toned muscles

I have been going to the gym and running a lot lately and I have started to lose a lot of weight (20 pounds in about a month) and I was wondering what is the best way to get toned muscles, because I don't want to build up bulky muscles so I have a few questions:

1) I heard it was good to do less weight more often than more weight less often, so even though I could lift more on the machines I have stayed at the same weight for most of them except the ab machines (although I don't want a 6 pac I want a flat stomach so should I be doing the same as I am with the other machines?) is this a good idea?

2) I do mostly cardio about 40 minutes a day plus running at night (only about 2 miles so far but I increase it when I can)  and misc push-ups and crunches throughout the day when I have the time, should I be doing more cardio or is this good?

3) also I heard milk helps your body burn fat,  and that plain oatmeal in the morning makes you less hungry  so you eat less, is this true?

4) finally should I have a day of rest or just do this everyday?

Any help would be greatly appreciated =)

Well you are on the right track, running is the best exercise for loosing fat and it also works your cardio, push ups and crunches are good for muscle development without bulky muscle.  add squats and pull-ups and you got a full body workout.  for shaping the muscle do lightweight free waight exercise with lots of repetitions.  drink lots of water.  eating less is not the right approch, just eat right kind of food.  and dont eat a lot in one siting.

Thanks a lot for the advice, I will invest in some free weights.  About eating right I never eat any fast-food (yuk), pizza or chinese take out and I try to avoid sugar as much as possible. I mainly eat some fruits, vegetables and oatmeal in the morning along with orange juice, milk and water (usually I have a water bottle with me through-out the day)  would you suggest adding meat to my diet? I'm not a vegetarian but I cut it out of my diet so I could reach my goal quicker, is this a good idea or doesn't it matter?

Again thanks so much for the tips and I will definitely add squats and pull-ups (although pull-ups will be a little trickier to incorporate when I'm not at a gym) into my work out.

Meat is important, but some people make that an entire meal.  and therfore gain lot of weight.  as long as you eat in moderation its good, meat should be like a side dish if you want to loose weight.  plus red meat is not that good for you eat chicken or fish.  and it dosen't have to part of every meal.

good luck

If you're looking to build muscle, you need the protien in meat. Or you can get protien shakes, but I would recommend against it because they arent that good for you.

>>5
lol