The Real Reason You're Not Losing Thigh Fat

If you want to lose a little fat around your thighs, you're not alone. Many people yearn for long, lean legs but have a hard time achieving this goal. While there's nothing wrong with thigh fat, it can be frustrating to put in hours at the gym and feel like you aren't losing any weight.

Part of the issue might be that you're trying to spot reduce, or lose fat from only your thighs. Spot reduction is a myth—when you lose fat, you lose it across your entire body. "You can reduce your overall body fat by eating healthy and exercising, but your body doesn't know where it's burning fat," Lisa Moskovitz, RD, CEO of NY Nutrition Group, told Women's Health. "Wherever there's fat on your body, it will come off. And we have fat all over our bodies."

In most cases, the only way to lose fat is to create a calorie deficit. This means you are burning more calories on average than you are consuming. This can be done with a combination of diet and exercise.

Even though you can't spot reduce fat, there are some steps you can take to lose thigh fat and create the legs of your dreams. Exercising regularly will increase the number of calories you burn each day and will help you burn fat. Workouts that combine cardio and strength training will help you burn fat and tone your legs. "A few sets of lunges and squats a day with some pulses at the end, in addition to opting for the stairs, can make a big difference in the way you feel and the way you look," Jessica Osborne, an ACE-certified fitness trainer and a former Radio City Rockette, told Verywell Fit.

A healthy diet is also necessary to help you lose thigh fat. "Cut the sugar, lessen the booze, drink your water, and be physical every day," Osborne said. "These are the keys to your leg goals." A well-balanced diet full of lean protein, complex carbohydrates, and healthy fats will help your body burn fat and stay lean. Eating well will also give you more energy during the day, meaning you can really power through those workouts and tone your legs even more.