Chief Complaint: “I Am Having Difficulty Getting More Toned”

If you want to get more toned, what does that mean you have to do? When I ask my clients what “more toned” means to them, almost all of them tell me that they are going to weigh less on the scale. Typically, we think getting more toned means we have to exercise, diet, and by default will see a drop on the scale and that’s how we measure our success of getting more toned.

So let’s say you’re exercising and eating right and you lose weight on the scale. Do you think that it’s working and that you’re getting more toned? People will typically say, “Yes. 100%.” But what if you’re eating right and exercising and step on the scale and have gained weight? Most of my clients will tell me, “This isn’t working. I’m super frustrated. I’m not getting more toned.”

To be clear, these are two very different things. We can lose weight on the scale and what that means is we have less gravitational pull on the earth. We could have lost fat, muscle, or water. Now, let’s say we weigh more on the scale. That means we have more gravitational pull on the earth. This could mean that we’ve gained fat, water, or muscle. 

That’s why I don’t even use the scale when I’m helping somebody achieve a goal of getting more toned. I have to see photographs. That’s how I can tell if there’s progress being made. 

Ultimately, there are three ways to look more toned, all of which are perfectly fine. It’s all about deciding which one that you want. 

First Scenario

Let’s say that your goal is to lose fat, decrease your weight on the scale, and look more toned. That means you want to maintain muscle mass and lose fat by creating a deficit in your nutrition. That is how you’ll look more toned. 

Second Scenario

Maybe you want to look more toned, but you’re less concerned about the scale. This is usually the most common thing I see in my transformation groups. If the scale stays the same, that means you are going to lose fat and gain muscle. This can be the most challenging one, because you have to have the genetics to lose fat and gain muscle at the same time. Mesomorphs are the ones who will probably be able to do that. 

Third Scenario

I don’t see this that often with my clients, but it’s an interesting one worth thinking about: wanting to look more toned and being okay with the scale going up. Very few clients are totally okay with gaining weight. But if they’re an ectomorph body type, then if we provide the proper nutrition and exercise, their weight will go up. That means maintaining fat and gaining muscle mass. There are some women who will put on some weight and look way more toned because they’re just gaining muscle, and that takes a different nutritional approach. 

My Story

Growing up, I was quite athletic. And whenever I started getting more toned, if I saw the scale stay the same or go up, I would stop what I was doing and start restricting my food. I wasn’t willing for the scale to stay the same. Because I'm a mesomorph, I don’t have that hard of a time putting on muscle and losing fat, but my weight will always stay the same. 

I just turned 40. At this point in my journey, my body fat is on the lower end of my range. My photos show defined abs, a defined back, and a pretty significant amount of muscle mass, because I lift weights and eat balanced nutrition. But I also drink wine and eat cake and live my life. It’s all about balance.

It may come as a surprise when you see my photos, but my body is almost in the overweight BMI range. I share this because it provides an example of being able to be toned but not necessarily weigh how much you think you should. 

About ten years ago, if I had these photos and looked at my scale weight, I would not have been satisfied. Today, I look at the scale and think, “Okay, cool.” Ten years ago I would not have been cool. I would have stopped eating cake, beaten myself up, and tried to reach a different number. And, ultimately, I would have looked less toned because I’d restrict my intake so much that I’d lose both fat and muscle mass.

So how do you proceed to get the results you want?

First Scenario

If you want to look more toned but for the scale to go down, you’ll focus on maintaining muscle mass by fueling effectively. Based on all the evidence, the best results are with balanced nutrition. Being strategic will be key, and the timing of your training and eating is going to be crucial. Fasting can work, but you have to be really strategic that during your eating window you’re eating a balanced diet. Ultimately, you have to pick what’s going to work for your lifestyle. There are so many ways to get the result you want. Every individual is different and responds differently. 

Second Scenario

If you want to gain muscle and maintain the same weight, you have to be on point with your protein intake. It’s all about making sure you’re listening to your hunger scale, eating when you’re hungry, stopping when you’re full, and having protein at every meal while also getting carbohydrates and fat. The idea is to fuel the metabolism. Think of it as feeding the muscle and slowly burning fat. Over time this scenario will result in scale weight loss, but it will take at least six to eight weeks for that to happen, so don’t stop when it gets frustrating. That’s usually when the results are going to come.

Third Scenario

What about if you’re okay with the scale going up? This is a fun place for most people to be, but it’s not a free-for-all. It’s not about eating whatever you want. Maintaining a balanced nutritional approach will be what puts on the lean mass. This is a focus on getting enough calories, with maybe eating over instead of at a deficit, and using exercise to help build that lean muscle. 

Here’s the bottom line. Have an honest conversation with yourself. Dive into what you want. Understand your body type. It all comes down to accepting your unique body. If you can do that, you’ll blow your mind with the results that you get.