There’s more to it than just squats and lunges.
There are a ton of ways to sculpt and tone the lower body, but if your goal is to lose excess thigh fat and achieve long, lean legs, you’ve come to the right place. Not only can strong legs boost your confidence, but they’re actually so important for your body’s form and function.
“Having strong, toned legs helps to improve balance and can boost and maximize your athletic performance,” says Sarah Pelc Graca, CPT, a certified personal trainer, weight loss coach, and founder of Strong with Sarah. “Strong legs help you burn more calories (as muscle tissue burns more calories than fat), and promote mobility and stability while protecting your joints,” she explains. They also provide you the endurance to efficiently complete everyday tasks like dancing with friends, picking up your kids, and carrying groceries.
In general, losing fat comes down to creating a calorie deficit for weight loss, says personal trainer Ben Lauder-Dykes, CPT, an instructor at Fhitting Room in New York City as well as a running and nutrition coach. As you start to lose fat, you can then begin to shape and strengthen your body and build muscle in a particular area, including your thighs, he explains.
Just note you cannot spot-target one specific area of your body to lose fat. “You can reduce your overall body fat by eating healthy and exercising, but your body does not know where it is burning fat,” says Lisa Moskovitz, RD, the CEO of NY Nutrition Group.
However, if you shift your body composition overall, you can potentially lose fat in your thighs and legs too. The key is to be consistent and progressive with your training and cultivate sustainable, nutritious eating habits, says Susane Pata, CPT, a spin and certified group fitness instructor.
That said, you may not see immediate results. “When you lose fat, everyone is different in where they start to lose it,” says personal trainer and nutrition coach Kelly Cosentino, CPT. Stay committed to the process, and eventually, you will start to see the desired changes.
Keep reading for expert-approved tips to shed thigh fat and tone your entire bod.
What is thigh fat?
To keep it simple, thigh fat is the excess skin and weight you hold in your thighs. Everyone has fat on their body, but women tend to have more than men, says Moskovitz.
However, lipedema is a common condition, almost exclusively in women, that causes abnormal accumulation of fat deposits in the legs, most often in the thighs, butt, and calves, says Virginia Weaver, MD, a bariatric surgeon and weight management specialist at Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare in Cordova, Tennessee. It can be painful and often presents as a heavy feeling in your legs or bumps inside the fat that feel like there’s something under your skin, per the Cleveland Clinic. People often confuse lipedema with obesity or lymphedema (swollen tissue caused by a lymphatic blockage), but it’s an entirely different condition that makes losing weight in your thighs extremely difficult, she explains.
Cellulite also often accompanies thigh fat and is a skin condition that appears lumpy, dimpled, or rippled. It’s caused by tension between an accumulation of bulging fat cells and the fibrous bands that connect the skin’s surface to the underlying muscle. Weight gain may exacerbate the appearance of cellulite, but hormones, specifically estrogen, also play a role in the development.
How To Lose Thigh Fat
Re-evaluate Your Diet
First things first, it’s a good idea to pack every meal with fiber and protein to boost weight loss, since both nutrients help keep you fuller on fewer calories. Protein, in particular, is essential for building lean muscle. Moskovitz suggests aiming for a total of 25 to 35 grams of fiber and 75 to 100 grams of protein per day from veggies, fruits, whole grains, and lean meats.
Need fiber and protein ideas? Graca recommends the following eats:
Fiber-Rich Foods
- Artichokes (These are great to add to recipes and salads and contain 5.4g fiber per 100g serving)
- Avocado (6.7g fiber per 100g serving)
- Brussel Sprouts (3.8g per 100g serving)
- Pears (3.1g fiber per 100g serving)
- Raspberries (6.5g per 100g serving)
Protein-Rich Foods
- Chicken Breast (26.7g of protein per 86g serving)
- Cod (41g protein per 180g cod filet)
- Cottage Cheese (28g protein per cup/226g serving)
- Eggs (6.3g protein per one large egg)
- Greek Yogurt (19.9g protein per 7 oz/200g serving)
- Lentils (9g protein per 0.5 cup/100g serving)
- Turkey (25.6g protein per 85g serving)
Cutting back on carbs can also be helpful because when your body transforms carbs into glycogen, they’re stored along with water in your liver and muscle. That means the more carbs you eat, the more water your body stores. “That’s why a lot of people find they lose a few pounds immediately on a low-carb diet,” says Moskovitz. “A lot of that is water weight.”
16 Carbs To Avoid If You’re Trying To Prevent A Sugar Crash
She suggests getting a minimum of 75 to 100 grams of carbs per day, although some people might need quite a bit more depending on their height, weight, and activity level.
Just don’t skip whole grains altogether since they’re an excellent source of that filling, heart-healthy fiber as well as folate, iron, magnesium, antioxidants, and phytonutrients. If you’re not sure of your carb sweet spot, check with a nutritionist.
Another pro tip? Cut back on the cocktails. Whether you go for light beer or a mixed drink, they can easily add up to at least 100 to 110 calories per beverage, according to the U.S. National Library of Medicine.
Not to mention, the foods you choose to eat while under the influence aren’t usually optimal either. In fact, moderate drinkers were 24 percent more likely to order something savory like salty fries after drinking, per a study from the journal Appetite. And it’s not just the quality of food that affects your weight but the quantity you’re taking in, especially if you didn’t start off the evening with a hearty meal.
Additionally, watch your salt intake. Salt makes your body retain excess water which causes bloat that can affect your whole body, hips and thighs included. “Water follows salt, so the more you eat, the more water gets stored instead of being filtered out by your kidneys,” says Moskovitz. “By cutting back, you’ll notice almost an immediate change in how you feel and how your clothes fit.”
Most people need 1,500 milligrams of sodium per day (the upper limit is 2,300 milligrams), per the American Heart Association’s (AHA) recommendations—but many people are getting way more than that. Cut back by limiting processed foods like sauces, canned veggies, and soups, which are often loaded with sodium.
On the flip side, add more electrolytes to your diet. You’ve likely seen them in sports drinks, but electrolytes like calcium, magnesium, and potassium are plentiful in many healthy foods that might already be in your diet. All of them—and potassium, in particular—compete with salt. “The more [electrolytes] that you have, the less salt your body will retain,” says Moskovitz. “It helps keep the fluid balance stable, so your body flushes out water retention.”
Dark leafy greens, yogurt, and bananas are excellent sources of various types of electrolytes, and Moskovitz says everyone should aim for nine servings of fruits and veggies every day: two to three half-cup servings of fruit, and the rest veggies (one cup raw or one-half cup cooked).
Say Yes To Resistance Training
Exercises like squats, lunges, and deadlifts work the small muscles of your inner thighs along with other leg muscles, and that’s important for getting your legs nice and toned, says Albert Matheny, RD, CSCS, the co-founder of SoHo Strength Lab, Promix Nutrition, and ARENA. However, exercises to engage your adductors and abductors can be the “icing on the cake,” he says.
Just make sure you have a plan in mind, and don’t randomly add a leg day every once in a while. Ideally, try for two days of leg workouts each week in addition to making sure to work your upper body on the same or different days.
Another important point is switching up your moves, says Lauder-Dykes. “Different exercises can challenge a muscle group in a different way.”
Some examples: Add front squats to your routine and target your quads, and do back squats to work your glutes and hamstrings more. Focus on single-leg movements (like lunges and split squats) and your stability muscles, including your inner and outer thighs, will fire up to keep you steady, Lauder-Dykes says.
And don’t neglect the heavy weights, says Matheny. Losing weight in your thighs (and all over) takes effort from a lot of different areas, so work on upping resistance as you build muscle and get comfortable with movement patterns.
Get Your Heart Rate Up
Any activity that gets your heart rate up is also a good bet to spend calories and burn body fat—including on your hips and thighs. The higher your calorie burn, the bigger the calorie deficit you can create, and the more likely you are to lose weight—and reduce fat all over. The AHA recommends at least 150 minutes per week of moderate-intensity aerobic activity or 75 minutes per week of vigorous aerobic activity (or a combination of both).
For example, cycling is a solid cardio option that can help with reducing overall body fat—not just thighs, says Pata. “Cycling that is progressive and consistent can help burn fat and calories with each session—and that can add up to developing overall lean body mass,” she explains. “At the same time, leg muscles are being conditioned, which can help change the contour of the leg.”
Walking is also a great way to ramp up your energy expenditure throughout the day, so doing it on a consistent, weekly basis will definitely add up in weight loss over time, says Pata. Just note you won’t see immediate results, which is why it’s important to keep doing it every week. “Over time, walking can change the body’s resting metabolic rate (the total number of calories burned when your body is completely at rest) because it can help increase lean body mass—which will require more energy expenditure,” she explains.
To get the walking benefits, Pata suggests walking three times per week and aiming for 30 minutes each session. “When you feel more energetic, go for a longer duration, and when you feel short on time, go for shorter durations, but make up some of the time with extra walk sessions per week,” she adds. If you’re ready to level-up, try jogging, running, or mixing up all three.
To get more bang for your buck in a shorter amount of time, combine strength training and weight lifting with HIIT, says Lauder-Dykes. “This also helps increase energy burned at rest and better performance, so you can go at higher efforts and intensities, and be able to sustain it for a longer period of time,” he notes. That blend of strength and interval work leads to an even higher calorie burn—without actually having to work out more.
Talk To Your Doctor About Other Options
If the above measures are unsuccessful and stubborn thigh fat won’t budge, Dr. Weaver recommends talking to your doctor about other possibilities, which may or may not include surgical thigh fat removal. The key words here are “talk to your doctor” since they can address your concerns and come up with the best personalized treatment plan for you.
