When I first started losing weight, I just wanted to be happy with my body. 60 pounds later, I'm still not.
It's not my torso - I'm really happy with my torso. I'm not afraid to show it off in the summer.
My legs are a different story.
I'm exactly 5 feet tall with a tiny waist and tree trunk thighs. I could be as skinny as anyone, but my thighs still make me feel like I weighed 60 pounds ago - unhappy. It's not like I can diet and exercise them away - well, I COULD, but then my torso would shrink even more, and I just don't want that.
Does anyone have any advice or solutions short of lipodissolve or surgery...neither of which I can afford anyway?
I can totally relate to the frustration of your body getting to choose where it gets rid of fat. I have lost almost 40 pounds. I lift heavy and am fairly happy with the top half of my body. I have nice biceps and my waist is getting slimmer and more muscular.
But what I have noticed in the last couple of weeks is that my muscle definition almost accentuates the fat that I still have. Back when I was fat, I was blessed with a pretty well distributed layer of fat that fooled me for a while that I was not "that overweight". But now when I notice my strong muscular quads, I am horrified by the flab of the inner and outer thighs if I look to close!
Do you lift weights? If you developed your upper body muscles, maybe things would look more balanced.
You can do more strength training with your lower body, leg press, squats, lunges, etc. But be prepared for the possibilty that your thighs may always be a bit on the bigger size, and thats ok if you're just built that way. We always tend to focus on our imperfections, when in reality it may not be as bad as you think. I bet with a small torso and "tree trunk thighs" as you put it, you look fairly hourglass shape and sexy!
I feel your pain - I do!
Over the past few months I've lost almost 50lbs and though I'm mostly happy with the overall result, my thigh/bum area is something else altogether!
Whereas before I had a rounded bum shape flowing into substantial (OK - fat) thighs) I'm now left with the most horrible bum/thigh shape and I have no idea how to fix it :-(
It's like I have these horrific & unsightly "hollows" between my upper bum and my upper thighs - and this only ends up accentuating these gigantic flabs/wings on the sides (of my upper thighs). And I'm not imagining it - it's fact.
Sigh...
If your thighs are very muscular already, I'm not sure what would help though. But what about trying something like yoga to lengthen the muscles?
A friend of mine had this laser surgery treatment which seemed to get good results. What they did was beamed a high intensity laser at her fat, which broke it down in her body, and she then had to exercise it away. She swore by it, but I don't know if I'd be keen because it sounded painful.
Also try doing things like pilates and strechtes as that might help.
I think there are a lot of us that didn't get what we hoped for when we lost weight. After losing over 80 lbs for me it is loose skin on my bum (think little old lady in the nursing home here) loose skin on my thighs, stomach, and don't forget the "bat wings" on my upper arms (sigh). I am happy I lost weight and feel better overall and can hide things with clothes but a bit frustrated that what I ended up with isn't a little more asthetically pleasing :( Forget plastic surgery, so not in my budget either.
Do you weight train? This might help you shave off some more inches from your thighs.
Original Post by tina0367:
I think there are a lot of us that didn't get what we hoped for when we lost weight. After losing over 80 lbs for me it is loose skin on my bum (think little old lady in the nursing home here) loose skin on my thighs, stomach, and don't forget the "bat wings" on my upper arms (sigh). I am happy I lost weight and feel better overall and can hide things with clothes but a bit frustrated that what I ended up with isn't a little more asthetically pleasing :( Forget plastic surgery, so not in my budget either.
Do you weight train? This might help you shave off some more inches from your thighs.
I'm with you on that one. I still have 23lb to lose - which will take my total loss to 70lb and I can already see that wrinkly bum thing going on. Not happy at all!!
I'm so not above plastic surgery and if I can afford it somewhere down the line, I might just have to get that fixed. But I'll give my body time to adjust to the change - for I think it takes time to "even out" after such a massive (even if slow) loss.
Regardless of height, everyones body structure will vary mainly depending on their genetic make-up; thus why your weight is carried in your thighs and always will. It's where your body genetically wants to be.
Studies reveal, women that have a thigh circumference greater than 21inches reduce their risk of cardiovascular diseases. So be thankful in that regard. And in my opinion, thicker thighs are much more appealing than those that have a space between them. Today no amount of strategizing prevents my thighs from touching.
Also note, there is no such thing as targeting a certain body area and wanting to lose weight in that specific area (such as your thighs). Research has revealed the fallacy of spot-reducing, or losing cellulite, as some people call the fat deposits are simply enlarged fat cells from accumulated body fat. When fat comes off, it does so throughout the entire body, not just in the exercised area.
I do not believe in plastic surgery as a solution. In my opinion it is morbid and barbaric, and no matter how many nips and tucks one can get, the person is never going to be happy and plastic surgery is only a cover-up.
Honestly, accepting and loving who you comes from the inside...there is no magical "pill" or surgeon that can achieve that. You have to.
So, there are my two cents tossed in the bucket.
I have similar issues, it used to bother me ALOT. I used to hate my thighs/legs so much that i'd only wear loose pants! I'd look in the mirror and hate them and wish that I had those lovely lithe skinny jean type legs (its hard not to be envious at times, but we're not all born with great legs). I basically wasted years of my life resenting a part of my body I couldn't change, disliking myself etc. Moving on from this was the best feeling ever, its possible to feel neutral about such things, it takes time and self acceptance.
At this point I've realized my legs aren't that bad but they don't look good in skinny jeans and other jeans of a certain cut. I'd say my legs are a size or 2 bigger then my torso/bum sometimes more in certain brands, and they don't have the greatest shape to them. I try on a lot of jeans until I find ones that fit well and look good, and sometimes I really do look great in jeans. Sometimes you've got to get stuff tailored in the bum area. Its all about finding the right jeans! Hating your legs isn't going to make them any more proportional. Most jeans are designed for women with slender legs/more proportional, its unfair for us pear shaped ladies but its the reality. If you shop in the teeny bopper stores (AE, HM, etc) you're going to come upon jeans that don't fit right and don't flatter your body. Go to other stores for jeans, say the gap or something (even the Gap has mostly jeans cut for skinny legs though, I wish i knew a store to recommend I dont shop much )
There is not much you can do when you're a pear shape w/ considerably larger legs other then lose as much weight as possible to get skinny legs, at the expense of your upper body/sanity. I tried it for a while and was really skinny for my frame and my legs were just right, but I couldn't sustain it. Its hard to maintain an abnormally low weight And thats no fun at all. If you're at your ideal weight and your legs are still big, idk its up to you what to do- You can try some specific exercises like pilates- I do callanetics sometimes but I haven't noticed a huge difference from it (as much as the dvd promises to give me big results). Its genetics, you can't really change the size of you muscles and the way they're shaped.
Original Post by dancerqueen1:
I do not believe in plastic surgery as a solution. In my opinion it is morbid and barbaric, and no matter how many nips and tucks one can get, the person is never going to be happy and plastic surgery is only a cover-up.Honestly, accepting and loving who you comes from the inside...there is no magical "pill" or surgeon that can achieve that. You have to.
So, there are my two cents tossed in the bucket.
Ah but that I do. The loving & accepting myself for who I am - fully, unreservedly, with open arms and my whole heart :-)
That came many years ago once I learnt that that was the ONLY way to fully recover from an 18 year long Eating Disorder.
That doesn't mean though that my eyes have to like the oodles of wrinkles and saggy skin I see. Nope. Accept that it's part of me, yep that I can do. But pretend that I like it? That I cannot.
If (big IF) I choose to get the saggy skin cut off, it's for me, myself & I.
No one or nothing else. Not a man nor public opinion.
I'm the same way! I have to get close to skeletal before my legs get close to a size I like. I'd be able to see my ribcage before I felt like my stupid thighs matched my upper body.
Once good thing though, is that it seems if you have a trim waist and upper body, you appear to be thinner than if you had stick legs and a round belly. So if I had to choose, I'd rather have a nice narrow waist than skinny little legs.
As i said in a different post 'I'm shaped like an hourglass with too much sand in it' har-har-har...sigh
. In grade-school I used to wear the tightest 'tights' I could squeeze myself into,under everything, and definitely during gym( and double sports bras too)! I've ALWAYS been shaped like this. But I try to put it in a good light... just remember the typical 'bombshell gorgeous' cartoon females (I know I said cartoons but hear me out)... They look like US!!! 'Jessica Rabbit' 'Hello Nurse'(Tiny Toons) Big chest, teeny waist and extremely voluptuous arses!!!WE'RE AWESOME!!! EMBRACE YOUR CURVES!!! I agree with whichwayup about trying yoga or ballet exercises that help stretch you out. I just started with a kettlebell a few weeks ago,and my legs burn exactly where I need them to, back of my thigh up to my arse...I love it!
Reduce body fat via weightlifting/muscle building rather than weight loss (if you're at a healthy weight). I carry all my fat below my waist (below my hips, actually) and even though I haven't lost a pound in over a year, my legs are getting slimmer and more defined as I whittle away body fat by building muscle mass through heavy lifting. I have very little body fat left on my upper body, but I've kept from looking gaunt by building up my musculature. Lower body wise, building up my glutes and hamstrings has made my thighs more shapely even though they are still padded with a nice layer of fat. LOL. Weight lifting is a girl's best friend.
squats! trust me they work in every sport i've ever been in they have had me do squats and i have tone legs. I'm 5'2 145lbs and a curvy girl, and my legs are one thing i like to up keep espcialy that summers almost here. the one good thing about squats is that u can do them anywhere..... I do mine in the shower while i'm washing my hair and then at night. but if you do them everyday in the morning or night you should see the differnce in about a month or so.... i told my cuzin to do squats and she said that it works for her legs.
i also have a small upper body and bigger lower body, but you're lucky because i gain weight in the hips and it makes me look really weird and unproportional! when i started running and biking it really toned my legs and butt though.
