How to get rid of these "thick" legs?????

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jaimemcdowell
jaimemcdowell Posts: 22
in Health and Weight Loss
Ok - so I've lost 21lbs - I'm 5'3", about 127lbs - which sounds great - but I still have a problem with my legs! I know everything comes with time - but a couple weeks ago a couple of my friends started to tell me that I don't need to lose anymore weight (it was although they were telling me I was looking anorexic). Today, to clarify, one of them told me it was because I've lost so much in my face/arms/stomach - basically everything but my legs! I wore a dress today - and showed her - look at these - I still have work to do - she didn't disagree with me. I now fit into a size XS/S and 2/4 dress! However, I can't say the same for pants/jeans... I haven't even purchased any new pants - because I know I won't be satisfied until my legs are smaller and toned.

I've been told that I was born with thick legs and won't be able to get rid of them - I don't believe this!

So for those of you in my same position - how have you/are you targeting your legs? I workout at least 4-5 days a week. Lately, I've been adding more squats, lunges, leg presses, stair stepping, and running.

Also, please, please, please - DON'T respond with "you can't target certain areas" - I've heard this several times as well.


Thanks in advance! :)
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Replies

  • marycmeadows
    marycmeadows Posts: 1,691 Member
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    Um, you don't want to hear it but you can't sport reduce. Chances are you are just built to have thicker legs or be bottom heavy. And there's nothing wrong with that. I posted something on my facebook the other day that said 'if you can fit into skinny jeans start doing squats!'. And I 100% agree with it. I'm sure you look fine. at 5'3'' and 127lbs it doesn't sound like you have much weight to spare. we all carry our weight in different areas. My main issue is my tummy, and I know it'll be the last to continue shrinking, even though I've lost over 100lbs. You can 'tone' and make your legs look more defined -- strength training will help..... and stuff like running will lean you out (read make your muscles leaner so they can work more efficiently)
  • hdME
    hdME Posts: 19
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    I'm not sure about the whole "spot targeting" thing, but maybe something like yoga/pilates would help. I did a Yoga/Pilates class a couple days a week and after a couple of months my entire body was a lot leaner. My thigh muscles especially felt a lot less compact. Hope it helps! :)
  • albayin
    albayin Posts: 2,524 Member
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    I keep my silence. :)

    :flowerforyou:
  • slkehl
    slkehl Posts: 3,801 Member
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    It may just be your body type. Everyone is shaped differently, and some people just have proportionally bigger legs than others.
  • flynnfinn
    flynnfinn Posts: 209 Member
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    i hear ya! i know exactly what you're talking about. i don't own a single pair of shorts for this reason. i don't necessarily have thick legs but i have strong-looking legs. and lord knows i run my *kitten* off and they're still there. no matter how much cardio i do or how thin i am (i'm 127, 5'6" right now but have been as low as 117), they're always there. i struggle with skinny jeans because i love them so much but i definitely fill them out. my dream is to have legs like sarah jessica parker (little defined skinny chicken legs) but that is just never going to happen. so now i just buy straight or slim leg jeans and wear them like skinny jeans so that my legs look slimmer.

    you've just got to accept what you were born with and somehow work with your wardrobe to minimize what you don't like. i've also learned that there are other parts of my body that i DO love and focus on those.
  • JesterMFP
    JesterMFP Posts: 3,596 Member
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    Also, please, please, please - DON'T respond with "you can't target certain areas" - I've heard this several times as well.

    But... you can't, so what else do you want to hear? :smile: You can't target fat loss. You can target muscle growth by strength training certain areas, but if you're still eating at a deficit, this is not likely to be a significant amount. Squats, lunges etc will help to shape your legs but won't make them any slimmer unless/until your body is ready to let go of the fat there. Sorry it's not what you want to hear.
  • south001
    south001 Posts: 19
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  • meshashesha2012
    meshashesha2012 Posts: 8,326 Member
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    it's your body type type learn to love it. start working with your body instead of against it by wasting time trying to look like a different body shape.

    if you're a pear or hourglass shape then odds are you're going to always have thick legs. you can either bemoan the situation and play chase your tail trying all kinds of things trying to fight your genetic code or just continue to work out and create the best body for YOUR body type
  • south001
    south001 Posts: 19
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    Ok you need to do squats and calf raises, stepups etc, you can do infront of tv. also do a all round weight routine 3 x a week, like chest press, lat pulldown, armcurls, tricep pulldowns then leg curl and squats, all sets of 3 and 12-15 reps with weight that is comfortable, on the other days do 3 sets of 20 free standing squats, if your a gym member do a few bodypump classes which is weights to music but its fun, you cant just diet you need to do a mixture of cardio and strength training to look good, dieting you will just lose fat then muscle and look terrible.
  • south001
    south001 Posts: 19
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    also you can change any body shape or type with the correct exercises and diet...

    its how hard you work at it, takes a lot of sweat.
  • GorgeouSaur
    GorgeouSaur Posts: 29
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    Women that look like they squat are hot, infact do more squats and get even stronger looking legs.
  • SarahCW1979
    SarahCW1979 Posts: 572 Member
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    EMBRACE YOUR INNER PEAR!! I have heavy legs too but the rest of me is ok. Yoga and pilates will help to elongate and tone but you pretty much have to learn to love what your mamma gave you. If they are toned and strong who cares how big they are! :flowerforyou:
  • meshashesha2012
    meshashesha2012 Posts: 8,326 Member
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    also you can change any body shape or type with the correct exercises and diet...

    its how hard you work at it, takes a lot of sweat.
    this is SO not true and quite frankly part of the reason so many girls end up getting eating disorders
  • frando
    frando Posts: 583 Member
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    I've lost nearly four dress sizes on my top but hardly two on my lowerhalf- but it's cos I'm pear shaped! Narrow shoulders, wide hips and everything weight wise will go there. Accept that you're not hourglass, very few people are but most clothes are designed for, and work out how to make the most of your pear shape- literally nothing can change your body build.
  • GorgeouSaur
    GorgeouSaur Posts: 29
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    also you can change any body shape or type with the correct exercises and diet...

    its how hard you work at it, takes a lot of sweat.
    this is SO not true and quite frankly part of the reason so many girls end up getting eating disorders

    You cant change your body shape or somatatype but your can change how your body looks by reducing body fat and adding muscle. If you think your legs look really big, do heavy glute bridges and hip thrustsers, it will round your bum out so it looks bigger making your legs look smaller. Same with your upper body, put a bit of muscle of your back/chest/shoulders and you make your lower lower look more in proportion.

    But I still stand by what I said, nothing wrong with strong looking legs, beats chicken legs anyday.
  • cs821
    cs821 Posts: 48
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    also you can change any body shape or type with the correct exercises and diet...

    its how hard you work at it, takes a lot of sweat.
    this is SO not true and quite frankly part of the reason so many girls end up getting eating disorders

    You cant change your body shape or somatatype but your can change how your body looks by reducing body fat and adding muscle. If you think your legs look really big, do heavy glute bridges and hip thrustsers, it will round your bum out so it looks bigger making your legs look smaller. Same with your upper body, put a bit of muscle of your back/chest/shoulders and you make your lower lower look more in proportion.

    But I still stand by what I said, nothing wrong with strong looking legs, beats chicken legs anyday.

    I'll try this as well :smile:
  • pinkraynedropjacki
    pinkraynedropjacki Posts: 3,027 Member
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    YouTube for Tiffany Rothe. She has great workouts that slim down & tone up your thighs (among other body parts) without putting on muscle :)
  • hughtwalker
    hughtwalker Posts: 2,213 Member
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    1. are your legs "thick" because they are muscular or can you "pinch and inch". If it isn't fat then it isn't going anywhere with the exercises you are doing.
    2. feel free to ignore me - I was born with a "thick head" and no amount of exercise can fix that.
    3. I never saw a ballet dancer nor gymnast with clumpy legs - maybe there is a clue there to the type of exercises you should be doing.
    4. I have the oposite problem. My arms and legs have good muscle definition - my "spare tyre" is getting less but that's where my Xs sits
    good luck

    by the way how long ago did you "just hate it" too when someone posted "just got a few lbs to go"?
  • JesterMFP
    JesterMFP Posts: 3,596 Member
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    EMBRACE YOUR INNER PEAR!! I have heavy legs too but the rest of me is ok. Yoga and pilates will help to elongate and tone but you pretty much have to learn to love what your mamma gave you. If they are toned and strong who cares how big they are! :flowerforyou:
    Noooooo... please not the "elongation"! :explode: Yoga and pilates will not elongate anything. Once you have stopped growing, your bones are a fixed length, and your muscles are a fixed length. Like any exercise, yoga and pilates will help you to lose fat through a calorie deficit, and they can help you to strengthen and shape your muscles (although not as effectively as you can with weight lifting).

    But the part about embracing your shape - that's good advice. :flowerforyou:
  • malystrasza
    malystrasza Posts: 26
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    also you can change any body shape or type with the correct exercises and diet...

    its how hard you work at it, takes a lot of sweat.
    this is SO not true and quite frankly part of the reason so many girls end up getting eating disorders

    I think what they were getting at was that you can sculpt your body through weight training. At least that's how I interpreted it from their post with the exercises. Like how you can do squats and build muscle to shape your butt, and such.

    Anyway, back on topic, you could try to lose more weight in addition to doing the leg exercises mentioned. If you lose 5-10 pounds, you'd still be in a healthy weight range for 5'3. Burning more fat will probably slim them a bit, but if you're pear shaped, they still might be a little bit big in the end. I'm 5'3 and pear shaped myself, and while they did slim down, they're still a bit thick at 109, but I've just accepted that.

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