How can a THICK WOMAN turn into a SLIMMER WOMAN? Please HELP me :(

Good Morning All!!!

My stats: 26 y/o, 5'4 and fluctuates between 165-175 lbs.. My goal is around 130 lbs. or less. A description: I'm what men would call "thick" I have very big legs. Big calves, Big thighs but they are shapely. I also have an ample booty. But my mid-section is very WIDE and undefined. The width is the same from my waist to my hips. I also have big arms. I want to have a trim, leaner slihoutte. I don't think I'll ever be "skinny" because I like having a curvy shape, but I want to reduce my MASS. I just seem too WIDE. Is there exercises I should specifically do? Foods to avoid? I currently walk 6 miles total to and from work on a mainly uphill terraine. And I keep my calories between 1300-1500. I was 113 lbs. in highschool and though I know I probably won't get there ever again, I do want to get to my 120's. Please any THICK WOMEN who has trimmed their shape down to be leaner/slimmer without losing their curvy frame. I don't want to look like a boy, but I don't like being so ROBUST. My current measurements are 36-33-42. Thanks!!!!!

The 30lbs extra fat you're carrying is what's making you look this way.  Some people carry their fat quite evenly over their whole body rather than purely round the stomach or hips.  Yours starts just below your bust and goes down to your knees!  When you sit down and bend over to tie your shoelaces does your chest get forced up into your chin?..... That's fat.  Your skeleton won't have changed from your slim days... just what's on top of it.

Lose the fat, you'll trim down all over and probably gain a waist in the process.  When I lost 50lbs+ that's what happened to me.  All exercises will help you  burn fat.  The 'foods to avoid' are the ones that take you over your target calorie intake.   Good luck

(Try not to post the same item twice)

please excuse if this topic is seen mulitple times, when I was creating it and pressing "post" it was giving me an error message, so that's why I thought it wasn't going through.

Thanks again GI-Jane. And I think you're exactly right. Because I am evenly fat all over...lol. Sometimes, I wish I was a true pear and only carried the weight from the bottom half down, but I am a true apple mixed with an hourglass. I carry my weight primarily in my stomach but also evenly distributed. So I think you're on it. Once, I drop these 30+ pounds, a leaner silohuette will be waiting under all this excess fat.

Iam the same, I found running is the only way for me to really see results. It is never easy and every run has it's chananges but it really works. Give it a try , let me how it goes !!! run lady run!!!

Hey Sweens!!

You know, there is a lot of truth to what your saying. This guy I use to date ages ago---who was 42 (I know...lol) but he was in top notch shape. Better body than most 22 year old men I've seen. And he always told me, running would melt my fat right off. He was a avid runner who trained for marathons and got up every Saturday and ran for about 7-8 miles. I never understood his discipline or sheer love for running, but it has rings truer than ever now. So, though i hate getting out of breath---I know the end results will be worth it. I think I'll start with intervals, incorporating short sprints into my daily walks. Then on the weekends, I'll run for but an hour on the treadmill. Thanks for advice and encouragment!!!

Hi there! So, I'm not in your excat position, but I'll pipe in about running...

Running really helps. I'm not sure if one straight hour of running can be done in your current shape. You might be able to, but its mentally and physically easier to start off slow. At least it was for me! I started running at about 5.0 for ten minutes. Then the next week I ran at 5.2 for about 11 mins. Then the next week 5.2 for fifteen mins. Something kinda like that really helped me stay focused and also was a manageable goal. The rest of the time (I worked out for about an hour/six days a week) I used the elliptical or various other cardio stuff.

Now I can do a 6.5 mile run in about an hour! Hopefully by the end of summer I can lower my time and increase my distance!

Good luck! You are off to a great start!

I was a runner...but now I do the 100 steps in one minute pace..walking.  Take your time and give your body time to adjust.

I do this 30 minutes 3 times a week...and by June I will include some jogging. It is easy to do and all you do is check your time and number of steps to make sure your pace is on track.  Ideal is 100 steps in 60 seconds.

I would suggest you  you consider switching to a Vegan diet, 1200 to 1500 cals, and introduce lots of wholesome grains and cereals which do fill you up when in cereal, or added to soups or salads.  These will cleanse the colon naturally too, are high fibre, nutrients and low in fat.

I always suggest everyone monitor their heart and pulse daily when losing weight, just to make sure your heart is happy with what your doing.

Avoid the white sugars, flours, fats and you gotta cut the salt way back.

Keep a diary of your progress and record any unusual changes.

Consult with your Doctor or health practitioner for a periodic check up.

good luck and happy weigh loss

Hi hajab :)

Just my two cents here, since I was 168-175 lbs when I started and I'm also 5'4"... I'm down to 138 lbs now, and I never ran a day in my life (not that I'm proud of it or anything like that, it's just that running is the only activity I truly hate. Oh, and I've been smoking for 11 years, so probably that doesn't help). Here's what I did, and what worked wonders: I lost the first 15-18 lbs just by calorie counting (CC is priceless!), and then I hit a wall. After some time I realized I had to add some exercise to my routine. I'm too self-conscious to join a gym, and I hate running - a workout video seemed like the only option. So now I count my calories, and I do Turbo Jam and Turbo Sculpt workouts - one or the other, 5 or 6 times a week. And I walk to and from work, just like you. That's about it. Since I started working out, I've been losing a steady pound or two a week, and I'm getting muscle definition pretty much everywhere.

There are no foods to avoid, as long as you don't go hundreds of calories over your limit. You can find lots of helpful advice on this site (and btw, listen carefully to what gi-jane says - I've never seen her give bad advice, and I read her posts all the time!). Someone suggested a vegan diet - just be careful to eat enough protein. It works, I know it does :)

Good luck to you. Don't worry - it's not as hard as people think it is. Once you start seeing results, it's totally worth it! And it's true that your waistline is in there somewhere - you'll get it back, just like I got mine :) All the best! 

Thanks Claud, themassageguy and agaffka!!! I sincerely appreciate ALL of your advice and will heed it. And WOW Agaffka---First---Congrats on such a big loss!! We sound like twins, because I too---despise running. I was daydreaming as I walked to work this morning, and I came to the conclusion that at my most healthiest and lowest weight (113 lbs.) I was dancing which is something I LOVE---and everytime, I think about that or walking or other exercises---they don't seem like exercises not because they are effortless, because trust me---walking uphill terraines can get intense---but I enjoy those things. Whereas I have never liked running. I use to run track as a child and I get butterflies right now thinking about the dreadful run and being out of breath. But I do think incorporating some intense cardio with my walking will get the pounds off more consistently.

Oh and Agaffka? How long did it take you to lose those first 18 pounds and how long total to get to 138?

im sorry but your title is misleading. with the measurements you gave you're not a "thick" woman, your overweight. thick does indeed refer to women with larger thighs and ample booty but TONED well defined, and at the weight you mentioned that's not all muscle. thick women also have small waists in comparison to their lower halves, usually less than 30" that are well defined. 

You know, I would have described myself as thick, and probably athletic, 15 pounds ago. I am slightly shorter than you are and weighed around 135 on the medium to high end. I was also not very defined, muscle wise, and whereas it sounds as though you may carry your weight in your legs and butt, I have the added issue of a wide back and broad shoulders.  I agree with the fact that it's the body fat that accentuates the "thick" and not necessarily your body constitution.

Calorie counting, weight lifting and cardio. It has changed my body. It has changed my relationship with food. It has changed my life. I'm not great at updating pictures and don't have any before and after (I joined CC to lose the last 5 pounds -- the first 10+ I took off many years ago) but I doubt anyone would describe me a thick. And yet that is how I thought of myself for many many years.

Exercise and healthy foods are the key. Add determination and hard work and you've got a winning strategy.  Good luck!

Original Post by hajab:

Oh and Agaffka? How long did it take you to lose those first 18 pounds and how long total to get to 138?

 Let's see... I was at my heaviest at 175 lbs, then somehow managed to lose 7 lbs just by eating less. At 168 I found CC. Took me about 5 months to get down to 150, with no exercise whatsoever. Then I was stuck at about 150 for the next 8 months, losing and gaining back the same 5 lbs. I started working out at 150.2 lbs on February 20th, and now it's May - so 3 months to lose another 12 pounds with exercise. See, it's no brainer - you work out AND count calories, you lose way faster! :) Btw, I just got the Core Rhythms video set from my hubby and if you like dancing, you might really enjoy it. I find it hard to learn, simply because I'm not much of a dancer, but it's still too early to say if it's effective, and I combine it with my Turbo Jam that I know and love :)

Just stick with it, dear, and it will work, it really will! Make sure to take your measurements, so that you can see the inches melting off - that's more motivating than pounds, at least in my opinion. Having recently measured myself I realized that if I lose another 6 cm (2.4") off my waist, the circumference of my waist will be what the circumference of my THIGH was when I was starting out on CC! How's that for motivation?! :D

Best of luck!

OK, so I am still thick BUT, when I really big I dieted using South Beach.

then 3 years ago I started running - but 6 months in I fracture my leg by running SOOOO BE CAREFUL.

If you start to run -

1) Get very good shoes that a professional running store has fitted you for.

2) I have heard good things on Couch to 5K is a good starting training program

3) do not increase your mileage or time more than 10% per week.

4) go at your own speed - do not feel that you are in competition - this is for you.

5) Personally I love trail running but find something that satisfies you - vary your terrain, routes, runs, etc.

6) compliment it with Strength training, High Intensity Training (HIIT)

You also might want to check out New Rules of Lifting for Women (NROLFW). I have done it in the past (fell off the wagon, but getting back on...)  Lou Schuler and the other contributors have very strong attitudes in developing bodies from fat to fit. You also may want to check out Alwyn Cosgrove's website and Cassandra Forsythe.

it is not easy.

Good Luck.

Thanks everyone!!! This is a wealth of information that I can surely USE!!! Thanks Again!!