I always heard that you couldn't target where you want to lose weight and work out those muscles to lose weight from that area of your body. BUT I have been doing cardio which is running on the eliptical and the area of my body I lost the most weight from was my thighs(2 inches). WHen I have been doing the eliptical of course I am using my thigh muscles the most, and thats the area where I lost the most weight from. So this leads me to believe that you can target fat. Im confused because the reason I was doing the cardio was to lose weight from my whole body since I heard you can't target. Does anyone have an explanation? or a similar experience

Chance.

You cannot target fat loss. Repeat: You cannot target fat loss.

It's not chance it is her genetic fat patterning. We can argue about wether or not that was chance at work.

I wish we could pick and choose where the weight comes off (or choose to have it come off evenly all over), but unfortunately what you've heard is correct.

I do a lot of upper body work when I do my strength training workouts 2x/week, but unfortunately I haven't lost any weight from my upper arms and so they're actually getting larger from the muscle gain. I'm beginning to see some nice muscle tone in my biceps, but the underside is still all jiggly.

The elliptical is one of many cardio options you could have chosen from- most likely if you had opted for swimming or another cardio you would have lose in the same place- your thighs/butt area.

The body loses weight first in the area where it most recently gained it. For you, that may have been the thigh area. For me, it was around my middle. I have done a lot of core work with my recent exercise and I've lose around the middle, but it's because this is where I most recently gained weight, not because I'm targeting my core.

All that said, congrats on your loss!

Exactly. I gained weight first in my hips and thighs. I subsequently gained in my tummy and back. I live on the elliptical and treadmill at the gym but the fat on my hips and thighs are still hanging on for dear life. But my tummy and back however are lean and toned. That makes me happy because I know my hips and thighs don't have a prayer anymore!

You could also see some new muscle definition b/c the elliptical uses the quads so much. Keep working- it'll come off where you want it eventually.

You can't target fat, but you CAN target muscle. I repeat: You CAN target muscle. By firming up your muscles underneath the fat, things are going to look slimmer and be slimmer because the muscle underneath supportting things.

I agree with you who said that the last place I gained it is where I would lose it first. Because I have small thighs so it makes sense that that would be the very last area where I would gain weight. I hold fat in my stomach instead. Thanks it makes sense now!

definitely no way to target fat... but AGREE'd on the muscles part!

When I started losing weight it came off my midriff first. Both when I lost weight with abdominal exercise and without. Just how my body works. I wish targeted weight lsos was possible.