How to Shed Leg Weight

When your legs rub together, and your pants fit tighter than normal, it may be time to lose weight. Even though women are more prone to storing fat in the lower body, men may also desire to reduce their leg weight so their muscles can emerge from underneath. Spot reduction is not possible; to lose weight from your legs, you have to lose it from your whole body. A weight loss regimen that includes consistent exercise and a healthy diet, combined with a healthy dose of determination, can help you reduce excess leg weight.

Instructions

• 1

  Fine tune you diet. Write down all the foods and beverages you consume on a daily basis and see where there is room for improvement. Reduce fat, sugar, simple carbohydrates, alcohol and carbonated beverages. Incorporate healthy, nutrient-rich foods, such as fruits, vegetables, fish, chicken, sweet potatoes, brown rice and beans. Drink water throughout the day to promote digestive health and to fill you up. Cook, bake or steam foods instead of frying them. Use olive oil or canola oil for cooking.

• 2

  Perform 30-60 minutes of cardiovascular exercise each day for five days a week. Cardiovascular exercise promotes fat burn. Perform exercise such as speed-walking, jogging, running or biking, where you depend on your legs for movement. Jog or ride uphill for a combination of cardiovascular and leg-strengthening benefits. Add variety by taking a kickboxing or step class.

• 3

  Incorporate strength-training at least two days of the week. Use your body weight or free weights to perform strengthening exercises at home; use weightlifting machines when exercising at the gym. Exercise all of your large muscles, such as your arms, legs, abdominal muscles, back, shoulders and chest. Strength training helps maintain muscle tissue and stimulates your metabolism to keep burning fat all though the day.

• 4

  Include windshield wipers in your strength-training routine to tone the inside and outside of your thighs. Lie on the floor with your legs straight up in the air against a wall. Your body should resemble an L-shape. Move your right leg outward against the wall as far as you can without moving your upper body. Move your leg back to the starting position. Repeat the exercise with your left leg. Complete three sets of 12 repetitions. Add ankle weights or a resistance band to make the exercise more challenging.

• 5

  Perform the step-up exercise to target the quadriceps, the front of the upper legs. Stand in front of a bench with your feet hip-width apart. Use the steps of a staircase as an alternative. Step onto the bench with your right leg, followed by your left leg. Step back down to the starting position with your right leg, followed by your left leg. Repeat the exercise 12 times and perform three sets. Increase the height of the bench you use or hold dumbbells in your hands to make the exercise more challenging.

• 6

  Add lunges to your leg-exercise routine to target the front and back of the upper legs. Take a big step forward with your right leg and come onto the ball of the left foot. Place your hands on your hips. Bend your knees and lower yourself straight down toward the floor. Avoid bringing your right knee past the toes of the right foot. Push yourself back up to the starting position. Complete three sets of 12 repetitions. Hold dumbbells in your hands to make the exercise more challenging.