THIGHS AND HIPS

haleyjester
haleyjester Posts: 197 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I carry most of my weight in my midsection: tummy, hips, and thighs. I try and run (ok, jog/walk..like 14 min miles) 3-4 miles a day and try to stay at my calorie limit...what else should i be doing? I am doing the 30 day squat/crunch challenges, which i of course understand are temporary...Im not looking to get extremely tones at this point bc i still have 40 lbs to lose so im focused mainly on the weight loss part.

I hope this makes sense.
thanks

Replies

  • BusyRaeNOTBusty
    BusyRaeNOTBusty Posts: 7,166 Member
    Lift weights. There's no reason to wait. Weight lifting while dieting preserves muscle making more of the weight that is lost fat.
  • haleyjester
    haleyjester Posts: 197 Member
    Ok but I have no idea where to begin. What sort of weight lifting should I do? I normally add in weights to whatever exercise I can fit them in but they are only 5 lb weights. I dont have money for a gym membership or any equipment at home..do you have suggestions?
  • hexrei
    hexrei Posts: 163
    You can't spot reduce fat. It simply does not work that way, unless you want to pay for liposuction or something. You exercise and diet and have a net caloric deficit,, you lose subcutaneous fat consistently, that's it.

    Weight training will help you not become creepy skinny in some areas as you diet, which will make you look more proportionate, though. Work the parts you think look small compared to the parts you think look big.
  • linsey0689
    linsey0689 Posts: 753 Member
    are you doing your walking outside or on a treadmill? If on a treadmill I always up the incline to burn more calories. Or if outside and you have a smart phone try downloading one of those apps that tell you your mph/calories burn I use dog walk I think is what is called because normally I am walking my dogs if outside but you can use that one regardless if you have pets or not. Also they have a lot of different ones out there just try one out because they I make it somewhat of a game so see how far I can go and so on. And you said you have 5 pound weights in a comment below. Just start doing arm exercise I am still pretty new at strength training about 3 months in but I would say just google it and that should help.

    Best of luck to you :)
  • thatonegirlwiththestuff
    thatonegirlwiththestuff Posts: 1,171 Member
    Oh gosh, I WISH I had before/after pics from heavy lifting. I also store/carry extra weight in the hips/thighs area, after just 3 months of lifting heavy, sometimes I walk past a mirror and am like ''dayum, is that me?!'' You should really look into it. And I have not gotten bulky or all the other fears most women seem to have regarding lifting heavy. My legs have gotten smaller and leaner.
  • raychulj
    raychulj Posts: 458 Member
    Try Fitnessblender on youtube. It has TONS of workouts for anything you want to work. As for lower body fat, it's usually the last to go when losing weight. Consistency is key.
    this is my before and after heavy lifting summer of 2009/now
    38011609_5868.jpg
  • MrsRobertson1005
    MrsRobertson1005 Posts: 552 Member
    check out new rules of lifting for women, i used it before i got pregnant and loved it
  • emmoon
    emmoon Posts: 8 Member
    I've been using a resistance band for strength training, very versatile!
  • katy_trail
    katy_trail Posts: 1,992 Member
    they really need to sticky these threads

    want to start heavy lifting? don't know where to start?
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/993490-want-to-start-lifting-what-weight
  • hide_yo_cats
    hide_yo_cats Posts: 83 Member
    Definitely start lifting now. I started with New Rules of lifting, but there are other free beginner routines out there such as Stronglifts.
  • laughingdani
    laughingdani Posts: 2,275 Member
    Eat well.
    Move.
    Do these things and your body will thank you.
  • darwinwoodka
    darwinwoodka Posts: 322 Member
    If you can't afford equipment or the gym just do body weight exercises. Squats, pushups (start with just doing them against the kitchen counter), lunges, leg lifts, crunches, and pretty much anything that gets you moving is great. If you're running, do some sprint intervals -- that should take the weight off pretty quickly!
  • katy_trail
    katy_trail Posts: 1,992 Member
    Ok but I have no idea where to begin. What sort of weight lifting should I do? I normally add in weights to whatever exercise I can fit them in but they are only 5 lb weights. I dont have money for a gym membership or any equipment at home..do you have suggestions?

    bodyweight workouts nerd fitness, convict conditioning, you are your own gym

    and buy wts and barbell from craig's list
  • astrovivi
    astrovivi Posts: 183 Member
    check out new rules of lifting for women, i used it before i got pregnant and loved it

    yes, a great book to start with.

    you can do a lot of body weight exercises to begin with and improvise with stuff around the house as weights.

    if you've never lifted before, starting with body weight and focussing on good form is not a bad thing at all.

    lunges, squats, more lunges and squats and step ups!!

    all the variations ... these will be your friends :)
  • Natihilator
    Natihilator Posts: 1,778 Member
    Im not looking to get extremely tones at this point bc i still have 40 lbs to lose so im focused mainly on the weight loss part.

    No no no you trust me, you ARE looking to get "toned", even if you don't know it :P

    My 'blessed areas' are my hips and thighs too and instead of being all cellulite and jiggle like they were 50lbs ago, they are pretty defined and way more solid and less cellulite-ish because I focused on heavy weighted squats and deadlifts from the get-go of my weight loss, and even though I have another 20-30lbs to lose, I am beginning to love how my legs look, something I never thought possible.

    Forget weight loss, focus on fat loss by eating enough of the right nutrients, and retaining your LBM with resistance strength training.
  • raychulj
    raychulj Posts: 458 Member
    Im not looking to get extremely tones at this point bc i still have 40 lbs to lose so im focused mainly on the weight loss part.
    Weight lifting helps you burn fat while at rest! So many people try to take the "I'll lose the fat and then tone" approach. Why not do both at the same time. It's much more effective!
  • PikaKnight
    PikaKnight Posts: 34,971 Member
    Ok but I have no idea where to begin. What sort of weight lifting should I do? I normally add in weights to whatever exercise I can fit them in but they are only 5 lb weights. I dont have money for a gym membership or any equipment at home..do you have suggestions?

    As others have said you can't spot reduce but strength training is beneficial.

    If you don't have equipment, check out You Are Your Own Gym and Convict Conditioning. There are also a ton of exercises you can search through on bodybuilding.com
  • reach4thestar
    reach4thestar Posts: 174 Member
    Bump
  • Lupercalia
    Lupercalia Posts: 1,857 Member
    I'm also gonna say "lift weights". Start up a bodyweight strength training program for now if you can't get to a gym--You Are Your Own Gym is a book, but there is also an app for your phone that is great.

    Don't wait until you're at some ideal weight to start this stuff. It will not hurt your fat loss--only help it along and you'll look MUCH BETTER as you're losing if you're strength training. I started lifting weights at the gym this past fall when I weighed 210. I'm 45 lbs lighter than that today, but better yet, I'm getting stronger all the time and developing a really nice shape. I've lost lots of inches, cellulite on my thighs/butt is going away, everything is becoming much more firm.

    I don't know any woman who wants to lose "weight", but keep her cellulite and excess fat, and do away with any sort of muscle she's got, making herself even flabbier in the process. I'm guessing that's not the look you're going for, so you'll want to strength train to prevent that.

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