What's the best exercise to lose leg fat?

[chalovina]

I love my body, well everything on top then i look down and my legs feel big and fat(it's really my thighs).. what's the best way to lose it?

[scaleskl]

I would try squats and leg lifts. Good luck!

[Yo Yo Girl]

Hi. I can totally relate to how you feel. I am mostly fine up top, but my thighs are where I store most of my weight. I would just love to be able to wear a bikini without being so self-conscious about my thighs. The problem is, this is an area where fat is really hard to shift, especially the inner thigh area. When I got to my ideal shape a few years ago, I found that exercises such as pilates were the only way to tone the area and change the shape, because these movements really target that muscle. Pilates coupled with cardio will be my main exercise plan for the new year. Best of luck!

[chicamarun]

Lunges are also wonderful for legs..... I've heard pilates is excellent for shape and after doing a pilates abs routine I would strongly agree - it was one of the best workouts I have done for my abs yet!

[Hudson]

Nothing. As far as I know weight reduction is determined by genetics. You just have to lose the weight and hope your body eventually takes the fat from where you want it. Exercising your legs will tone the muscle but the fat is not going anywhere.

[ValidRouge]

There really isn't a way to 'spot reduce' any part of your body. Trust me, if it were possible, my fat thighs would have been LONG LONG gone.

Now, they have gotten significantly smaller, but it takes melting the fat off your entire body. Cardiovascular exercise--walking, running, tennis, basketball, elliptical, jumping rope, dancing--WHATEVER you like to do as long as it gets your heart rate up, is important. Strength training--weight lifting, pilates, yoga, is also essential. With strength training you add muscle which will burn fat even when you are at rest. So, the more muscle you have, the more fat you burn. YAY!

Here is a link to my before and after pictures. Being very critical here, you can see that even at 'goal' my thighs are still fat....and there is a LOT of loose skin. I can tell you though that there are some beautifully sleek muscles underneath it all. As I continue to morph my body, adding muscle it will continue to burn off the fat. It just takes time, and, unfortunately we don't get to choose where it comes off.

From start to Goal!

[Mirya]

Originally Posted by chalovina

I love my body, well everything on top then i look down and my legs feel big and fat(it's really my thighs).. what's the best way to lose it?

Possibly do something requiring a lot of leg work such as running in place as on a treadmill or on the street.

[momof2gr8kids]

I feel your pain...even at my thinnest of 110, my thighs and hips were still larger than the rest of me. What I'd suggest is a 3 prong approach for fat loss and toning.
1) Your diet is #1 to keep up the fat loss....you'll eventually lose fat in the leg area and even though there is a genetic component that may mean you'll never have "skinny" legs, diet will go a long way in reducing their size.
2) Cardio exercise, and for me I've found that running/jogging works better than walking. My legs seem to slim down a bit more with the running/jogging.
3) Tone with higher reps/light weights, and if you can, combine with some exercise like barre/ballet training and/or pilates will help develop a more 'long/lean' look. I find for myself that I can overdo heavy weights/lunges/squats and end up adding a lot of bulk to my legs. I still can do lunges and squats and they work wonders, but I just don't use heavy weights. This is a very individual thing, so it may take some fine tuning to achieve your goals....don't get discouraged, but do keep track of measurements and how your clothes fit and feel....those have always been better indicators for me than the scale as far as my thunder thighs go!

[Lamby-pie]

I've got a recumbant bike and I really like it. When I was using it regularly (30 min, 5 times a week) my thighs looked really good. It really firmed my quads and made my legs look good although they still had a layer of fat on them.
I put the bike in front of my tv, and a half hour goes by pretty quickly.