For women who had large legs before weight loss

squishprincess

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

What about squats and lunges, with no weights, would doing these be helpful? Spinning and running would be my go to's

Cheriesaurus

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

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

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

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

obscuremusicreference

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

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

From past experience I know my calves reduce more or less last in the weight loss process but they do go down eventually.

yirara

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...

lemurcat12

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.

I couldn't wear high boots before I lost weight and had to get a large size when I had one of those boots they give you with a simple broken leg these days (which was somewhat humiliating to me).

Now I think my legs look pretty good--slender, some muscle. Being able to wear cool boots and feeling good in yoga pants are nice NSVs.

(I lost a LOT of weight, though, and for me the legs were one of the places it seemed to go on last and come off easiest.)

Hey, if we can bring a three-year-old thread back to life, maybe it can happen for me.

Heh, didn't notice that at all. Oops. Well, I hope OP has the answer to her question!

katherine_startrek_fan

For me, it was all about exercise. Once I had worked out routinely for around three months, I could start wearing normal boots up to just below my knees.

Weight loss definitely wasn't a major factor, as previosly I was unable to wear boots when I had been 30-40 pounds lighter.

sweetteadrinker2

My calves are something like 20 inches, its all muscle, ridiculously toned, and the first place I gain muscle. I'm definitely a woman, and I'm a rancher. Boots are the only shoes I wear unless I'm running or in heels. Try justin brand, nice boots for people with muscling because they're built for ranchers.

sarbu24

So I'm back after 4 years of starting MFP and love that this thread came back three years after I posted it!!! I have kept off the 30 pounds that I lost in 2012 and I'm back for more!

AniF368

This is an interesting discussion for me; I have very big calves too, always have done and they make me self conscious wearing shorts and skirts. I've never been able to wear a pair of long leather boots. They just won't do up over my calves. I'm heartened to hear some people have lost an inch or two from their calves with weight loss, and boots are doing up easier. Nice one KarenB927. ;-) Are there any trainers commenting on here who could maybe help by suggesting exercises to help tone down calves? I'm only 2 days in, a newbie, and planning to start running.

sarbu24

AniF368 wrote: »

This is an interesting discussion for me; I have very big calves too, always have done and they make me self conscious wearing shorts and skirts. I've never been able to wear a pair of long leather boots. They just won't do up over my calves. I'm heartened to hear some people have lost an inch or two from their calves with weight loss, and boots are doing up easier. Nice one KarenB927. ;-) Are there any trainers commenting on here who could maybe help by suggesting exercises to help tone down calves? I'm only 2 days in, a newbie, and planning to start running.

Welcome to MFP!!! You have picked the right app to help you with your journey!!
I would love to hear from a trainer as well on this!

dolliesdaughter

kristi_asco wrote: »

i've been told that running helps legs to thin out but so far i haven't been having any luck

Kind of true. It helped my legs to become less jiggly (built a little muscle), but I didn't loose much when I started running. Solid legs look better than jiggly legs though.

FindingAmy77

I am in the same boat. it is my most hated part of my body. They go down when I lose wieght but not by much because the more I exercise, is the more muscle my calves gain. It is what is, is what I tell myself

motivatedsister

Not sure if there's my truth to it, but my friend got a trainer and she started running a lot (long distance) and she complained to her trainer that her legs weren't slimming down they were getting bigger. He told her it was because the amount of running she does builds muscle in her lower half, and that if she wanted to lose weight/trim her legs that she should do less running for awhile and do something like the elliptical. Had something to do with what muscles are used for each activity.

Again...don't know how valid that statement is, but anytime her legs started to "bulk up" per se from running she would limit the number of days she ran and swap out for elliptical. It was a catch 22 for her because she felt like running helped her slim down overall, but felt it didn't help her legs so she did as he advised. Worked for her!

dmack073082

You like you body shape is a pear or an hourglass shape. Chances are that you're lower body is wear you hold the bulk of your weight. You are blessed to have shapely legs. Embrace it! http://shopyourshape.com/calculate-your-body-shape/

ninerbuff

So not to be a downer here, but when gaining weight over time, that weight gets carried by the legs. The legs respond by progressively getting stronger and GROWING (hypertrophy). If they are big around now, and unless you have A LOT of weight to lose, most people won't lose more that a couple of inches around their calves. Sorry, but losing muscle isn't that easy, especially in the legs because we use them every day and any activation will keep the muscle from atrophying.

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

ninerbuff

kristi_asco wrote: »

i've been told that running helps legs to thin out but so far i haven't been having any luck

You help to reduce some FAT in circumference, but muscle ...............no.

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

ninerbuff

led6777 wrote: »

Try swimming or pilates! Some exercises overuse the calves and will lead to bulking while swimming and pilates generally work the smaller muscle groups.

Any exercise on the legs will keep them activated and deter any atrophy.

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