What to do?

Question
Hello Richard, I am a eighteen year old female, 5'4" and at 128 lbs. The problem is, nothing is muscle. At fifteen, I used to be around 142 but now have dropped down to this. I'm looking to get to about 120 lbs but also have muscle. I understand muscle is weight so if I'm over 120 but toned, I don't mind.

I am confused on how to go about this process though. I just recently joined Planet Fitness and have been going in the early early morning to work out for an hour but all I do is run and then lift with 10 lbs and do two reps of 20 on various arm and leg machines.

My eating habits have come a long way. I've never had soda to begin with so there is no issue there. I don't eat breakfast and if I do, it is a small bowl of oatmeal or an egg with ham. I eat lunch early due to high school (around 9:30/10am) which is normally a sandwich and then later on I have either an apple, almonds, carrots or a combinations. I get home, I eat dinner around 5 (snacking before on hummus with crackers) and then maybe the latest I eat will be 8:00, 8:30 the latest. I don't drink milk or have many dairy products and a majority of our food is from Trader Joe's. But yet, I'm still stuck at my current weight. So I'm not sure what I am doing wrong.

Lifestyle-wise, I am finishing high school and am extremely busy. On mondays, I get up around 4:45 (if I can get myself to the gym from 5 to 6) and am at school by 6:45/7am. I leave right after to go to work (clerical), have a ensemble rehearsal and then come home around 10pm. Tuesdays, I just get home closer to 9:30pm. I dropped one job recently so now I have one remaining but I practice my instrument a lot and have rehearsals. I get maybe an average of 5-6 hours per night.

I'm looking to not necessarily lose weight but to tone and gain muscle. I really want to target my abs, obliques, triceps, lats, deltoids, thighs (A BIG ONE - they touch and it drives me insane, I need to get rid of it somehow) and calves I am guessing will come with running. Any recommendations on what foods to eat that will help me lose and tone? I don't mind cutting out other things, I've done that with milk already. And what is the best exercise method?

Thank you so much! I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Answer
Sounds like you just need to add more progressive weight training to your routine. See my web site for a complete list of exercises you can do, but I would suggest 3 days of weight training and 3 days of cardio. Stay in the 8 to 12 rep range. KEEP A JOURNAL and track your progress. Always try to do slightly better than your last workout.

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