3 weeks of working out and I'm getting psyched!

 I just started getting serious about my exercise regimine and I joined the Y.  My weight came off pretty easy and now I want to 'tone up'.  But, I really want to tighten my entire body and build muscle so I can be a fuel burning machine ...FOR REAL.

Well, I started off with 30 minutes of cardio, then 45, and now 60 minutes.  I do about a half hour of weights.  I do the Precor machine that's good for the thighs and butt (cardio) and the stair climber b/c I really lost all fluff in my tush and my thighs were soooo jiggly I couldn't stand it.  HOWEVER, my body has always had good response time to muscle buillding exercise and my tush and thighs are significantly tighter...but the surface fat and cellulite is still present.

I gained a few pounds since exercising and I KNOW...its muslce...BUT it doesn't feel good on the brain because I REALLY WANT TO LOSE another 20lbs or so WHILE tightening up and building some much needed muscle.  I do most of my weight training using the 'machines' that target certain muscle groups.  Occasionally I do some squats and/or lunges.

Any advice or pep talks are welcomed.  I don't want to lose momentum.  I'm ready to SCULPT my body into a lean and strong machine.

Ignore the scale for a while.  You have the right idea:  build a significant amount of muscle and your metabolism will be on fire!

I like what you are doing, but for weight training I prefer good ole free weights.  And of course the standards like wall squats, lunges, push ups, etc.  Also, yoga is great for building the core muscles.

Really, you need to get busy with the weights to build muscle and don't be afraid of heavy weight (work up to it).....we cannot get too bulky naturally.  You will get nice muscle definition and really be able to see the fruits of your labor.

Kim

 OK, Kim...I'm going to takee your word for it and hit the weights hard!  I have increased the cardio so that I can burn more carlories in the meantime.  I do the treadmill at an incline of 7 or more for the most part and I alternate between a fast walk and a light jog for the 30 minutes that I'm on.  

I WANT TO SEE THE FRUIT OF MY LABOR! :)

Strive for interval training when walking/running.  I've been playing with HIIT (high intensity interval training) and I've seen some great results.  My total walk/jog/run is about 5 miles.....I speed walk, then jog for about a mile, then all out run like I'm being chased by Big Foot for only a few seconds (20-30) then walk....you get the drill? 

It really freaks your metabolism out and kicks it up a notch.....so far the Easter candy I've eaten hasn't bitten me in the butt so it must be working!! 

When you see the lovely definition in your shoulders and arms, you'll thank me!!  Your whole summer wardrobe will be sleeveless!

I too also HIIT and I have seen great re****s also.  It helped me blast right through a plateau.  I also do lots of weight lifting.  Here's what I noticed...although I go through times when my weight loss has slowed...my inches and clothes sizes continued to drop steadily.  Why...because I am building muscle and burning fat...and muscle takes up less space then fat.  So I contintue to shrink even when I'm not losing.  So ignore that scale and take your measurements.  I check my measurements once a month on the first of each month. 

Isn't that what you want...to drop sizes and have a wonderfully tight toned body.

It's really hard to put on muscle and not also put on a bit of fat. This is w hy bodybuilders do it stages. At a certain time of the year, they put on weight -- mostly muscle but some fat - and then they enter the "cutting" phase where they eat differently and exercise differently in order to lean out and lose the fat.

I did something similar. I went nuts with the weight training in the triathlon off season and put on mostly muscle and some fat and now I'm training for specific races and doing a lot of swimming and running and less weight training and the fat is leaving.