Hello, im new, have thigh questions

I have been biking with a group of people a few days a week. I ride a modest 25 miles a week just yet. I have a Townie cruiser bike as i cant ride a rode or mountain bike its hurts my bike. I have been doing 75 situps a night as well. I am 5'2 and weigh approx 118. Recently i noticed my jeans are tighter around my thighs and butt! and its making me frustrated, as i think fat. But people around me have saidi look fit. Now is this because im building muscle under fat? Or because I am just building muscle so my body now does not squish into tight jeans anymore. Im feeling a little confused, I thought I would slim down.:confused: :confused:

Maybe you are pregnant? Bloated? Muscle typically takes up less space than fat so.... I am at a loss. Biking for me definately made me lose thigh and rump spread. If you have been riding and exercising for a short period of time, I would not worry just yet. But definately look into all aspects of what you are doing, including eating habits, caffiene intake, salt intake, etc. I know for me if I OD on salt and or caffiene, my otherwise loose pants feel abit snug.....

There's a good chance that your building muscle and dont be scared of that. Its a great thing when you can wear somejeans and look at your rear and thighs and notice they're much fitter than they were before and you feel great:D When I first started riding, I lost a lot of weight, but then a gained a lot back,but not in fat. I didn't really notice until my BF told me one day that 'hey your legs and butt look really lean and great' that it was a good thing.
Also, if your being very active and eating well, your probably also loosing fat as well. Just watch what you eat and keep being active and you'll notice that your body is changing in a good way:D
Also, check out these forum discussions and you'll realize your not alone in weight gain.
http://forums.teamestrogen.com/showthread.php?t=4700

Welcome to the forum, Luna! BTW- 25 miles a week is great at the beginning. A year ago I started riding by doing 3 miles, then 4 etc. I now ride about 75 miles a week- and hope to do more.

I slimmed down pretty soon after beginning to cycle. I would definitely not worry about cycling making your thighs bigger - mine are more toned and muscular now, but less fat- in fact I need some new clothes because they are too loose now :D . So, like others said, check your food intake - if you are doing a lot of "carb loading" and not cycling long miles yet, that could be your answer. Just keep going and having fun out there.

118 at 5'2" is not that big so my guess is that you are putting on muscle. Your glutes will definitely round out and your thighs will change shape. If you're noticing that your pants are tighter closer to the knees, that's very likely new muscle. Most people will find that they lose fat off the upper part of the thigh and gain muscle in the lower part.

Good job on getting out there and doing it!!

PS - even with back pain you can get a road bike, it's just a matter of finding someone to fit you properly. You can get special stems and headsets that bring your body position more upright, even on a road bike. Then you could still take advantage of the lighter faster bike with the comforts of a townie.

I must be gaining muscle, I am a newbie rider. Well not really but to the intensity that I am riding now is new for me and my pants are getting tighter!!! ahhhh, at 213 (maybe less) that's not what I want. I am paying close attention to what I put in my body and being a vegetarian protein is always a concern for me. so needless to say honey, I would definitely take your thighs and u can have mine. j/k

But today I had a good ride. 6.4 miles and a .9 mile walk; due to a flat :mad:
Dinner consisted of a herb salad, spaghetti w/ cottage cheese and a slice or wheat sourdough. YUM!!! I feel that I had a good protein day. Not worried too much especially after my evening workout.

Well, I feel I should say this: if you don't want any muscles, then don't exercise! ;) :rolleyes:
Ask yourself- what is your goal?
Is your goal to be thin everywhere have no muscle and fit into really skinny tight jeans?...Then restrict your calories and fat severely and don't exercise. :cool:
Is your goal to be healthy and have less flab and fat but more curves because of having some actual muscles on your calves, arms, thighs, butt, etc? Then eat healthily and exercise often. :)

Exercise will burn fat and build muscle. We're not talking Arnold Schwarzenegger here.....just having some visible muscles in places where you may have had none before. For example: before I started biking, I was 25 lbs heavier with no real muscle. My thighs were fatty and jiggly and of uniform thickness all over. Now my thighs lost a lot of fat padding- they have CURVES where they go in or out. The fronts of my thighs stick out MORE because I have nice muscles there, but my thighs are slimmer than before in areas where there aren't muscle. You can see way more air space between my thighs when I'm standing with my feet together. Yet my calves are bigger and curvier...muscle. I love the beautiful curves on my legs now- they look so much better than the muscle-less legs of before. That might mean that tight jeans won't fit as much as before. I look leaner overall, yet I have more muscles that stick out. There is definition where before there was just muscle-less smooth lines.
Take your choice when you are deciding what your goals are...but congratulations for starting to exercise!! :) :)

Luna- You seem to be experiencing the same phenomena I end up going through every spring...

I didn't ride much thru the winter- I rode, but not that much... put a little weight on, but not much... I'm 5'5 and 120# give or take a couple, so 'not much'. just enough to fill out my curves a little. I start cycling and b/c I ride a mtb, fewer revolutions to more power (read: mashing) my muscles get big-huge fast. It *seems* like they do that faster than I end up burning the fat around/over them, so for awhile, the curve-hugging pants I wear for work get :eek: a little huggier than I'm comfortable with. Just mind your diet- the muscle built will eventually start noticeably raising your metabolism and you'll lose some of the insulation. That and +1 to what Cyclchyk and Wahine said.

I need to get back in the saddle more... It's not the 120- I'm happy at 120-130. It's the "squish" factor... and I'm feelin' a lot more squish than I'm happy with... :(

Sounds to me like you're just adding some of muscle. Now, I could be just rationalizing my "fat" days, but I sometimes feel like my muscles, especially my leg muscles, literally swell after a hard/new workout. For instance, when I started doing some weight training this fall, I could swear that my thigh muscles were swollen after the first couple of workouts, almost like they were retaining water. I imagine there's a scientific explanation for it, e.g., increased bloodflow, but I don't know that for sure. In any event, they always return to normal after a few days.

I, personally, lost some inches in my upper thighs, hips and butt when I started riding. I also lost about 6 pounds, which I managed to keep off. My mid- to lower thighs, however, have gotten bigger, especially from spinning over the winter.

I agree with Lisa, though. The goal (hopefully) in exercising is to get more fit/stronger. If that means bigger thighs and/or booty, I'd encourage you to embrace that. That said, remember to watch your calories intake, too. You need to fuel your increased activity, but don't overfuel it.

thanks so much for your adivce and experience. When I horse back rode for years, I had fit thin thighs. The biking I guess is swelling them some and yes I DO WANT a heathier lifesyle and if it means tighter jeans so be it.. I feel stronger and fitter and firmer. This is only after say 3 months. SO that is how new I am.:)

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Originally Posted by Luna

thanks so much for your adivce and experience. When I horse back rode for years, I had fit thin thighs. The biking I guess is swelling them some and yes I DO WANT a heathier lifesyle and if it means tighter jeans so be it.. I feel stronger and fitter and firmer. This is only after say 3 months. SO that is how new I am.:)

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That sounds great Luna. :)
Hey when I was young I had a horse for a several years and rode every day, but I never got big leg muscles. Think about where your "horsepower" is coming from next time you're riding your bike uphill. ;)

okay I hope you don't get offended by this but thanks for being my bicycling ma. you put a lot in perspective for me. Thanks....
I do understand this but with the history and family influence it is hard for me to always have a clear head and think the way I should POSITIVELY!!!! Thanks you

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Originally Posted by Lisa S.H.

That sounds great Luna. :)
Hey when I was young I had a horse for a several years and rode every day, but I never got big leg muscles. Think about where your "horsepower" is coming from next time you're riding your bike uphill. ;)

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Yeah, thats great, I will think of my legs as horses legs. To a horse person horse legs are the best!:) :)

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Originally Posted by freelivez2

okay I hope you don't get offended by this but thanks for being my bicycling ma. you put a lot in perspective for me. Thanks....
I do understand this but with the history and family influence it is hard for me to always have a clear head and think the way I should POSITIVELY!!!! Thanks you

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I am totally tickled- thank you for those very kind words! :p
Yes it's not always easy to keep things in perspective when society in general, and sometimes family as well, are constantly sending us mixed messages.
You sound like you have your head screwed on right though! ;)

Yes, it WAS easier going up hill on a horse, wasn't it. :D :D :D :D :D

I sorta wish my bike would go faster when I make clicking noises with my tongue. :rolleyes:

Oh that reminds me of an embarrassing memory re:bikes....
When I was 12, I was given a one speed blue girls Schwinn. I called it "Heather" (ugh!). I never had much up to then except just roller skates, so this was like a dream come true for me.
We lived in the country at the time, and I woould take my bike along the abandoned railroad tracks to ride (the ties were long gone, just a trail left).
As a typical 12 year old girl- I dreamed of horses endlessly. I was riding my bike along the tracks and I pretended it was a horse, and started making cowboy horse riding sounds "Giddyup", clicking my tongue, even neighing and snorting! :D (I was a bit too old to be doing this, but there was no one around) Then to my horror a grown up cyclist came up behind me silently, said Hello and passed me. He HAD to have heard ALL my horsey-pretend noises!! :eek: :eek:
Gawd, was that embarrassing. :cool:

No Lisa:o . That was all too cute a story and I can relate. Biking to me is the next best thing to horses and less money:)

Lisa, when I read your post about "if you don't want any muscles, then don't exercise!" I expected you'd get some backlash. I'm glad that it was taken in the spirit intended. We all know how things in writing don't usually easily convey the true emotions intended... Anyhow, I just wanted to say you are absolutely right. I WISH I could see some more bulk IF IT WAS MUSCLE. Women need to embrace muscle! After all, don't we all want to be strong women - mentally, emotionally, and physically?

"A STRONG MIND IN A STRONG BODY."

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Originally Posted by CyclChyk

Maybe you are pregnant?

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Being in the Health Care field, I am loving this suggestion. Make her panic, maybe? (This is the most commonly asked question to women with health inquiries, which is why I find it funny. Most women either panic or are elated with joy.)

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Originally Posted by li10up

Women need to embrace muscle! After all, don't we all want to be strong women - mentally, emotionally, and physically?

"A STRONG MIND IN A STRONG BODY."

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Uh-oh, I sense an old Helen Reddy song coming up.....
http://www.lyricstime.com/helen-redd...an-lyrics.html

:D

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Originally Posted by Meg McKilty

Being in the Health Care field, I am loving this suggestion. Make her panic, maybe? (This is the most commonly asked question to women with health inquiries, which is why I find it funny. Most women either panic or are elated with joy.)

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When walking in the hospital for nearly any complaint, any women of procreating age is believed to be pregnant until proven otherwise!!! And sometimes even after being proven otherwise!! I once had horrible lower abdomen pain (which turned out to be ovarian cysts) and I had to take 3 pregnancy tests in 24 hours.

It was a smart thing to do, mind you. But it became old by the third one...

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Originally Posted by Grog

When walking in the hospital for nearly any complaint, any women of procreating age is believed to be pregnant until proven otherwise!!! And sometimes even after being proven otherwise!!

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It's terribly annoying (and even borderline insulting at times) but the fact is that practitioners catch soooo many problems with this screening detail. :rolleyes:

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Originally Posted by Lisa S.H.

As a typical 12 year old girl- I dreamed of horses endlessly. I was riding my bike along the tracks and I pretended it was a horse, and started making cowboy horse riding sounds "Giddyup", clicking my tongue, even neighing and snorting! :D (I was a bit too old to be doing this, but there was no one around) Then to my horror a grown up cyclist came up behind me silently, said Hello and passed me. He HAD to have heard ALL my horsey-pretend noises!! :eek: :eek:
Gawd, was that embarrassing. :cool:

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I think that is just the sweetest story, Lisa! :D

I think if I were a horse, I'd definitely be a cob. Yep, a short little cobby pony. With a bad temper!

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Originally Posted by Dianyla

I think if I were a horse, I'd definitely be a cob. Yep, a short little cobby pony. With a bad temper!

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You'd be one of those Welsh ponies, with the long flaxen mane and the forelock hanging down over it's eyes. You'd have a bad temper, and rightly so, from being down in the coal mines. :p
I'd probably be a Morgan, like the NYC Police Dept used to ride. Dependable, not gun shy, but quick on my feet if necessary! :D

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Originally Posted by indysteel

sometimes feel like my muscles, especially my leg muscles, literally swell after a hard/new workout. For instance, when I started doing some weight training this fall, I could swear that my thigh muscles were swollen after the first couple of workouts, almost like they were retaining water. I imagine there's a scientific explanation for it, e.g., increased bloodflow, but I don't know that for sure. In any event, they always return to normal after a few days.

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This is my guess as well. In the healing process there is some swelling of the muscle that occurs a couple of days after strenuous muscle work. It generally last about 2-4 days. Drink plenty of water and take a multi-vitamin...and this will speed the healing process.

And no matter what keep up the good work.:)

So waht is the reason for the tight, tight feeling in the thighs when i get off the bike, sometimes my legs will shake too.
Im really enjoying this forum:D

That tight feeling is good! It's one of my fav parts of cycling (and working out in general). Nothing beats the feeling of muscles after a long hard day of work. The tightness is just your muscles tell you they worked. It's what I call 'good pain'.

Very different from the bad pain that signifies injury, to me.

And on the topic of muscles... a girl can't have too many! (Well, okay, some of those extreme heavyweight bodybuilders do get a bit scary...) but I looove my muscles, even though they don't make me the slimmest girl out there. I like the fact that when I lift at the gym I can see the grunty-men peer at me in the mirror and check out my guns. I also like the fact that I don't have to ask the people at the grocery store to carry my heavy bags, and the fact that I and my 5'5" boyfriend can lift and carry a 52" tv up 2 floors without dying, and that I can shovel a whole big driveway in about 25 minutes without feeling like I've done any physical activity.

Muscles are the poop.

I loove my muscles. Exactly what kimmyt said.

I did not think I would enjoy biking so much that im upset when i can't go or my business ties me down, I really am a newbie at it, AS i said I ride a townie electra 21 speed. I bike with a woman who is experienced and used to ride a rode bike and still does at times but goes biking with me on her townie. We are in florida so it is flat. We ride along the bay fronts and she is taking me up a bridge were alot of bikers go over this water way. I can only make it to the top and then back. I will soon be ready to go over the otherside and back:p . I used to not make it 1/4, now i go to the top. I lead the crew out on the bikes too at about 14MPH. May be slow to some real bikers huh?:cool:

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Originally Posted by Luna

I did not think I would enjoy biking so much that im upset when i can't go or my business ties me down, I really am a newbie at it, AS i said I ride a townie electra 21 speed. I bike with a woman who is experienced and used to ride a rode bike and still does at times but goes biking with me on her townie. We are in florida so it is flat. We ride along the bay fronts and she is taking me up a bridge were alot of bikers go over this water way. I can only make it to the top and then back. I will soon be ready to go over the otherside and back:p . I used to not make it 1/4, now i go to the top. I lead the crew out on the bikes too at about 14MPH. May be slow to some real bikers huh?:cool:

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Don't worry about the speed, sista. You sound like you're enjoying yourself and that's all that matters. If you ever do decide to go to a road bike, you'll be that much more of a strong rider. Imagine, if you're going that fast on your cruiser, how fast you might be able to ride on something lighter and designed for speed.

I'm a super duper newbie and I'm just wondering when my thighs will get muscular enough so that I look halfway decent in lycra shorts! What my legs do now is indent where the shorts end and then the fat pooches out below the hem of the shorts. This is just DISGUSTING! :eek:

When I ride with other people, I'm only wearing my Pearl Izumi Sugar Knickers...they look much better and boy, they sure are comfy. Anyway, I can already see more definition on the outside part of my legs above my knees and in my calves. But the insides of my thighs and even the inside of my knees have so much flab! I am really hoping this will be replaced with muscle. It's ok with me if my thighs don't shrink, but something must be done about the flab! I wear a size 8, so I'm not terribly big, but wow, those bike shorts really do accentuate the fat!

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Originally Posted by sgtiger

If you ever do decide to go to a road bike, you'll be that much more of a strong rider. Imagine, if you're going that fast on your cruiser, how fast you might be able to ride on something lighter and designed for speed.

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I don't know, you have to be pretty strong to push one of those cruisers around! ;)

Sara- I'm having a hard time finding shorts that don't cut in at the legbands too. They fit everywhere else. I'm not fat. It's the shorts (really!), and I'm still searching for the right size and brand.

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Originally Posted by sara

I'm a super duper newbie and I'm just wondering when my thighs will get muscular enough so that I look halfway decent in lycra shorts! What my legs do now is indent where the shorts end and then the fat pooches out below the hem of the shorts. This is just DISGUSTING! :eek:

When I ride with other people, I'm only wearing my Pearl Izumi Sugar Knickers...they look much better and boy, they sure are comfy. Anyway, I can already see more definition on the outside part of my legs above my knees and in my calves. But the insides of my thighs and even the inside of my knees have so much flab! I am really hoping this will be replaced with muscle. It's ok with me if my thighs don't shrink, but something must be done about the flab! I wear a size 8, so I'm not terribly big, but wow, those bike shorts really do accentuate the fat!

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Keep riding! It will come. When I started last spring, I had no muscle definition in my legs, just flab. Skinny flab too (I have a thin build). It did the same thing you were describing and I felt funny in biking shorts. So did my husband. But he has a build where he has tons of muscle just waiting to be revealed, so he picked up his definition quickly and I convinced him to not wear shorts over his cycling shorts to hide his appearance.

For me, building muscle has never been easy. But I knew I was on the right track when I could see thigh muscles beginning to emerge. I got very happy when not too long after, I actually had solid defined calf muscles.

So don't worry, it will come, as long as you make time with the bike!

This thread has moved on, but I can so relate to this:

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When walking in the hospital for nearly any complaint, any women of procreating age is believed to be pregnant until proven otherwise!!! And sometimes even after being proven otherwise!! I once had horrible lower abdomen pain (which turned out to be ovarian cysts) and I had to take 3 pregnancy tests in 24 hours.

It was a smart thing to do, mind you. But it became old by the third one...

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I had a cyst last summer, obviously brought on by stress, because it burst just as I was finishing up directing a state baseball tournament that I had worked night and day on for weeks. I mean, it happened during the last pitch and while the trophies were being handed out!

So, hubby carried me to the ER, and is sitting in the room with me. Xrays are ordered, blood is drawn, I see various nurses, docs, technicians, still trying to determine if I have a "surgical belly". Then, as the xray tech is coming to take me away, a young gal who had just been sitting at the desk outside my room, and eating pizza, rushes past him, hand over her mouth so as not to be *rude* by talking with her mouth full. Breathlessly she says, "Is there any chance you could be PREGNANT!?"

Uh, no. I'm not pregnant, I say through my teeth gritted from the pain.

"Are you sure!?"

No, I'm not pregnant. He had a vasectomy 13 years ago, I manage to whisper.

"But are YOU fertile?"

Honest person that I am, and not quite able to express my exasperation at this questioning, I blurt out, "We haven't slept together in several weeks!" (Hey, we're in our 40s and we have a young teenager who stays up late in the adjacent room every night.)

....it gets worse.

She RUSHES out of the room to the gathered medical people who were not involved and the local firefighter/emt/er nurse who also coaches in my baseball league, and announces to one and all that "THEY HAVEN'T SLEPT TOGETHER IN SEVERAL WEEKS!"

I cannot begin to say how inappropriate her behavior was. She wasn't involved in my care. She appeared to think she was the only person in the entire ER including the nurse, xray tech and MD, who would have thought to ask the question. Then she violated my privacy and caused me embarrassment and loss of dignity by blurting out my personal business for literally everyone to hear.

grrr...does not even begin to cover it. I've thought of writing a letter to her boss. Surely she's dug her own grave by now, though.

Karen

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Originally Posted by Lisa S.H.

I don't know, you have to be pretty strong to push one of those cruisers around! ;)

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Well the townie is not real heavy to me anyway. I was riding a cheap mountain bike at first that was probably around 35 pounds or more...UGH!! Look out head wind. My business has been so busy I have not rode since last tues!!!!!!!:mad:

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Originally Posted by Tuckervill

grrr...does not even begin to cover it. I've thought of writing a letter to her boss. Surely she's dug her own grave by now, though.

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I totally feel your pain. How inappropriate!!! :eek:

I'm 5'2" and if I was 118lbs I would be ECSTATIC! I'm around 140. I think the other ladies gave good advice, but don't get too hung up on body issues.

Good luck!