Okay, hi.

I've posted on other forums, but not any exercise forums until now. I've recently gone from 251 to 199. Took me only a few months, but I really need to burn some fat off my thighs and stomach and tone the rest of my body. I know this will take time and that I have to commit. I've been doing some daily exercises that really challenge me, but I need to add cardio. Today I attempted to run for the first time since I've lost all this weight. I'd tried when I weighed 251 in June and July and it hurt my legs, and I felt like heck the entire time and felt terrible for the rest of the day. I couldn't make it very far and was upset and ashamed.

Today when I ran it was only about a block. I know that seems so small but it was SO much to me because I felt like I could have gone further and I didn't feel terrible at all afterwards. I guess what I'm trying to ask the more experienced is will running aide me in toning (especially legs/lower abdomen) if I continue to eat healthy and mix it up with some weight lifting and other at home exercises? Or will I gain weight and look bulky? I was a swimmer for 13 years until I had my son in 2009. I'm 24, 5'7 and 199. Don't know if that makes a difference or not. Thanks!

Lifting won't make you bulky! You should lift. There's many of us ladies on this forum who lift and we'll be the first to tout the power of it

That said, I think it's important to get a mix of both cardio and heavy weight training if you can manage it. If you can't, go for the heavy weight training.

You should check out the weight training forum for some tips, but just know that weight training is VERY GOOD for women and will give you that "toned" look that you're after. We simply don't have the testosterone to build muscle the way guys do unless we really want to. You won't accidentally become a hulk, trust me

If you eat at a deficit while weight training you will continue to drop fat (you might see an initial gain on the scale, but it's water weight from your body going: OMGWTF at the sudden change in your exercise) and keep most of your muscle. So while in the end you might weigh a little more, but you'll look smaller.

People think I weigh about 90-95lbs most of the time