If you’ve ever lost a significant amount of weight and still didn’t like the way you looked in the mirror, it may have been because you lost muscle mass and tone along with the unwanted fat. Weight loss does not guarantee that you’re going to achieve the look you want. If you’ve been frustrated with the results of diet and exercise and want to learn how to tone your body, then this article is for you. Read on to find out how you can look your best.
What Is Toning, and Why Tone Instead of Losing Weight?
Traditionally, medical professionals have used weight, and more specifically the Body Mass Index (BMI), as one metric to determine whether or not their patients are healthy.
BMI and Weight Loss
The BMI divides weight by height to produce a number. The 18.5 to 24.9 range is considered a normal BMI, but there are several issues with this metric. To begin with, it does not account for muscular/athletic bodies, which are often mistakenly categorized as “overweight.” Additionally, depending on the individual’s height, a range of 18.5 to 24.9 can be 20 lbs, 30 lbs, or more. Most people look significantly different at the endpoints of those weight ranges. In other words, you can be in the ideal range and still not look or feel good.
Weight Does Not Tell the Full Picture
Many people use the terms “weight loss” and “fat reduction” intermittently. If you are significantly above your ideal weight, the chances are that your fat is the culprit, and you need to lose weight via fat reduction. If you are close to your ideal weight, however, you may need to lose fat without significantly altering your weight. You can decrease your body fat and increase muscle mass without seeing much of a change on your scale. The result is usually an increase in the visible striations of your muscles. This is known as “toning,” and there are various ways to achieve it.
Diet and Exercise
One of the most effective ways to lose weight is to alter your diet and increase physical activity. Barring genetic and medical conditions that result in disproportionate weight gain, most overweight individuals regularly consume more calories than they burn. By reducing their daily calorie intake and increasing their physical activity, they can reverse the trend. In time, they can achieve their desired weight but may not get the physique they’re looking for. Because calories are stored in fat, once an individual achieves a calorie-negative diet, the body begins to utilize the fat to make up the deficit, and they lose fat, which also means that they lose weight. This is one of the reasons that people conflate losing weight and reducing fat.
Physical exercise can increase muscle size, which has a beneficial effect. To begin with, as the muscles grow, they stretch the fatty skin over them. Additionally, because muscle cells are active, more muscle increases the body’s metabolism, which helps to burn calories. As the fat is burned off, muscle tone increases.
Other Methods to Increase Muscle Tone
Because fat is the antithesis of muscle tone, several medical approaches target fat cells. These methods range from surgical to non-surgical and have varying degrees of safety and effectiveness. Here are some common medical procedures for achieving muscle tone:
- Liposuction – This is an invasive procedure that involves literally vacuuming fat cells from beneath the skin through an incision. Liposuction requires several weeks of recovery time, and the patient is put under.
- Cryolopolysis – Also known as “fat freezing,” this is a non-invasive procedure that kills fat cells by pressing cold plates against the skin. While this does not require surgical incisions or anesthesia, the process is often painful and creates bruising.
- Laser Lipo – Laser lipolysis or laser lipo uses laser technology to target fat cells beneath the skin. The laser bores a hole in the cell wall and emulsifies the fat. The fat then drains through the pore and is disposed of via the body’s lymphatic system. While some laser lipolysis methods kill the fat cells, Emerald Laser’s ”cold fat removal” system leaves the fat cells intact to prevent complications that arise when fat cells are destroyed. It is a non-invasive, painless, and cost-effective treatment that only requires 30 minutes per session.
Body Toning Tips and Tricks
Natural body toning takes time. In most cases, it begins with a lifestyle change with regard to diet and physical exercise. Here are a few suggestions to help you get started.
- Calorie-Neutral Dieting – You may have to diet to lose weight, but once you’ve reached your ideal weight range, try to move toward a calorie-neutral diet. You can determine your recommended calorie intake by multiplying your weight by 15, which is the number of calories it takes to maintain one pound per day.
- Cardiovascular and Resistance Training – Cardiovascular training will help you burn the calories, but resistance training will help you tone by building muscle.
- Consider Laser Lipo – For stubborn pockets of fat that you can’t lose, consider Emeral Laser fat removal. Emerald Laser can target areas of your body that are impossible to exercise in the gym.
Toning With Non-Surgical Laser Body Sculpting
Laser lipo is one of the most effective ways to reduce body fat. Emerald Laser by Erchonia is a state-of-the-art approach to laser lipolysis. Using ten 532-nanometer lasers to target specific body parts, including hips, thighs, stomach, neck, back, cheeks, and more. Most people see some results within two weeks, with full results achieved within twelve weeks. This is a non-invasive, painless, fast, and effective treatment. Emerald Laser is the only laser lipolysis method to receive FDA approval for individuals with a BMI over 30.
How Long Does It Take to Tone Naturally?
The length of time that natural toning takes depends on your desired results and how effectively you are able to diet and exercise. With a moderate calorie reduction and an increase in physical activity, you can see results in days. You may not, however, achieve your ultimate results without incorporating additional methods.
If you’re interested in losing weight via laser body sculpting, contact an Emerald Laser provider near you. You can schedule a consultation with a medical professional who can assess your goals and recommend a course of action. If you’ve been frustrated with the results of your diet and exercise regimen, call Emerald today.
