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Old 10-16-06, 06:54 AM  
moviegrl1737
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Upstate NY
Anyone experience this?

I'm typically bottom heavy. I carry my weight in my hips and thighs. It's a blessing and a curse. (Blessing because if you're going to carry weight it's the better place to carry it, curse because well, you know).

I've been strictly watching my food intake and working out 6 days a week since the beginning of September. I set a short term goal of losing 20lbs by January 1. It's a lofty aspiration, but attainable if I stay on my game. So far I'm down 8lbs and 8 inches.

Here's the problem: I have not lost any inches in my thighs. The inches are all off my chest/waist/hips area. I know I'm destined to lose the weight/inches from my thighs last, but they haven't even gone down a fraction. One of them may have even gotten bigger

Second problem: My calves seem very muscular (to me anyway). They don't have a lot of give and I don't feel I'm holding a lot of fat in that area. So why, oh why can I not find a pair of knee length boots that will zip over the monstrosities? I have tried everything and only the boots that pull on like a sock will fit over my calves. If they are so muscular, why aren't they smaller? Is there a way to shrink your calves?

Wow, that was a rant and a half. Thanks everyone for all the wonderful help and encouragement I've gotten on these boards over the years. I know you'll know what I'm talking about here.
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Old 10-16-06, 07:17 AM  
sweetmelissak
 
Join Date: Jan 2002
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I am the opposite of you-all my weight is in the belly and it takes me decades of doing cardio and abs to get any results in that area. Meanwhile my butt and legs tend to shape up first. Lastely I feel like my monstrous belly just will never ever decrease though I know it will happen eventually.

I also have relatively muscular thighs from years of dancing/teaching dance. I have the same exact problem with the boots-nothing will zip ever and I'm forced to wear the slip on kind. Thankfully, I have a pair that I LOVE right now. But I'm always tempted by the cute styles I see that zip up and I think "maybe this time..." and try them on only to be disappointed again I also have wide feet (even worse since my pregnancy) and I'm forever finding great shoes that I love that are just too narrow for my feet-and even if they fit, they look ridiculous on me

So yes...I feel your pain!
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Old 10-16-06, 07:18 AM  
Meri
 
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Blacklick, Ohio
Anjee-
I'm in the same boat as you... For the life of me I can't lose weight in my thighs/saddlebag area, and my calves are very muscular. It's very frustrating to me that my thighs are the first place I gain and the last place I lose! And my calves never change! I know it doesn't help that I stand 10 hours a day, but nothing I do can change their size
If you're looking for boots, they do make them for larger calves, I actually found them at TJ Maxx last year... and they do fit!

Meri
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Old 10-16-06, 07:20 AM  
toaster
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Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Western NY
Anjee, I don't have any advice, just thought I'd commiserate! I'm bottom-heavy too: a true pair with a slim waist and torso but large hips (not due to fat, just bones!), butt, and thighs; oh, and I have fairly large calves too. Last year, I lost about 7-8 lbs., and while I did lose a bit in my lower body, my torso got almost too slim, and DH said my chest shrunk too!

I don't really have a solution, but you might want to check out the poll I posted about a month ago asking other pear-shaped gals what has worked for them. The main helpful thing seemed to be lower-body intensive cardio such as spinning, running, and kickboxing. I try to do a fair amount of cardio, mix up heavy and light weights for lower body, and work upper body with heavy weights to build muscle. HTH!
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Old 10-16-06, 08:48 AM  
Ambermitch
 
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Anjee, I feel your pain too! I am very tall and thin but have big thighs. It doesn't seem to matter what I do, my inner thighs don't shrink. It actually seems the more I exercise the bigger they get. Now that I think about it, I never thought I had large legs or was bottom heavy until after I was exercising a while. Things that make you go hmmmmm.......
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Old 10-16-06, 08:54 AM  
SueNJ
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Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: North Carolina
Quote:
Originally Posted by sweetmelissak
I am the opposite of you-all my weight is in the belly and it takes me decades of doing cardio and abs to get any results in that area. Meanwhile my butt and legs tend to shape up first.

...

I have the same exact problem with the boots-nothing will zip ever and I'm forced to wear the slip on kind.

...

I also have wide feet (even worse since my pregnancy) and I'm forever finding great shoes that I love that are just too narrow for my feet-and even if they fit, they look ridiculous on me
Ditto on all counts. Even when my legs are trimmed down, I have big calf muscles--it's hereditary. I've never been able to buy "normal" boots. If I can even get the zipper up, the boots are extremely tight around the calf and tend to slip down and bunch around the ankle. Very attractive! And forget about wearing any kind of shoe with a strap over the instep--I look like Minnie Mouse.

Sue
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Old 10-16-06, 08:54 AM  
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I don't know if you have tried this series, but I have heard and read TONS about Slim Series being a miracle for this problem. Somehow this series just seems to lean out the legs and make the muscles slim and long. Ballet types of exercises may also help. As well as pilates. And completely staying AWAY from heavy lunges, squats, etc., using very high rep work instead. ??
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Old 10-16-06, 09:00 AM  
toaster
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Join Date: Jan 2002
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ~^~RedFlame~^~
I don't know if you have tried this series, but I have heard and read TONS about Slim Series being a miracle for this problem. Somehow this series just seems to lean out the legs and make the muscles slim and long. Ballet types of exercises may also help. As well as pilates. And completely staying AWAY from heavy lunges, squats, etc., using very high rep work instead. ??
Yep, this seems to have worked well for some pear-shaped people, but I think the general consensus is that each person is different, even within the pear-shaped subtype. See the poll I did here:

http://forum.videofitness.com/showthread.php?t=92207
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Old 10-16-06, 09:30 AM  
KathyW
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I was looking at an Eddie Bauer catalog the other day and noticed that many of their boots are available in 2 different calf sizes -- have you looked at anything like that? Here's the EB link:

http://www.eddiebauer.com/eb/default.asp (Click on "shoes/accessories" and then "women's")

Try to appreciate your shapely calves, though -- mine are pathetically non-shapely, and nothing really seems to affect them. I'm always envious of women with nice muscular calves!
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Old 10-16-06, 09:44 AM  
moviegrl1737
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Upstate NY
Thanks everyone for the words of encouragement and the commiserating, somehow it makes me feel better that I'm not in this boat alone. One thing on the calves, I bought two sets of boots with lace up fronts but also a side zip. One set was too narrow in the foot (I have wide fee too Melissa) but I could loosen the laces enough to zip them up. The second set had the laces stitched closed, but they were wide enough for my feet. I could only get one zipped, the other was unzippable. Now both are in the backseat of my car to be returned.
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