Getting rid of saddle bags....

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Spot reducing is a myth - you can't pick a place on your body, do some exercizes, and have that area get smaller. You CAN tone the muscle in a particular area, but the layer of fat on top can only be reduced in one way - by reducing calories to induce fat loss.

Once the fat is reduced (and you can't pick where it's going to come off - unfortunately for me it decided to come off first in my chest area, taking me down a couple cup sizes) you will see the developed muscle underneath.

This really makes sense. Exercise increases muscles in certain areas that get worked. Exercise also burns more calories- but burning calories makes you generally lose fat all over, not just in a particular spot. You can't get rid of fat thighs specifically by doing thigh exercises. Thigh exercises will give you bigger/stronger thigh muscles, and if you exercise enough in general to burn more calories than you consume then the fat on your thighs will get less- along with the fat on the rest of your body.
My saddlebags (more like "love handles" fatty lumps on the sides of my hips) have decreased dramatically along with my 20 pound weight loss. I'll need to lose another 10-15 pounds to get rid of them altogether, but then my face might look older I think. Not sure which I want more.

[Zen]

Sometimes in these longer threads we lose the idea of the original post.
I think Yen has lost her weight, now she needs to build muscle.

[LBTC]

Yen - Lots of good ideas here. For myself, I found that cycling was not enough to tone muscles well. When I took up kickboxing, the results were dramatic and I LOVED it! Anything you love will help, especially with toning the glutes and hams as a focus, as usual, the key is finding something you really enjoy!

Hugs and butterflies,
~T~

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Sometimes in these longer threads we lose the idea of the original post.
I think Yen has lost her weight, now she needs to build muscle.

Sorry, I thought she was describing the stubborn fat deposits on the backs of her thighs ("soft baggy stuff", saddlebags).

[Zen]

Zen goes back to look at original...

I've lost some weight and I look pretty good now

ok, some weight.

All except the saddle bags, that is. I'm talking about the soft baggy stuff at the back of the thighs just below the butt. My legs and arms are getting stronger but I do not see much change there.

Are there any specific exercises I can do at home for this? Or, will they just get better as I continue riding? I just returned to cycling after 20+ a layoff and trying to add mileage every week and I can see subtle changes in all other parts of my legs, just not this part. I also walk.

Jen

Alrighty then.
She can still do specific exercises ( i think we covered that )
they can only help.
They will get better with more riding.
She will lose more weight if she continues riding (and eating right)

To top it off, I don't think she's checked in here lately anyway!

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

[SIZE="1"]
To top it off, I don't think she's checked in here lately anyway!

Maybe not, but the good news is we've solved her saddlebag problem!

[indigoiis]

You can be technically "skinny" and have well-developed muscles, and still have saddlebags. And saddlebags are basically a layer of fat. For me, they are the last bit of fat on my body. In most women, the thighs and rearend tend to withhold fat reserves. Losing the fat by reducing calories (whether through exercize or reduced intake) will burn whatever fat stores one might have. Specific exercizes for the thighs and legs will certainly tone the muscle beneath the fat, and will tend to encourage fat loss. But it won't necessarily "burn off" the saddlebags - not right away, anyway.

And no, thigh/leg exercizes certainly can't hurt, but really, any exercize involving increased heart rate is going to help burn fat reserves. If Yen is biking, she will also be building muscle in all the right places.

[Yen]

Sorry, I thought she was describing the stubborn fat deposits on the backs of her thighs ("soft baggy stuff", saddlebags).

You're correct -- that's what I'm talking about.