Harper defines toning exercises as body-specific, weight-bearing routines that build lean muscle, often using no equipment and only your own body weight as resistance.

FORBES: Magazine Article

My lean body mass index showed more fat than my weight suggested.

FORBES: In Praise Of (Mostly) Vegan Diets

It is important not to cut carbohydrates significantly on days that you are exercising strenuously, as this will negatively affect your energy level and will probably result in loss of lean body mass (muscle, bone, and water) which can impair weight loss efforts long term.

CNN: How can I maintain my energy level for sports while on a diet?

Moreover, when obese people went on a diet and lost up to a quarter of their body weight, their gut flora changed too, becoming more like those of the lean group.

ECONOMIST: The microbiome