I see this CONSTANTLY. You want to be “toned” but instead you’re “skinny fat” or “flabby”. You don’t understand why only cardio and HIIT workouts and eating 1300 calories isn’t working. Let’s break it down: Being toned means having muscle that’s visible under a certain level of body fat (this will vary for EVERYONE) or because it’s significant in size that body fat can be slightly higher. We build muscle by eating at least maintenance calories. Maintenance means the scale shouldn’t be moving FYI. So we don’t gain or lose in maintenance. If you are, you’re not in maintenance (whether because of your calorie intake or your activity level). Under eating doesn’t solve your problems and doesn’t grow muscle. It actually makes your body have to pick and choose what it uses the precious energy for, and things like your digestion don’t make the cut - keeping you breathing does. So don’t be surprised that you get bloated from some peas if you’re starving yourself. It’s not the peas, it’s you. Traditional aerobic cardio burns glycogen aka uses carbs for a fuel source. Humans store fat - we have some glycogen stores but they are not as extensive - so instead of “burning fat” which means using the fat stored on your body for energy, your body uses the carbs you ate the night before. Also, traditional aerobic cardio can make us feel much more hungry, causing our hunger cues to become confused. Lower intensity steady state cardio and NEAT (unloading the dishwasher, vacuuming, walking your dog, etc) uses fat for energy. The best “fat burning exercise” is a walk. HIIT will burn fat if you do it to your literal limit (ie you really push into your 90% heart rate max) but only if we do it sparingly - here’s why. Too much HIIT raises cortisol levels. High cortisol levels prevent fat loss and add extra stress and inflammation to the body. If you want to be toned and create muscle definition, you need to eat in maintenance. If you want to lose fat, focus on strength training and sprinting, and use HIIT and LISS cardio as supplemental tools available to you. 🔗 in b!0 to start my full body strength training and sprinting program SEVEN WEEKS TO SHREDDED at home or at the gym 🥳