Although the goal to reduce thigh fat is a good one, it’s important to first understand some basic truths about fat reduction on any specific area of the body. For the most part, people cannot, without having liposuction, choose where on their body they will lose weight, and many folks have problem areas that seem to stubbornly resist efforts to minimize. Especially women may have trouble with fat accumulation in the thighs, as this is one area that tends to hold extra weight on the female body. With this in mind, the way to reduce thigh fat is not through the magic of spot reduction, which doesn’t work, but is instead to reduce total body fat, which helps slim thighs and other areas of the body.
There are two methods to stimulate fat reduction and weight loss, and combined, they work better together than apart. The first of these is to eat a sensible diet lower in calories than total calories used each day. The second is to accelerate fat burning with cardiovascular exercise, which could include activities like brisk walking, jogging, biking, swimming, aerobic dancing, and any other sports participation that elevates heart rate to maximum (or a safe rate as per doctor’s orders), and keeps that rate up for 15-30 minutes.
Many diets exist which can help reduce calories, but it’s important to still maintain a healthy reduction. Over-reducing calories may have an unfortunate consequence of slowing metabolism, which means calories don’t burn off as quickly. Good calorie consumption levels are about 1200-1500 calories daily. Combined with aerobic exercise, preferably five times a week, most people will note weight loss.
Some people fall into a group where they are already fairly thin, but they want to reduce thigh fat that is causing cellulite. Alternately, the thighs are just not that strong or don’t have good tone and musculature. For these people, additional thigh exercises could be useful. In general, strong muscle development can give the thighs a smoother appearance and may reduce thigh fat or the appearance of the dreaded “cottage cheese thighs” that is caused by cellulite. Even with weight reduction and strength or toning exercises, this appearance may not be wholly diminished, but leaner muscles do tend to help.
There are a number of thigh exercises that might be tried to “reduce thigh fat” or at least reduce its appearance. Lunging with weights may help work these muscles, and people can also use things like Pilates circles to provide resistance while squeezing the legs together, which may help with inner thighs. The many leg exercises in exercise disciplines like yoga and especially Pilates are geared toward working the thighs and hips, and investing in a good exercise tape or taking some classes could be a useful addendum to reducing body fat through cardiovascular workouts.
