Thigh help!

[Veronica]

OH GOD ! I'll never be a 6!

LL Bean relaxed fit jeans fit me well. They have a no questions asked return policy too! They also have some other jeans that are more "in" now with a lower waist. I can't wear most of those... too big of a difference between my waist and my thighs. That style always seems to come with a more fitted thigh. I suppose you can't make a lower waist and a relaxed thigh.

V.

[Bikingmomof3]

I cannot wear the low rise at all. The waist is to big and slides right down to a very embarassing and uncomfortable position. Mid-rise, I can occassionally find. Gap Long and Lean (this always cracks me up, since I am short) work okay if I buy mid-rise, 100% cotton. If there is any "stretch" in them, they slide down the bum again. I have the most difficult time with jeans. I guess I am an hour glass shape.

[velogirl]

You can't pick and choose the body part or location to lose fat. It's kinda like saying that when you do crunches you lose belly fat or if you lift weights for your upper body you lose fat on your arms. That's the myth of spot toning.

When you lose fat, you lose it proportionally all over your body. Women's thighs (and hips, and butt, and belly) tend to pack on more adipose than other parts of our bodies. The good news, however, is we tend to see fat loss in these areas first.

The second part of the equation is what others have mentioned -- when you cycle, you gain muscle mass in your legs/thighs. So, for many women, their thighs actually get larger when they begin riding, and since fat tissue is between the skin and the muscles, your legs might look worse than before you began riding.

If you keep riding and also keep your nutrition in check, you will eventually lose some fat in your thighs.

I always tell clients to remember that we didn't get this way overnight (overweight and out of shape). For most of us, it took years to get where we are today and it will take time to see a positive change.

[KnottedYet]

I've always had trouble finding jeans. Usually if the waist is good, the butt/thighs are too tight. Or if the butt/thighs are good, the waist is gapping HUGELY.

And finding a waist that sits a bit lower (below my bellybutton) seems also to be impossible.

Then... the miracle of MEN'S Levi 560's! Yes, folks, me the Rubenesque curvy girl fits best in men's Levis! I wear 32 w 32 L which seems to be similar to women's 12 or maybe 13. Each inch on the men's sizes seems about approximate to one size in women's.

Another nice thing about men's is that you can get the length you want. And as they "age" any little loose areas tend to shrink (good ol' shrink-to-fit effect)

Knot Loves Her Levis

Edit: I was at a Levi outlet, complaining to a salesgirl about how I used to be able to wear 501's when I was a teen, and how I couldn't find anything to fit these days, whine whine whine. She suggested the men's 560's. How cool that the salesgirl knew the Levi products so well! Kudos to that chickie!

[Bikingmomof3]

I never thought to try Levis. Thanks for the tip.

[tulip]

It also might be worth the $10 to get jeans altered (taken in for the waist). That way, you have custum-fit jeans!

The only jeans that fit me are Ann Taylor. Fortunately, they have great sales from time-to-time (because I don't pay that much for jeans!)

[mimitabby]

One of the women I ride with has ridden AROUND THE WORLD on an incredibly paced tour (close to 100 miles a day!) She has big thighs. They are incredibly strong, she does all sorts of things I will never have the strength endurance or interest in doing. I saw pictures of her during that tour, where she became quite slender!! She did not have skinny thighs there either.
Like the other gals said, you can't make your thighs slim down. What will probably happen is that they will firm up and ADD MORE MUSCLE but if they are already disproportionately large, bicycling will not change them into slim hips and thighs sorry.

[GLC1968]

The good news, however, is we tend to see fat loss in these areas first.

Ha! I wish!

I'm a large legged girl...and I can NEVER find jeans. I find that ones with stretch are better than without...but I've never found a jean that actually fits my waist and my legs and still looks fashionable. To give you an idea, the old Reverse Fit at Gap fit me like a glove. Yuck.

Anyway, I have found that the best way to slim my legs is through sound nutrition, heavy weight training and cardio. Biking obviously covers the cardio, so if I could just reign in my eating and get back into the gym, I'd be golden! When I lost a bunch of weight a couple of years ago, the weight came off my middle first, so pants got even harder to find for awhile. The longer I stuck to my plan, the better it got because eventually, my legs started to lean out too. When I was at my lowest, I still had bigger legs (compared to waist) but it wasn't as drastic as it is when I'm overweight. Now...if I could only duplicate that dedication!

[Cassandra_Cain]

Hi...

I'm sporting big thighs here as well. Really, it runs in my family - my mom is like that, ditto my sisters. That's just where I tend to carry more weight, even when I'm fit and trim.

I really struggle with slim fit jeans, I suppose the manufacturers cut them for gals with super slim thighs perhaps. The one line of jeans I can sometimes get away with unaltered, are the Victoria Secret Boyfriend Jeans.

Anyway, I've got a great seamstress and realized this is the way to go. I'll get jeans a size bigger, so that my thighs fit comfortably, then have her alter the seat and waist for the exact fit I want.

Granted it costs me $15 or so, but I'd rather have one great fitting pair of jeans that cost me a bit more, than a bunch of less expensive ones that look lousy.

Happy shopping.

[Veronica]

Sounds like 15 bucks well spent to me.

V.

[Cassandra_Cain]

Sounds like 15 bucks well spent to me.

V.

You bet!

After seeing an ever increasing pile of jeans/slacks that didn't fit (and the money I spent on them!) - I said no mas~

[suhollyberry]

Yes I know I will always have bigger thighs (I'm a pear shape and I'll always be), but I want bigger thighs that fit into jean! lol

I still have plenty of fat to lose on my wonderful thighs, so I'm hoping that with good nutrition (which I'm doing), cycling (training for a century right now), and strength training I'll lose the fat and end up with the muscle.

What kind of strength training exercises does everyone do?

[KnottedYet]

I used to wear those Gap Reverse Fits!

Give the men's Levi 560's a try. They are very similar, but without the tighter ankles the Gaps had.

Mervyn's has the Levi 560's for $26. I pick up a few likely sizes from the mens dept and take 'em to the women's dept to try them on.

Levi 550 have smaller butts, so if 560 don't work or bag too much try the 550.

[ridebikeme]

I'm like the rest of you... big thighs! I will however, agree with Knotted... I too, wear Levi's. .... used to wear 501's, then 550's or 560's. They fit well, and get better over time HA!! Another jean that many people wear in New England is Carhardt... they are a bit heavier in weight, offer many colors and look like the old painter jeans.

I enjoyed reading this thread, thanks for the info everyone!

[cherinyc]

So, for many women, their thighs actually get larger when they begin riding, and since fat tissue is between the skin and the muscles, your legs might look worse than before you began riding.

Is that what's happening? I swear - I am burning more calories since I started cycling - yet my thighs are starting to look MORE dimply. They feel more firm, less jiggly - and definitely getting bigger.
That kinda sucks. I had a feeling that the new muscle might be pushing the "bad" dimply fat outwards, making it more noticable.
Isn't there a way we can somehow brainwash the world into thinking that celullite is an asset? Since we all have it? Why couldn't the men be plague with it?
OR - how about having 1 magazine out there that doesn't airbrush it off of the women within it.