Fat thighs

How long does it take to start to see a difference in thighs? I have fat thighs and I currently go to the gym about 4 times a week, including one leg day and 20 minutes of cardio each day.

Replies

serindipte

Are you eating in a deficit?

thunderthighsandlightning

When I lost 70 lbs (which I've nearly gained back, but I'm losing them again), I didn't see much change in my thighs. I have big thighs then, I still do now. What I did notice was that they were less flabby and more toned, but their actual size never diminished much. That being said, I toned them up and am able to break a watermelon between them, so that usually shuts up anyone who wants to mock me for having big thighs. Some people just have them, and that's okay; if you keep making progress with your fitness and notice they're not getting smaller, maybe consider that it might just be how your body is built and you have awesome thick thighs, lol.

jessiferrrb

thick thighs save lives

serindipte

jessiferrrb wrote: »

thick thighs save lives

And cell phones! Caught mine between my thick thighs before it landed.

BrianSharpe

You can't spot reduce. Eating consistently at a modest caloric deficit will result in fat loss, unfortunately you have no control over where the fat disappears first (for me it was my arms & face).

Are your thighs actually fat or are you blessed with great hamstrings & quads that may just be hidden under a small layer of fat?

jemhh

sewiggle wrote: »

How long does it take to start to see a difference in thighs? I have fat thighs and I currently go to the gym about 4 times a week, including one leg day and 20 minutes of cardio each day.

Depends on what kind of difference you are looking for. If you are overweight, eating in a deficit is key to seeing them shrink. If you are at a good weight but flabby/soft eating at maintenance but training them well is probably going to give you better results. That means training them more than once a week. A minimum of twice, and often more than that, would be better.

sammyliftsandeats

jessiferrrb wrote: »

thick thighs save lives

I didn't choose the thick thigh life, the thick thigh life chose me.

I, too, carry more fat on my lower body, particularly in the hip and thigh area. A calorie deficit and a progressive overload programs such as Stronglifts has helped shed some of the fat, but that part of my body is still bigger than the rest. A lot of it is genetics and how fat is distributed around your body. You may lose more up top before you lose any at the bottom.

That doesn't mean that I can't have shapely legs...my quads are becoming more defined as I lose the fat and it looks great!

BusyRaeNOTBusty

sammyliftsandeats wrote: »

I didn't choose the thick thigh life, the thick thigh life chose me.

Love this.

Eat at a deficit to lose fat. The fat will come off where it is genetically predisposed to come off, so probably NOT your thighs first.

That being said thick thighs ARE NOT A FLAW. They are your body. There's nothing "wrong" with them.

laceybrobie

sewiggle wrote: »

How long does it take to start to see a difference in thighs? I have fat thighs and I currently go to the gym about 4 times a week, including one leg day and 20 minutes of cardio each day.

Measure yourself.. Take measurements today and then continue to check them. That will be your sign of change... Also, you may need to tone more than 1 time a week.

born_of_fire74

Thick thighs here too. After losing ~15lbs over the course of 6 months and recomping for another 6 months, I am finally starting to notice some difference in my thighs. I've gone from ~30%BF to ~23%BF which seems to be making the difference rather than the weight I lost. My legs no longer quake like jello with every step I take (woohoo!) but they are still big and likely always will be. At least it's mostly muscle now. Be patient, keep working at it. Good luck to you!

maybe1pe

I will say as I've lost weight (a little over 80 lbs now) the size of my thighs (I take measurements) has not changed a ton. HOWEVER, I started training them and while they are still bigger than I want them to be they look much better because they aren't flabby they are more toned.

maybe1pe

sammyliftsandeats wrote: »

jessiferrrb wrote: »

thick thighs save lives

I didn't choose the thick thigh life, the thick thigh life chose me.

!

I love this BTW

fitoverfortymom

I have always had thick thighs, even at my fittest. I'm just cool that way. I like my thick thighs because they are attached to my hips which lend way to an awesome hourglass figure.

BUT...I did notice some changes in my legs after losing about 50 (of my 100lb) goal. I went from 256 preMFP to 196 right now and have really just started seeing some changes in my legs.

Jthanmyfitnesspal

Depends on your natural build, of course, but many excellent female athletes have good thigh mass, it would seem. I favor not letting the fashion industry dictate on this one.

sammyliftsandeats

thunderthighsandlightning wrote: »

When I lost 70 lbs (which I've nearly gained back, but I'm losing them again), I didn't see much change in my thighs. I have big thighs then, I still do now. What I did notice was that they were less flabby and more toned, but their actual size never diminished much. That being said, I toned them up and am able to break a watermelon between them, so that usually shuts up anyone who wants to mock me for having big thighs. Some people just have them, and that's okay; if you keep making progress with your fitness and notice they're not getting smaller, maybe consider that it might just be how your body is built and you have awesome thick thighs, lol.

I just wanted to say that you're really cool and I want to be able to do that with my thighs too. I'm excited for watermelon season LOL

CarlydogsMom

maybe1pe wrote: »

sammyliftsandeats wrote: »

jessiferrrb wrote: »

thick thighs save lives

I didn't choose the thick thigh life, the thick thigh life chose me.

!

I used to think this (hated my thick thighs!) but they are a part of me and have done some pretty amazing things. Most people are not blessed with the perfectly-balanced figure; there are lots of pears, apples, and bananas out there. I've realized after loving my body enough to lose weight and now get into weight training and such, that if I had to pick a body form, I'd take my pear shape any day. I have a curvy figure that I'm actually quite proud of, for this 54-year old! Just completed a short Himalayan trek; hike and mountain bike all summer--give me these thighs any day. I'd now actually say that I'd choose the thick thigh life!

Just wished I loved them like this my entire life instead of just starting to in my 50s. What a waste of energy.

That being said, just continue on a deficit. You'll see changes eventually. I do highly recommend weight lifting, that will help shape and form your legs as you lose.

spiriteagle99

I carry most of my excess weight in my legs. It's genetic. I am within healthy weight and don't want to lose any more, so I just accept that I will never have skinny legs. I have strong legs (hiker and runner) and some people (men) like that, but I was also told, "You have the legs of a power lifter" even though I've never lifted in my life.

sewiggle

Thank you everyone, I'm happy to see all the thick thigh love! I do not mind the size of my thighs it's the fact that they wobble all over when I walk. I am not overweight but I am eating at a deficit of 500 calories just to lose a few more pounds but I want to tone and lose body fat.

jessiferrrb

sewiggle wrote: »

Thank you everyone, I'm happy to see all the thick thigh love! I do not mind the size of my thighs it's the fact that they wobble all over when I walk. I am not overweight but I am eating at a deficit of 500 calories just to lose a few more pounds but I want to tone and lose body fat.

if you're at a healthy weight maybe consider strength training at maintenance (recomp).

sewiggle

Well I'm just over halfway on my BMI and at 25% body fat so I'd still like to drop another 8/9 pounds and decrease my body fat a little though I know that'll happen through exercise anyway.

ninerbuff

If you're in a moderate calorie deficit consistently, they should start to reduce, whether you're working out or not. Genetics will still play a role on how much fat you have to lose on your thighs, but again consistency should bring them down.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

sarabushby

I'm 5'5, I went from an inactive 11st to a very athletic 8.5st and still I would look at my 'fat' thighs in disgust. Beware the tricks of the mind.

quiksylver296

Too much pasta?

(Ignore me. I'm entertaining myself re a different thread.)

natasor1

Sure eat less food, spesifically carbs. But I learned one little trick recently. If u do very simple leg exercise in very large reps. Think of regular squats, without d-bell, but u have to repete it not 20, not 50, but 100-200 times.
Another move will be lunge on one leg forward, the other back. U can hold your hand on supporting handle. Then plie 100 times pushing mostly on your back leg, living front leg almost aidle. U have to feel your quat doing nothing but your hamstring will take all the bitting.
Stop doing legs only once a week. Your main problem is to loose weight. But u can"t loose any weight without engaging your biggest muscles in the butt, quats and hamstrings. Every workout day has to include legs at some degree. For women. This is our motto. Don't listen to guys. Women have to train little diferently.

ninerbuff

natasor1 wrote: »

Sure eat less food, spesifically carbs. But I learned one little trick recently. If u do very simple leg exercise in very large reps. Think of regular squats, without d-bell, but u have to repete it not 20, not 50, but 100-200 times.
Another move will be lunge on one leg forward, the other back. U can hold your hand on supporting handle. Then plie 100 times pushing mostly on your back leg, living front leg almost aidle. U have to feel your quat doing nothing but your hamstring will take all the bitting.
Stop doing legs only once a week. Your main problem is to loose weight. But u can"t loose any weight without engaging your biggest muscles in the butt, quats and hamstrings. Every workout day has to include legs at some degree. For women. This is our motto. Don't listen to guys. Women have to train little diferently.

Untrue. Exercising legs will burn more calories, but you CANNOT spot reduce any significant fat from any area of the body just by targeting it.
This is not disputed by any journals of physiology, biology or science.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

AnvilHead

ninerbuff wrote: »

natasor1 wrote: »

Sure eat less food, spesifically carbs. But I learned one little trick recently. If u do very simple leg exercise in very large reps. Think of regular squats, without d-bell, but u have to repete it not 20, not 50, but 100-200 times.
Another move will be lunge on one leg forward, the other back. U can hold your hand on supporting handle. Then plie 100 times pushing mostly on your back leg, living front leg almost aidle. U have to feel your quat doing nothing but your hamstring will take all the bitting.
Stop doing legs only once a week. Your main problem is to loose weight. But u can"t loose any weight without engaging your biggest muscles in the butt, quats and hamstrings. Every workout day has to include legs at some degree. For women. This is our motto. Don't listen to guys. Women have to train little diferently.

Untrue. Exercising legs will burn more calories, but you CANNOT spot reduce any significant fat from any area of the body just by targeting it.
This is not disputed by any journals of physiology, biology or science.

^ Truth. In fact, there is science which shows that spot reduction is not possible: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21804427

Exercise your legs all you want, you'll eventually develop some great muscles if you do it right. But the exercise won't do anything to get rid of the fat covering those muscles, because fat is inert and can't be exercised.

sardelsa

sewiggle wrote: »

Well I'm just over halfway on my BMI and at 25% body fat so I'd still like to drop another 8/9 pounds and decrease my body fat a little though I know that'll happen through exercise anyway.

Eat at a small deficit, get at least 0.8-1g protein per lean body mass and and incorporate strength training (I would recommend following a program especially one that has you working legs at least 2-3x per week) which will help you retain muscle as you lose. Keep in mind, depending on your genetics and muscle base your thighs may be slow to lean out.. so it may take some building (through recomp or bulk/cut cycles) to achieve your desired results

designerdiscounts

My mom has huge thighs and an ittybitty waist. My sister has the same. Genetics are what they are. Just keep on keeping on and the fat will melt off wherever it melts off.

sewiggle

Thank you, everyone, I will keep going and increase my leg day to twice a week, see how that feels.

cerise_noir

I've embraced my thunder thighs! More power for a roundhouse.

Agreed with those who mentioned continuation of eating in a deficit to minimize the fat on them.

#saynotothighgap