To ask if you’re toned how much you eat?

[Goonitsfree]

I’m determined to lose the flab and get a firm toned (as I can in my 30’s post children...) body, I am super interested in all things nutrition and have recently enrolled on a nutrition course as well as eating better and working out. I’ve lost a stone and I’m now 136 pounds and a size 12. I’m following MFP and aim for 1200 cals a day in reality it’s usually around 1000. The weight has came off in just 5 weeks BUT as I’ve upped my exercise levels more and more I just feel super weak and tired and I’m struggling to work out at all. I still have fat to lose so it sure if I’m supposed to eat more calories or keep it low to burn fat whilst toning, it’s all very confusing!

1000 is way too low, not surprised you are feeling weak. I aim for 1200 plus any exercise calories and have lost just on 4 stone in a year.

Eat more. Food is fuel not the enemy. If yoi are exercising more you need to eat more. Work out your tdee (there are calculators online) to find out how many calories you should be having a day. You are eating barely anything and will not be getting toned at all with the method you are using. I am eating 1600 cals a day and losing still with not much exercise.

At this stage you should do more muscle stuff and increase your calories, 1000 a day is insane unless you're a midget.

If you are trying to lose weight you need a calorie deficit. If you are trying to tone up or gain muscle you need to eat enough calories to support gaining muscle.

My best guess is you are not eating enough calories to support the amount of exercise you do. Another way to do it is low calorie to lose weight for a few weeks, then increase your calories and exercise for a few weeks.

Obviously 1000 calories is too low and contributing to the low energy but if you’re exercising a lot a lack of electrolytes could be contributing, especially if your carbohydrate intake has reduced dramatically (carbs promote water retention which promotes electrolyte retention). Coconut water is good but count the calories because the sugar content is quite high.

If you are trying to lose weight you need a calorie deficit. If you are trying to tone up or gain muscle you need to eat enough calories to support gaining muscle.

I think that’s the part that’s throwing me. I want to lose fat (still have a muffin top) but everything else looks slim. I want to exchange the fat stomach for a toned one so not sure if it’s calorie deficit for fat loss or extra calories for toning I needed

The Joe Wicks Bodycoach plan is quite good for toning, might be worth you taking a look. Basically he advocates protein, healthy fats, and then carbs only within 2 hours of exercise to refuel.

'Tone' is just the appearance of the body when body fat % reduces. If you still have fat to lose then you need to maintain your calorie deficit, but 1000 calories is extreme and definitely why you're feeling crap.

As a pp said, look up your TDEE and assess what an appropriate amount of daily/weekly calories would be given your activity levels and fat loss goals. Every body is different here, there is no magic number, you'll have to see what suits your body.

Best tip is to weight train (in preference to cardio) and ensure you eat enough protein - aim for 2g per kg of bodyweight per day. This should mean you're feeling fuller and maintaining muscle mass while sticking to your calorie allowance.

Good luck!

I weighed about the same as you pre-pregnancy (just had a baby so no idea where I’m at now!), if not a few lbs more and wore a size 8 easily (I’m not tall either - 5’4 ish) and ate quite a bit more than that. Certainly 1800 calories or more. I’d say you probably need to continue to up your exercise (remembering that there is no such thing as spot training!), consider how you are training, eat to satiation, and look at what you are actually eating in terms of macros rather than focusing too much on calories.

Loads, at least 2000 cals a day, maybe more depending on what exercise I'm doing. But I don't count. My mantra is real food when you're hungry. I aim to eat only food containing actual nutrition (which simply put boils down to no processed food, very minimal white flour and no refined sugar) and only when I'm actually hungry, not bored, stressed or miserable

If you eat the calories in more high fat food you will not feel so horrendous. Fat makes us full and if you restrict carbs enough, will become the source of fuel for your body and allow you to lose the remaining weight.

In answer to your OP, I currently don't do much high impact exercise (I have in the past) and found that doing a High Fat Low Carb diet has made me the leanest I have ever been. The 90% diet, 10% exercise thing is right as far as I can see with myself

I have a flat stomach for the first time in years despite me previously having doing years of 'ab work' (waste of time).

I am 43 and have toned arms, flat stomach, etc. My body fat percentage is about 20% yet when I was running marathons and eating carbs, I was 29%. I eat more calories now too. Go figure. But they are specifically very low carb and loads of high fat (healthy fats) foods and generally only eat one gigantic meal a day because I don't get the dips in sugar / craving carbs type of hunger which lived on my shoulder for years when I was eating a high carb diet

Not toned here but size 8/10.. you can't get toned without exercise... you can be slim through eating healthy and walking but to be toned you need to do abdominal exercises.. good luck with it all, I'm due a little boy in October so my New Years resolution will be to get my body back after DC3 😳

I am a size 8, I have quite close to a 6 pack. I eat 2200 calories a day. Sometimes more. I have recently started tonig for my wedding and I’ve had to up my calorie intake.

I started diet/running in January. I was a size 14, now an 8-10. I run 40km a week, Fitbit says I burn 2700 cals a day (average for the year) and I aim to eat around 1000- 1500 cals each day (varying on different days). I’m quite muscular but some areas are not toned because my skin hasn’t caught up yet and may never shrink back completely, so I am still a bit squishy looking, despite being really active and healthier than I’ve ever been!

However, my arms, shoulders, legs (all the more bony bits) are the leanest I’ve ever been, probably down to high fat low carb like moon. I guess what I’d say is that it’s not just losing weight, when you begin exercising, your whole body shape changes.

Thank you for all the replies, it’s clear I need to up my calorie intake. I do the 30 day shred each morning followed by 20 mins cardio and 15 mins free weight. Plus an hour of walking per day. I’ve also started running but can only manage around 3k a couple of times per week. The rest of the day I’m sedentary (desk job)