How to Lose Size in Legs

One of the first things that clients I have worked with in my career ask me as a Nutritionist is “how to lose size in legs?”. When I hear this question, I am almost certain the question is coming from a female.

The reason for this is that most women hold extra weight in their upper arms and legs. When a man wants to lose weight, he usually asks, how can I lose weight around the belly, which is where men carry most of their excess weight?

Unfortunately, there is not a quick answer to losing weight in your body. It takes many things to burn stored body fat.

Let’s dive into the many ways you can lose size in your legs. Ready?

Nutrition

The first way is going to align most with the purpose of this blog. Healthy nutrition!

If you want to lose size in your legs, you must start taking in fewer calories than you are burning. The body needs to lose overall body fat to lose the size of your legs.

However, if you accumulate more body fat in certain areas, such as your thighs the excess weight will tend to come off in that area first.

If you have curves, you will still have them, albeit much less overall size.

Drink More water

Many clients I have worked with noticed they were less hungry when they started drinking more water. One is that the body begins to work more efficiently, which requires less energy from food.

A second reason is that when your stomach is full of water, the brain signals your body to stop eating faster.

Drinking more water is not only great for losing weight, but it also has a wealth of other benefits regarding maintaining a healthy body. We think a good place to start is drinking half your body weight in ounces of clean drinking water every day.

Remember that drinking other drinks like tea, coffee, and sodas can make you more dehydrated.

Get your steps in

One nice feature of most smartphones and smartwatches is their ability to track your steps. Walking is a great, low-intensity exercise that is great for those who cannot exercise intensely.

Remember to always consult your doctor or physician before starting any health or fitness routine.

If you’re all in good standing, then you can start getting extra steps in right away. My wife started doing this and saw immediate results.

My iPhone recommends 10,000 steps per day, and I think that’s a good place to start. If you have a lot of weight to lose, remember to work your way in a healthy way and not go too crazy.

These things take time.

Cardiovascular Exercise

One of the best ways to lose size in your legs is by intense cardiovascular exercise. Whether you run, cycle, elliptical, jumping jacks, or swimming, all are great ways to burn overall body fat (if your diet is in check)

Our favorite type of cardiovascular exercise is jumping rope. It is cheap and makes your body burn a ton of calories when done correctly.

In fact, you can burn 800-1000 calories in an hour session of jumping. At that rate, you will lose size in your legs fast.

For more information about the benefits of jumping rope, check out our other article here.

Weight Training

Weight training not only helps you burn fat while you lift weights, but it also helps speed up your metabolism. Building muscle takes a lot of energy, which helps increase your metabolic rate.

You may be thinking, “I want to lose size, not gain size”.

Let me clarify my reasoning.

First, you want to stick to higher reps and lower weight because heavier weights tend to add more muscle mass. That is not what we want, but as a woman, you will generally just get more toned versus adding muscle size.

Second, men have different hormone levels, so just remember that a woman’s body biologically will respond differently to resistance training than a man’s will.

Because women have much less amounts of testosterone, you generally will not get bigger when weight training unless you’re eating in a calorie surplus.

Because of the difference in hormone levels, a woman’s body will be toned and shaped without gaining size.

Remember that when you weight train, your body is breaking down muscle tissue. We recommend supplementing with Natural Whey Protein to help speed up recovery without adding a ton of calories.

We like using Optimum Nutrition Natural Whey Protein. You can check current prices on My Supplement Store’s website here.

Use a calorie counter

Calorie counters are a popular way to track exactly how many calories you’re taking in a day. You may be surprised that you’re overeating when you start logging all your calories for the day. Before I started doing this, I would try to eye everything out.

While this worked to a certain extent, I achieved much better results when I make tracking my calories an exact science.

MyFitnessPal is the app I use, but there are many others you can find on the android or iOS store

Positive Mindset

Before wanting to make a change in your body, a positive mindset is essential. The mind is a very powerful force and scientists see this in the placebo effect.

If the body responds better to a sugar pill versus medication specifically developed for that ailment, then imagine how powerful your mind can be when wanting to lose weight.

If you believe you will lose the size of your legs, you will. If you are negative or pessimistic, you will have a lot harder time accomplishing your goals

Get a plan

One of the best ways to ensure your success in losing size in your legs, and changing your body is by sticking to a plan and being consistent.

The consistency part is only something you can do, but the planning part we can help with.

Our Guide to Weight Loss is a powerful way you can lose weight, get into shape, and most importantly, keep the weight off. It features delicious recipes, meal and exercise plans, and motivational guide to success.