[jcgatheright]

I'm a 36 year old woman only 137 my goal weight is about 140. I'm small frame so everything is smaller then the average woman. My goal is to be healthy and toned I want all my curves to show and just have a beautiful body. Right now I'm small but flabby all over, my abs are the worst of all. I have been drinking fruit smooties I have created in a blender and eating very little meats and breads. I want to know a great diet so I can tone up but not lose weight? What should be my calories intake to maintain weight? What vitamins should I be intaking? I've been reading a lot but I still feel like I'm missing something. FYI, Also been working out with WII Fit and the biggest loser Wii game.

[Eileen G]

Smoothies are good as a way of getting more fruit into your diet, but should not replace proper food. Base your diet on eggs, oily fish, fresh meat or chicken, lots and lots of green vegetables, olive oil, some dairy, some fruit, some nuts, some wholegrains.

Smooths can be deceptive. They are a drink and don't feel very filling, but can often be 300 or more calories a glass.

Try to avoid anything where sugar is one of the first four ingredients, or anything which has been very processed.

It's hard to give your calories for definite without knowing more about you, but around 13 calories per pound of body weight is maintenance for most people. In your case that's 1781 calories. To gain weight, aim for around 2000 calories a day.

To look toned, lift weights. You won't get huge bulky muscles, but you'll get more shapely. If you can't get to a gym, you can do a lot of work at home. Try doing squats, press-ups, plank, pull-ups, dips, lunges, good mornings, step-ups, etc with bodyweight. Add a couple of weights (even bottles of water) and you can do bentover rows, curls, stiffleg deadlifts, shoulder press, triceps extensions etc.

A basic multi-vitamin, some fish oil and a cal/mag are a good idea for most women