So, I have finally gotten my butt in gear and am eating right and exercising regularly. I've started to see losses, and I'm trying to keep track of my measurements as well.

One thing I dislike about the way I look is my legs. They're really thick, and I'm not very tall so I feel like it's very noticeable. They are very muscular as well, especially my calves... so I'm worrying about whether they will decrease in size along with the rest of me. My calves are ~18.5", and my thighs are ~28", which seems HUGE to me, some people's waists are smaller than my thighs!

I realize this is mostly a vanity thing, and I'm not going to let it bother me too much or deter me in my weight loss, but I was just wondering if you guys could tell me your height, weight, and thigh and calf measurements, and how those have changed as you've lost weight?

I really hope mine change! I would love to be able to wear nice boots, and I also love downhill skiing... I had to buy a pair of ski boots last year and have them modified because my calves were too big to wear the ones you can rent at the ski hills! Any input people can give is great Sorry, I know this is kind of rambly.

You may never be totally happy with how your legs look, but if you stick with your eating and exercise plans they are sure to improve!

I don't know how helpful this will be but I'll give you my measurements. I'm 5'2" and I started at 172.6 lbs, but I didn't measure right away.

My first measurements, when I was 150.2 lbs:
thigh - 25"
calf - 15"

My most recent measurements, at 130.8 lbs:
thigh - 22.25"
calf - 13.5"

Not a huge change in the numbers but I can see the difference!

I'm 5'8'', currently around 143 lbs, My thigh measurement is around 23 inches and I would love them to be about 21. Didn't really lose any inches in that area yet. Maybe an inch or so. My calves are 14.6 inches. I'm happy with that. I lost fat everywhere except from my thighs and lovehandles. So losing these last few pounds must take care of that!

I'm not sure what my thigh measurement was at my highest weight but right now it's 25" at 177lbs. I know it was at least 27" but I have no clue for my high weight.

My calf is 15" (today was the first time I bothered measuring it so I can't say anything about before).

At your height and weight you'll definitely see an improvement as you lose. Especially look into weight lifting! I know that might seem counterintuitive to you because you say you're muscular already BUT that extra girth is from fat not your muscles. I started lifting heavy at the lower end of the 190's and I started losing inches like crazy. I've been at the same height/weight as I currently am before in my life and I'm wearing a size smaller too. Lifting really does make a huge difference!

ETA: I should add that you can't change your body type. I'm someone who carries a lot of weight in my butt/bust but that weight looks very different now in a size 10 vs. before in a size 16. Even if you do end up always having thicker legs they'll be significantly less noticeable once you hit goal.

I’m also unhappy with the size of my legs, so I know how you feel. My thighs are on the smaller side for my waistline, but my calves are on the bigger side. And with the smaller thighs, it just makes my calves look even bigger and stumpier. Over the years, I’ve tried everything I could to decrease the size of my calves and really the only thing that’s worked for me is a combination of weight loss and exercise. So keep up your awesome work and I’m sure you’ll see a difference in your leg size!

I’m 5’3”, so I’m on the shorter side too. When I got to 182 lbs, I measured myself for the first time and my thighs were 24” while my calves were 17”. Today, I weighed in at 171.5 lbs and my thighs are 22.5” while my calves are 16”. It doesn’t seem like a big change, but I can definitely see a difference already.

Thanks for responding!! This is really reassuring... I was kind of picturing myself at like 140-150 lbs with these huge 18" calves, lol. Nice to know that I can probably expect to lose a couple of inches.

runningfromfat - what kind of weight lifting exercises are you doing for your legs? And do you use free weights or machines? I use the gym at my university campus but I usually only use it for cardio exercise as I find the weights (especially the free weights) section really intimidating - It always seems to be full of huge, extremely fit guys who are lifting a billion pounds. I've been thinking about getting a few dumbells in different weights for at home, but I don't know if it's practical for leg exercises...

I follow the New Rules of Lifting for Women. It's an amazing book and explains both why to lift and how. It actually gives 6 months worth of lifting routines.

Right now I'm not doing a lot on my legs simply because my knees are bad and I'm waiting to go to a doc first. However, I deadlift and do squats (without any weight until I fix the knee problem). There are also a lot of ways to do lunges but I just can't at the moment.

The best lifting exercises are ones that move the most muscles at once. So something like a squat or rows vs. calf extensions or tricep kick backs. Also, lift heavy, it'll most effectively help you build your muscles.

Don't worry about the guys, they're normally way too busy grunting to notice you. I've been to a lot of different gyms over my lifetime and have made use of both free weights and machines and nobody has ever bothered me.

My preference is to use free weights but I do use a few machines (mostly for lat pull downs). Free weights are going to give you a wider range of motion and you can do a lot just with your body and free weights. Also check out the weight lifting forum!

Thanks so much, I will have to check out that book. Seems like it would be possible to develop a fairly good weights routine at home... although maybe I should just get over my fear of the super buff guys at the gym and save myself a few dollars, lol. Thanks for your help! I hope you're able to solve your knee issues soon!

Saving money is always great but ultimately the most important thing is an exercise routine that you know you'll stick to. I suggest definitely trying the gym first but if you can get past your fears get the weights for home so you'll at least be doing it.

Thanks! I'm hoping to see a doc soon. We had to switch over our insurance recently and now I'll be able to go hopefully soon.

I have the same problem- my thighs are a couple of inches bigger than yours, and my calves are about the same size. I learned that it's because of the way I'm built- I'm very long-waisted, so my thighs naturally seem to hold more of the weight (cuz they're disproportionately short). The plus side is that I don't have to worry as much about belly fat, and have an hourglass shape, so I feel better about myself at a higher weight (vs if it was all in my belly).