Very muscly legs... Anything I can do?

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Replies

  • pittsblue99
    pittsblue99 Posts: 277 Member
    I know this is probably not the kind of answer that you are looking for but the way I look at it is like this; yes, I have fairly large leg muscles and my calves may resemble cows or buffalo now but I have legs that work and I thank God all the time that I can use them. My son has cerebral palsy and cannot use his legs at all so I am thankful for the muscles that I have.
  • fizzletto
    fizzletto Posts: 252 Member
    I have the same issue. Find it hard to relate to others here because they all seem to want them and I want to get rid of them. You're definitely not alone. XD Fortunately there's always stretchy skinny jeans~

    I know right! I've never liked my big calves, I've always longed for lean, smooth lower legs and small ankles. But since there's so many people here who seem to want muscly calves, I'm thinking it's about time we started appreciating what we've got! I think it's another case of the whole "If you have straight hair you want curly, and if you have curly hair you want straight" scenario! The grass is always greener on the other side, etc!
  • albayin
    albayin Posts: 2,524 Member
    I have the same issue. Find it hard to relate to others here because they all seem to want them and I want to get rid of them. You're definitely not alone. XD Fortunately there's always stretchy skinny jeans~

    I know right! I've never liked my big calves, I've always longed for lean, smooth lower legs and small ankles. But since there's so many people here who seem to want muscly calves, I'm thinking it's about time we started appreciating what we've got! I think it's another case of the whole "If you have straight hair you want curly, and if you have curly hair you want straight" scenario! The grass is always greener on the other side, etc!

    I totally hear you. :)
  • suziecue66
    suziecue66 Posts: 1,312 Member
    wow of all the things to complain bout in the world

    Everyone is unhappy with some part of their body. I could just have easily been talking about love handles or the shape of my nose or anything else. I don't see why me disliking my calves is any more ridiculous than someone else disliking a flat chest or big feet.

    Besides, I wasn't really complaining. I was asking if there was anything I could do. And if you'd read any of my follow-up posts, you'd know that as I've discovered, as I suspected, that there's nothing I can do about it, I'm now trying to embrace who I am and find a new style that suits me better.

    If you ask me I think it's even more silly to complain about someone else complaining...
    Well said.

    Those with no calves go do weights and make them bigger if you want.
  • fizzletto
    fizzletto Posts: 252 Member
    I know this is probably not the kind of answer that you are looking for but the way I look at it is like this; yes, I have fairly large leg muscles and my calves may resemble cows or buffalo now but I have legs that work and I thank God all the time that I can use them. My son has cerebral palsy and cannot use his legs at all so I am thankful for the muscles that I have.

    I'm so sorry about your son. I wish you both the best. I agree that I need to look at things optimistically. I'll skip the thanking 'God' part, but I'm certainly going to start appreciating how lucky I am to be healthy when so many others have it worse than me. Thank you for helping me put things into perspective :)
  • tubway
    tubway Posts: 86 Member
    Skinny jeans should be banned anyway. They don't even look good on skinny people. :tongue:
  • suziecue66
    suziecue66 Posts: 1,312 Member
    I know this is probably not the kind of answer that you are looking for but the way I look at it is like this; yes, I have fairly large leg muscles and my calves may resemble cows or buffalo now but I have legs that work and I thank God all the time that I can use them. My son has cerebral palsy and cannot use his legs at all so I am thankful for the muscles that I have.

    I'm so sorry about your son. I wish you both the best. I agree that I need to look at things optimistically. I'll skip the thanking 'God' part, but I'm certainly going to start appreciating how lucky I am to be healthy when so many others have it worse than me. Thank you for helping me put things into perspective :)

    My son has Duchenne muscular dystrophy - wasting away of all his muscles - particularly the legs and arms first. He is in a wheelchair. The first sign of DMD is huge calves and toe walking while an infant. We always used to be proud about his muscular calves thinking he was going to grow up into a little muscle man.
    Anyway, I know we all tend to complain too much about what we look like so definitely need to be thankful for what we have.
  • ZugTheMegasaurus
    ZugTheMegasaurus Posts: 801 Member
    I'll share with you a personal story of mine.

    When I was a kid, I got bullied by the other girls at school because of my legs. I've always had a very muscular build, still do. These little girls called me "fat" and made fun of me for it, even though I wasn't anywhere close to overweight; I just had shapely calves, big thighs, and a prominent butt while they had more typically androgynous little kid legs.

    I took it seriously. I thought I was fat. My parents tried over and over to tell me that I wasn't fat, I was strong. I could run fast and jump high because of my legs. But I didn't listen. They told me about the amazing women in my family who came before me, who were also mocked but accomplished great things, but I didn't care. They even took me to my doctor who told me that I was strong and powerful but would "never be stick-skinny like that." To me, that meant FAT. My mom even told me that someday these girls would be jealous of my body and my curvy legs, but that seemed craziest of all.

    I thought all these people were lying to me because they loved me and didn't want to hurt my feelings; the people who were mean and tormented me must have been telling the truth.

    This year, almost 20 years later, you know what? I realized my parents were right. I am just naturally stronger than a lot of the people around me. I do have a lot of power in my body to harness. And even the craziest thing, that those mean girls would envy my big butt and legs? That's true too.

    Embrace your body. You cannot change it. You cannot wish it away. All you can do is work to make it the best damn body it can be. It's worth it. You're worth it.
  • LoyalAngel16
    LoyalAngel16 Posts: 186 Member
    I definitely understand the big calves thing too. I have always had very muscular calves and more so now that I am working out. Can't wear boots either. I also have weird shaped feet. They are as long as they are wide. My husband likes to say I have box feet or Flintstones feet lol. But now that my calves are getting more muscular, I love them even more. The only muscular part of my body right now.
  • fizzletto
    fizzletto Posts: 252 Member
    My son has Duchenne muscular dystrophy - wasting away of all his muscles - particularly the legs and arms first. He is in a wheelchair. The first sign of DMD is huge calves and toe walking while an infant. We always used to be proud about his muscular calves thinking he was going to grow up into a little muscle man.
    Anyway, I know we all tend to complain too much about what we look like so definitely need to be thankful for what we have.

    Oh goodness. I'm so sorry, really. I can't imagine how much stress and pain your family must be in and my heart goes out to you all. I feel just awful about complaining now when I have it so good.

    I just looked up DMD and for a minute the symptoms worried me until I saw that the dystrophy occurs by age 12 and that it is extremely rare in females. I walked on my tip-toes for most of my childhood too, and have always had extremely poor co-ordination and balance, and very muscular calves!
  • HealthIsMyHobby
    HealthIsMyHobby Posts: 85 Member
    Can't change your genetics.

    Pretty much- need to learn to love it- or at least be grateful you have legs...

    Yeah, greatful to have legs sounds like good advice. I also focus on thinking of health as a hobbby. It can always be a work in progress, and a process to be enjoyed rather than a problem to be solved.
  • Graelwyn75
    Graelwyn75 Posts: 4,404 Member
    Can relate to the calf issue, I have an athletic build, according to my trainer, and my calves are like 13.5 inches currently. I only have to walk somewhat each day and they seem to grow overnight, lol ( Obviously, I am joking, I know muscle doesn't develop overnight really). Not much I can do about it, short of turning sedentary so they shrink back, and that would not be a healthy way to live.
  • fizzletto
    fizzletto Posts: 252 Member
    I also have weird shaped feet. They are as long as they are wide. My husband likes to say I have box feet or Flintstones feet lol.

    Oh my! My feet are a very odd shape, but in a different way - my toes are all exactly the same length. You know with most people, the big toe is the longest, then each toe after that gets progressively smaller? Mine don't do that. They are flat across the top. Which means I can't fit into any pointed shoe, and I can't wear any open-toed shoe without looking ridiculous! I have to wear converses or pumps all the time.
  • LoyalAngel16
    LoyalAngel16 Posts: 186 Member
    I have wide feet and short feet and high instep. Makes find shoes hard.
  • ojtabor
    ojtabor Posts: 7 Member
    I think it's time for designers to take into account that some people have beautifully muscular calves when they make their skinny jeans. It's their fault! :happy:
  • albayin
    albayin Posts: 2,524 Member
    OP, just small reminder: try to control sodium intake. otherwise they will swollen during the afternoon hours like crazy, even more unbearable. :(
  • Fenestra13
    Fenestra13 Posts: 30 Member
    I have very large calves, nearly 17" at their largest point, but all muscle. I never minded the calves themselves, but hated not being able to find boots that fit. My friend who is a dancer with large (but not as large as me) calves told me about some boots made by Aerosoles that fit. Not all, but some of the Aerosoles brands (including A2 at Kohls) are already cut bigger, and some even have a second half-zipper that you can unzip! My dancer friend just unzips the zipper to get the boots over her skinny jeans, then rezips. I can't even get the boots on without putting the zipper down, so I wear them with the zipper down. I really like that these boots aren't baggy in the ankle, and I can partially zip the zipper if needed. I have 4 different styles, and went from not being able to wear any boots to wearing them all winter last year!! A word of caution - not every website says anything about the boots being for wide calf or having the second zipper, but if you look at a picture that shows the top inside of the boot, you can kind of see that there are two zippers.

    Also, I found some skinny jeans that fit over my calves (and under my double zipper boots!) at Anne Taylor Loft outlet. I think they are the modern skinny, not the classic skinny. This was also the first time I ever found a pair to fit.

    Keep in mind we are all different shapes and sizes, and clothing and shoe manufacturers can't make a one size fits all item. AS I learned from What not to Wear, sometimes you just have to try on a ton of things before you find the right one for you!
  • _AllieCat_
    _AllieCat_ Posts: 515 Member
    Muscles are hot. Love them. Screw skinny jeans. Leave them for the hipsters.

    ^ Beautifully said.
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