big legs: muscle or fat ?

  • I have big legs, not only thigh...i was wondering if those were going to slim down if i do happen to loose some weight...are those big legs muscles or fat ?
  • It would depend on a lot of things. How much do you weigh...what's your build like...? If you have a decent amount of weight to lose your legs will probably shrink at least a little bit. I used to be a competitive figure skater and I've always had solid legs but I know there's extra fat on their now that I didn't have before. I've definitely got some room to lose.
  • This will depend on your body type and where you carry fat.

    Muscle feels firm, and isn't attached to the skin, so you can't pinch it and lift it up. Fat feels loose, and is associated with the skin. You can pinch it, lift it up, and move it around.
  • You also need to take into consideration skeletal structure as well. My husband and I, for example, have completely different "builds" that extends to the skeleton as well-not just muscle and fat.

    For example, my husband has broader shoulders and upper body...but he has narrower ankles, etc. Me, on the other hand, I have a smaller framed upper body, not just fat/muscle, but skeletal-small hands, small shoulder width, tiny wrists, etc. while my legs are bigger. It doesn't matter if I weigh over 200 pounds, or when I weighed around 135 in high school-my ankles and calves are always larger framed.

    When you lose weight, you will definitely slim down...but you can't change your body type. You can only make a smaller, fitter, more shapely version of it.
  • Yeah, it really depends on your body type. Are your big legs outlandishly firm?

    I had pretty big legs at my highest weight (along with thunder thighs that rubbed together and started a campfire! ), but still have big legs now, despite being very lean. However, despite the fact that the gap between my thighs is only around an inch while standing (if even), I have every striation imaginable. If I wanted to further shrink my legs, I'd have to get rid of some muscle, which I have no intention on doing.
  • Even when I was very thin and in great shape when I was young I still had very big legs. At one point I weighted 120 pounds but still wore a size 10 jeans because my big legs and hips. The one thing that helped me a little back then was doing Yoga and stretching. When I did that it seemed to lengthen my muscles instead of bulking them up.
  • I've always had "big" legs - but when I was younger, it was mainly muscle. My track coach loved me cause I was a great sprinter, LOL. However, I also gain weight in my legs easily - so now, it's probably a little more than an average amount of muscle covered in fat. Even when I was 130 lbs in high school, my legs were bigger than "normal" - jeans & slacks have always fit a little weird on me (if they fit thru the waist, the legs are too small and if they fit in the legs, the waist is too large!).

    Anyhoo, it really does depend on your general make up. I've seen women with very large bottom-halves lose considerable weight and their legs have been quite thin. Then you have people like me who will never have super thin legs.
  • Sure I got big thigh but i mean the muscle behind my tibia is big too...is it the muscle or just fat ?
  • Most likely it's both. If you want to know
    exactly you could consult a doctor to do
    a body comp on you. They can tell you exactly
    where every bit of your weight comes from. For example
    I had one done at 194 pounds of which 90.8 pounds were
    fat. They broke it down to how much fat was in each body part.
    Then explained how much fat I needed to loose and how much
    muscle I needed to gain. They also told me how many
    calories (1358) I burn a day in a non active state. All very
    helpful and I totally recomend it.
  • Quote: Sure I got big thigh but i mean the muscle behind my tibia is big too...is it the muscle or just fat ?
    Well, it is going to be impossible for any of us here to tell you...because we can't test your body composition, feel your legs and bone structure, or even see you.