Fat thighs plague many people -- mostly women -- and often don't seem to respond to general diet and exercise. The thighs are often the first area of the body to gain weight, and the last area to lose weight. Although thigh fat is not as dangerous as belly fat, which has been linked to cardiovascular disease, it is just as unsightly and frustrating for the people affected. Heredity has a lot to do with where your body stores fat, but overall body fat and muscle tone play a larger role.
Diet
Dieting will not cause you to lose fat from your thighs alone, no matter what infomercials tell you. The only way to make it happen is to lose fat from all over and be patient. Your thigh fat will often be the last to go, but it will go. Reduce your calories by 500 per day to lose one pound per week. This isn't as difficult as it sounds. Replace soda with water or unsweetened iced tea, and replace your morning danish with a bowl of high-fiber cereal. Choosing low-calorie foods allows you to actually eat more than you did before, while still taking in fewer calories. Order a salad instead of fries, and grab an apple instead of a candy bar. It's all about small changes that add up over the course of a day.
Tone Up
One reason thighs look fat is because they have no muscle tone. They look round and sausage-like rather than sculpted and lean. Working out can help you lose fat all over, which will eventually translate to smaller thighs. In the meantime, the exercise will tighten your thighs, hips and butt, making you stand up straighter, and look taller and leaner. Try lunges, squats, jumps and step exercises to strengthen your lower body muscles twice per week, and do leg-intensive cardio, including running, walking or cycling for at least 30 minutes, three times per week to jumpstart all-over fat loss.
Liposuction
Liposuction is the only way to remove fat from just your thighs, but it isn't an alternative to diet or exercise. In fact, most doctors prefer that patients already be at a healthy weight before surgery. Liposuction is a procedure of last resort to remove fat from areas that diet and exercise can't touch. Liposuction will not make your entire thigh smaller; it focuses on fat deposits that may be the result of genetics. It won't cure cellulite, either, because cellulite is fat trapped immediately under the skin. Liposuction is only for bulges and pouches that nothing else will remove. Besides being expensive, the procedure is painful and requires a moderate recovery time. Bandages must be worn for at least two weeks, and compression garments must be worn continuously for three to four weeks. As with any surgery, there are risks and contraindications, so have a frank discussion with your doctor about your expectations before you decide to go under the knife.
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