IS TONING A MYTH?

So I had a gastric bypass almost 4 years ago & have lost 115 pounds. I'm comfortable with the weight I'm now at, but...... I'm "not big enough" to have excess skin removed (thank God it's not excessive), and I'm getting discouraged about toning. I know I'll never be perfect, but I would love to somewhat tone my belly, arms, and thighs. I'm scared that it's just dead skin, and won't respond to exercise. Any advice?

As far as the question as it appears in the subject line - No, toning is not a myth.  But for your context, as in "toning skin" - not happening.

  Toning refers to muscle tone - building, shaping and fine tuning the muscles.  Excess skin can have a little bit of hope depending on age, how heavy you were / how long you were overweight / how you took care of your skin.  In reality, the only fix for excess skin is plastic surgery.

I understand. I don't think it's as much excess dead skin as it is fat. If I work my muscles won't it help burn the fat around those muscles?

Well, technically - no. You can spot train muscles (think doing crunches for abs), but you can't pick which fat cells your body lets go. When you work a specific muscle, that is where the toning happens - tightening, strengthening.  Fat is burned by metabolism - your body burning it for energy, so it just grabs what is handy basically.

Our skin is not dead - if it were, we'd be in trouble :).

Yes you can tone up and your skin will give the "appearance" of being tighter.  Look at any informercial - P90X etc.  You've got to work your butt off consistantly to achieve results.  It is not about being afraid, it is about DOING the work.  At 4 years post-op are you willing to do the work? 

Best,

Leila