Legs.. help?

My legs always seem to get bigger too. I am currently doing Tracy Anderson's method (the mat workout). My legs have slimmed up quite a bit. You could try that, or try Yoga... I've heard that helps to lengthen the muscles a lot.

For what it's worth, sculpting is something you do -after- you've lost all of the necessary weight, and in many cases, that you're body fat % is low enough and you're trying to accentuate specific muscles.

You can't target fat. That is all.

Sorry, I misspoke. I know you can't target fat. I do understand however that the right workouts and body movements can help you skulpt certain areas of the body. My topic here is clearly to seek help because, at least from my standpoint, I'm facing a dilemma. I want to slim a certain area of my body without "over-targeting" the muscle.

Thanks for pointing out the mistake, but I'm really asking just for help not irrelevant comments.

So you want people to "help" you in ways that aren't really true or accurate, because that's what you want to hear?

Your dilemma is that you are genetically coded to carry extra weight in your legs. And the only thing that is going to solve that problem is to continue to lose body fat. You can do all the pilates, toning, etc, that you want but it might not make your legs look any better. In fact, you might lose more inches from your arms.

To repeat: You can't spot tone or reduce. Continue to lose body fat (and weight) and you will eventually get the look that you want. Pick up some heavy weights and start lifting - it will help you reach your goals.

Good luck!

Hi Dona,

I have the same problem. I don't believe there is a way to target fat loss in any one body part. It's been my experience that when I loose weight, my thighs are generally the last part to see results. But the good news is, if you keep loosing, you WILL eventually see results there as well.

Just keep up the healthy eating and try to do a lot of walking. When they start to shed, you will be pleasantly surprised. :flowerforyou:

It sounds like you gain water weight in your legs and confuse it with muscle growth. Your legs may initially look/feel bigger, but as time goes by the water weight will go away. As some people have mentioned, you can't target fat loss. Squats and lunges may help some, but you will probably have to lower overall body fat % to see the legs that you want.

Like someone else mentioned Yoga and Pilates are good for toning (to a certain point). They will certainly help a beginner (which I assume that is your exercise level, at this point). Walking/jogging/running is also good for leg muscles without "over doing" it.

Another way to lose fat is to pick up on weights and add cardio into your routine. You can certainly start with weight machines, however, free weights are more beneficial because you will be using your core muscles & other muscles for balance. Also, a balanced diet is very important with fat loss.

I would continue with your weight loss/exercise and see if anything changes with your legs. 10lbs is not quite enough to notice "shrinkage" in your legs (which is naturally a big "fat storage" area for some women).

There is nothing you can do to get rid of the fat other than general fat loss.
If you want to do some work for the legs so that when you do get the fat down they are strong and tight but without too much muscle adding to the overall size, you want endurance work.
Long-distance running, long steady swimming, long slow cycling, etc.

But if you know your body really likes to store fat in your thighs, then that's probably the last place you'll lose it, so the best you can do is to keep losing general fat.