You can't spot reduce so...now what?
kshadows
Posts: 1,315 Member
I'm getting pretty close to my weight goal, but I've also shifted my perspective to reflect more of what I want my body to look like vs. what the scale says. Anyways, I understand that you can't spot reduce fat. I've lost ~45 pounds, and my lower body is still "heavy" in the thighs and hips. My BF% is ~21.1 which is on the lower end of things and my upper body is quite thin (my chest is BONY). Do I just keep losing until my lower body catches up? (I currently do SL 5x5 and run 2-3x per week, and am eating at a moderate deficit).
Stats: 25, Female, 5'6, 138 lbs (SW: 183)
Stats: 25, Female, 5'6, 138 lbs (SW: 183)
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I think you've got a couple of options...
1) keep losing and hope your lower body catches up to your upper body.
2) do a very strategic bulk focusing on building your upper body to help balance your lower body, then cut again to shed fat. Rinse and repeat.
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I'm about where you are, scaled down for height
and with different body-type issues.
My plan is to get about 5 pounds below where I think I want to end up, and then try for a very, very slow mini-bulk with serious weightlifting. I don't want to dip lower than that because that's about where I start to look *bad* even to myself. YMMV based on body frame, type, etc.
I know from past experience that simply continuing to lose weight will never completely get rid of my problem zones. It's a little hard for me to trust all the testimonials about how heavy lifting actually reshapes your body, but I have to try, because there aren't really other options for me.
Well, also I will continue my gene-splicing experiments to make spot reduction possible.0 -
#1 You have great arms and shoulders.
#2 I would eat at maintenance and continue to lift at this point. That's actually what I'm planning to do once I get down to pretty much your weight (same height and 148 right now.) You could do a bulk and then cut again but there is the option of going this route.0 -
I agree with the above comments but would add....
There's also a non zero chance that you have unrealistic idea of what normal weight female proportions look like, especially in the thighs and hips. I don't know you and haven't seen you and have no idea if you're heavy in the thighs and hips or not, but even if you are, you may not be as disproportionate at you feel. Almost every image of the female body we see is photoshopped into something that doesn't exist and that sometimes makes it hard to judge.0 -
Are you *really* that heavy?
Or are you more hourglass shaped? I wonder if it's a perception thing?
Is there honestly any fat to loose or are you fairly muscley now?0 -
Spanx + padded bra works for me.0
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I have a pretty realistic picture of what I want my body to look like, especially since the only body I'm comparing it to is the one I had before I gained weight.
This pic doesn't really show it as much as I see it in life, but you can see how soft everything kinda looks.. I don't have a good one of my legs ATM.
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I agree with the above comments but would add....
There's also a non zero chance that you have unrealistic idea of what normal weight female proportions look like, especially in the thighs and hips. I don't know you and haven't seen you and have no idea if you're heavy in the thighs and hips or not, but even if you are, you may not be as disproportionate at you feel. Almost every image of the female body we see is photoshopped into something that doesn't exist and that sometimes makes it hard to judge.
look at her beach pics, not heavy waist down at all.0 -
Something else to consider - maybe it's time to put the scale away. Given how far you've come and where you're at, maybe scale weight shouldn't be part of the conversation any more.0
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I agree with the above comments but would add....
There's also a non zero chance that you have unrealistic idea of what normal weight female proportions look like, especially in the thighs and hips. I don't know you and haven't seen you and have no idea if you're heavy in the thighs and hips or not, but even if you are, you may not be as disproportionate at you feel. Almost every image of the female body we see is photoshopped into something that doesn't exist and that sometimes makes it hard to judge.
look at her beach pics, not heavy waist down at all.
The beach pic with my husband is 4 years old (taken same time as the one I posted above)...that's where I'm aiming.
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I agree with the above comments but would add....
There's also a non zero chance that you have unrealistic idea of what normal weight female proportions look like, especially in the thighs and hips. I don't know you and haven't seen you and have no idea if you're heavy in the thighs and hips or not, but even if you are, you may not be as disproportionate at you feel. Almost every image of the female body we see is photoshopped into something that doesn't exist and that sometimes makes it hard to judge.
look at her beach pics, not heavy waist down at all.
on mobile, and you know how the MFP programmers have rigged it so you can't get there from here0 -
I agree with the above comments but would add....
There's also a non zero chance that you have unrealistic idea of what normal weight female proportions look like, especially in the thighs and hips. I don't know you and haven't seen you and have no idea if you're heavy in the thighs and hips or not, but even if you are, you may not be as disproportionate at you feel. Almost every image of the female body we see is photoshopped into something that doesn't exist and that sometimes makes it hard to judge.
look at her beach pics, not heavy waist down at all.
I'm not seeing it either. OP, you look fine but there is a chance that your original goal weight just isn't where you really thought you it would be and you might have to drop a couple extra pounds and see what that looks like. I had to go about 5lbs below my orginal target before I was happy with where I was so adjust accordingly.
Otherwise, you are looking great, have amazing results and should be very proud! Contrats!0 -
can't really tell because the shorts are baggy, but i'm not thinking you're bottom heavy at all, not in the slightest. if anything you still have some loseness from losing weight that may tighten up while you maintain/continue a very slight deficit0
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Ok, thank you all for your honest opinions. I will reconsider my goals, maybe I *am* being unrealistic. Much appreciated!!0
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You look amazing and congratulations on the weight loss!
Even though you can't spot reduce fat you can focus on strengthening specific areas with lifting. That way, the zones you are concerned about become "hard" as opposed to "heavy." Only my opinion but I think that would be my plan. Either way, great work. 0 -
Ok, thank you all for your honest opinions. I will reconsider my goals, maybe I *am* being unrealistic. Much appreciated!!
I don't think you're being unrealistic, at least not based on the 2 pics you posted. I agree with Dav - it doesn't look like you're bottom heavy, at least not how most people mean/think of that. Your legs look good, and your shorts don't appear tight at all. Perhaps keep a smaller deficit for a few months and see if your stomach/mid-section tightens up?0 -
yup, quality.I agree with the above comments but would add....
There's also a non zero chance that you have unrealistic idea of what normal weight female proportions look like, especially in the thighs and hips. I don't know you and haven't seen you and have no idea if you're heavy in the thighs and hips or not, but even if you are, you may not be as disproportionate at you feel. Almost every image of the female body we see is photoshopped into something that doesn't exist and that sometimes makes it hard to judge.
look at her beach pics, not heavy waist down at all.
on mobile, and you know how the MFP programmers have rigged it so you can't get there from here
Basically though, OP's bottom half is fine, she's done good work.
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Ok, thank you all for your honest opinions. I will reconsider my goals, maybe I *am* being unrealistic. Much appreciated!!
I don't think you're being unrealistic, at least not based on the 2 pics you posted. I agree with Dav - it doesn't look like you're bottom heavy, at least not how most people mean/think of that. Your legs look good, and your shorts don't appear tight at all. Perhaps keep a smaller deficit for a few months and see if your stomach/mid-section tightens up?
I think I will try this, since that's what my goal is. It's possible that it just never will be as tight as I want... having kids takes changes the equation!0 -
Yeah, you are not bottom-heavy. I am bottom-heavy, and it would show even in baggy shorts like that.0
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I think what you are seeing isnt as much fat as it is skin. It looks like you have made some great strides, but unfortunately you might have to wait to see if your skin tightens up a bit.
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