Hi all, so this weight loss is taking a toll on me 'cause I am losing patience! Though I love getting into smaller clothes, I don't know how to make my hips smaller!!! I never knew it would be the toughest part of the body to lose fat from!!
I've read that Cardio is going to help burn the hip fat..I can't help but think I need to do something more!
Will signing up with a trainer help?
Or are there any other less expensive ways?
Maybe I should walk more?
I do 40 mins cardio everyday anyway so I dont know how much more I need to do or WHAT I need to do to get rid of the fat around my hips! I keep joking that each of my thigh weighs 20 lbs easily!! If only I could carve them into shape like gyros!! LOL !!
All of you who have hit goal.. any pointers?
I've attached my before pictures from last year and pics I took yesterday!! I hate the shape my body is at right now with the wide hips!! Ugh...
Just keep going. We are all genetically predisposed to carry our weight in certain places. No such thing as spot reducing, sad to say. However, by continuing to lose weight, you will lose inches in your trouble areas. You've already made tremendous progress. Just continue!
Can I just say that you are freaking adorable! lol Really! You look great!
What's been working really well for me is walking hills. I can't believe how strong my legs and butt are and cannot believe how much smaller my saddlebags/thighs are. My hips/thighs were bigger when I was in my 20's and at a lower weight than I am now.
But the big thing is just losing more, I think. I am having the same sort of frustration with my belly now (oddly I was never that worried about my belly when I was bigger, but now I'm so frustrated bc I keep feel this crazy abs under there but there's still a pool of fat and skin sitting on top of them). I think I just need to lose that fat.
We are all genetically predisposed to carry our weight in certain places. No such thing as spot reducing, sad to say.
This. Yes it is true facts. There are just the certain points that our bodies will want to hold on to excess a little more vigorously. For me, it's my thighs and somewhat my upper arms. Even at my lowest weight everything was still pretty round looking but I was happy enough with adding some definition and the fact that they had reduced at all. Despite myths (and even personal trainers may tell you it's possible) you can not hone in on one certain area to reduce those little areas of extra body, even with repetitive exercise. Some crunchers drive me crazy..."I have to get rid of this little bit of fat on my belly [that can't even be pinched, natch] so I do xxx crunches EVERY night." Oh honey, good luck with that! LOL. Learn to love every part of you, you look super cute
Last edited by nostoneunturned; 05-11-2014 at 12:59 AM.
Yeah I know spot reduction is a myth but I never thought of the gene aspect cos my mom doesn't have hips like mine, neither does my sis, nor does anyone else in my family!! Where did I get these weird genes from?? :/
Nitrus...you have done an AWESOME job. OMG you inspire me....though I dare say Im much older and much heavier with several "other issues" going on. You give me hope. Might I offer what worked for me as far as reducing the hip area (years ago now ~sigh~) But even at my weight now, which is most all in my belly area, I have terrific muscular well shaped legs and hips. All throughout my younger years I was a freak about working out and keeping things toned and shapely. Friends always remarked about it (I remember this fondly).
But anyway...sorry I got distracted. But what always worked for me was laying on the floor on my side.. say left side.....hold your arm straight up pointing at the sky...now start lifting your leg towards it. keep doing it. Over time you will be able to grab your foot and hold for a ten count. Then roll over and do the other side. You can further it by standing...holding to something and raising your leg to the side again much the same way. Doing a straight kick forward or back is tr icky because it CAN mess with your back. Ive had a broken back twice so I can do them anymore but I hunger for the day I can do them laying down.
I wish you so much continued success. Please let us know how you're doing
You do look very cute. You should be proud of your hard work that has gotten you so far into your weight loss. I know many people say spot reduction isn't possible but I think that if you apply some kind of resistance to your outer thighs and work them under this pressure, those bulges should respond. I think finding a qualified trainer for some minimal number of sessions just to learn the exercises should do. The key is finding the right trainer who is knowledgeable. That is all I can think. I wish you good luck!
I have the same problem and strangely I remember my thighs slimming down when I was regularly doing an arms strength training workout (this was a Claudia Schiffer workout, it's in youtube I believe).
I also think you can target areas through increasing blood flow and mechanically speaking as well. I do adductor and abductor machines at the gym (you sit and push or pull with the upper outer thigh ie the saddlebag). Squats have also helped me, there are also Claudia Schiffer legs and buns workouts that I highly recommend.
Restless - sorry to hear about your back. I know the exercise you're talking about. I've seen it in the old Jane Fonda workout videos. I'll start doing them from today!
happynottsgirl thank you.. I have those adductor / abductor machines at my gym, I've tried them a few times but never seriously! I'll give it a shot.
BigNomore71 - yes I think the resistance can be added by doing the machines that happynottsgirl is talking about.
thank you so much everyone for your suggestions , I'm gonna try them all today onwards!
nitrus29: you look amazing! I've always been a pear and I still am. At goal weight, the best-sized "dress" for me is separate pieces -- size 10 on top and size 14 on bottom. Still, at goal weight and wearing clothes that fit and are flattering, I look good. Our societal messages are screwy about hips -- wide hips are biologically beneficial so many of us are going to have them, even if fashion models don't.
Oh yes. The saddlebags. Not really "hips" per se, as they live on your thighs. But building muscle on your legs will help make your legs look slimmer as you continue to reduce fat. Especially working the glutes by doing abductor exercises, glute bridges, cable kickbacks, sumo squats and the glute machine if your gym has one. Improving the musculature of your legs will make you jiggle less and help to make that area not look so bulgy. It will most likely take much more fat loss to make it go away, though, because mine go away when I am really close to goal. But by the time I get to goal (3+ times now- I am a pro), I have always been much more muscular, and firmer saddlebags look a lot more appealing than jiggly ones! I promise if you incorporate some heavier all over strength training to your routine, plus or minus some HIIT routines, you may be surprised how much you can improve it overall.
There is no such thing as spot reducing, though you can sculpt muscles. Have you done any body weight exercises like lunges and squats etc? Pear shaped bottoms like us try to do so much work on our hips and thighs that we often forget to build muscle in other areas to help balance the look. So I like to spend plenty of time targeting my calves (which are scrawny compared to my thighs) and my shoulders (also scrawmy).
And girlfriend, have you met my best friend Spanx?
Haha! I'd love to have thighs and hips, as I'm an apple when I gain weight and end up with a thick middle - like a potato with legs. Boo!
Truly though, it isn't as bad as you think it is. Stay on plan, keeping doing workouts you love, and dress in a way that flatters yours hips, like fuller skirts and higher waistlines. Emphasize the positives and let the fat distribution take care of itself. It will improve a bit as you get smaller but your overall shape is genetic and there isn't much for it. It's a very feminine pattern of fat distribution and one you can easily play to your advantage. But those pants and shoes are doing nothing for you
I think different clothing styles would help. Wear pants that follow a straight line from your hips, instead of ones that taper so drastically at the ankle. Or dresses with an empire-waist and full skirt. Or a wrap-around dress with a flared skirt. Or high-waisted pants with wide legs. Or an A-line skirt. Or a billowy tunic with cropped pants. Or a jacket/cardigan that falls just below the hips and is belted at the waist. Also, a big bold statement necklace draws the eye up and dramatic high heels draw the eye down....in other words, away from your hips.
Hips Hips Hips! Help? Anyone?
, I'm gonna try them all today onwards!
