Thunder Thighs

twhalen1012
twhalen1012 Posts: 3 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Hey all!!
I am just reaching out to get some pointer on loosing weight in my lower region. I am a total pear; thighs, butt and hurt gotta go.
What are some foods, exercise, pointers, that you can give me around this issue?
I just read an article stating not to do squats, lunges, ect when wanting to lose thigh weight.... But to basically stick to cardio (not stairmaster tho) Any truth to this? I can see both side of it... Just wondering what's worked for you guys? Tia

Replies

  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    edited March 2016
    you cant spot reduce, lose weight, it will eventually come off your lower body, but if you're pear shaped then you're always going to be pear shaped, just smaller.

    and the article you read is a load of bollocks!
  • StealthHealth
    StealthHealth Posts: 2,417 Member
    I saw this:
    rabbitjb wrote: »
    1) you lose weight by eating less than you burn
    2) when you workout - cardio or strength - you need to fuel your body appropriately so generally tend to eat more (see 1)
    3) if you exercise one part of your body, say abs, that does not mean the fat you lose will come from your abs if you are following 1) - fat will come from wherever it comes from - that doesn't mean you aren't isolating and strengthening those muscles though
    4) Cardio gives a bigger immediate calorie burn than strength - but the risk is if you haven't done 1) then you will overeat to compensate

    so the answer to the question "Best way to lose weight" is always 1)

    Over on the community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10346155/cardio-isnt-for-fat-burning thread and I think it answers you question.

    Note: @rabbitjb always seems to hit the nail on the head in her answers. Much respect to her.
  • Hell_Flower
    Hell_Flower Posts: 348 Member
    Pear shaped lass for life!

    It's the "on trend" body shape these days...*rolls eyes*.

    For me, once I accepted that I'm always going to have a proportionately big butt and that my thighs will never go straight up and down, I've enjoyed exercise a lot more.

    I've taken to spinning 4 or 5 times a week and honestly...my legs never looked better. All that crud about cycling making thighs bigger is exactly crud (at least for me, in a calorie deficet when I'm feeling chubby or eating at maintenance, it certainly hasn't given me massive thighs).

    What it has done for me is made my butt firmer and higher and my fat thighs are now more toned and streamlined.

    I also do squats/lunges/donkey kicks etc etc. If I'm forever going to have a big butt, then it's damn well going to be perky and look bomb in jeans and tube skirts.
  • BruinsGal_91
    BruinsGal_91 Posts: 1,400 Member
    Hell_Flower wrote: »
    Pear shaped lass for life!

    It's the "on trend" body shape these days...*rolls eyes*.

    For me, once I accepted that I'm always going to have a proportionately big butt and that my thighs will never go straight up and down, I've enjoyed exercise a lot more.

    I've taken to spinning 4 or 5 times a week and honestly...my legs never looked better. All that crud about cycling making thighs bigger is exactly crud (at least for me, in a calorie deficet when I'm feeling chubby or eating at maintenance, it certainly hasn't given me massive thighs).

    What it has done for me is made my butt firmer and higher and my fat thighs are now more toned and streamlined.

    I also do squats/lunges/donkey kicks etc etc. If I'm forever going to have a big butt, then it's damn well going to be perky and look bomb in jeans and tube skirts.

    Oooh! That's got to be the first time in my life I've been 'on trend'.

    Yeah, I've also accepted that I'm never going to have one of those straight up and down figures. But darn it, these thighs were made for running and that is what they're gonna do.
  • drachfit
    drachfit Posts: 217 Member
    You cannot choose or affect with exercise the location that your body burns fat from. All you can do is lose fat overall, and as you do this some of it will come from your thighs and butt.

    Eat at a caloric deficit and engage in whatever form of exercise you enjoy the most.
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
    Hell_Flower wrote: »
    Pear shaped lass for life!

    It's the "on trend" body shape these days...*rolls eyes*.

    For me, once I accepted that I'm always going to have a proportionately big butt and that my thighs will never go straight up and down, I've enjoyed exercise a lot more.

    I've taken to spinning 4 or 5 times a week and honestly...my legs never looked better. All that crud about cycling making thighs bigger is exactly crud (at least for me, in a calorie deficet when I'm feeling chubby or eating at maintenance, it certainly hasn't given me massive thighs).

    What it has done for me is made my butt firmer and higher and my fat thighs are now more toned and streamlined.

    I also do squats/lunges/donkey kicks etc etc. If I'm forever going to have a big butt, then it's damn well going to be perky and look bomb in jeans and tube skirts.
    StealthHealth wrote: »
    I saw this:
    rabbitjb wrote: »
    1) you lose weight by eating less than you burn
    2) when you workout - cardio or strength - you need to fuel your body appropriately so generally tend to eat more (see 1)
    3) if you exercise one part of your body, say abs, that does not mean the fat you lose will come from your abs if you are following 1) - fat will come from wherever it comes from - that doesn't mean you aren't isolating and strengthening those muscles though
    4) Cardio gives a bigger immediate calorie burn than strength - but the risk is if you haven't done 1) then you will overeat to compensate

    so the answer to the question "Best way to lose weight" is always 1)

    Over on the community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10346155/cardio-isnt-for-fat-burning thread and I think it answers you question.

    Note: @rabbitjb always seems to hit the nail on the head in her answers. Much respect to her.

    Thanks @StealthHealth :)
  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,573 Member
    As others have stated, I'm sure, you cannot spot reduce and there are no magic foods.

    I started my weightloss on here with the measurements of 34, 29, 44. A true pear.

    I stuck to my deficit and weight trained heavy to help with body composition, and ended up being 32, 26, 37 at my lightest weight. Still a bit of a pear...but my thighs had finally gone down a bit and I looked more proportioned. Just continue to lose fat. Your body will lose where it wants.
  • G33K_G1RL
    G33K_G1RL Posts: 283 Member
    I am another pear shape. During my weightloss (calories in < calories out) I squatted heavy, deadlifted heavy, lunged, cycled and did a bunch of other "thigh" exercises. And my thighs are smaller than they have ever been, and look better than ever. I still want to lost some fat, but the muscles (hamstrings!!!) are peeking through now.

    Here's the thing. You will no suddenly wake up one morning and suddenly have huge muscular thighs. Just like you will not wake one morning and have lost all the fat on your thighs. Either way, it's a gradual process and if you are unsatisfied with the direction the changes are going you can always change strategy.
  • tkphotogirl
    tkphotogirl Posts: 245 Member
    Another pear here. I'm starting to see some thigh reduction and look a little more in proportion now that I'm in the 'normal' BMI range. It's a slow process. Big fan of squats and lunges here. My legs will never be really slim and lean, but they *will* look good.
  • whmscll
    whmscll Posts: 2,254 Member
    Lots of us are pears. As people have said, use a deficit to lose weight, and weightlifting/strength training to build muscle. Other than that...learn to love your legs. If they are strong and healthy and get you where you need to go, be thankful. It's not the case for everyone.
  • kelly_e_montana
    kelly_e_montana Posts: 1,999 Member
    Whether or not squats and lunges will make your thighs bigger depends on your genetics and how you eat. I lost weight overall but my thighs have gone up to 26 1/2 inches of muscle since I started powerlifting.
  • tnm7760
    tnm7760 Posts: 109 Member
    I'm a pear shape. I've been eating at a deficit. I haven't lost weight (well, 2lbs in 2 months. So nothing to be too excited about, although I *should* be losing more).

    I've been doing lots of resistance training (lunges, squats, push-ups, with 10-20lb weights) and cardio and I've lost inches. My pants are quite a bit looser--I could probably go down one full size. So, I'll take the inches lost even if the scale isn't doing much. It's sort of like I saw NO changes (and no drop in the scale) for weeks. But the last week I've really felt it and the last two days I can actually see it!

    30 minutes of resistance training 3-5x/per week. And I work really hard. I can do anything for 30 minutes, right? And I usually add 1-2 miles of slow jogging after resistance training.

    I've also been adding 60 minutes of cardio 3x/week on the other days. Usually some inclined power walks and jogging.

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