Help needed with calves, thighs and upper arms

Hi. I'm 18 years old, and would like to lose fat in the upper arm area as well as calves and thighs.

But here's the problem: I gain muscles pretty easily. I know that because I used to be very athlectic in school, and my arms and calves and thighs got bulky pretty easily from all the sports I did. When I say bulky, I mean really bulky. I think it's kind of genetic. Anyway, three years ago, I stopped doing any sports all together and since then my muscles in arm and leg area have reduced quite dramatically in size and, very much to my surprise, without becoming fat.

However, after three years of non-stop intake of junk food (McDonalds, chocolates, chips, ice cream, soft drinks...), lack of exercise, and irregular sleeping hours, I started to notice that fat's beginning to build up in the upper arm area as well as calves and thighs. I'm worried and would die to lose them. Well you might say I could go back to that routine: do sports excessively and stop after a while. But I'm afraid it won't work anymore since I was 14, 15 then and today I'm 18.

So, is there anything I could do to lose fat in aforementioned area without making them look bulky and muscular and alll but also NOT lose weight in chest area since I'm only a 34A? I've never really "worked out" before. I just played a lot of sports.

Is western and asian body built differently? I'm asking cuz I'm asian.

Would appreciate any reponses. Thanks.
 
You cannot spot reduce from one area. So if you have fat in your thighs or upper arms or whereever.... the only way to get rid of that is to reduce overall body fat.

You do not mention your height, weight or body fat % so I do not know anything specific to tell you. I can tell you that going back to non-stop sports and then quitting again will do nothing for you. I can also tell you that you need to work on getting a fitness and nutrition plan. That's the only way to safely reduce body fat and lean out a bit.

Will it come off your chest? I don't know. It could. It might not. Everyone is different and everyone has different genetics. You mentioned that your family bulks up easily. If that's true then there's not much you can do about it. After all it's how you're built. :)

There is no difference between strength training across the continents. There is a difference in strength training for goals. You will strength train one way for fat loss, another for adding lean, toned muscle and yet another way for endurance.

So it depends on you, your stats and your goals. One thing worth mentioning... Asians tend to be a smaller frame with little to low body fat. So typically (and I am not saying this is your answer!) to reduce a little body fat the best way is to add a little muscle as opposed to going on a fat loss program.

Hope that helps a bit.
 
Hi, thanks for the reply!

I'm 5'3, 115 lbs and don't know fat%.

Let's just say I don't have the most typical of asian body. Compared to my other asian friends, I do seem "larger".

So there, my height, weight. Can you give me specific pointers on what to do to lose fat in arm and leg based on them?

Thankies!!
 
As I mentioned above you cannot spot reduce. So to lose fat here or there means you have to reduce overall body fat. Here are some tips that may help you...

1) Eat 5-6 small meals throughout the day. Each meal should be 2-3 hours apart. Each meal should contain one protein and one carb. The first meal should be eaten within an hour after waking.


2) Drink a cup of water at each meal.


3) Rest properly. This means taking at least 48 hours between strength training the same muscles, and it also means getting at least 7-8 hours of sleep per night. Lastly, it means taking 1-2 days off from exercising per week.


4) Cardio. This should be done at different intensity levels and different session lengths. Consider doing a low intensity/long session, a high intensity/short session and a few medium intensity/medium length sessions.


5) Strength Training. Strength train each muscle 1-3 times per week. You should lift a proper weight and perform the proper amount of sets/reps for your strength training method. If you need more guidance or exercise ideas you can head over


All of the above things combined will result in fat loss.
 
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