For women who had large legs before weight loss

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2

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  • led6777
    led6777 Posts: 268
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    Try swimming or pilates! Some exercises overuse the calves and will lead to bulking while swimming and pilates generally work the smaller muscle groups.
  • bcc112986
    bcc112986 Posts: 362 Member
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    http://www.superskinnyme.com/how-to-slim-calves.html

    I like this article.

    I have huge calves as well. At this point, they are mostly muscle; so I am not sure I can get them any smaller. O well, as long as I am healthy. :)
  • Colbyandsage
    Colbyandsage Posts: 751 Member
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    My calves r 16.5 and thighs r 25. Plus I have the flattest butt around. :) I am pretty short 5' 3" and have a longer torso so a good thing is that when I loose weight, it comes off my waist first then my thighs.

    I used to hate my legs, even when I am super skinny, I didn't wear shorts often but as I get older and realize there is no changing genetics, I owe them! I actually love toning them up. They are curvy. I can't wait to loose these extra pounds so I feel comfortable wearing dresses/ shorts.

    A note though, I have been doing insanity for 3 weeks, the other day my boots zipped up a lot easier. It was the best feeling ever.

    So my advise. Don't be afraid to tone those babies up and be the best u that u can be!
  • ratbing800
    ratbing800 Posts: 2
    edited January 2015
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    My calves are 18" they literally are like baby cows ! ;) I am eating healthily and swimming and exercising but my enormous legs are sooo big and heavy I don't seem to be making any progress , I've lost just a few pounds in a matter of weeks. It is so disheartening and frustrating. The guy at the gym said its waaaay easier to lose weight from a top heavy body then a leg heavy body . He said to lose weight from your legs is really difficult and timely. he said the more you work the more you turn the fat to muscle So still big still heavy ..So anyone had any real success ? Any tips ? Bec x
  • JAT74
    JAT74 Posts: 1,078 Member
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    I hat my legs in general because I have skinny calves of 14 inches and thighs of 23.5! I feel like my legs are not in proportion and my arms/forearms are similar. I have never had big calves so I've been lucky that if I cover my thighs I skirts or dresses my legs look thinner than they are. I'm trying to lose 25 more pounds so I hope my thighs get smaller.
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
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    sarbu24 wrote: »
    Anybody here have very large calves before they lost alot of weight? How do your legs look now? My calves are so big around I feel like they will never get smaller. I think they are 17" around.

    Mine have lost 2" in 44lbs

    But I'll always have shapely legs ...and I'm happy with that
  • KarenB927
    KarenB927 Posts: 94 Member
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    For the first time in 30 years, this is the first winter I was able to buy boots that come up to my knees.
  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,150 Member
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    Still thick. Learn to love them!
  • Laurend224
    Laurend224 Posts: 1,748 Member
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    My calves are huge, no matter what size I am. Even the 'wide shaft' boots don't fit me. Wide shaft.....I gave myself the giggles :p
  • pap3rw1ngs
    pap3rw1ngs Posts: 58 Member
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    I'll be honest, my calves haven't slimmed at all after almost 60lbs lost but they are pretty solid muscle now from lots of walking.
  • squishprincess
    squishprincess Posts: 371 Member
    edited January 2015
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    i think some people just have larger calves, especially if you tend to carry your weight on your lower half. i know i do. i've lost like a little over 20 pounds in the past 2 & a half years and my calves have maybe reduced by like 1-2 inches. i just have thicker, shorter legs like my momma had. genetics.. you can still make them slimmer over time and tone/build muscle but i think for the most part it's just some people's body types! which isn't a bad thing, just a different thing. :)
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
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    What about squats and lunges, with no weights, would doing these be helpful? Spinning and running would be my go to's
  • Cheriesaurus
    Cheriesaurus Posts: 92 Member
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    Sometimes I wonder if my calves are bigger because of my restless leg syndrome I get while sitting at my desk all day lol
  • healthygreek
    healthygreek Posts: 2,137 Member
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    When I was 188 my calves were 17 and now at 125 they are
    13 1/2 . At their largest, I could not wear high boots-now I can wear whatever boots I want.
  • jessieleah
    jessieleah Posts: 204 Member
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    Mine used to be be big and I hated them, now they're 15" ( just measured). Tbh I don't feel like they're HUGE anymore (although fitting into boots is probably still an issue?). I'm not concerned with how they look and I assume they'll shrink even more as I approach my goal weight.
  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 9,533 Member
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    Mine currently are 15 inches (38.1cm) as well, coming from 16.9 inches (43cm). I do have a modest BMI of 21.7 and lost quiet a lot everywhere, but my calves need a lot more time and love. Sure, there's a lot of muscle underneath, but there's also still a lot of padding as well. I find it so annoying that my calves are also strong at the bottom (mucles, not fat, other than the squishy layer that covers everything down there - and I'm sure it's not oedema). I now have the figure to wear nice dresses, but all I wear are ones that really reach the ground simply because I don't like to show my calves. And still I cannot find any trousers because the current fashion seems to favour tight lower legs and I simply don't fit in. Ok, enough complaining :wink:
  • obscuremusicreference
    obscuremusicreference Posts: 1,320 Member
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    I've recently taken up running in hopes of performing a miracle cure. Hey, if we can bring a three-year-old thread back to life, maybe it can happen for me.
  • Vailara
    Vailara Posts: 2,454 Member
    edited January 2015
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    bcc112986 wrote: »
    http://www.superskinnyme.com/how-to-slim-calves.html

    I like this article.

    I have huge calves as well. At this point, they are mostly muscle; so I am not sure I can get them any smaller. O well, as long as I am healthy. :)

    The article is probably right (in that you don't want strong calves if you don't want muscular calves), but I don't think it's a good idea to avoid resistance training. Resistance training is associated with lots of health benefits, especially as people get older.

    I had big calves before I gained the weight, so there wasn't much hope for me! I didn't have a lot of fat there compared to the rest of my legs, and I've hardly lost any circumference as I've lost the weight. I think I'm stuck with them :).
  • katkins73
    katkins73 Posts: 416 Member
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    From past experience I know my calves reduce more or less last in the weight loss process but they do go down eventually.
  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 9,533 Member
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    I finally got a mirror in my house that has no strange slimming or blurring effect (don't ask), and which actually does show me completely. I guess I won't be getting thin calves as I'm already rather thin. Well... if I lose much more weight I will look silly as I have a wide pelvis, and losing more weight on my waist just to get slightly slimmer calves probably is not worth it. Oh well...

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