm trying to eat 5-6 mini meals) takes up so much time to prep that it's getting frustrating to follow all the rules. i just try to eat less overall and workout more without having to go through the whole calorie counting. it just drives me crazy!
(in reply to sunshine)
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RE: lean and toned body - 5/3/2005 2:24:31 AM
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The Sheep Man
Posts: 1274
Joined: 3/27/2005
Status: offline
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I am counting calories right now and sometimes it feels hard to even get this little if you eat well, like i have to eat alot to get between 2100 and 2300, i can only imagine trying to get 3500 to bulk
(in reply to sunshine)
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