Legs look like they belong on a different person :(

dmcmillan74

As I looked at your pics all I see is someone who is thin and if you become even more thin, you would look anorexic. I know how I feel and what I see how others feel and what they see doesn't matter. It's about how you feel and you see. I understand you want muscle definition in your legs, maybe genetically you can't achieve that. Maybe you can. One things for sure, losing more bodyfat is not the answer. There are many who are mad, envious and jealous of you and your comments because they want to be where you're at and cant get there

maureenseel1984

We are our own worst critics. It's taken me years to try to just make peace with my body being the way it is. Am I healthy? Can I do the things I want to do?
It's difficult because we might want to change our bodies to make them look a certain way but...it's not always possible without doing things that are challenging or even unhealthy. If you want to work on strengthening your lower body I agree squats....ballet is KILLER for the quads and butt...but also...just try loving your body? At least for me when I stress and am critical of myself, the stress makes my body weight even more stubborn.
Besides-We are more than our bodies.

missysippy930

You look lovely. I’m sure many of us would be very happy to have your build.
Body image is a very hard thing to accept for many people. Acceptance can be very frustrating, but try to take some satisfaction in knowing that many people feel you look very inspirational.

ExistingFish

Your legs look very proportional to your body, coming from a petite woman. They look ideal actually. If you want to change the shape of them, you will need to lift weights for a while. This will gradually make them more muscular and "shapely". I can't promise it will make you look "thinner" though.

Maybe you'd feel better about the appearance in the short term if you experimented with some sunless tanner? It always makes me appear slimmer and more shapely. I couldn't recommend sunbeds, obviously. I particularly like the Banana Boat Summer Color, as a drugstore product it has performed quite well and looked quite natural on me, and I'm very pale naturally. You could also spend more on a professional airbrush if it is worth the money to you.

poisonesse

You are, and will always be, your hardest critic. I won't tell you that you look fine, lovely, etc because you did ask us not to do so. But if you're looking for an exercise that does (kind of) target the legs, I'd suggest walking. That how I lost 99% of my weight (about 60 pounds now) with walking/hiking. I DO know that I have always had huge calves, it's hereditary, my mom was the same way. And I know that now my calves, while still a good size, as no longer these huge chunks of fat, but nice, well toned muscles. They might even measure the same circumference but they don't LOOK the same, and I'm finally happy with my legs. But... it's not something that will come about in a day, a week or even a month, it's something that does take time. Not just for the toning, but for your own "sight" to see past the size and realize "Hey... they actually DO look good!"

cupcakesandproteinshakes

As I have read in many other threads recomp is a slow process. I read an article by Eric helms where he reckoned it took him 10 plus years to build some serious mass in his quads. I think you need to just keep training. Maybe think about whether the programme you are following has enough leg volume. I’ve been strength training properly for 2 years and still don’t see a lot of definition in my legs. It’s frustrating. I’ve seen a bit of quad definition recently since switching to a 4 day upper/lower split but I know other regular posters have been pleased with their results on a full body programme. Sorry not to have a quick solution for you.

LDemi333

I would love your legs.

kgb6days

I think I get what you are saying. I carry most of my fat on my legs. When I weighed 110 I had my body fat calculated at a gym and they measured my legs 3 times because they didn't believe what they were seeing. It's genetic and I hate it. That being said, all I can do is maintain a proper body weight and do strength training. I tend to focus more on my legs because of carrying such a high amount of fat. I've learned to love my legs because of what they can do - I ran 26.2 miles, 13.1 multiple times. I'm a nurse and walk at least 5 miles a day on my job. Learn to embrace them and improve what you can. Don't obsess

Katmary71

I think your legs look great! We are definitely more critical of ourselves, keep up whatever you're doing!

I can commiserate as I'm a pear shape too. I've been a medium on top for awhile but my bottom half is double the size pants most people are at my weight. I'm never going to be able to shrink my hip bones and will probably never be 100% happy with my thighs, but am gaining muscle, losing weight, and working on self-acceptance. It's not easy and I know I'm more critical of my body than anyone else is of me which is why I'm working on my mental outlook.

kimondo666

nice legs though, you are overthinking a little. IT can happen to someone who had problems with weight before.

yirara

Cellulite? Where? I think you're very lucky: pretty much every woman has cellulite, also elite sporters. We tend to see it more on ourselves than on other people as we're looking down into or against those little lumps and bumps. Other people notice them less as their viewing angle is different. Gosh, I wish I had your legs (I actually might have! Who knows)

kshama2001

nettiklive wrote: »

Okay I know you can't spot reduce. But I just need to vent because I'm feeling really frustrated with my body. I am a pear shape. I maintained a constant weight I was happy with for over twelve years (intuitive eating, no logging, only loose mental tracking), I've always had thick legs and it's only at the very low end of the bmi range that they looked decent. Not super shapely but at least not fat. Well over this winter, probably due to my glass of wine habit going from twice a week to daily, I got distracted and gained 4-5 lbs. Doesn't sound like a big deal, except on my fairly lean small frame it is super noticeable particularly because it seems to literally all settle in my thighs! My hips and legs from the knee up look awful, chunky and cellulite-y. Two years ago I tried to start a very gradual recomp, with lifting - squats, deadlifts, loosely based on Stronglifts/ Strongcurves but not following the program to a T, and was very happy with my body a year ago. I've been trying to lose the extra weight and cut down on food and added in cardio, I'm pretty happy with the way the rest of my body looks but there is zero change in the legs and it's killing me especially since it's summer and I can no longer ignore them in shorts and dresses They look like they belong on a sedentary woman twice my weight and age. I read that this fat is particularly resistant and am terrified that even if I lose the five lbs back, they're gonna come off from everywhere else instead and I'll end up even more disproportional than when I've started. Pictures attached of my upper and lower body so you can see the difference.
I know probably not much can be done besides what I'm already doing but just wanted to see if maybe anyone can offer advice or just commiserate. Big ask: please no patronizing comments like 'you look fine' or 'it's all in your head, you should talk to someone' etc, my looks are important to me and I want to be in amazing shape, not just 'look fine'. Thanks for reading!

I'm going to be blunter. It's one thing to have a preference for a different aesthetic, but thinking perfectly normal legs look "awful" is concerning.

What you see is so different from what everyone else sees that I think you should indeed talk to someone about body dysmorphia. And since you asked us not to say this, I imagine this isn't the first time you heard it.

AnnPT77

Everyone's body is different. I think that if you had a look you liked better before, when you were a bit lighter, you'll most likely return to that look when you lose a bit of weight.

Personally, I get literally bony up top (ribs show on upper chest) when I still have fat below my ribcage and down my legs. If I keep losing, the fat comes off places where I still have excess fat, not the places where I don't. I'd expect you to find the same thing.

It isn't clear to me from your OP whether you're continuing or have resumed the strength program. Presumably you have, because that would be the best route in your scenario, I suspect.

Recomp is slow, by nature. Very slow. Each of us has different genetics, which means it could be even slower for some than others. All any of us can do individually is run a well-designed suitable strength program, eat nutritiously (including adequate protein), not layer on an aggressive calorie deficit, work hard, and see what happens. Speculation is stressful (and pointless), body comparison with others is pointless (and stressful).

Frankly, the cases where I've seen women's body comp get worse are those who lose weight fast, maybe do a bunch of cardio alongside that, maybe eat a suboptimal amount of protein (because salad is more "ladylike" or something? dunno) so lose more muscle than minimally necessary; give up both diet and exercise, still eat insufficient protein (add a lot of carbs, often), so gain mostly fat . . . then yo-yo through this cycle many times over many years, with body comp getting just a tiny bit worse with every cycle. You aren't doing that (presumably).

I don't see the relevance of what some unidentified women told Lyle McDonald, or of the info you linked, unless you put in the work over the next couple of years and find that that exact thing happens to you. Since you've lost weight before and had thinner legs as a result, I still think that's the most likely outcome.

I have some of the same fat distribution as you do, I think . . . maybe the main difference is that while I might like to be in amazing shape (fitness wise . . . leaving aside the question of whether I'm really willing to work hard enough to achieve that ), I don't particularly care how I look. That's not a diss on people who do care; caring about appearance is more normal, I think. It's intended as a potential explanation of why I might not seem all that empathetic with the venting part, because it's not very familiar to me . . . nonetheless, I like to see anyone and everyone achieve their healthy goals, so I'd wish the same for you.

Best wishes, truly!