There is no magic exercise routine or diet that will reduce the weight you carry in your thighs. If you’re going to reduce the size of your thighs, you need to focus on losing total body fat.
Many dieters, even smart dieters, take the wrong approach by turning to spot training or extreme diets to force the results they want. However, it’s best to follow a balanced routine and address fat loss along with all aspects of your general well-being for the quickest, most sustainable results.
1. Start with the right diet
Though you will tone your thighs in the gym, fat loss is primarily a result of your diet. As such, it’s important that you eat the right foods, and at the right times, for weight loss.
It’s important to eat the right balance of protein, vegetables, fruit, and good fat. To lose fat quickly, you should avoid eating anything that doesn’t fall into one of those categories. Of these nutrients, protein is the most important for fat loss. The body has to use more energy to break down protein than it does other nutrients, such as carbohydrates or fats.
In fact, your body typically burns about 20 to 30 percent of the calories consumed from protein during digestion, whereas it only uses between 5 and 10 percent of calories from other nutrient sources in digestion. If the body is using more energy to break down the foods you eat, you’ll burn fat more quickly and lose weight, including in your thighs.
It’s important that you’re eating these nutrients at the proper times, as well. For example, it’s vital to consume protein and complex carbohydrates early in the day. Doing so will start your metabolism, burn fat throughout the day, and give you the energy you need for physical activity, which also promotes fat loss.
You should also snack throughout the day. Those who burn the most fat typically eat every few hours, and focus on foods high in protein and fiber. This will prevent you from overeating later in the day, while keeping energy levels stable from when you wake up to when you go to sleep.
2. Do more cardio
You must burn calories to reduce body fat, including excess fat on your thighs. The simplest way to burn a large number of calories is with cardio.
The best types of cardio workouts are those that burn the most calories. The most popular include running, biking, rowing, and swimming.
You should also incorporate HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training)-style training methods to ramp up your results. The benefit of HIIT is that you’re not only getting the results from your workout during the activity, but afterwards as well, due to the increase in your metabolic rate that can last for 24 hours after training.
Remember, weight training will tone your legs, but you must lose the fat that covers the muscle to reveal any definition. As such, it’s important that you incorporate cardio at least 2 to 3 times per week for the best results.
3. Don’t forget about strength training
Though you can’t spot target your thighs for fat loss, you can spot target how you train your leg muscles.
Strength training promotes fat loss and complements the cardio you incorporate into your routine, due to Excess Post-Exercise Oxygen Consumption (EPOC). EPOC refers to your metabolism’s elevated state after you’ve finished exercising. While cardio can increase your metabolism for up to 24 hours after exercise, some studies reveal that an efficient strength training program can increase metabolism for up to 48 hours after exercise.
Strength training will also reveal leaner, more sculpted legs once you lose more fat. By incorporating lower body-focused strength training into your routine at least twice per week, you can accelerate the results you would enjoy from diet and cardio alone.
4. Always increase intensity
You can’t continue to do the same workouts week after week and expect results. Instead, you must focus on increasing the intensity of your exercise so that as your endurance improves and as your leg muscles grow stronger, you’re still challenging yourself.
The best way to challenge yourself with cardio is to work out for longer and to increase the intensity. Perhaps you increase your run or bike path by half a mile each week, or take a new route with some hills. You may also choose to stick to a treadmill to quicken the pace or add an incline that you also increase gradually.
For weight training, it’s best to always challenge your muscles. If you’re just getting started, you’ll have to experiment with a weight that makes sense for you. Then, increase the weight you use by 2 pounds each week, or another weight that makes sense for your progress. You never want weight training to feel easy, as this won’t help your muscles change.
Related: How To Lose Weight In Your Face
Fat loss from any area of the body is about balance, thighs included
While it would be ideal to be able to target the thighs for fat loss, you can’t. It’s more important to focus on the big picture of your total fat loss, while incorporating some thigh-targeted exercises into your routine for the best results.
A healthy, well-balanced diet, combined with both cardio and strength training in increasing intensity, is the best way to streamline your results. However, if you find that your fat loss is at a standstill, you may want to incorporate a comprehensive diet supplement, like PhenQ, into your routine.
PhenQ is a fat-burning supplement that also boosts energy, supporting your workout efforts while reducing appetite and otherwise supporting your weight loss efforts. The supplement works whether you’re trying to lose the remaining weight from a “problem” area, like your thighs, or need to lose weight generally.
Smart dieters know that losing weight from one area of the body isn’t possible. But with the tips above, you can do your best to lose general body fat, tone your thighs, and reveal the sculpted legs you’ve always wanted!
