How to get rid of my saddlebags? Ironically I'm skinny.
Options
Replies
-
ItalianChick90 wrote: »Timorous_Beastie wrote: »Strength train. Heavy as you can manage with good form.
I was about 125 lbs at 5'5 and 27 years old in the pink bikini pics. They were taken when I first started dating my husband. I didn't exercise at all then. I took great pride in my slothful ways. That caught up with me when I got a desk job and the boyfriend became a husband and I discovered Ranch dressing.
In the 2012 photos, I was about 135 and 40 years old, after about a year of strength training. Part of it is having a little less fat on my hips, part of it is having more muscle on my shoulders and back to balance out my hips.
Well, it didn't take 13 years. I spent about a year putzing around on machines at the gym after I lost weight, then switched to free weights. That's when I noticed the biggest change. This is a post from my old account, showing what two months of free weight did: http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/744311/free-weights-vs-machines-holy-crap/p10 -
You can't get an hourglass shape by wishing for it
You sound like a beautiful pear
maybe you should embrace it whilst strength training to body recomp0 -
You can lose more weight if you want to, especially if you focus on strength training. Right now your BMI is 20.2. My BMI is 20.5 right now. I'm planning on dropping to BMI 19.4 and then trying to put on more muscle.0
-
That is also a problem area for me. Some exercises that are helping:
Hip ABductor weight machine- so you start with your knees together and move your legs outward against the resistance created by the machine. You should feel a burn in the outside of your leg.
Stairclimber machine at intervals- REALLY work hard for 1 minute, then walk slower for a minute, REALLY work hard for 1 minute, the slower (repeat for 10-20 minutes). Targets glutes and hamstrings (which are bigger muscles and will help target the fat in that area)
I am a soccer player and we do a lot of side-shuffling movement (literally, like galloping sideways. Butt back, crouched low). I have just started doing this up and down the road outside my house now that the weather is nicer and I was surprised at how well it targeted my saddlebags! I do 10 shuffles on each side and then jog backwards a bit before jogging forward at a slow pace and repeating. It is hard on the knees, so make sure you don't injure yourself!
Good luck! They are a $%@#$^#$% in the booty to get rid of!
0 -
ItalianChick90 wrote: »TavistockToad wrote: »ItalianChick90 wrote: »mralexjones wrote: »What is your weight?
And how do I lose more fat without losing more weight? My ribs are slightly beginning to show. So is my pelvic bone. I'm hesitant about anymore weight loss.
You can't.
You can do recomp, to add some muscle as you lose fat, but you can't tell where the fat will come off so you'll probably get more bony anyway even if the scales don't move.
So I'm stuck with these?
I have them too; I'm around 121-123lb, and I carry some weight below my waist on my thighs. Additionally, I have the whole rib/pelvic bone jutting out problem too, since all my weight loss happened mostly in my inner thighs and waist/stomach area. Sometimes you just gotta learn to appreciate them.0 -
I'm pretty much the same height and weight as you. Granted, I'd like to get down to 120.. but my biggest trouble spot is the same as yours. I lift 3 days a week and have noticed that they have improved, granted they aren't gone but I'm going to get pushing the weights to see what I can manage to do about them.0
-
Hit the weights as everyone is saying. I'm a lot heavier than you but started doing body weight and free weight exercises in January and can definitely see a difference. I also suffer from saddlebags but even my husband has noticed how much tighter my butt and thighs are. This is almost more exciting than losing weight. And now that I've started seeing results I don't want to quit.0
-
It sounds like this is your body shape, and you may need to work on loving it the way it is, especially if you don't want to lose anymore weight. Of course, you can do as those above have stated and lift weights (as heavy as you can) in a slight calorie deficit, or maybe even at maintenance (what works for one, may not work for another), and attempt to shed only body fat, while gaining a bit of muscle.
I'm the same height as you, but 15 lbs heavier, and I have a very similar shape to you (yesterday: 34"bust - 25.5"waist - 37.5"low hip) and saddlebags are where I store the most stubborn to remove fat (I've lost quite a bit of weight and inches since February, which is the last time I did measurements, but my top of thigh measurement has stayed the same), but what I've noticed is that with bigger shoulders (mine measured 40" yesterday), it balances things out a bit. What is your shoulder measurement?
If you do the weights, maybe work toward balance of shoulder to hip/thigh region, and work the butt and leg muscles good and hard. I'm really just beginning to get back into lifting (it's been about 20 years), so I'm technically a newbie. Others with more experience can offer more specific advice.
I hope you achieve all your goals!1 -
Thanks you all. I'll start lifting weights and doing a bunch of squats like you suggested. I wish I had a good before+after pic to give an example of my shape but I do have this. This is an x-ray I got (well 2 x-rays). The scan on the left is before I lost weight and the scan on the right is after I lost weight. As you can see on the right, despite my weight loss, I still have some "unnecessary width" around where my thighs/bum are. It also jiggles a bit... Hence the saddlebags.
0 -
I am sure you are being too hard on yourself. You have a coveted shape, my dear. Celebrate your victories!!!!0
-
ItalianChick90 wrote: »Thanks you all. I'll start lifting weights and doing a bunch of squats like you suggested. I wish I had a good before+after pic to give an example of my shape but I do have this. This is an x-ray I got (well 2 x-rays). The scan on the left is before I lost weight and the scan on the right is after I lost weight. As you can see on the right, despite my weight loss, I still have some "unnecessary width" around where my thighs/bum are. It also jiggles a bit... Hence the saddlebags.
Those aren't saddlebags; that's a hourglass shape! Work it, girl!
0 -
ItalianChick90 wrote: »mralexjones wrote: »What is your weight?
And how do I lose more fat without losing more weight? My ribs are slightly beginning to show. So is my pelvic bone. I'm hesitant about anymore weight loss.
I will never have thin legs either (barring surgery). Just do the best you can. Strength training is great for shaping things up...if you haven't tried that already.
Hourglass / Apple / Pear....these are just descriptions of overweight people.0 -
I'm just entertained that in your first xray, they felt your left hip was not necessary to include in part of your body...
And you've gotten good advice already! I'll add this as well for more motivation for lifting weights:
http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2011/07/21/meet-staci-your-new-powerlifting-super-hero/0 -
You will always carry weight in your legs if that's where you gain it, but as everyone said, what you're experiencing is not being overweight, but being overfat. I had the same issue! Your body fat percentage is probably high (depending on how fit you are overall). Legs luckily are one of the easier areas to tone up! I would advise you to get a trainer to help coach your strength training. You will have to lose fat everywhere, but you will also build up muscle everywhere, so you won't have that skin-and-bones look you're worried about. Good luck!0
-
Strength training! You can totally pick which area you want to focus on. Try focusing on leg exercises, such as squats, lunges, back kicks, side kicks, and dead lifts. You CAN lose fat while not losing weight, and even gaining weight, because muscle is much more dense, therefore, weighs more than fat.
But if you recomp and lower your body fat percentage, won't you lose fat everywhere (even places you don't want to lose anymore fat)? This is something I've been wondering about.
You may lose a little, but not much. That's why you target specific areas with the weights. Cardio will melt fat all over, but you don't burn many calories lifting. The areas that have more muscle will burn more fat, so if you have bigger thigh muscles, you'll burn more fat from them. And squats will build your booty muscles, which will actually give you a booty.
I was given to understand that you can't spot reduce fat. So, while you can spot certain muscles, and lose fat, it seems like the fat would come off all over (or wherever it does). I'm no expert, though, I'm kind of confused about recomp.
I'm interested in recomp and am also a little confused about what it looks like on the other side. Because with that, seems to me, either
1) your bf% is reduced because your muscles grow and your fat stays where it is, or
2) your bf% is reduced because your muscles stay the same, and you are losing fat.
and I assume protein and calorie intake make the difference, with slightly greater consumption than maintenance leading to 1), and staying at maintenance, or eating just a little less, leading to 2) . Is that about right? And how much of of a deficit or surplus makes the difference?
OP: you have a lovely shape.0 -
Strength training! You can totally pick which area you want to focus on. Try focusing on leg exercises, such as squats, lunges, back kicks, side kicks, and dead lifts. You CAN lose fat while not losing weight, and even gaining weight, because muscle is much more dense, therefore, weighs more than fat.
But if you recomp and lower your body fat percentage, won't you lose fat everywhere (even places you don't want to lose anymore fat)? This is something I've been wondering about.
You may lose a little, but not much. That's why you target specific areas with the weights. Cardio will melt fat all over, but you don't burn many calories lifting. The areas that have more muscle will burn more fat, so if you have bigger thigh muscles, you'll burn more fat from them. And squats will build your booty muscles, which will actually give you a booty.
I was given to understand that you can't spot reduce fat. So, while you can spot certain muscles, and lose fat, it seems like the fat would come off all over (or wherever it does). I'm no expert, though, I'm kind of confused about recomp.
I'm interested in recomp and am also a little confused about what it looks like on the other side. Because with that, seems to me, either
1) your bf% is reduced because your muscles grow and your fat stays where it is, or
2) your bf% is reduced because your muscles stay the same, and you are losing fat.
and I assume protein and calorie intake make the difference, with slightly greater consumption than maintenance leading to 1), and staying at maintenance, or eating just a little less, leading to 2) . Is that about right? And how much of of a deficit or surplus makes the difference?
OP: you have a lovely shape.
Those examples sound like idealized (and unlikely) versions of either a cut or a bulk. In 1) you would gain weight, and in 2)you would lose weight. Whereas, recomp is staying roughly the same weight, but losing fat and gaining muscle.
So i was wondering about losing fat in unwanted places because - I've been skinny enough in the past where I did finally lose all the fat on my thighs, but I was too skinny (particularly in the face and collarbones). So I have no desire to go that low again, and will probably work on recomp when I hit my target weight. But if I'm changing my body fat %, won't I lose fat in my face still (and a few other places I'd rather not)? Just something I was wondering about.
0
Categories
- All Categories
- 1.4M Health, Wellness and Goals
- 392K Introduce Yourself
- 43.6K Getting Started
- 259.8K Health and Weight Loss
- 175.7K Food and Nutrition
- 47.4K Recipes
- 232.3K Fitness and Exercise
- 402 Sleep, Mindfulness and Overall Wellness
- 6.4K Goal: Maintaining Weight
- 8.5K Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
- 152.8K Motivation and Support
- 7.9K Challenges
- 1.3K Debate Club
- 96.3K Chit-Chat
- 2.5K Fun and Games
- 3.4K MyFitnessPal Information
- 23 News and Announcements
- 998 Feature Suggestions and Ideas
- 2.4K MyFitnessPal Tech Support Questions