Can't lose weight in bottom half!!

Motivated__
Motivated__ Posts: 27
in Health and Weight Loss
My whole life I have had a smaller waist and a larger butt/hips/legs! I have been dieting and losing weight and have lost 10lbs, but when I did my measurements all of my 8.5 inches lost was from upper body. Only .3in lost in thighs! Anyone know any good excerises or have any tips for losing in the bottom portion of your body???

Replies

  • freckledrats
    freckledrats Posts: 251 Member
    Congratulations! You are pear-shaped. This is a beautiful shape that I share.

    You cannot specifically lose weight or inches in a certain area. Your genes determine where your fat is stored first and where it comes off last. I have lost about the same amount. 2.5 inches in the waist, and I don't even know how much up top because I was so concerned about my 41 inch hips that I didn't think I was getting far in my loss til I put on an old bra that shouldn't have fit and it did, and then some. My hips are still 39.5 inches, though.

    Oh well.

    The good news is that it's working! Hurray!
  • MarwaBeSkinny
    MarwaBeSkinny Posts: 1
    I know how you feel.. I think all my weight issues are linked to my hips and thighs and after 10 years of research I know the exact answer you are looking for but I must warn you it needs patience because it will take time.
    Exercise is key. Speed walking or fast walking is the best thing. Try toning exercises such as yoga or pilates. Or if you are a gym person then you can use the stepper machine or the cross-trainer/elliptical machine. Put the machine on high resistance and this will increase your burn rate which will in turn also make you lose weight generally and will tone you up at the same time so you won't be flabby.
    Foodwise, cut down on carbs as they are directly stored in the hips area, and also lower your saturated fats because they go to your thighs and love-handles. If you are doing my fitness pal that's good because calorie counting is the best way to lose wight proportionately throughout your body.
    Remember exercise is the most important thing when is comes to lower body, even if you watch your food but don't exercise you will barely decrease your lower body size. So try to workout 4-6 times a week, even if for just 30 minutes per day but make it intense and tough exercise!

    Good luck
  • Awkward30
    Awkward30 Posts: 1,927 Member
    Sorry, but the places you lose weight are genetically determined. However, us hippy girls have a lower chance of heart disease as indicated by waist to hip ratio! We have healthier fat :)

    As you lose overall fat, the lower body will go. Could take a while though. Resistance training will help you retain your muscle while dieting so that you will have shapely legs when you get where you want to be
  • cherrytulips
    cherrytulips Posts: 109
    I am in the same boat!!! my upper half has lost tons of weight and my thighs seem nearly the same size.... ugh.
  • astrampe
    astrampe Posts: 2,169 Member

    Exercise is key. Speed walking or fast walking is the best thing. Try toning exercises such as yoga or pilates. Or if you are a gym person then you can use the stepper machine or the cross-trainer/elliptical machine. Put the machine on high resistance and this will increase your burn rate which will in turn also make you lose weight generally and will tone you up at the same time so you won't be flabby.
    Foodwise, cut down on carbs as they are directly stored in the hips area, and also lower your saturated fats because they go to your thighs and love-handles. If you are doing my fitness pal that's good because calorie counting is the best way to lose wight proportionately throughout your body.
    Good luck

    It's genetic - exercise will help - running as well as lots of resistance training and weight lifting - squats, lunges etc...But you can't have a skinny but and legs if you are genetically inclined to a more curvy lower half...

    MarwaBeSkinny - WHERE did you get the "fact" that carbs goes to one part of the body and fats to another..... :sad: :bigsmile: If you can give any scientific support for that, I will admit to learning something new....:noway:
  • NMJosephs
    NMJosephs Posts: 185
    Ugh. I hear you. My gimondo thighs never leave me. I have bones protruding in weird places in my shoulders, etc. but my thighs are still there!
  • Escarda
    Escarda Posts: 131 Member
    I have small waist and hips. A big bum, (which i like because its a like perky, juicy bum, not a fat bum, if you get what i mean..).
    And MASSIVE tree trunk legs. ='(
    My body shape is "Skittle". Which is small at the top, but then massive at the bottom.
    I say... just be happy to be a pear!
  • 0lightasair
    0lightasair Posts: 42 Member
    Long distance slow running is what sheds thighs for me. I run 5 miles in about an hour every other day and my thighs are visibly slimming. I'm a pear as well.

    Work on increasing distance, not speed. Remember to stretch after every single run. On the days I don't run, I go for a brisk walk, usually 3.8 miles for an hour.

    Try to avoid intervals. Intervals tend to build sizable muscles in the thighs so if you're looking for lean, slender thighs and have trouble losing fat, the extra bulk may make your thighs look even bigger and discourage you. I am aware that interval training can burn more fat than steady running, but I tend to avoid it because it is quick to bulk up my thighs and that is visually demotivating for me.
  • crodrigu73
    crodrigu73 Posts: 134 Member
    My mom (whom I credit for giving me my extra curvy bottom half) has been using a stationary bike since September and she has taken so many inches off and toned up so much it is amazing. It inspires me to work on that region more.
  • leosacredflame84
    leosacredflame84 Posts: 8
    I have the same problem. All my weight, well most of my weight has dropped from my stomach and not much from my hips butt and legs. They are starting to go down though with a lot of squats, lunges, jumping....kirsten and I have all of the Jillian Michaels dvds which work out every part of your body and finally after starting them I am seeing my entire body change!. I would suggest getting Jillians new video kickboxing (target for 12 bucks) and jillians extreme shed and shread (target for 12 bucks). Those are her best two dvds that work out your lower part. The kickboxing dvd is my fav. Also do you have a heart rate monitor watch? that way when you exercise you are accurately tracking how many calories your body is burning. When you enter in your work outs on MFP compared to what your body is really doing its a lot different. The heart rate monitors are 28 at target or if u wanna go fancy like kk hers was 50 with a chest strap so you dont have to update your heart rate it does it for you. :) there is all my advice lol!
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,427 MFP Moderator
    I know how you feel.. I think all my weight issues are linked to my hips and thighs and after 10 years of research I know the exact answer you are looking for but I must warn you it needs patience because it will take time.
    Exercise is key. Speed walking or fast walking is the best thing. Try toning exercises such as yoga or pilates. Or if you are a gym person then you can use the stepper machine or the cross-trainer/elliptical machine. Put the machine on high resistance and this will increase your burn rate which will in turn also make you lose weight generally and will tone you up at the same time so you won't be flabby.
    Foodwise, cut down on carbs as they are directly stored in the hips area, and also lower your saturated fats because they go to your thighs and love-handles. If you are doing my fitness pal that's good because calorie counting is the best way to lose wight proportionately throughout your body.
    Remember exercise is the most important thing when is comes to lower body, even if you watch your food but don't exercise you will barely decrease your lower body size. So try to workout 4-6 times a week, even if for just 30 minutes per day but make it intense and tough exercise!

    Good luck

    This is all Broscience. Carbs don't go to your body and saturated fats aren't bad for you. Your shape is based solely on genetics. There is NO way around that.

    Now, if you are worried about fat and eliminating it, you need to do resistance training. Weight training (and it has to be low rep heavy weight) has been proven to cut body fat faster than cardio. Now cardio has it's place but you are better off doing a workout program that stresses weight training like a chalean extreme or p90x. It is possible to lose a bit more weight with cardio short term, but it doesn't determine where you lose the weight from. Cutting fat will make your body slimmer and tighter. Cutting fat is what people notice, not weight. People think I am losing weight all the time, but I have been within the same 5 lbs for months but i am cutting fat.

    http://www.metaboliceffect.com/topic/38-nutrition-lifestyle.aspx
  • secretlobster
    secretlobster Posts: 3,566 Member
    Long distance slow running is what sheds thighs for me. I run 5 miles in about an hour every other day and my thighs are visibly slimming. I'm a pear as well.

    Where fat is on your body has nothing to do with the specific type of exercise you do. Running may keep fat off in general and tone thigh muscles, but it doesn't specifically target thigh fat.
  • secretlobster
    secretlobster Posts: 3,566 Member
    All the fat on my body is between my knees and my belly button. Genetics. If you are having trouble losing the last of your "non-essential" body fat, it really just comes down to a vigilant diet and exercise.
  • bizgirl26
    bizgirl26 Posts: 1,795 Member
    I have the same problem. There are a lot of us out there. You will probably always be a pear shaped person but you can be a better toned and proportioned pear shaped person. Just keep doing the cardio and leg exercises such as squates and lunges to firm up
  • Motivated__
    Motivated__ Posts: 27
    Thanks Kerri!!! It does help! Apparently I just need to walk and walk and walk and do squats! At least I like doping squats!
  • jtintx
    jtintx Posts: 445 Member
    Ok, I admit that I didn't read all the post because after a handful of them telling you that carbs and fats are stored on you hips, etc. and that this exercise will help reduce your lower half I had to quit reading or I would have pulled out my hair.

    YOU CANNOT SPOT REDUCE!!!!

    With your/our shape you will lose on top first and the bottom half later...but it will happen. But you/I will probably always carry a bit more fat on the lower half. That's just out gene pool. On the bright side...we are less likely to suffer from heart disease. :-)
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,427 MFP Moderator
    Thanks Kerri!!! It does help! Apparently I just need to walk and walk and walk and do squats! At least I like doping squats!

    Simply put, its all about weight training.
  • InfinitePoss
    InfinitePoss Posts: 60 Member
    Well, I am a guy, believe it or not, who has always struggled with carrying weight in my lower half. When I lose fat the last place I tend to lose is in my butt and thighs but like others have said, exercise is key, in particular resistance training.

    I have lost around 13 pound since I started using MFP, about a month ago, and in addition to counting calories I have been doing Power 90 (the predecessor to p90x). What I noticed a couple of days ago, much to my surprise, is that I can see defininition in my legs and that my butt is shrinking. I attribute this directly to the body weight squats and lunges I have been doing the past month as part of the program.
  • empty_with_you
    empty_with_you Posts: 129
    same here!
  • Katie3784
    Katie3784 Posts: 543
    I used to hate my big hips and thighs, and even now that I am in very good shape, they are still big. But, I am very happy that I carry my weight in the bottom instead of my midsection, and also realize that curves are nice on a woman.
  • juliexiuu
    juliexiuu Posts: 118
    Wanna trade? My body seems to store fat on my upper body

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