slimmer legs?

lizzyvera

I know you can't spot reduce fat but I want to lose muscle from my legs. They're far too bulky for my height and I can't wear heels because they flex. They make me feel very stocky and unfeminine. Sometimes the veins and tendons show! They're horrible and disproportionate- I'm otherwise quite small and unathletic... actually my waist is 25.5" and my thighs are 22". ARGH!

I walk an awful lot (5-10 miles a day just getting around and to relax in the evening and at lunch) and cycle for fun but they actually built up years ago in secondary school when I did cross country running.
I was thinking about rowing as an exercise- would that give my legs a rest? I won't sleep or eat properly if I don't do something.

It seems daft to starve and not do ANYTHING with my legs to slim them but it's all I can think of. Also, for work I need to build up or at least keep my back and arm strength so anything too drastic would be a bad idea.

EileenG

Rowing works your legs hard, so not what you need.

Here's a post by a cyclist who is working to strip muscle off her legs. Read it and see if anything is useful to you. http://c-k-d.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=2770&highlight=eyes

Are you sure your legs are as muscular as you think? When I look down at my legs, or even look at them in a mirror, they look really big, but when I see myself in the gym mirror beside other people, they look slim.

lizzyvera

Well they're not enormous but I'm short so I'd need very slim legs for them to be nice. I suppose it's not that they're awful, I'd just like them to be perfect.

CrazyPolly

I have the same problem. my legs have a nice shape but my muscles are just too big and exercise just makes them bigger. I've looked around the internet but haven't found anything of much use.... There must be some way.......

EileenG

Have a look at this, particularly the cross section of the thighs. http://www.stumptuous.com/cms/displayarticle.php?aid=157

lizzyvera

Maybe... I'll lose a few pounds so and see how much of a difference it makes. I'm quite happy with my body otherwise though so if it doesn't work I can always put weight back on.
It worries me though that my thighs and waist are almost the same- is this normal? I've never measured anyone else.

EileenG

Actually, it kind of sounds right. Normal active women who do things with their legs should have a certain amount of bulk to their thighs and calves. If your legs are too skinny, not only are they not strong enough for all the stuff we have to do, but they make your hips look massive.

Knitting needle legs look great in ads for tights, but not so good in jeans.