What to wear if you have heavy and/or flabby arms ?

Down the years, I have not gained much on my body weight. And it has nothing to do with the way I gorge on food or the way I rarely ever exercise, so I count it on my luck. But, something else has happened with age – some parts of my body look different from what they were earlier – like my arms. They are bigger and not necessarily better, in my case.

Disclaimer : This post is only for those who want to make their heavy arms look thinner. Ideally I would advice you to love them as they are, but if you still do not, read on.

If you are really looking for tips for flabby or heavy arms, realistically what you should do is “exercise”. Arm exercises are very easy to do and tone the muscles there to a better shape. I would suggest this youtube video  – it claims to reduce arm fat in 30 days and seems very effective, though I have never been able to complete the 30 days so cannot say with absolute conviction (which is why I still need the tips mentioned in this post)

So, if you are averse to a little hardwork and would rather depend on clothing to influence the way you look, here are the tips to deal with flabby or heavy arms.

Avoid sleeveless styles

Sleeveless styles expose your arms to the world. If you have toned athletic arms you can go for any of these styles – those sleeveless t-shirts, tank tops, halterneck bodices. But not if you have really heavy arms and wishes not to display them.

Spaghetti straps and even strapless bodices can look good if you have comparatively toned shoulders. They are any day better than the usual sleevelss bodices and small sleeves like cap sleeves. Avoid the off-shoulder style if you have heavy shoulders.

Do wear Longer sleeves

Three fourth sleeves, seven-eighths sleeve (or bracelet sleeve), wrist length sleeve and long sleeves are all good choices.  Out of these, 3/4 sleeves are the best in effectively camoflauging the heavy look of your arms.

Half-length sleeves have their hem along the widest part of your arms and this cut the arms and makes the eyes go to that part so they are best avoided if you want the flabby or heavy arms to be less prominent. If you want to wear half sleeves go for a length just above the elbow. 

Absolutely no Cap sleeve – the kind that just covers the top of your arms leaving rest of the arm exposed. Or those raglan sleeves with elastic encased hem which end somewhere along the middle of the widest part of the arm – No, No, No.

Wear sleeves with volume at the top or bottom

A small puffy sleeve can make the arm look smaller in comparison. A wide flare along the hem is also a good choice to balance out the sleeve. Eg a long bell sleeves.

That is, the volume should only be above and below the heavy portion of the upper or lower arm. This balances the look.

If you have overall heavy arm avoid all puffed sleeves. ie stay away from the exaggerated sleeve trend too.

Avoid too tight sleeves

Ensure that the sleeves you are wearing are fitted, not too loose or not too tight. Too tight sleeves are not good on people with heavy arms – these expose the heaviness like nothing else.

Avoid anything bulky along the sleeves

Sleeves made of thick bulky look and texture with many drapes or ruffles, embellishments all should be avoided. Do not wear sleeves with too much volume along the upper arm where it is usuallly bulky. 

Choose sleeves in lightweight fabrics, like chiffon, georgette.

Choose colours and prints wisely for sleeves

Dark colours can give the impression of slimness. Choose small prints if you want prints. Vertical seams (like a sleeve with gores) can give a slimming effect. But not horizontal stripes.

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