Large calves (fat not muscle) - LADIES

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oliviahomewood4
oliviahomewood4 Posts: 1 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Hi ladies. So I’m currently overweight but have been a lot slimmer in the past...the problem is....my calves seem to always stay fat. I’d say when I’m slimmer they only go down by an inch. They’re currently about 17 inches right now and I hate them!!
I just want to know if any of you ladies have got the same problem as me and if you have any tips for losing weight in the lower leg region? Thank you in advance!

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  • Hanibanani2020
    Hanibanani2020 Posts: 523 Member
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    My friend has the same problem. She’s lower end of BMI and incredibly fit and toned but her calves are still fatty. Her doctor says it’s genetics and she just has to keep working on them. They are changing slowly over time.
  • vmich811
    vmich811 Posts: 1 Member
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    I've always had an issue with fuller calves, but I find that no matter what my weight is, my legs look better when I dance. I'm currently doing some ballet exercises regularly (Sleek Technique 10-20 minute DVDs) and have found that my calves are looking slimmer and more shapely. I think that pointing and flexing the foot really helps to reshape the calves. I've also had good results with practicing simple ballroom dancing steps (rumba & chacha are particularly fun) while wearing high heel shoes (no partner required). I'll never have tiny twig legs, but I'm much more comfortable wearing skirts or skinny jeans now. Good luck and let us know if find anything that works for you! :smile:
  • Diatonic12
    Diatonic12 Posts: 32,344 Member
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    I want these.


    Jessica Buettner.

    17bdlhixmm95.png

  • msapplek
    msapplek Posts: 95 Member
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    oliviahomewood4 wrote: »
    Hi ladies. So I’m currently overweight but have been a lot slimmer in the past...the problem is....my calves seem to always stay fat. I’d say when I’m slimmer they only go down by an inch. They’re currently about 17 inches right now and I hate them!!
    I just want to know if any of you ladies have got the same problem as me and if you have any tips for losing weight in the lower leg region? Thank you in advance!

    Big calves are my bane as well! When adding exercise, muscle seems to pack really quick there, too. Since you can't spot reduce as others have mentioned, I did avoid jump roping, jump squats, running up hills, etc., as those types of movement work the calve muscles. The advice that I found was that your problem area will be the last areas in your body to reduce, but eventually as you continue to slim down, you'll see overall slimming down in the calves as you also noticed in your body.

    I'm finally seeing those reductions myself, although some days they still seem really huge. But on better days, I've come to accept the big calves: they are strong, shapely, and can look pretty damn good when wearing heels.

  • AwesomeSquirrel
    AwesomeSquirrel Posts: 632 Member
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    Are you sure your calves are actually fat? Sometimes we mistake relaxed muscles for fat, I know many women weep over their triceps when not flexed... not saying you won’t lose weight from your lower body eventually, but perhaps you can reframe your perception in the meantime 😊 my calves are still fat but have delightful muscle definition and carry me many km running every week.

    Anecdotally I’ve heard it claimed that people who have been/are overweight have bigger calves in general because they’ve had to develop muscle to support their weight over the years and this muscle doesn’t all disappear when they slim down.
    I imagine this may well hold true for me (currently 95kg down from highest 140).
  • MichelleMcKeeRN
    MichelleMcKeeRN Posts: 450 Member
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    The only thing that makes my calves smaller is weight loss. My goal is 14” calves so I can wear tall boots.... maybe one day.
  • LivingtheLeanDream
    LivingtheLeanDream Posts: 13,345 Member
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    We can't spot reduce unfortunately. In alot of cases the size of calves is down to genetics, mine are small (13" last I checked) and were always small even when I was overweight.
    But its possible that the more weight you lose something might come off them. I actually wish mine were a bit bigger so I would be more in proportion but years of running/biking/strength training hasn't really changed them other than make them rock hard.
  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 9,389 Member
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    Diatonic12 wrote: »
    I want these.


    Jessica Buettner.

    17bdlhixmm95.png

    My body shape goes a bit in that direction: rather muscular calves and thighs, and a potential to see abs even at higher weight. Only thing I'm really envious here is that her calve muscles sit very high up. Mine are rather long. Not much I can do about that unfortunately. Btw, I see the same on her arms. My muscles are just relatively long and tendons relatively short. Can't change that unfortunately.

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