Will Losing Weight Make Your Legs Smaller

There is no straight answer for this one. Some people do get bigger and then smaller, while other people get bigger and stay bigger. Let me try to explain.

Most endomorphs already have a lot of muscle, naturally (especially in their legs). They build muscle quickly and find it difficult to lose fat. Endomorphs need to be careful of the exercises they do because they can increase their muscle size very quickly and it’s hard to reverse this.

If you are an endomorph and are experiencing your legs getting bigger from exercise, I would stop the current exercise that you are doing. Focus more on cardio, lighter exercise such as pilates (or the workouts on my blog) and eating at a calorie deficit.

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I have covered the main scenarios, but just remember that everyone is different. You may not fit into the exact situations I have described above. Listen to your body and do whatever it is that gives you the results that you are happy with!

If you haven’t done any exercise or have just started working out, you will likely have very little muscle. Any type of exercise (even cardio) will build some muscle. So at the start, you might build muscle before reducing your body fat.

In this case, your legs might look bigger at the start, but eventually, your body fat will decrease and your legs will get smaller.

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If you have been exercising for longer than 3-6 months, I assume that you would have already built up some muscle and lost some fat.

If your workouts are making your legs bigger, this is most likely due to increasing muscle size. This will not go away and if you continue to exercise in the same way, your muscle will either stay the same or continue to grow.

Getting bigger can also be related to diet. The more you exercise, the hungrier you get. So you may start eating too much, which will make you gain fat.

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Most people can tell if their weight gain is due to muscle or fat, or both. If your legs feel really firm, then it’s muscle.

I have written a series of blog post on this topic so I would suggest to read those first.You can find them here :)

But if you really want to get the best results, I would recommend checking out my Lean Legs Program 1. It is designed to help you get gorgeous lean legs without the bulkiness. It includes an 8-week workout program. :)Yes, any access body weight means added pressure to your knees, which causes increased wear and tear on your joints. This could eventually lead to osteoarthritis, the most common joint disorder. 

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Harvard explained the body weight to knee pressure as follows, “When you walk across level ground, the force on your knees is the equivalent of 1½ times your body weight.” The force is even greater when ambulating up or down stairs or walking up an incline.” 

To put this in perspective, when you go up a flight of stairs, this adds two to three times of your body weight across your lower extremities. That’s a lot of weight! Your knees and hips are bearing most of this weight which affects the cartilage in your joints. Damage to the cartilage can lead to pain, stiffness, a decrease in ROM, swelling, and even the need to seek medical attention.

Yes, obesity can cause leg weakness. People who are overweight generally have weaker quadriceps muscles which often leads to compensations in gait (walking/ambulating). For instance, someone who is obese may walk with their knee locked straight, into extension, to reduce the forces applied to their lower extremities.

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Absolutely, losing a few pounds is one of the most important factors in managing the effects of Osteoarthritis of the knee and hip joints. Osteoarthritis (OA) occurs when the cartilage in our joints breaks down which then causes our bones to rub together. That is why people often describe this form of arthritis as the “wear and tear” or “degenerative” arthritis. 

Studies have shown that people who are obese or overweight are more likely to have osteoarthritis than those who are not. Losing even just a little bit of weight would be beneficial for your lower extremities and place less stress/load on your joints.

Weight loss would help decrease the amount of fat cells and reduce the symptoms of inflammation. Since inflammation with obesity is considered chronic inflammation, it does not simply resolve on its own. Luckily, reducing excess weight usually comes hand and hand with decreased inflammation.

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Chronic inflammation can be seen with obese people due to an excess amount of fat cells. Your blood supply becomes compromised which results in reduced oxygen delivery to cells.  This can cause cell death due to the increase in fat cells in your body.

Leg or feet swelling or inflammation can usually be treated by icing and elevating your affected lower extremity above your heart while laying on your back. Exercising or moving your legs helps promote proper blood flow which also assists with swelling. Moving around frequently after traveling far distances is beneficial for the same reasons. Stockings or compression socks can help decrease swelling as well. Lastly, as you may know by now, losing weight and maintaining a healthy diet would not only be beneficial for swelling but also for your joints, muscle weakness, and overall wellbeing.

If you have leg or joint pain, the Jacksonville Orthopaedic Institute can help. The JOI team has the expertise and technological advances to get you back in action! 

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If you would like to schedule an appointment with a JOI leg or joint specialist, JOI Physicians continue to offer online new patient appointments. This is another option to make it more convenient to make new patient appointments with less phone hold times. Follow the link below to select your JOI MD and schedule online.