Need help asap!
 

For about three weeks now, Ive been jogging 2-3 miles a day almost every day, as well as strength training at the gym 6 days a week. Ive noticed that my arms are much more toned (but they were very thin in the first place) and that Im stronger and more flexible, but I havent lost any weight whatsoever, especially not in the area that I wanted to lose it, which would be my thighs.

I am desperately wanting to get rid of the 'saddlebag' look in my hips and thighs, and am very discouraged that jogging hasnt seemed to help whatsoever. This is the first time Ive been really dedicated to cardio and was hoping to at least see some change!

But here is the real dilemma. Im working as hard as possible to get beach ready as Ill be going at the end of June, but I just had breast augmentation yesterday so any exercise whatsoever is out of the question for me, and to add insult to injury, I gained ten pounds IMMEDIATELY after surgery, which im sure is due to swelling and water retention, but I need to get rid of it!

Can anyone advise me on a diet or eating plan that can help me slim down and lose this water weight without having to exercise? Ill be heartbroken if I have to go to the beach with nothing to show for all the hard work and dedication I put into working out before my surgery.

I would suggest you check out "Oxycise" , it is my cardio and I do it lying on my bed...I have lost 3 lbs in 11 days with careful eating.

While it sounds like you're exercising plenty, how's your actual diet? To lose weight the calories coming in need to be reduced, and really should come from good foods, food that has been minimally processed like meats, vegetables, fruits. Hopefully you'll recover soon from surgery and will be back at it.

Remember, there's no such thing as "spot reducing". You lose weight evenly all over.

You could very well have lost some fat but it's masked by new muscle. Have you measured yourself before and now?

Excess water retention/swelling is normal after surgery and will resolve itself on it's own.
You need solid nutrition for optimal recovery post-surgical.

I noted your other posts mention that you have muscular thighs. Jogging will not reduce that short term. I had 26 inch thighs in high school/college( I'm a guy) and even running 70 -85 miles a week did not reduce them.

That muscle mass is actually helping to keep weight off. Muscle burns calories at all times.

Diet wise, I do very well. I keep a food log with an app on my phone and eat 1200 calories a day, sometimes just a slight bit less or more, but always very very close to exactly 1200. I like to eat carby foods only if I know Im going to exercise soon, and stick to less carby things otherwise. I dont know if thats optimal, but it simply makes sense to me.

The only place I really lost any fat from during my exercising was my breasts, and a LOT of it. And that happens every time. I will lose a lot of weight quickly from my breasts, and then nothing. Its very frustrating. Yes, my thighs are muscular and strong yet still covered in a layer of fat that gives me the jiggly saddlebag look and lately Ive been wondering if Im not just cursed to have it forever, as thats the way Ive always looked and Ive never had thin, toned legs in my life.

I had just started doing stretching exercises and yoga in hopes that this might lengthen out the muscles in my legs and help me look leaner, but I hadnt been doing that long enough before my surgery to see any results, and Im only two days post-op so I dont know when its appropriate for me to start going back to that.

In all honesty Im just desperate for at least a sign of results! I work hard and eat right and have been very dedicated, pushing through the discouragement of losing weight NOWHERE except from my breasts has been very hard for me.

And just for the record, I am 19, 5'9, and currently weigh 148lbs. My usual weight is 140lb, I had gained ten pounds immediately after surgery. Some of that has gone away but I am still very puffy with lots of tissue edema.

You may very well be near your ideal weight.
The human body needs a certain amount of body fat to function properly. This is known as essential bodyfat, 3-5 % for men, 8-10% for women.


One of the girls I coach is 5-9/130 lbs. and is quite slim and lean. Your extra 10 lbs could easily be in the extra leg muscle. The leg/hip muscles make up 60-65% of your total muscle mass.

Have your body fat % tested. 12-15% is a good level for an athletic woman, 17-20% for sedentary to mildly active.

Stretching, while an essential part of an all-around fitness routine, will not make your muscles look lean and toned. Only losing the overlying fat(and exercise) will do that.

I understand that, Im only frustrated that Im not losing any weight in my lower body where I need to. Is my routine wrong? Am I not working hard enough? Like I said, I previously jogged two to three miles a day ( out of the question now until Im healed) and did an hour long strength training routine at the gym focusing on both legs and arms, using machines and free weights, also push ups and dips and that sort of thing. My calorie intake is always right around 1200.

What would you reccommend to help me get rid of the layer of fat over my thighs? Its really the only thing that concerns me. My body fat scale pre-surgery always showed a body fat of 20 to 20.8%, immediately post surgery its been showing between 21 to 23% so I think its been thrown off a bit.

A girl friend of mine suggested I start doing the Brazilian Butt Lift routine from beach body, any thoughts on that?

I took a look at that. Complete and utter bullshit. You can't slim the thighs by working the gluteal muscles.

There is no way to target only the fat on your thighs, your body will lose fat on it's own preference.

At your activity level, your body fat percentage is very good.

It takes a huge amount of activity to get your body fat to the levels athletes reach. Even world class marathon runners, covering 100-150 miles/week, are still 2-3 percentage points above essential body fat levels for their genders.

Your calories are too low. It's a known phenomenon that the body hangs onto fat when it perceives a "famine" condition.

Hi there, I have been reading your posts and I think your calories are too low...1200 cal wouldn't feed a bird! That is starvation and will make you hold onto every little thing desperately. If you are wanting to lose weight you need to feed your body good quality food or it will never work. I am 5'8 and workout 45 min a day, I eat 1400 cal a day minimum, frequently more and lose 1-2 lbs per week. I wish you well, come back in and let us know how things are going for you. By the way...you can walk while you heal and still burn lots of calories.

Nancy