Thigh problem

Just seeing if anyone has any experience they would like to share. I have lost 50lbs, and still have big thighs, saddlebags. I walk and ride bike about 4 times per week. Usually walk 4-5 miles per time or ride 6-8 miles. I swear they are the same size as before. Any ideas to slim them down??

I am in the same boat. We are classic pear shaped people. Just keep slimming down the weight, that area will be last, but should come down some. I have a tiny top half, about a size 7/8 waist, and my thighs, hips, buttocks still about a size 10/12!! What has been working for me during the last 4 weeks (and this sounds dated and ridiculous) is the Greg Smithey Original Buns of Steel workout from 1987. It's been re-released - finally - on DVD. I bought a copy for 15.00 from the original buns of steel website. I owned the tape in the early 90's, but it succumbed to age and storage.

It's so challenging, the reps are very long, I can't keep up, yet I work it at my own pace about every other day and it is showing. Just today I put on some (tight) size 9's that I couldn't wear 2 weeks ago. My tushy and thighs went right in! I saw a friend over Easter for the first time in 4 weeks, and she couldn't get over the changes in my lower body.

I still can't make it through all the reps, like I said, but the strength is building, and results are showing.

Oh, and I haven't owned a car since 2008, I pretty much walk everywhere I need to go (often pushing my toddlers in a double stroller ) if it's under 3 miles away. Walking, although it's beneficial, has never worked my thighs and butt in any sort of slimming manner, just toning.

So... my 2 cents is the Original Buns of Steel. It works for me.

I feel like my legs are tree trunks. They just keep getting bigger even if I'm losing weight. They're so much more muscular and shaped better that before, but my jeans are actually tighter. The butt and waist of all my pants are too big and still tight in the legs. I do a fair amount of running and several classes at the gym that "tone" my legs but I haven't come across anything that will help them get slimmer, just stronger...

Right now I'm trying to work on just accepting them as they are, I've always carried my weight in my bottom half and my legs are pretty damn strong.

BKeller- We have the SAME exact issue. My legs have gradually gotten bigger ever since I've started the gym. Now my pants are sooo tight on my legs and fit perfectly or loose on my butt and hips, wth?! It is annoying. If my legs are getting bigger, I'd prefer my butt to do the same lol. I want to be proportional. Plus, I have a thing for big round butts ha! I was not blessed in that department. I've been trying to make my butt bigger, rounder & more toned for awhile. But my legs have no problem bulking up. I was doing jumping jacks in the mirror the other day and could see how defined my thighs are getting. I am also finally getting some calf muscles. I never had much definition in my calves til recently so I am happy about that.

Try throwing in some squats of different variations, and lunges. When I did P90X I really noticed my thighs getting smaller for the first time and the main reason was the squats and lunges. I haven't been doing the P90X and when my weight came back on it's been holding up in my thighs. I am like the rest here, my pants are loose in the waist and tight in the thighs. I would highly recommend the P90X legs and back DVD for a change of pace, you can sometimes find the individual DVD's on Ebay. Or try googling some leg exercises. I'm going to try another round of P90X starting May 1st, so I will measure and see how much of a difference there is in my thighs from beginning to end. And, like Meonlybetter said, maybe it will just take a little longer for the weight to come off in the bottom half. For me it takes the longest to lose in my thighs and arms. Good luck!!

KEEP DOING what you are doing!!! --- Everyone has an area that the fat will come off last at... For me it was belly fat, around the middle, as is typical for a overweight fortyish male. How did I get it off? Walking --- 7 day a week, 1 hour of brisk walking and calorie control to steadily lose the weight -- Not sure how tall you are but I am 6'2" and down in my 160's now and the belly fat finally HAD to come off because after the legs were toned and muscular (from the walking) my body started gobbling fat from where ever else was left --- I am convinced that if you stay on course and continue to lose weight the same will happen with you.

Good Luck!

I have huge hips and small top. The new trainer in gym told me over the years i always worked on end part of my body so its resisting the loss now, what Militaryman says is true it will be the last to go away but keep exercising. Meonlybetter also said something that is so true to me it is my inner saddle bags are my worse thing about my weight loss. This sometimes I think is what stops me losing weight, the worry they will get worse as I lose.

I feel the same as a lot of the girls here, like my thighs get bigger the more that i work out, especially after running and spin classes... but on the upside they are firmer and look better. I measure my body fat with calipers and see big changes, measuring your body fat can be more encouraging than measurements sometimes.

I have the same problem and I hate it. I walk around 5 miles a day but the hips and thighs seem still flabby and big. I'm thinking I'll add in some lunges and squats from P90X. Last time I did that dvd, It took me a week to work out the soreness...lol.

me too! ive really been trying recently to work my upper legs... it seems my calves and just pure musucle and my thighs are pure fat ... and even worse i have no butt... im 4 9" and i was 180 lb when i started losing weight 1 and a half years ago i was a size 13/12 ish then and now im a easy 7 ... they go down eventully but you know someone my height should be at the most a size 5 i think... but the thing is i didnt do any exercises to build muscule in my thighsthen... i feel like if i did they would look waaaayyy healthier now ... instead i have cottage cheese thighs and it make my feel so gross.... so im doing something about it and doing all those lower body lifting at the gym and at home using my own weight as a restirant... building muscule while trying to lose weight can make it discoraging b/c muscule weights more than fat but it makes everything look so much better... lol my boyfriend thinks i look like ive lost 10 lbs since ive been trying again and the honest truth is that ive only just gotten to the 3rd pound this week and its been 3 months... but yeah pear and hourglass (which i am) have it the worst... its so hard to lose thigh and hip weight

As I've heard before, the first place you gain weight is the last place you'll lose it from! So keep at it. If you've always held weight in your thighs, it will likely be the last place you lose fat from. And I totally agree with the P90x legs and back workout. It's fantastic.

And sjojos.. need some padding in the booty? I've got plenty to go around..

Yes, I hate my pear shape!!! I am 5'9". When I started atkins, each thigh was 26, and now they are 23. My fat% is still 33%, when I started it was 40%. I saw on the internet that women do not slim down in the thigh area until they are about 19%. OMG is that true?? I am having a hard time losing any more weight no matter how hard I try, really discouraged...Sry I am thankful to lose what I did though.

What is P90x??

P90x is a workout set on DVD that you can buy. If you are just starting out there are less intense ones on the market! I'll attest to the thigh issue. It does go away. It just takes time. There are a lot of numbers thrown around, and I think they cloud the issue. The number on the scale is just that, a number. Do your clothes fit better? Are you able to carry things around easier? If you weight lift are you able to do heavier weights now? Look at you positive attributes! That is what will carry you through. Don't look at spot reduction, but overall fitness. I will recommend ballet body lower body workout by Leah Sarago. Low impact, great workout for the Lower body.

P90x is AWESOME. 90 day work out program w 7 or 8 dvds. Its an average an of an hour a day to work out various body parts - differant one every day of the week, w one day of rest. It will kick your ass- and you will like it! all you need is some excersise bands and the door attachement and a yoga mat. Tony is the instructor, i find him very motivational and ive learned alot. I did the 90 days, i've lost a LOT of weight, p90x and fat secret and running is all i've used in the last few months.

Like all of you I carry most of my weight in my butt and thighs. The best thing for me is cross training. I have had a lot of results (losing inches) by spinning, running, strength training, yoga. I really think that running has been a huge part of my success but yoga is my #1 love!! I love how it makes me feel, it has transformed my body. I now have long lean muscles. My arms are the most toned they have ever been and my legs started to slim a lot when I started taking classes. I'll never have "skinny" legs and I'm ok with that. I have strong legs!

My trainer told me that if you're holding fat in your thighs it could be due to estrogen. First thing he told me to do is make sure that all of my products are paraben free. I was surprised how many products. I was using (soap, shampoo, cream, makeup) had paraben ingredients. If the ending is a paraben, throw it out. I've seen a little bit of a difference but they are still the worst part of me. Hate my legs!

was just saying this same thing about my thighs today! glad i am not the only one going through this. my legs are like monsters they are so thick with muscle. i run and do the elliptical and that seems to be the only difference i see, thickness. LOL i am not unhappy that they are big, i just want them more defined like those who run track or dancers. i mean their thighs look AMAZING and strong and you can see the muscles when they move. if my thighs looked like THAT, i would be ok.

I had a physical education major (and my doctor) tell me that losing fat from your thighs - those saddlebags - is next to impossible, short of surgery. Apparently it's primarily genetic. Even when I was in my 20s and weighed 130 (5'8", I had saddlebags. They were just a whole lot smaller than they are now, darn it!!!

My sisters do not have saddlebags, and they are not shaped like me at all, so I do not think it is genetic. I did not have them when I was younger, so I believe it is because I ate any and everything for years and did not work out. I have lost body fat% , and a 1/2 inch from my thighs since I posted this. Hard work and eating right do pay off.