Gaining muscle...

Question
Hello. Thank you for taking the time to answer my question. I am 20 years old, 5'2" and 112 pounds. I am overall a pretty small frame, however, my mother and I both carry our weight in our hips. I lost 25 pounds 2 years ago (In highschool I drank a LOT of beer and never ate right, plus I never exercised). From doing this, I increased my fat and cellulite grew in the back of my legs("saddle bags"). I work out 4-5 times a week.. 30-40 minutes of cardio and 10-15 minutes of weight training (leg press and such for my upper legs to try and build some muscle).
Here's the problem: I eat about 1200-1300 calories a day. A normal day for me is:
Breakfast- 1/3 cup of egg whites with 1/2 slice of ham, a sliced banana, and a cup of skim milk
Lunch- Large salad with cucumbers, green peppers, banana pepper rings, and grilled chicken with light oil and vinegar
Snack-Apple or grapes
Dinner- Grilled chicken with green beans and a side salad
Snack- a rice cake and an apple

I am not trying to lose weight, I just want to be able to get toned. I am aware that it is impossible to tone specific areas, however, I am looking for any advice that might be able to help me.
I really have no fat anywhere else.. just the back of my legs and my hips.  

Answer
Hey Shell,
I love your diet.  it is perfect.  I wish when I was 20 years old I would have been eating that well.  The only small change I would make is to add some protein source to your last meal of the day.  The rice cake and apple are both carbohydrates.  You may want to swap out the rice cake for some tuna, or low fat string cheese.  But that is a minimal change - the diet is really good.  Your calories are right in range as well.

It sounds like you are wanting to tone the back of your legs and hips.  Muscle tone is a function of the amount of fat "laying" on top of the muscle.  The less fat, the more the actual muscle is visible under the skin, creating the "toned" appearance.  So in order to get toned, the fat must be removed.  And as you said, it is impossible to spot reduce in one area specifically.  If it were, then typists would have skinny fingers, and people who chewed gum would have skinny faces.

If your goal is to tone the hips and legs, and
1. Tone is a function fat storage in those areas
2. You can't spot reduce by working just that area
Then we need to focus on cardiovascular exercise and weight training in combination with a reduced calorie diet to create fat utilization.  And, this is what you appear to be doing.  Now there is only one other factor and that is time.  Give it time, Shell, and the fat will  come off.  It may seem like it is taking a while, so be patient.

A good measure of progress in this area of the body is to buy (or find in your closet) a pair of jeans that is just a bit snug.  Try them on once each week.  As the fat in the hips and legs decreases then the jeans will fit better.

Don't worry about building much muscle in this area.  there is plenty of well toned muscle hiding under the fat and just waiting to come out.  The 4 to 5 days of exercise with a combination of cardio and weight training will ensure that it is there.

As for the possibility that this fat storage is "genetic" or something that is controlled by heredity - I don't think so.  Genes only make up 25% of the influence one has over his or her body weight and fat storage.  The other 75% is what the person does on a day to day basis.  This has been demonstrated in numerous identical twin studies.

Keep up the nutrition and exercise, and give it time.  You said you do not have fat anywhere else on your body, so now the fat will begin coming off from your hips and legs.  It is not a fast process, but I am sure you know that as you have been successful at losing 25 pounds!

Best of health,
Dr. Bret Emery
doctoremery.com

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