lost 25 pounds and still have a fat stomach & thighs :(

Options
13»

Replies

  • ablot63
    ablot63 Posts: 71 Member
    Options
    thanks everyone for all the input, MFP is seriously such a great community!
  • bridgie101
    bridgie101 Posts: 817 Member
    Options
    I am wondering if you have ever heard of callanetics. Not callisthenics - that's an old fashioned, jump up and down, type exercise programme.

    Callanetics uses a system that lengthens and slims muscles down rather than bulking them. Thus it's good for girls who want to be strong, but not big. It involves using the entire muscle to exhaustion while it is extended.

    so you extend to the end of a stretch, and then you move, an inch forward and backward, over 100 times. Your muscle down near the tendon is the first to be used. it gets exhausted so the part of the muscle closer to the centre takes over, and so on and so on until the entire muscle has been worked.

    I used to do it when I was young. Heh.
  • shadus
    shadus Posts: 424 Member
    Options
    If you're losing weight your diet is fine. You don't get a fat *kitten* or fat gut from what you eat you get it from excess body fat which is caused by excess calories. If your body has excess protein it gets stored as... fat. if it has excess carbs it gets stored as... fat. If it has excess fat it gets stored as... fat.

    Generally people lose FILO - First In Last Out... eg: where you gain first is where you lose last.... gut and butt for women, and gut for men... it's actually a biological function, from when that kinda thing mattered... protects your core organs, helps keep you warm, etc.

    Looking "thin" is also a function of muscle tone, so make sure you aren't neglecting those areas when you exercise.
  • Gee_24
    Gee_24 Posts: 359 Member
    Options
    I am the same as the other poster here ( Site wont let me quote - temporarily down for maintenance, grr )

    I have big ribs regardless of my weight, and now my ribs, collar bone and hip bones are visable.

    But my thighs are still roughly the same size as 20lbs ago! ( not in my head, I have a progress picture ) Last time I lost 2.5 stone, I worked my legs out obsessively on the stepper and at the gym, no noticeable change after 6 months. I think my hip condition has done something to the composition of my muscles or something along those lines as I can look too skinny on the top and overweight on the bottom.

    This time I just intend to stick to my deficit and even if it takes a YEAR for those final few lbs to drop off my legs I will be happy.
  • nikkylyn
    nikkylyn Posts: 325 Member
    Options
    I would recommend a weight training schedule if you dont already. All over dont just spot train. Focus on muscle strength. Everything should fall into place. Make sure your eating enough protein and calories to sustain any muscle growth.
  • Melmade
    Melmade Posts: 349 Member
    Options
    Being lean you need more calories because you have less body fat reserves to provide energy. So try upping your calories by another 300 to hit 1500 calories to start. Second it takes time. The more lean the longer it takes. Third weight train more and less cardio. At this point look for more composition changes rather than weight. Resistance training will provide those results. And last calories are more important than eating clean or carbs by a specific time. So get dirty and eat up. In fact there are no weight loss benefits of eating clean or eating carbs in the morning. In fact I end each night with an ice cream bar.

    On a side not I generally recommend macros to be around 40% carbs and 30% fats and protein. For the most part this will allow you to hit 1 g of protein and .35g of fats which is recommended.

    i'm just wondering.. how will weight training (i.e. dumbell presses, bicep curls..etc) help me to lose weight off my stomach and thighs?

    It will change the shape and fat ratio. Remember, it took some time to get where you are. Toning muscles helps by raising your BMI, reducing your fat percentage, and changing your overall shape. Lunges help your legs. Also are you doing the same kinds of HIIT exercises? Changing those up would help as well. If you want a more athletic body you'll have to do more athletic moves. As far as diet you might check out zig-zag on MFP site subjects. Lots of folks have broken through plateaus with the zig-zag approach.
  • jennaworksout
    jennaworksout Posts: 1,739 Member
    Options
    More muscle means more fat gets burned and the fat burn lasts longer than it does if you just do cardio


    this...more weights ( more than 8 pounds) , you don't get bulky, you lose inches and burn more calories
  • Melmade
    Melmade Posts: 349 Member
    Options
    One other thing that helped me after the birth of my son--yeah, I had "the tire"--I got an old Nordic Track ski machine and used that for about 30-60 min 5 times a week for a few months. It really helped tone my waist area and shape my thighs in just the right areas. I found it helped more than running or any other cross-training did. My husband also has thin legs and arms, but a larger mid-section, and the Nordic Track helped slim his mid-section down too. (Granted, neither one of us had ripped abs, but the tone was definitely better!) I'm pregnant again (due in a month) and will do that again as soon as I'm able. I will run again too. For me, logging on MFP, running 20-40 min a few days a week, plus doing the Nordic Track 5 times a week worked. Keep it up--you're doing great!!!
  • tehboxingkitteh
    tehboxingkitteh Posts: 1,574 Member
    Options
    There is a law of the universe that demands that the first weight you lose will be off your tits.

    The next lot will be off your face. Then it drains slowly downwards. It's quite insufferable. Your top half will shrink... and then slowly your bottom half will shrink with this terrible lag.

    good luck.

    AHAHAHAH OMG this is hilarious and also sadly true :')
    I must live in either a different universe or the weight loss gods must like me. I have no loss in cup size after almost 40 pounds. And I've lost slightly more on my bottom half than top half... but it's been fairly uniform throughout my entire body.
  • Melmade
    Melmade Posts: 349 Member
    Options
    Check out LorinaLynn on MFP--she has great before/after pics--some with her at a lower weight, then at a higher weight with strength training, where her muscle tone is improved. Huge difference!
  • ablot63
    ablot63 Posts: 71 Member
    Options
    One other thing that helped me after the birth of my son--yeah, I had "the tire"--I got an old Nordic Track ski machine and used that for about 30-60 min 5 times a week for a few months. It really helped tone my waist area and shape my thighs in just the right areas. I found it helped more than running or any other cross-training did. My husband also has thin legs and arms, but a larger mid-section, and the Nordic Track helped slim his mid-section down too. (Granted, neither one of us had ripped abs, but the tone was definitely better!) I'm pregnant again (due in a month) and will do that again as soon as I'm able. I will run again too. For me, logging on MFP, running 20-40 min a few days a week, plus doing the Nordic Track 5 times a week worked. Keep it up--you're doing great!!!

    interesting.. i honestly don't think i can buy a new machine rn but if i ever go to the gym ill check it out!
  • ablot63
    ablot63 Posts: 71 Member
    Options
    I would recommend a weight training schedule if you dont already. All over dont just spot train. Focus on muscle strength. Everything should fall into place. Make sure your eating enough protein and calories to sustain any muscle growth.

    what kind of weight training schedule do you suggest? and how heavy should the weights be? 20 lbs? 25?
  • iechick
    iechick Posts: 352 Member
    Options
    I'm pear shaped and also lost top to bottom. I had to lose around 15lbs more than my original goal weight, to lose my hips/butt flab (started in the 170s, goal was 135 and I'm now maintaining 120-123).

    I'd get to your goal weight and then reassess. You can always make a new one!

    congrats on finally reaching a weight you're comfortable maintaining at! i was just wondering HOW did you get those last 15 lbs off. for me it seems like THE HARDEST thing to do.

    It actually wasn't intentional-when I reached goal at 135lbs I was really burned out from the whole weight loss/dieting thing. I was ok with my body and I had gone from a size 14 jean to a size 6, even with the extra oomph I still had in my bottom half. I called goal and transitioned into maintenance, which I discovered was way more challenging than trying to lose weight :grumble:

    I was totally clueless on how to maintain, and there's very few resources out there for how to make the transition and keep the weight off (there's a 95% FAILURE rate with long term weight loss). It was a really stressful time for me-I wanted to keep the weight off so badly, but I didn't know how. Through all of that I really became interested in how food/nutrition plays a role in good/bad health and longevity of life. I gradually started changing my diet to a whole foods, plant based one and I also started eating intuitively (the book Intuitive Eating by Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch is a great resource for this). I also started walking-started at 1/2 mile a day and worked my way up to my current regiment of walking 10-12 miles briskly and running 3-4 miles a week. Throughout all of this the extra weight just started falling off, which was really surprising because I no longer tracked anything. Finally, about a month ago my weight stabilized in a three pound window, at 120-123lbs. I now wear a size 2 jean and no longer have the extra oomph :smile:
  • shapefitter
    shapefitter Posts: 900 Member
    Options
    Stunted growth from malnutrition, can't be rectified, unfortunately.
  • silken555
    silken555 Posts: 477 Member
    Options
    If you want to begin lifting I highly recommend New Rules of Lifting for Women. There are also other respected programs and books. Just do a weight training search in the forums.
  • ablot63
    ablot63 Posts: 71 Member
    Options
    I'm pear shaped and also lost top to bottom. I had to lose around 15lbs more than my original goal weight, to lose my hips/butt flab (started in the 170s, goal was 135 and I'm now maintaining 120-123).

    I'd get to your goal weight and then reassess. You can always make a new one!

    congrats on finally reaching a weight you're comfortable maintaining at! i was just wondering HOW did you get those last 15 lbs off. for me it seems like THE HARDEST thing to do.

    It actually wasn't intentional-when I reached goal at 135lbs I was really burned out from the whole weight loss/dieting thing. I was ok with my body and I had gone from a size 14 jean to a size 6, even with the extra oomph I still had in my bottom half. I called goal and transitioned into maintenance, which I discovered was way more challenging than trying to lose weight :grumble:

    I was totally clueless on how to maintain, and there's very few resources out there for how to make the transition and keep the weight off (there's a 95% FAILURE rate with long term weight loss). It was a really stressful time for me-I wanted to keep the weight off so badly, but I didn't know how. Through all of that I really became interested in how food/nutrition plays a role in good/bad health and longevity of life. I gradually started changing my diet to a whole foods, plant based one and I also started eating intuitively (the book Intuitive Eating by Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch is a great resource for this). I also started walking-started at 1/2 mile a day and worked my way up to my current regiment of walking 10-12 miles briskly and running 3-4 miles a week. Throughout all of this the extra weight just started falling off, which was really surprising because I no longer tracked anything. Finally, about a month ago my weight stabilized in a three pound window, at 120-123lbs. I now wear a size 2 jean and no longer have the extra oomph :smile:

    wow that's amazing tho! congratulations!!! 120 lbs is my goal weight, hopefully i'll get there soon
  • ablot63
    ablot63 Posts: 71 Member
    Options
    i'm gonna ask you guys for a diff piece of advice.

    so this is a picture of my body. as you all can see, my calves aren't fat; they're actually muscular and toned and they're probably my favorite part about my legs. my thighs, though, are DISPROPORTIONATELY large and they stick out from the front. any tips for toning my thighs and getting rid of that fat in the front? (and yes, it is fat. not muscle) what kind of exercises should i be doing?


    http://i1146.photobucket.com/albums/o531/akvanilla/535957_101696580013996_781456749_n.jpg

    535957_101696580013996_781456749_n.jpg

    <a href="http://s1146.photobucket.com/user/akvanilla/media/535957_101696580013996_781456749_n.jpg.html&quot; target="_blank"><img src="http://i1146.photobucket.com/albums/o531/akvanilla/535957_101696580013996_781456749_n.jpg&quot; border="0" alt=" photo 535957_101696580013996_781456749_n.jpg"/></a>

    i'm not sure if this is how uploading pictures works...
  • bridgie101
    bridgie101 Posts: 817 Member
    Options
    i'm gonna ask you guys for a diff piece of advice.

    so this is a picture of my body. as you all can see, my calves aren't fat; they're actually muscular and toned and they're probably my favorite part about my legs. my thighs, though, are DISPROPORTIONATELY large and they stick out from the front. any tips for toning my thighs and getting rid of that fat in the front? (and yes, it is fat. not muscle) what kind of exercises should i be doing?


    http://i1146.photobucket.com/albums/o531/akvanilla/535957_101696580013996_781456749_n.jpg

    535957_101696580013996_781456749_n.jpg

    <a href="http://s1146.photobucket.com/user/akvanilla/media/535957_101696580013996_781456749_n.jpg.html&quot; target="_blank"><img src="http://i1146.photobucket.com/albums/o531/akvanilla/535957_101696580013996_781456749_n.jpg&quot; border="0" alt=" photo 535957_101696580013996_781456749_n.jpg"/></a>

    i'm not sure if this is how uploading pictures works...

    It hates you but I followed the link. :) Your thighs are definitely podgy but only in comparison to the rest of you. I wonder if you just need to lose those last few pounds.

    Otherwise try wearing skirts. They're incredibly flattering if you have a slim waist. :) Honestly: i know you feel like thunderthighs but they're not thunderous by any stretch of the imagination. You're still a nice slim girl. :)
  • ablot63
    ablot63 Posts: 71 Member
    Options

    It hates you but I followed the link. :) Your thighs are definitely podgy but only in comparison to the rest of you. I wonder if you just need to lose those last few pounds.

    Otherwise try wearing skirts. They're incredibly flattering if you have a slim waist. :) Honestly: i know you feel like thunderthighs but they're not thunderous by any stretch of the imagination. You're still a nice slim girl. :)

    honestly i hope that it's just that i need to lose the last few pounds! i totally feel like i have thunder thighs. i'd be okay if they were muscular but they're not, they're fat :(

    thank you though :)
  • pinkraynedropjacki
    pinkraynedropjacki Posts: 3,027 Member
    Options
    I still have the same size stomach that I did when I was over 70lbs heavier. It's never going to leave me. I guess it's one of those things with some folks.

Categories