A question about legs...
 

So even when I was 40lbs smaller than I am now, I have always had 'ugly' legs. They are lumpy and bumpy and just overall big. Def not what you would call pretty at all. I'm only 5'4 so it just makes me look so chunky that wearing skirts/shorts is not an option at all. I'm not exaggerating, they don't look good AT ALL.

I'm just wondering if anyone has experienced an improvement in this area after weightloss/exercise?

I know everyone is different, but is it a possibility that as I lose weight/fitness increases I will lose the fat etc from that area and I guess 'tone' it a bit more? I'm wondering if its maybe just how my body works, that it will be the last area to go kind of thing?

Or is it more likely that thats just how my lower body is?

My lower half is huge comared to my top off. My legs have always been really big, even at my lowest weight. However, even when they are the last thing to lose fat, they still lose fat which is at least somewhat positive. Once you get closer to your goal weight, you will most likely see a big difference.

I'm a typical pear shape, and the last place to lose the weight is in my legs and butt. I do still have sturdier legs, but they are more shapely now. I do have quite a bit of loose skin on the back my thighs (noticeable to me, not to others), but that's a fair trade-off IMHO (and I'm 40 and have 6 kids, so that's 2 strikes against me in the elasticity department). There will be more muscle definition the more you lose and the more you work those leg muscles, and less chance of loose skin.

Keep on going! It's sometimes so easy to be self-critical, but you have to focus on the positive in this journey; look how much you've lost already, how far you've already come.

Whatever your biggest problem area is now will be your biggest problem area later.

Your legs will shrink but it is not uncommon to see women who are extremely lean in their upper bodies and still have pronounced areas of fat in their lower body.

Best thing you can do in my opinion is lift heavy weights and keep losing fat.

Have you actually tried measuring your legs? Maybe they really are shrinking, but because you see yourself daily, it feels the same. That's kind of how I am when I look in the mirror daily. (Which is why at first I didn't actually think I was as big as I was.)

Keep putting in the work and you'll get there! We have the same problem area!

I am the exact same way as you. And while its annoying. Just have to keep working at it. Eventually it will be better.

And like another mentioned, measuring your legs will make you feel better, because they probably are shrinking! Just not as proportionate as you'd like.

Let me just say that I don't think "skinny" jeans are ever going to be my friend... But my problem is that my legs are too "muscular" and since I have very little desire to look like a body builder upstairs, I think I'm just going to have to accept the fact that I might always look a little bit out of proportion... but I'm hoping once I get down to goal it won't be so noticeable...

Many people have to deal with issues of body image as they lose weight- a big part of that is figuring out if your assessments of yourself are reasonable, or if they're completely different than the way others see you. Exercise always helps.

Yeppers.

I used to hate my legs and have a lot of dimpling/celulite/fat on my thighs, hips and rear. Now, because of heavy weight training and a consistently healthy diet (Not that I don't have off days... I'm human) they are one of my favorite features.

Even being 5'4 and having disproportionally short legs/a long torso they now look long, lithe and lean, and don't have an ounce of fat on them. :)

Echoing JohnP and JossFit. Heavy weights and fat loss.

My legs don't improve significantly until I get pretty low and lean, unfortunately. They're the last to shape up. The last pounds are making it happen, though.

I made a post about this recently with some progress pics:
http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/4428791-post4.html

Thanks guys! I'll get onto the weights :) Just good to have a bit of hope!!

My legs improve the most during the last 20 pounds of weight loss. They'll never be stick-thin, but I'm a size 28-29 (or 6 U.S.) and can finally wear skinny jeans without looking silly.

F.

My legs are my problem area as well. I can't add to the testimonials about how they'll improve, but I love to hear that they have for other people.

What I will add, though, is that while I would like my legs to be thinner, I do like the fact that I have a disproportionately small stomach. (Still LOTS to lose there, too, though!) I don't know if it helps you feel better about your legs, but it helps me feel better about mine, I imagine you also have some compensating good features. (I would, however, love to lose a pound or two from my chin next!)

I have always had disproportionately large legs, even when I was a healthy weight and an athlete in high school & college. I am still a few pounds away from goal, and I'm 41 (so things are hanging a bit, anyway, hah!) - but I've definitely noticed a difference. I have distinct thigh muscles now and though, in general, they are still thicker than I'd like, they do look much better than they did 20, 40 and 60 pounds ago. I noticed the biggest difference when I hit 160, about 15-20 lbs from goal.

For me, though, it took a lot of exercise, not just weight loss. The muscle definition is what makes the improvement, IMO. So yes, absolutely lose the weight (fat) - but adding the muscle is what shapes/defines the legs.

I'm also a classic pear with a small upper body and very big thighs and bum. I wouldn't mind the big thighs if they were nicely shaped (round), but they're seriously lumpy - I have a pair of nasty looking saddlebags :( And no matter how much I weigh (I've been slim once before) I still have them.

*sigh*

my legs arent extra chubby (not chubbier than the rest of me anyway) but even when i was thin/underweight they just arent that pretty. i have stretch marks, etc. im so glad that other people were able to get their legs looking good, but for me ive learned that leggings and dark tights are my friends. also high heels make my legs look about 1000 times better.

I'm a pear and have varicose veins. Now, at goal weight, I look terrific in slacks. I still look not-my-best in all but the longest skirts because my calves are apparently never going to shrink proportionally. I also still have to have my pants tailored so that the waists don't gap. So, yeah, still the same problems, but at a smaller size I do look better when I address those problems. Dressing is definitely a lot more fun now, but still requires a lot of thought and effort to look my best.

I also have the classic "thunder thighs" as my mother likes to call them. They are fat, jiggly and full of dimples, I thought running would tone my legs but after over 6 months it didn't make a difference.

My approach was cardio but my friend (who was doing this with me) took the strength training approach and she had a dramatic change in her legs. This time around (since I am nearly starting over) I am using cardio and strength training to approve my legs.

I have to recommend walking. Not just a stroll, but a brisk walk where you are a little out of breathe and breaking out into a sweat. Also if you could walk interrupted like on a school track would be great to help keep your heart rate up.

I have long legs, but I've had to cover them up for many years due to cellulite and lumps. I've been powerwalking consistently only since July and my legs have totally transformed. I have no more cellulite, saddlebags are mostly gone, my inner thigh fat is disappearing and my legs are more toned and showing muscle definition.

I'm using Walk Away The Pounds DVD's (it's more than just walking there are kicks and knee lifts etc.) and I go out on a school track once in a while. I get a walk in everyday between 3 and 8 miles (the higher miles are broken up into an AM and a PM walk). When I first started I could barely do one mile. I do watch what I eat though, eat lots of protein and drink tons of water too.

Ya know our bodies are what they are. Most likely we all have what we consider a "problem" area.

Mine is the abs. But I had twins that weighed 6 1 3/4 and 6 1 1/4, natural birth, gained from 135 to 195. Lost 35 lbs in the 3 days post birth. Stetch marks up the ying yang. Plus genetically prone to a pot gut.

So be it. Planks are my friend! At 53 my abs, for what life gave me look pretty darn good. Not fitness model good, but, as good as I'm gonna get without thousands of dollars in surgery and pain and agony. Not gonna do that.

Anywho, fot the dimply fat, aka, cellulite, strentgh training, metabolic training and,MASSAGE! The lumpiness and dimples come from breaks in the conective tissue under the skin that lets the fat cells bulge out.

What better excuse for regular visits for a massage!