How to Take an Inch off Your Thighs

Co-authored by Julian Arana, M.S.eD., NCSF-CPT

Last Updated: February 22, 2022 References

If you're trying to get smaller, more toned thighs, exercising every day and making healthy changes to your diet will help you see results a lot faster. This article will walk you through some of the best cardio exercises for losing weight around your thighs, plus show you some healthy eating tips that will help you lose weight without going on a crash diet. You'll also find some tips on how you can make your thighs look smaller in the meantime if you're in a rush to get results.

Method 1

Method 1 of 4:

Exercising

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Commit to a long distance cardio workout. Run on the treadmill for 30-45 minutes, go for a long spin on the exercise bike, or complete a solid session on the elliptical machine.^{[1]
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- The most effective cardio workouts for reducing large thighs is to do work on your cardio through running, jogging or spinning for a long duration of time, as this will allow you to burn fat and not put on too much muscle or bulk. If you are running or jogging outside, avoid hilly terrain as this will cause you to build up muscle on your legs.^{[2]
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- If you are working out on cardio equipment like the elliptical or the stationary bike, keep the resistance and the incline low. Aim for a moderately high intensity on the machines to maximize the amount of fat you burn.
- Use a heart rate calculator to determine how intense your workout is and to ensure you maintain an even pace throughout the cardio workout.
2
Avoid lunges, squats, leg extensions, or calf raises. These exercise, while great for building thigh muscle, will only help your thighs become larger, not slimmer.
- Focus on burning fat on your body and then build your thigh muscles gradually.
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3
Do resistance training exercises once you have burned off the fat on your thighs. Once you feel you have lost an inch or two off your thighs through a long distance cardio workout, start to integrate resistance training with weights into your workout routine.
- Start with lighter weights on exercise machines like the leg lift, leg rotations, and leg presses. Do more reps on each machine with less resistance to build up muscle slowly.

Method 2

Method 2 of 4:

Maintaining a Healthy Diet

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Reduce your daily calorie intake. Calories are the energy currency for your body, but if you consume too many calories, your tissues will store more fat and this could result in obesity or weight gain. So focus on eating foods that have a low calorie intake and take longer to digest, like leafy green vegetables and fruits, as well as lean proteins and foods that contain less artificial sugars.^{[3]
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- Exercising and eating at a calorie deficit are essential for weight loss.^{[4]
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  Expert Source
  
  Julian Arana, M.S.eD., NCSF-CPT
  Certified Personal Trainer
  Expert Interview. 19 March 2020.}
2
Limit your sugar intake. Research data suggests that eliminating sugar from your daily diet can decrease your calorie consumption by almost 20-40%.^{[5]
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- Replace sugary drinks like soda with water or green tea. Green tea stimulates your metabolism and has anti oxidants that are very good for you. It is also important to make sure you drink at least eight glasses of water a day.
- Replace sugar in your coffee with Stevia, which is made from a South American plant and tastes sweet but contains no sugar or calories. You can also try natural sweeteners like cinnamon or honey.^{[6]
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- Avoid all artificial sweeteners, including Splenda. Read the packages of food items to ensure they do not contain corn syrup or high fructose corn syrup.
- Keep in mind alcohol is actually very high in sugar, so avoid drinking alcohol to keep your sugar intake down.
3
Eat less carbs and increase your protein intake. While carbohydrates are a primary source of energy for your body, a higher intake of simple carbohydrates like baked goods, candies, and cookies can significantly affect your metabolism in all the wrong ways. Carbs in the form of grains like breads and pastas can also lead to weight gain and a drop in your blood sugar, resulting in lethargy and a lack of energy. So look to minimize your consumption of these foods.^{[7]
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- Switch from bread and pasta to healthier grains like brown rice or quinoa.
- Replace sugary desserts of baked goods with naturally sweet foods like fresh fruit.
- Increase your protein intake in the form of lean meats like turkey or chicken, instead of fatty beef or pork. Ideally, you should be eating four servings of protein a day. A serving is 3-4 ounces or about the size of your fist. Good sources of protein include eggs and fish, especially poached, broiled, or grilled.^{[8]
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- If you maintain an active lifestyle or a daily exercise routine, it's important you have enough energy in the form of grains and proteins to allow you to work out and build muscle, including your thigh muscles.
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Avoid dairy products like milk, cheese and yogurt. Use whey protein to make protein shakes that will still give you energy but won't be fattening.^{[9]
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- You can also use egg white protein powder.
- You also want to avoid butter, mayonnaise or heavy cream. If you're making a salad, use olive oil, coconut oil, or flaxseed oil to make a healthy salad dressing.^{[10]
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5
Monitor your calorie intake to look for ways to improve your diet and prevent bad eating habits. Calculate your daily caloric requirements according to your weight and level of physical activity and then make notes on your daily calorie intake for one month. While it's important to have a healthy calorie intake, you should also try to keep your blood sugar stable so you will feel full and satisfied after a meal and not feel hungry.^{[11]
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- Make note of any moments in the day where you feel tired or cranky between meals. If you notice your energy dips at certain times of day, be prepared and have a healthy snack ready so your blood sugar does not dip. You might find you aren't as sleepy in the late afternoon if you avoid eating bread or heavy carbs at lunch.
- Note any meals that strayed from your healthy diet and any food triggers you may have. Maybe stress makes you want to eat cookies or a social atmosphere causes you to reach for a glass of wine. Regardless of the triggers, it's important to recognize them and try to curb them by substituting cookies for a piece of fruit or a glass of wine with a glass of water or cup of green tea.
- In fact, it is recommended you drink a glass or water or tea before meals to stimulate your metabolism and suppress hunger, which will help you to avoid overeating.
- The key to a healthy diet that will help keep weight off and give you enough energy to strengthen and tone your thighs with exercise is to still enjoy what you are eating. By replacing processed foods with “real” organic food, your body will thank you by feeling better and ultimately, looking better.

Method 3

Method 3 of 4:

Wearing Clothing that Slims or Hides Your Thighs

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Go for bottoms that cover your thighs. For women, that means skirts that cover the widest part of your thigh and hit 4-5 fingers above the knee. For men, that means dark washed jeans that fit you properly in the waist and are a slim fit.
- Avoid overly baggy clothing as this can actually make your entire body, including your thighs, look bigger.^{[12]
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- It's a good idea to also avoid low-waist skirts that shorten your legs and make your thighs look larger, as well as mid-calf skirts as they can look matronly or frumpy.
2
Invest in clothing that will slim your lower body. This means purchasing clothing that is not too tight or too loose and is styled or cut in a way that slims your larger lower body.
- For women, clothing like wrap dresses and A-line dresses work to slim your thigh area and still look good.^{[13]
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- Avoid tight fitting dresses made of material that are too body hugging like lycra, nylon, and satin.^{[14]
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Stick to dark colors. Dark colors always seem to make everyone look slim.
- However, don't be afraid to wear prints, especially printed tops that draw attention away from your legs and thighs.^{[15]
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- If you are petite and larger in the lower body area, avoid very bold or large prints as these can overwhelm your look. Opt for the more detailed or printed garments to be skirts or pants.
- Avoid horizontal stripes as they can make you look wider and draw the eyes side to side, right onto your thighs. Go for tops, skirts, and dresses with vertical stripes as they draw the eye up and down.
4
Avoid whiskered jeans. The whiskering on the thigh area of the jeans will only draw attention to your thighs.
- As well, go for dark wash jeans that fit you well rather than capris or short shorts that will only accentuate your thighs rather than slim them down.

Method 4

Method 4 of 4:

Getting a Cosmetic Procedure

1
Consider liposuction. Liposuction is a procedure that can remove unwanted pockets of fat from nearly any area of the body, including the thighs. However, this is considered a drastic or serious method to taking an inch off your thighs and is an expensive way to address unwanted fat on your thighs.
- This treatment uses a very narrow tube, called a cannula, which is inserted directly into the thigh. The cannula is attached to a suction device, which removes fat cells, resulting in a smoother, leaner contour to the thigh.
- The procedure is typically performed on an outpatient basis, and discomfort and recovery time after the procedure is generally minimal.
- However, the procedure can be expensive. Depending on the location where you plan to get liposuction done and the surgeon performing the surgery, you can expect to pay between $2,000 - $5,000 for inner thigh liposuction and between $1,600 - $5,000 for outer thigh liposuction.^{[16]
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Be aware of the possible risks and side effects of liposuction. Like other surgical procedures, thigh liposuction has some possible risks and side effects. These include:
- Blood clots, infection, fat clots, skin sensitivity changes, bleeding, irregular or uneven body contours, swelling, skin discoloration, skin and nerve damage, scarring, anesthesia risks, pain, and loose skin.
- It's important to keep in mind that while liposuction will help remove fat from your thighs and give them a more contoured look, it cannot treat obesity or make up for a poor diet without exercise. It will not solve other health issues from obesity or a lack of physical activity.
- Liposuction also cannot treat cellulite, which are the dimpled marks on the thighs and buttocks. It cannot treat loose or sagging skin.
- The results of thigh liposuction can be long-lasting with proper care. But if you gain back any weight in your thighs, you can completely reverse the look of the thigh liposuction. So its essential you adopt a healthy lifestyle with a good diet and exercise before and after the procedure.
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Consider a thigh lift. A thigh lift, or thighplasty, is a more invasive surgical procedure that reshapes the thigh, removing excess skin and some fat.^{[17]
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- The procedure is often performed in combination with liposuction to reshape and smooth the thigh after fat is removed through the liposuction session.
- Thigh lifts may also be done on an outpatient basis, but recovery can take one week or more. Most patients are back to all normal activities within a few weeks after surgery.
- However, thighplasty procedures can be expensive. Prices range from $2,000 - $10,000, with the average procedure costing about $4,500.^{[18]
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Be aware of the possible risks and side effects of a thigh lift. This surgical procedure has several possible risks and side effects, including:
- Poor wound healing, bleeding, fluid accumulation, major wound separation, skin discoloration or swelling, skin loss, persistent pain, deep vein thrombosis, risks from anesthesia, unfavorable scarring, numbness or other changes to skin sensation and loose skin.^{[19]
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- While the surgeon may be able to remove some thin layers of stubborn fat on your thighs during the procedure, a thigh lift is not focused on removing many layers of fat. It is not a substitute for other fat burners like a healthy diet and daily exercise.^{[20]
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- Before a surgeon performs a thighplasty, they will make sure you are at a stable weight as losing further weight could cause your thigh tissue to droop again. As well, a significant weight gain after the procedure could also interfere with the results. So its important to maintain a healthy diet and exercise regime before and after the surgery.^{[21]
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Community Q&A

Question

Is it true that doing lunges and squats does not help in burning thigh fat?

Community Answer

Not exactly. They help with improving muscle. The more muscle you have, the more fat you burn.
Question

Can doing lunges and squats help in reducing thigh fat?

Community Answer

Lunges and squats will build muscle, and burn calories as you are doing them. The real benefit will come afterwards though, because muscle mass burns more calories throughout the day. However, remember that fat loss happens equally throughout the body, so you will gain muscle on your legs and lose fat everywhere.
Question

Does climbing stairs help in reducing thigh fat?

Community Answer

Yes, stair-climbing is a great exercise for toning thighs.