Pear shape .. thighs won't go!!

Aihs123
Aihs123 Posts: 20
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi, I'm 5'4, lost almost 35 pounds (weight is now 125), and my thighs aren't budging. I mean, they're shrinking I guess because my pants are getting bigger but they look the same from 35 pounds ago! My hips are still chunky and I have a lot of fat on the back of my thighs. They don't match the rest of my body. I know that it will be the last to go but MAN! I've been doing cardio and weight lifting with dumbbells and nothing changes them. I've been at 1200 calories for months now. Have you had this problem? What do you do? My goal was 120 but I'll probably have to go for an even lighter weight.

Replies

  • albayin
    albayin Posts: 2,524 Member
    same problem and I can't do anything but keep trying dieting and exercising...maybe someday when I got over with it, I would accept my thighs the way they are but not right now...
  • BusyRaeNOTBusty
    BusyRaeNOTBusty Posts: 7,166 Member
    Yes. I've been 15lbs light than I am now and still not happy with my thighs but felt my upper body was too skinny. Measure them. You'll see they are getting physically smaller even if their appearance doesn't change. You might just get to the point where you have to accept them or risk becoming unhealthy to get rid of them. No one is perfect, even models get lipo, or massive photoshop. Also, I lift "heavy" these days (Stronglifts 5x5). I find having bigger, stronger firmer muscles underneath the fat does make them look slightly better and makes me happier with them.
  • carlalovescake
    carlalovescake Posts: 42
    I fully understand how you feel :)

    I do squats, lunges, masses of walking, hiking, biking, lost lots of weight and my legs look shockingly bad! They are smaller but I have loose skin on my thighs and a tonne of cellulite :(

    I still have 35 pounds to go and just hope it goes from there! My top half has vanished (boobies included) and is in fact looking scrawny, but not the booty and thighs /sigh. I have a 29 inch waist and 28 inch thighs...freaky!!!

    There was an awesome thread on here of women loving their thighs and lots of pics of various thighs, which was empowering, maybe have a look to see if you can find it :)
  • alyssa92982
    alyssa92982 Posts: 1,093 Member
    Build up those shoulders and arms so the legs don't look as pear shaped. Could be genetics:(
  • BusyRaeNOTBusty
    BusyRaeNOTBusty Posts: 7,166 Member
    Build up those shoulders and arms so the legs don't look as pear shaped. Could be genetics:(

    This too.
  • GreatGrace
    GreatGrace Posts: 24 Member
    I can't speak for myself, but I recently read a post in which a girl said she lost 4 inches from her thighs when she started spinning 5 days a week as part of her cardio??
  • meshashesha2012
    meshashesha2012 Posts: 8,329 Member
    sounds like it's more an issue of how you are perceiving them so i';m not sure how diet and exercise will help? you need to work on your perceptions.

    if your pants are getting lose then logic dictates that you are getting smaller. if you can't SEE that then the issue is more internal.

    if the issue is that you want to look more balanced, then do more upper body exercises for your lats, upper back, shoulders and chest. things like bench presses, pull ups, push ups, barbell rows, over head press
  • RachelRuns9
    RachelRuns9 Posts: 585 Member
    One thought could be that you might want to focus 100% on building muscle. You may need to eat more than 1200 and skip some of your cardio in favor of using heavier weights (not just dumbbells). Check out the group on here (and/or the book) The New Rules of Lifting ... they have advice for how much to eat and how to do heavy lifting in a way that can help with the last part of your transformation. I see it mentioned over and over in the success stories - a total focus on lifting is what finally does it, often.
  • twixlepennie
    twixlepennie Posts: 1,074 Member
    Hi, I'm 5'4, lost almost 35 pounds (weight is now 125), and my thighs aren't budging. I mean, they're shrinking I guess because my pants are getting bigger but they look the same from 35 pounds ago! My hips are still chunky and I have a lot of fat on the back of my thighs. They don't match the rest of my body. I know that it will be the last to go but MAN! I've been doing cardio and weight lifting with dumbbells and nothing changes them. I've been at 1200 calories for months now. Have you had this problem? What do you do? My goal was 120 but I'll probably have to go for an even lighter weight.

    I'm also pear shaped. Started in size 14 jeans. Now I'm in size 2s and my thighs/bum are no longer mis-proportioned. But, I had to go almost 20lbs below my original goal weight to get to this point. I'm 5ft, 6in and my maintenance range is 117-121lbs.
  • jhodges1967
    jhodges1967 Posts: 1
    I have heard that pear shaped people need to do less muscle building and more low weight, high repetition exercises. The person who mentioned spinning class, that is what I would do!!
  • cafeaulait7
    cafeaulait7 Posts: 2,459 Member
    I'm not a pear, but I have a big booty and thighs just from being wide and naturally muscular. I like lifting heavy for my legs, because it makes the muscles so much tighter. They also appear 'longer' on me when the lines between the muscles jump out (because it emphasizes the vertical and they look fit).

    None of my muscles build easily except my hamstrings, so I just don't do any extra work on my hams. They get tight enough from the compound moves that emphasize other parts more. But things like cardio don't do enough for my legs to get that tight. The fat is just fat of course, and my saddlebags come and go with my BF level.

    I don't know if you'll see the benefits of lifting heavy at 1200 calories, though. I don't think that gives the body room to devote to muscle changes (but I don't know that for sure at all).
  • bajoyba
    bajoyba Posts: 1,153 Member
    I feel you! At my heaviest I was definitely a "pear" shape, and now that I've lost the majority of my weight, my body shape has evened out a bit, but my thighs are still pretty big in comparison. However, I'm still at 32% body fat, and I plan on losing at least 20lbs more, so I do have a ways to go. I've recently starting lifting heavy in the hopes that it will help my body composition, particularly where my thighs are concerned.

    But I'm also willing to accept that I will probably never have slim thighs, because having a fitter, more capable body is pretty rewarding on its own. :smile:
  • Willbenchforcupcakes
    Willbenchforcupcakes Posts: 4,955 Member
    I have a feeling this is more a matter of perception than reality. You say your pants are getting looser,, which means they are shrinking. If you want a toned, tight look, lift heavy, keep a very moderate deficit to lose any more weight, and reap the rewards.

    I love my powerhouse thighs, they let me lift very heavy things, run, and just be active and moving all day long. They are never going to be tiny, and I'm more than okay with that. I just work on building my back and shoulders to keep my body balanced.
  • keepitcroosh
    keepitcroosh Posts: 301 Member
    Cardio will not do anything. Target legs more than once a week if this is a troubled area. Do all the leg workout machines you can find at the gym, AND i find these the most important, do lunges and squats!!!!!! After a while if it feels like its getting easier, get that intensity up! I actually like to jump in the air and land in the squat position . Another way, use the barbells. as you squat. ( youtube this to find the proper way to do it or ask a trainer at the gym to show you! ) As for lunges, do it with weights and have them just on your sides as you do it. Nothing crazy heavy, but just enough that you can feel the burn in your thighs.
  • keeks2486
    keeks2486 Posts: 14
    Hi, I'm 5'4, lost almost 35 pounds (weight is now 125), and my thighs aren't budging. I mean, they're shrinking I guess because my pants are getting bigger but they look the same from 35 pounds ago! My hips are still chunky and I have a lot of fat on the back of my thighs. They don't match the rest of my body. I know that it will be the last to go but MAN! I've been doing cardio and weight lifting with dumbbells and nothing changes them. I've been at 1200 calories for months now. Have you had this problem? What do you do? My goal was 120 but I'll probably have to go for an even lighter weight.

    I'm also pear shaped. Started in size 14 jeans. Now I'm in size 2s and my thighs/bum are no longer mis-proportioned. But, I had to go almost 20lbs below my original goal weight to get to this point. I'm 5ft, 6in and my maintenance range is 117-121lbs.


    Wow! How long did it take you to go from 14 to size 2? We have the same stats so I'm so curious! and what was your intake like while losing?
  • tegalicious
    tegalicious Posts: 629
    I have a feeling this is more a matter of perception than reality. You say your pants are getting looser,, which means they are shrinking. If you want a toned, tight look, lift heavy, keep a very moderate deficit to lose any more weight, and reap the rewards.

    I love my powerhouse thighs, they let me lift very heavy things, run, and just be active and moving all day long. They are never going to be tiny, and I'm more than okay with that. I just work on building my back and shoulders to keep my body balanced.

    ^this! I am coming to accept the fact that my body shape is what it is and there is only so much I can do to change that. I will never have super skinny stick legs or tiny hips. It just isn't gonna happen. So instead of trying to reach some unrealistic goal, I am focusing on loving my body for what it is and what it allows me to do. Big strong legs allow me to walk 25000+ steps a day and allow me to run long distances. My big hips make me look very feminine and sexy. And my tiny chest means hopefully I won't have super saggy breasts when I get older :).
  • twixlepennie
    twixlepennie Posts: 1,074 Member
    I have a feeling this is more a matter of perception than reality. You say your pants are getting looser,, which means they are shrinking. If you want a toned, tight look, lift heavy, keep a very moderate deficit to lose any more weight, and reap the rewards.

    I love my powerhouse thighs, they let me lift very heavy things, run, and just be active and moving all day long. They are never going to be tiny, and I'm more than okay with that. I just work on building my back and shoulders to keep my body balanced.

    I agree with this-I still struggle with the thought that my thighs are 'fat'. It's hard to change a perception that's been in your head for years though! What's really helped me is taking pictures and actually looking at myself as I really am :smile:
  • Holly_Roman_Empire
    Holly_Roman_Empire Posts: 4,440 Member
    I can't speak for myself, but I recently read a post in which a girl said she lost 4 inches from her thighs when she started spinning 5 days a week as part of her cardio??

    I'm not really a believer of spot reducing, but I can speak from experience when I say that doing a spin class did a number on my thighs. I couldn't tell you if they got smaller, but it certainly improved their appearance.
  • sshintaku
    sshintaku Posts: 228 Member
    When I was doing intense yoga 3-4x a week, I started to like the way my legs looked. That has been the only thing I've ever done (never tried a spin class but did used to bike) that has really made a difference in my thighs. Unfortunately I don't have the time or money to hit a yoga class that often right now, so sadly my thighs are back to their little sausage selves.
  • sunflowerhippi
    sunflowerhippi Posts: 1,099 Member
    Since our bodies naturally store the fat on our hips and thighs the only way to get them smaller is to loose more fat. It will be the last place it goes when your body doesn't have anywhere else to drop it from. As much as people say don't do legs if you have thick legs I would rather thicker solid muscle then celulite and dimples and flabby, so I love my squats, leg press, and lunges, and have seen imporovement in my legs.

    Also to get a more balanced look lift heavy! Bench press, Overhead press, do as much upper body and sholder work as you can and as heavy as you can to build muscle on your upper half to give a balanced look. It won't happen overnight and it also won't happen at a high deficit like 1200 calories a day.
  • evileen99
    evileen99 Posts: 1,564 Member
    Fat distribution is genetically determined, so that may just be where your body wants to store it more than other places. Keep up with the general weight loss, and then, I'm sorry to say, if you still have fat deposits you don't like, liposuction may be your best bet.

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