if i cut out some fat could i tone up better

I think it depends on how much fat you are eating. I know we're conditioned to think we have to reduce fat to lose weight, but Dr. Atkins said you have to eat fat to lose fat. I do have better success if I am reasonable. I have heard some say you can eat all you want as long as its not carbs. It doesn't seem to work that way for me. Good Luck, Mary

HMMM, I don't think so. If you want to tone up, you need to exercise. The primary exercise to tone up would be weight training though cardio exercise will help you a bit if your muscles are really out of condition.

Now, the reduction of body fat will enhance the affect of appearing more toned. But...cutting out the fat isn't necessary if you are following good LC eating basics.

Holland, I have to agree with CueBald1. Cutting out dietary fat isn't going to help with 'toning' - it might actually be detrimental to your success.

"Toning" is a nasty word in the fitness world. It's been so overused by people who don't understand what it means that it doesn't mean much anymore. "Tone" refers to the tension of a muscle at rest. To achieve this you have to work those muscles by having them move something which causes them to tear and rebuild (i.e, resistance / weighted exercises).

Getting 'toned' or leaner is a function of body fat, or more specifically of less body fat Lifting weights, doing moderate cardio and eating adequate calories will achieve this for you. You're doing great so far! If you're feeling a little stalled out remember how well you've done to date - and realize that when a body lose a significant amount of fat it needs time to adjust to this. Stalls can suck, but they are necessary.

Before you cut out any fat from your diet you should have a read through this amazing post.

Cheers,
Nat

Just agreeing with what others have said. I've tried cutting fat and eating more protein while weight training intensely. It built muscle, but didn't make me look any more "toned," or, I didn't lose any fat. For me what gets things moving is decreasing calories and keeping the fat high. However, if you've got a ways to go before goal I wouldn't recommend decreasing calories drastically, you don't want to lower your metabolism to the point of not being able to get to goal while eating a reasonable amount of calories.

Meg