Has anyone noticed any degree of toning in their legs since starting the programme?

[operation2015]

Just wondering

[Toonlou24 Graduate]

Yeah!! Loads!!! It's great!!! Definitely slimmer and can feel the muscles toning.

[no-excuse Graduate]

Yes everything's a bit firmer and trimmer! Bring it on! x

[the_tea_fairy Graduate]

Yes, massively, but it may not start to be noticeable til the later weeks. Abs and bottom are way more toned as well

[Rignold]

What exactly do you mean by 'toning'? It is one of those odd weasel words I never quite understand. Muscles are muscles. They do not go from soft to hard or vice versa. You can increase the size of muscles, and you can reduce bodyfat, and beither or both of these will result in greater muscle definition you will see your muscles more clearly, but your muscles will not be more 'toned' than they were at the utset. This is one of those enduring myths of the fitness/diet industry.

That said, yes, I have lost around 14kg of fat and put on just under 4kg of lean muscle since starting the programmes, so have considerably more muscle definition than when I started. Still got a way to go, though. I do loads of core and abs work, and my abs are much stronger than they used to be - there is a serious six pack in there, but the last stubborn 10lbs or so of bodyfat means they are still covered up with adipose tissue, so all that hard work has no visible result yet...

... yet! Another few months and I'll give Peter Andre a run for his money yet.

[poppypug Graduate in reply to Rignold]

Oh no, you're not going to start singing " Mysterious Girl " are you Rig ?

Anything but that, please

A serious six pack sounds good though xxx

[Toonlou24 Graduate in reply to Rignold]

Photo please!!!!!! Hee hee!!!

[poppypug Graduate in reply to Toonlou24]

Ha ha ! We don't really want to see it - said no one ever xxx

[Hidden in reply to Rignold]

How can you tell that so specifically? That you lost 14KG of fat but put on 4KG of muscle?

[Rignold in reply to Hidden]

By using Body Composition scales.

[Hidden in reply to Rignold]

Ah! TFYI! Are they accurate? I've used the hand held thingies..apparently I have a lot of upper body fat, that's probably why I'm a good swimmer, I'm extra buoyant!

[Rignold in reply to Hidden]

I think its one of those 'pays yer money, takes yer choice' scenarios. I had a set before, which were about £12 from Argos and they did not seem very accurate - the readings would fluctuate rather wildly. Now I have a set which cost, er, rather more, and the readings are consistent and consistent with the weightloss and the results I expect. So as long as it stays that way I can tell relative change if not with 100% accuracy. You do have to be careful with doing the measurements at a consistent time of day etc though, and being dehydrated etc can produce anomalous results.

[Hidden]

Ah well, my legs have always been about the same width from knee to ankle. Around week 8 I discovered that I had separate and definable ankles which were smaller than my calves...leg shaped legs ! Also instead of by bum overlapping my thighs it is now 'lifted up'. Definitely different and definitely an improvement.

[runswithdogs Graduate in reply to Hidden]

Ha! I also suffer from lack of ankles. But either they are starting to emerge, my partner is flattering me, or the optical illusion of bigger calves has me hopeful for ankles in 2015.

[poppypug Graduate in reply to Hidden]

Ha ha Hen, " leg shaped legs" - Love it ! xxx

[Tikiczocky Graduate]

I have longer neck, my cheekbones are more defined & the old bingo wings are smaller...honestly! It was around week 7 of c25k when I said to my OH, 'Do you think my face looks slimmer/different since I started running?' He said yes I'd lost about 1st 10lb (took about 9 months) by the time I started c25k (took me into healthy weight), but my skin had't all caught up....I think that is where my 'toning' came in.

My legs are noticably slimmer too...as for my rear...I'm reliably informed that it is fit (but my OH always said that)!

[poppypug Graduate in reply to Tikiczocky]

Ha ha Tiki, to add my tuppence worth, my bum has definitely lifted , and so have my moods and self confidence xx

[5kOrBust Graduate]

I have. Some trousers & jeans that were a snug fit are now much more comfortable.

[useitorloseit Graduate]

Yes - it's odd because I measured myself yesterday and there's not much difference except for my waist, which seems to have reappeared after spending years being the same width as my hips and chest - more of an 'hourglass' shape now (though as I am totally flatchested the effect is not particularly special). My bum is definitely less saggy. My clothes feel more comfortable. And if it's all in the mind, who cares? I feel better therefore I am!

[Miles_Yonder Graduate]

Yes, same effect here. I keep asking people at work to give my hamstrings a squeeze.

[aliboo70 in reply to Miles_Yonder]

** is that what truckers do??!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Miles_Yonder Graduate in reply to aliboo70]

Just me, I think!

[aliboo70 in reply to Miles_Yonder]

thats what i thought!

[Miles_Yonder Graduate in reply to aliboo70]

What is it, exactly, you're trying to say?!

[aliboo70 in reply to Miles_Yonder]

Just that you're a one off! every workplace needs someone to liven things up!

[Miles_Yonder Graduate in reply to aliboo70]

Thank you! I don't think my workplace see it quite like that though!

[Slookie Graduate]

Oh yes and it was contagious. Spread to my bum!

[Hidden]

oh yes might be gradual thing but boy yes does it tone

[Irishprincess Graduate]

Yes. I was running last week and I saw my shadow and thought " my thighs don't wobble any more when I run!".

[aliboo70]

yes definitely! My calves make my skinny jeans a tad tight nowadays, but i have a gap at the top of my thighs now! YAY!

[Hidden]

Yes, an inch and a half of grabbable flab gone from the top of my thighs, muscles getting quite hard! Gone down a size too..

[runningphobe_no_more Graduate]

Most definitely less flabby above the knee, and getting difficult getting shaped (not tight) jeans on and off over the calves. Surprised me no end. I wasn't expecting any visible results.