Thigh fat occurs when your body is consuming more calories than it uses. The extra calories are stored as fat all over, including your thigh area. You can't spot reduce a specific area of the body. However, you can use cardio activity, like walking and strength training, to lose fat all over the body, including your thighs.
Fat Burning
For each pound of fat you want to lose, you need to burn 3,500 calories a week, reports MedlinePlus. For example, shed 1 lb. of fat weekly by burning about 500 calories a day. You can accomplish this goal with exercise and calorie reducing. For example, walk on the treadmill to burn 250 calories each day. Decrease your calorie intake by 250 calories daily. Together, these changes will shed 1 lb. of fat weekly.
Treadmill and Calorie Burning
The number of calories you burn walking on a treadmill varies, based on your body weight and speed. For example, a person who weighs 160 lbs. burns 183 calories walking at 2 mph, according to MayoClinic.com. A person who weighs 200 lbs., however, burns 228 calories an hour on a treadmill. When body weight increases to 240 lbs., calorie burning increases to 273 calories an hour.
Burn more thigh fat by increasing your treadmill walking pace. Ramp up your speed to 3.5 miles an hour. For a 160-lb. person, this burns 277 calories an hour and for a 200-lb. person, this burns about 346 calories an hour. For a 240-lb. person, calorie burning increases to 414 calories an hour.
Circuit Training
Another option for burning thigh fat on the treadmill is using a circuit training approach. With this approach, you burn 30 percent higher calories than regular strength-training sessions, reports "Fitness" magazine. Start by walking on the treadmill for a few minutes. Then, get off the treadmill and complete a thigh toning exercise, like leg lunges. Get back on the treadmill for a few minutes, and then get off to complete a new exercise, like leg squats. Continue this pattern, selecting a new thigh toning exercise for each new circuit.
Walking Frequency
You need at least 150 minutes of walking weekly to shed fat, recommend the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This breaks down to about 30 minutes, five times a week. However, don't forget to incorporate strength-training sessions into your weekly routine. The CDC recommends at least two toning sessions. These sessions help you burn calories, even after your workout session is over.
References
- MayoClinic.com: Exercise for Weight Loss: Calories Burned in 1 Hour; December 2009
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; How Much Physical Activity do you Need?; March 2011
- "Fitness" magazine: Circuit Training Workout: Burn 30 Percent More Calories; Liz Neporent; 2011
- MedlinePlus: Tips for Losing Weight; October 2009
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