How to get rid of my saddlebags? Ironically I'm skinny.

missiontofitness

ItalianChick90 wrote: »

Thanks you all. I'll start lifting weights and doing a bunch of squats like you suggested. I wish I had a good before+after pic to give an example of my shape but I do have this. This is an x-ray I got (well 2 x-rays). The scan on the left is before I lost weight and the scan on the right is after I lost weight. As you can see on the right, despite my weight loss, I still have some "unnecessary width" around where my thighs/bum are. It also jiggles a bit... Hence the saddlebags.

Those aren't saddlebags; that's a hourglass shape! Work it, girl!

TeaBea

ItalianChick90 wrote: »

mralexjones wrote: »

What is your weight?

125 lb.
And how do I lose more fat without losing more weight? My ribs are slightly beginning to show. So is my pelvic bone. I'm hesitant about anymore weight loss.

I will never have thin legs either (barring surgery). Just do the best you can. Strength training is great for shaping things up...if you haven't tried that already.

Hourglass / Apple / Pear....these are just descriptions of overweight people.

auddii

I'm just entertained that in your first xray, they felt your left hip was not necessary to include in part of your body...

And you've gotten good advice already! I'll add this as well for more motivation for lifting weights:
http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2011/07/21/meet-staci-your-new-powerlifting-super-hero/

holly55555

You will always carry weight in your legs if that's where you gain it, but as everyone said, what you're experiencing is not being overweight, but being overfat. I had the same issue! Your body fat percentage is probably high (depending on how fit you are overall). Legs luckily are one of the easier areas to tone up! I would advise you to get a trainer to help coach your strength training. You will have to lose fat everywhere, but you will also build up muscle everywhere, so you won't have that skin-and-bones look you're worried about. Good luck!

tomatoey

Eudoxy wrote: »

Brans34 wrote: »

Eudoxy wrote: »

Brans34 wrote: »

Strength training! You can totally pick which area you want to focus on. Try focusing on leg exercises, such as squats, lunges, back kicks, side kicks, and dead lifts. You CAN lose fat while not losing weight, and even gaining weight, because muscle is much more dense, therefore, weighs more than fat.

But if you recomp and lower your body fat percentage, won't you lose fat everywhere (even places you don't want to lose anymore fat)? This is something I've been wondering about.

You may lose a little, but not much. That's why you target specific areas with the weights. Cardio will melt fat all over, but you don't burn many calories lifting. The areas that have more muscle will burn more fat, so if you have bigger thigh muscles, you'll burn more fat from them. And squats will build your booty muscles, which will actually give you a booty.

I was given to understand that you can't spot reduce fat. So, while you can spot certain muscles, and lose fat, it seems like the fat would come off all over (or wherever it does). I'm no expert, though, I'm kind of confused about recomp.

I'm interested in recomp and am also a little confused about what it looks like on the other side. Because with that, seems to me, either
1) your bf% is reduced because your muscles grow and your fat stays where it is, or
2) your bf% is reduced because your muscles stay the same, and you are losing fat.

and I assume protein and calorie intake make the difference, with slightly greater consumption than maintenance leading to 1), and staying at maintenance, or eating just a little less, leading to 2) . Is that about right? And how much of of a deficit or surplus makes the difference?

OP: you have a lovely shape.

Unknown

This content has been removed.

Eudoxy

tomatoey wrote: »

Eudoxy wrote: »

Brans34 wrote: »

Eudoxy wrote: »

Brans34 wrote: »

Strength training! You can totally pick which area you want to focus on. Try focusing on leg exercises, such as squats, lunges, back kicks, side kicks, and dead lifts. You CAN lose fat while not losing weight, and even gaining weight, because muscle is much more dense, therefore, weighs more than fat.

But if you recomp and lower your body fat percentage, won't you lose fat everywhere (even places you don't want to lose anymore fat)? This is something I've been wondering about.

You may lose a little, but not much. That's why you target specific areas with the weights. Cardio will melt fat all over, but you don't burn many calories lifting. The areas that have more muscle will burn more fat, so if you have bigger thigh muscles, you'll burn more fat from them. And squats will build your booty muscles, which will actually give you a booty.

I was given to understand that you can't spot reduce fat. So, while you can spot certain muscles, and lose fat, it seems like the fat would come off all over (or wherever it does). I'm no expert, though, I'm kind of confused about recomp.

I'm interested in recomp and am also a little confused about what it looks like on the other side. Because with that, seems to me, either
1) your bf% is reduced because your muscles grow and your fat stays where it is, or
2) your bf% is reduced because your muscles stay the same, and you are losing fat.

and I assume protein and calorie intake make the difference, with slightly greater consumption than maintenance leading to 1), and staying at maintenance, or eating just a little less, leading to 2) . Is that about right? And how much of of a deficit or surplus makes the difference?

OP: you have a lovely shape.

Those examples sound like idealized (and unlikely) versions of either a cut or a bulk. In 1) you would gain weight, and in 2)you would lose weight. Whereas, recomp is staying roughly the same weight, but losing fat and gaining muscle.

So i was wondering about losing fat in unwanted places because - I've been skinny enough in the past where I did finally lose all the fat on my thighs, but I was too skinny (particularly in the face and collarbones). So I have no desire to go that low again, and will probably work on recomp when I hit my target weight. But if I'm changing my body fat %, won't I lose fat in my face still (and a few other places I'd rather not)? Just something I was wondering about.