What are some good ways to lose leg weight without getting bulky???

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Hi I am a dancer with strong legs but I'm looking to make them slimmer. I already have quite big muscles so I don't want them to get bigger I just want to lose the fat and maybe a but of muscle.

If anyone has good tips to help with this I'd really appreciate it!

Replies

  • DeguelloTex
    DeguelloTex Posts: 6,658 Member
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    You can't spot reduce.
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
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    As DeguelloTex wrote, you cannot spot reduce leg fat. In order to lose any fat, you need to eat in a caloric deficit (i.e., eat fewer calories than you burn.) Muscle atrophy is achieved through disuse.
  • msf74
    msf74 Posts: 3,498 Member
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    jarrahm133 wrote: »
    Hi I am a dancer with strong legs but I'm looking to make them slimmer. I already have quite big muscles so I don't want them to get bigger I just want to lose the fat and maybe a but of muscle.

    If anyone has good tips to help with this I'd really appreciate it!

    The only way this is going to happen is if you deliberately let your leg muscles atrophy - in other words not use them as much. Given you are a dancer I'm guessing that is a non starter.

    You could lose fat to make them look leaner but you lose fat according to your genetic distribution so it may come off from other sites first. You can't control that.
  • I_Will_End_You
    I_Will_End_You Posts: 4,397 Member
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    Eat at a calorie deficit. If you aren't lifting heavy and eating in a surplus, you won't get "bulky".
  • MmmDrop
    MmmDrop Posts: 160 Member
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    Unless you've got wayyyyy too much testosterone, or are taking steroids, as a female you're not going to get huge lifting anyways. Lifting for women makes us more compact. Eat at a deficit and lift.
  • joeboland
    joeboland Posts: 205 Member
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    Eat at a calorie deficit. If you aren't lifting heavy and eating in a surplus, you won't get "bulky".

    This is wrong.
    MmmDrop wrote: »
    Unless you've got wayyyyy too much testosterone, or are taking steroids, as a female you're not going to get huge lifting anyways. Lifting for women makes us more compact. Eat at a deficit and lift.

    This is right. You can lift heavy to train your neuromuscular system (namely, the fast-twitch muscle fibers), without inducing hypertrophy (which is highly unlikely to happen at a caloric deficit anyway).
  • Dnarules
    Dnarules Posts: 2,081 Member
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    joeboland wrote: »
    Eat at a calorie deficit. If you aren't lifting heavy and eating in a surplus, you won't get "bulky".

    This is wrong.
    MmmDrop wrote: »
    Unless you've got wayyyyy too much testosterone, or are taking steroids, as a female you're not going to get huge lifting anyways. Lifting for women makes us more compact. Eat at a deficit and lift.

    This is right. You can lift heavy to train your neuromuscular system (namely, the fast-twitch muscle fibers), without inducing hypertrophy (which is highly unlikely to happen at a caloric deficit anyway).

    Sounds to me like they are pretty much saying the same thing, doesn't it?

  • DeguelloTex
    DeguelloTex Posts: 6,658 Member
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    Dnarules wrote: »
    joeboland wrote: »
    Eat at a calorie deficit. If you aren't lifting heavy and eating in a surplus, you won't get "bulky".

    This is wrong.
    MmmDrop wrote: »
    Unless you've got wayyyyy too much testosterone, or are taking steroids, as a female you're not going to get huge lifting anyways. Lifting for women makes us more compact. Eat at a deficit and lift.

    This is right. You can lift heavy to train your neuromuscular system (namely, the fast-twitch muscle fibers), without inducing hypertrophy (which is highly unlikely to happen at a caloric deficit anyway).

    Sounds to me like they are pretty much saying the same thing, doesn't it?
    Yes. Yes, it does.

  • I_Will_End_You
    I_Will_End_You Posts: 4,397 Member
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    Dnarules wrote: »
    joeboland wrote: »
    Eat at a calorie deficit. If you aren't lifting heavy and eating in a surplus, you won't get "bulky".

    This is wrong.
    MmmDrop wrote: »
    Unless you've got wayyyyy too much testosterone, or are taking steroids, as a female you're not going to get huge lifting anyways. Lifting for women makes us more compact. Eat at a deficit and lift.

    This is right. You can lift heavy to train your neuromuscular system (namely, the fast-twitch muscle fibers), without inducing hypertrophy (which is highly unlikely to happen at a caloric deficit anyway).

    Sounds to me like they are pretty much saying the same thing, doesn't it?

    Pretty much.

    And this post said she actually wants to lose muscle. (wtf?!)
  • ASKyle
    ASKyle Posts: 1,475 Member
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    OP, I have "dancers legs" too... trust me you don't want to lose the muscle! Eat a caloric deficit as mentioned above, continue to lift to maintain your current mass, and you'll have some awesome, strong, no jiggle legs (trying to avoid the "toned" term here)!
  • jarrahm133
    jarrahm133 Posts: 27 Member
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    Ok thanks everyone this has helped a bit so thank you!!!
  • tomatoey
    tomatoey Posts: 5,459 Member
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    Dnarules wrote: »
    joeboland wrote: »
    Eat at a calorie deficit. If you aren't lifting heavy and eating in a surplus, you won't get "bulky".

    This is wrong.
    MmmDrop wrote: »
    Unless you've got wayyyyy too much testosterone, or are taking steroids, as a female you're not going to get huge lifting anyways. Lifting for women makes us more compact. Eat at a deficit and lift.

    This is right. You can lift heavy to train your neuromuscular system (namely, the fast-twitch muscle fibers), without inducing hypertrophy (which is highly unlikely to happen at a caloric deficit anyway).

    Sounds to me like they are pretty much saying the same thing, doesn't it?

    If I remember right from my foray into lifting, he's talking about using a lower rep range/heavier weight (3-6, vs 8-15). Which seems ok, except I've read it can be hard on the body. I don't know, though, I've never tried it.
  • Kalikel
    Kalikel Posts: 9,626 Member
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    Dnarules wrote: »
    joeboland wrote: »
    Eat at a calorie deficit. If you aren't lifting heavy and eating in a surplus, you won't get "bulky".

    This is wrong.
    MmmDrop wrote: »
    Unless you've got wayyyyy too much testosterone, or are taking steroids, as a female you're not going to get huge lifting anyways. Lifting for women makes us more compact. Eat at a deficit and lift.

    This is right. You can lift heavy to train your neuromuscular system (namely, the fast-twitch muscle fibers), without inducing hypertrophy (which is highly unlikely to happen at a caloric deficit anyway).

    Sounds to me like they are pretty much saying the same thing, doesn't it?

    Pretty much.

    And this post said she actually wants to lose muscle. (wtf?!)

    Dancers naturally build muscle in their legs, so she might feel like she has some to spare and is willing to part with it to lose some weight.

    OP, I hesitate to advise dancers to lose because that world is so filled with EDs and drugs and dying to be thinner, but if you take up some new exercise that you don't normally do, like swimming if you don't swim, you *might* find it easier to drop a couple pounds.

    Howvever, if you are getting into that whole "I must starve to be thinner," think about quitting. I know you guys live to dance, but it really isn't worth what you'll do to yourself. That starving thing IS crazy. Don't get sucked in.
  • MamaBirdBoss
    MamaBirdBoss Posts: 1,516 Member
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    Kalikel wrote: »
    Dnarules wrote: »
    joeboland wrote: »
    Eat at a calorie deficit. If you aren't lifting heavy and eating in a surplus, you won't get "bulky".

    This is wrong.
    MmmDrop wrote: »
    Unless you've got wayyyyy too much testosterone, or are taking steroids, as a female you're not going to get huge lifting anyways. Lifting for women makes us more compact. Eat at a deficit and lift.

    This is right. You can lift heavy to train your neuromuscular system (namely, the fast-twitch muscle fibers), without inducing hypertrophy (which is highly unlikely to happen at a caloric deficit anyway).

    Sounds to me like they are pretty much saying the same thing, doesn't it?

    Pretty much.

    And this post said she actually wants to lose muscle. (wtf?!)

    Dancers naturally build muscle in their legs, so she might feel like she has some to spare and is willing to part with it to lose some weight.

    OP, I hesitate to advise dancers to lose because that world is so filled with EDs and drugs and dying to be thinner, but if you take up some new exercise that you don't normally do, like swimming if you don't swim, you *might* find it easier to drop a couple pounds.

    Howvever, if you are getting into that whole "I must starve to be thinner," think about quitting. I know you guys live to dance, but it really isn't worth what you'll do to yourself. That starving thing IS crazy. Don't get sucked in.

    THIS. Soooo many former dancers are messed up for life.