Thigh fat doesn’t necessarily pose any medical risks, and there’s nothing wrong with having a little bit too much. However, if you’re not happy with the size of your thighs and you’re looking to shed some fat, you have plenty of options.
Some methods can be done right from your own home, like proper exercise and a healthy diet. But there are also some surgical procedures that can be done to physically remove some fat deposits in the area around your thighs.
Here are some ways you can get rid of thigh fat to help you get closer to feeling like your best self.
Fitness Programs
When it comes to shedding fat in the area around your thighs, there are two components you’ll want to think about: fat-burning and toning. You can achieve each of these through different exercises, and combining them is the best way to get fast results.
Fat-burning Cardio Exercises
We all know how important it is to exercise, and cardio is an essential component of a healthy lifestyle. After intense aerobic activity, you can get your body into what’s called a calorie deficit. This basically means that your body needs more calories than it has, so it needs to take that energy from somewhere else.
Generally, it sucks this from the fat, which becomes metabolized for fuel, allowing them to physically shrink.
While a proper diet is important, incorporating a mix with exercise is essential. This is because dieting alone can make your body pull energy from both your fat and muscles. By contrast, if you exercise too, your body will pull more from fat.
Burning away the fat around your thighs is the first step towards getting them toned and strong. You can do this with intense cardio activities, such as High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT), running, or biking. Basically, any activity that can get your heart rate up. If you’re targeting your thighs specifically, it’s a good idea to focus your exercises on your quadriceps (front of your thigh) and hamstrings (back of your thigh).
Focus on power moves that will get your blood pumping, such as power squats or lunges. These are variations that incorporate jumps at the peak of each exercise. It’s recommended that you do at least 30 minutes of cardio two to three times a week for best results.
Strength Exercises
Once you’ve burned most of the fat and you’re happy with how your thighs are looking, you can start gearing your workouts towards toning and strengthening your quadriceps and hamstrings to give yourself that desirable contour.
These exercises will incorporate weights and don’t focus as much on intensity. Try doing squats and lunges at a slower pace, but add some weight with dumbbells or a barbell. Start off with ten to fifteen pounds or greater, and as you build strength, you can go up from there.
For more dynamic workouts that incorporate your thighs as well as your hips and glutes, you can do variations of planking. These target your core and hips, but you can incorporate leg lifts to strengthen your glutes and thighs. You can also sprinkle in some cardio by turning your plank into a burpee.
Proper Nutrition
Exercising is important, but the key to maintaining a healthy physique is a combination of both fitness and nutrition. The key for weight loss is to consume fewer calories than you burn. However, if you exercise often, you probably won’t need to sacrifice many of your favorite foods just to burn some thigh fat.
Fad diets that are only meant to last for a month or so are never the answer, as these won’t teach you sustainable behaviors that you can continue for the rest of your life.
The best diets are ones that can be successfully maintained for your future and are good for all parts of your body.
A great diet to help lose weight is the Mediterranean diet. This basically incorporates several fruits and vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins from fish or beans, and healthy fats from things like nuts or seeds. It’s a flexible pattern of eating that doesn’t ask you to give up delicious tasting foods.
You can make small changes in your eating habits that can still have a big impact. For example, try swapping out your ice cream dessert with a bowl of yogurt and fresh fruit. Or, try using chicken or tofu in your stir fry instead of beef.
A balanced lifestyle of realistic dieting and exercise is a great way to help you shed some unwanted fat in your thighs and beyond without falling off the wagon.
Medical Procedures
For some people, dieting and exercise just may not be enough to burn the desired amount of fat from your upper legs. If you have some fat deposits that you just can’t shake away, body contouring procedures may be the way to go.
Surgical Procedures
One of the most common surgical methods for reducing fat in the thigh area, or other areas of the body, is liposuction. Despite popular belief, liposuction isn’t just about removing fat, it’s about sculpting fat so that you can achieve your desired appearance.
Thigh sculpting is a common procedure in which small incisions are made on the thighs. Then, a tool to loosen up the fat so it can be sucked out with a special vacuum. Generally, patients can often go home the same day and can expect the recovery process to last just a few weeks.
If you have some extra skin around your thighs because of excessive weight loss, you may need another treatment called a thighplasty, or thigh lift. This involves cutting excess skin and lifting it so that it can appear tighter and more desirable.
Liposuction and thighplasties are great if you have fat deposits on your thighs that won’t go away even with proper diet and exercise, or if you need a little extra assistance removing some unwanted fat and skin. Consult with a plastic surgeon to see if you’d be a good candidate for these procedures.
Non-Surgical Procedures
Incisions may not be necessary to help you remove some excess thigh fat. There are some novel non-surgical procedures that are great for mild cases where a small amount of fat needs to be eliminated.
One of these techniques is called Coolsculpting, which essentially involves suction and controlled cooling to destroy fat cells. It takes under two hours, is only mildly uncomfortable, and requires no recovery period. While it’s not as effective as surgery, it comes with less risks and is suitable for people who just need a bit of a boost to their toned thighs.
There are also skin tightening treatments that can be used to enhance the appearance of your thighs and other areas of the body. One is called Thermi, which uses radiofrequency to heat the skin and subdermal fat.
The result is a skin firming effect that can address sagginess and reduce the appearance of wrinkles and cellulite. This is great for people with just a bit of excess skin or fat.
These are both minimally invasive procedures that have virtually no down-time, so you can get them done and then get right back to the day ahead.
Wrap Up
Thigh fat is normal, but it’s also normal to want to get rid of it. The good news is that there are plenty of ways to shed some upper leg fat and get closer to a perfectly toned lower body.
The first step is practicing a proper exercise regiment that combines high intensity fat burning with strength conditioning. Burn excess fat with things like running or HIIT training, and then tone your thigh muscles with weighted squats and lunges.
A proper diet must coincide with exercise for best results. Setting realistic goals and staying away from fad diets is the way to go. Consider a variation of the mediterranean diet, which focuses on whole grains, fresh fruits and vegetables, and lean proteins that are low in fat.
Finally, you can try a surgical or non-surgical body contouring procedure to fine tune your results. Liposuction can help to physically remove or reduce fat in your thighs, while Coolsculpting and Thermi use temperature treatments to kill fat cells at the source.
Regardless, a combination of all three of these techniques is the best way to achieve your desired body. At PH-1 Miami, we utilize high-end body contouring techniques in conjunction with a healthy lifestyle to help you embrace your best self. Click here to fill out an inquiry form today.
Sources:
Where Does Body Fat Go When You Lose Weight? | Cleveland Clinic
Diet & Weight Loss | Harvard Health
How can plastic surgery make my legs thinner? | American Society of Plastic Surgeons
