Losing weight does not just mean we need to remove the surplus fat, but to also build a leaner body. Ladies especially want to have slimmer and skinny legs; however, they do not always know the right method to achieve this.

In order to have skinny legs, it is vital to follow a healthy and balanced diet that will help your body speed up the metabolism and burn surplus fat from the critical areas such as the thighs and belly, but to implement proper leg exercises that will help you have leaner and shaped legs and strong muscles. In this way, you will not just look better, but feel better.

Have you been struggling with surplus fat in the legs?
Do you want to have lean legs?
Do you want to know the best methods to have skinny legs?

If the answer to the aforementioned questions is a yes, stick around! We will present the 10 most efficient ways to slim down your legs! Having skinny legs without cellulite may not be as unachievable as you may have thought by now…

How to Get Skinny Legs- 10 Proven Techniques

1. Follow the right diet

To have slimmer legs and thighs, it is crucial to adopt a healthy diet. Otherwise, the results will be scarce or not the desirable ones. The first step towards skinny legs is to calculate your daily caloric needs. That is, how many calories you need on a daily basis to keep your current weight and the number of calories you need so that a weight loss can take place.

To enable weight loss, you need to consume 20 percent fewer calories than the calories needed to maintain your current weight. You should never lower the caloric consumption more than 40 percent. If you cannot lose weight with the 20 percent reduction, go with 30, but not more. Remember, never lower the calories abruptly. This may cause the body to enter a state of panic and trigger a starvation response. A good rule of thumb is to never lower your daily calorie consumption below 1200 if you are and woman and below 1800 if you are a man. Wondering which foods are best for slimming down your legs? No worries, we will help you! Just check out the list below to learn t how to best “shape” your diet:

fruits
veggies
lean protein sources
low-fat dairy
salmon and other foods rich in omega-3s
avocados, nuts, and olive oil (rich in monounsaturated fat which boosts the metabolism)

2. Resize your meals

If losing weight long-term and having skinny legs is your goal, your focus should be on speeding up the metabolic rate, i.e. the rate at which your body burns fat. By doing this, you help the body burn higher amounts of calories, even when you are resting. To achieve this, you should not “save up” on calories and implement them in one meal only. Instead, eat several meals throughout the day. This will prevent the body from going into starvation protection mode. When you eat frequently, your body will need to burn fat rather than muscles.

Smaller and regular meals will supply your body with a manageable amount of energy. The body will use it right away and will not need to save it up for later and store it as fat, which is the usual result from eating one larger meal (more than the body needs). Did you know that minimizing your meals offers numerous health benefits? Check them out below:

Cholesterol reduction
Faster metabolism
Easier loss of surplus weight
Balanced energy throughout the day
Better mood

3. Reduce your carb consumption

When your goal is to lose weight and have thinner and fat-free legs, you need to lower your carb intake, that is, the intake of foods like pasta and bread. On the other hand, you should up your consumption of foods abundant in protein and low in carbs such as green leafy veggies. By basing your diet on protein rather than on carbs, you will eat a lot less. This is why low-carb diets do not usually limit the calorie consumption- it is not necessary.

The weight loss happens due to the calorie deficit and as the body will not have carbs for energy production and as a result, it will begin to burn the surplus body fat and lead weight loss. But, if you decide to go on a low-carb diet, it is vital that you do it in the right way and avoid the possible side effects. Check out the list below for useful tips on how to ensure a healthy, low-carb diet:

Do not cut out carbs entirely– consume them moderately (opt for meals of approximately 50 percent complex carbs of complete calories)
Make sure you enrich your diet with a lot of veggies- sprouts, greens, celery, herbs, sea veggies, mushrooms, asparagus, cucumbers, etc.
Minimize the consumption of soda drinks and store-bought juices– drink water, freshly-squeezed juices, lemonades, and smoothies
Reduce your intake of bread– especially the one made from refined grains- opt for low-carb DIY breads instead
Remember to snack healthy snacks- opt for peanuts, hazelnuts, almonds, and macadamia nuts to satisfy hunger in between meals instead of chips, crackers, etc.

4. Choose the right exercises (do not forget cardio!)

One thing is for sure- you cannot expect to slim down your legs and tone them without cardiovascular exercises. Try to implement 5 days of cardio per week consisted of 30 to 45 minute aerobic workout and high intensity interval training. This type of exercising is vital for shedding stubborn fat from the problematic areas, including the legs.

You can also add circuit training to additionally burn fat from the leg area and tone the muscles. However, if you feel your legs are too muscular, stick with cardio-avoid the interval workout. This will make your legs leaner and smaller. Here is a list with the best types of workouts that target the legs:

Jogging
Walking
Running
Swimming
Spinning class
Step machine
In-line skating
Elliptical training

5. Keep away from squats and similar exercises

If slim legs are on your mind, do not exaggerate with squats or even better, remove this exercise from your workout plan. Though it has its benefits, it will not help you burn the fat from the thighs. Other types of exercises that are not recommendable for those who want to slim down their legs include leg curls, calf raises, lunges, and leg extensions.

Even though they are often promoted as effective in decreasing the size of the thighs, they can actually enlarge the muscles in these areas and weight exercises can also contribute to bigger muscle fiber. Once you feel that the excess fat has been removed from the thighs, you can start performing these exercises.

6. Use supplements

Without doubt, the chances for slimmer legs are much lower if you do not implement a workout plan and a healthy diet to your lifestyle. Relying only on weight loss supplements to have thinner legs will have little or no effect. But, if you add them to an already established healthy nutrition and a viable workout, you can enhance the positive effects.

Unfortunately, these days, there are a lot of supplements on the market that are nothing more than a waste of money; however, there are those from trusted and established brands. They are safe and natural and have been scientifically proven to elevate the strength, enhance the endurance, and encourage the shedding of surplus fat. Below, learn about the optimal supplements to help you reap the most benefits from leg workouts:

Protein powder
Creatine
Vitamin D
Vitamin C
Calcium
Magnesium
Collagen
Fish oil
Ginkgo biloba

7. Stretch the muscles

Stretching the muscles is highly effective in lengthening the muscles and making them slimmer. To enjoy the benefits of stretching, you should do more yoga, pilates, and stretching exercises. Pilates will help you tone the whole legs, calves, and other body parts. Proper stretches will help you target the adductors and abductors (muscle groups in the legs) i.e. the inner and outer thighs. These are one of the most problematic areas in women as most of the fat settles here and it is not easy to remove.

However, by performing the right stretches, you can increase your chances of slimmer, tighter, and leaner legs and they will also boost your flexibility and reduce sore muscles. Below, read our top suggestions for leg-thinning exercises:

Easy toe grab
Side lunge stretch
Seated glute stretch
Seated wall adductor stretch
Reclining goddess pose

8. Be patient

Slimming down the legs is possible, but it will not happen overnight. And, in a lot of cases, the legs are one of the last places to become thinner. It is important to note that the body part where you have gained weight first is the last place to slim down and that the hips, buttocks, and thighs are one of the most stubborn areas for fat shedding, especially in women. Furthermore, if you decide to lose weight and have skinny legs, you need to avoid fad diets or starving yourself.

This will reduce your energy and motivation and you will give up easier. And, this may cause other problems like slow metabolism and muscle loss. Muscle loss is in no way desirable if you want to have shaped, strong, and toned legs. To prevent negative effects, opt for minimum 1200 calories per day (for ladies) and 1800 (for men). Stick to a healthy and balanced diet and focus on implementing the necessary exercises to get rid of surplus weight and consequently, slim down the legs.

9. Run

Nowadays, one of the most common debates when it comes to running is whether it helps slim down the legs or makes them bigger. So, it is time to find out the truth, right? As running is a type of cardio, it has the power to encourage the body’s burning of surplus fat, including the one from the legs. The good news for runners is that it is highly beneficial for weight loss when done adequately.

According to the American College of Sports Medicine, for optimal results, go with 60 to 90 minutes of physical activity, 5 days per week. Running one or two days per week will not bring the wanted effect. If you are a beginner in running and 60 minutes of running seems unimaginable to you, do not worry- you can divide the session into two (or more) shorter ones and build up as you go.

If you have big thigh muscles, endurance running can help you decrease the muscle size and the fat there and have thinner thighs and calves. Here are several useful tips to make running an enjoyable activity and benefit from it optimally:

Break down sessions into shorter intervals at the beginnings
Walk between intervals to recover
Elevate the intervals by 60 seconds per workout until you can run a complete distance without pause
Begin running at a moderate place
Have a rest day after a running day to avoid injuries and help the body recover
To prevent side ache, do not eat solid food around 2 hours before running and drink small amounts of liquid only
If a side ache happens while you are running, take a break and start walking and breathe and relax- do not resume with running until the pain subsides

10. Swim

As previously noted, swimming is a great physical activity to tone and shape the legs. This type of low-impact workout uses all of the leg muscles and as the water alleviates most of the body weight, the pressure on the joints and muscles is minimal. Even though swimming is considered best for toning the chest and shoulders, it can also be of aid for defining and slimming down the legs. In order to have skinny legs by swimming, you need to ensure you are moving the legs at all times.

The most beneficial strokes for the legs are the dolphin kick and the backstroke, i.e. even though the whole body is engaged; the intensity is the highest in the legs. You can also use a kickboard while swimming because the focus will be on the legs, rather than on the whole body and the arms. As your swimming skills improve and your leg kicks enhance, you will experience reduction in thigh fat and there will be more room for the muscles to show.

Moreover, you can add swim fins for additional resistance. They will increase the strength needed for each kick. Begin with smaller fins and gradually move up to bigger ones.

Final Thoughts

If you have always wanted to have skinny legs, it is time to get to work! To lose the surplus fat from the legs, you need to focus on reducing the overall weight, rather than on spot reduction. The chances for a successful weight loss increase when you improve your diet and start working out on a regular basis. In addition to these two crucial aspects, there are recommendable methods you should implement- they will not only help you shed excessive fat, but also shape and tone your muscles.

By avoiding unhealthy foods and using beneficial weight loss supplements to swimming and doing pilates, you are one step closer to your ultimate weight loss goal- skinny legs!

How to Get Skinny Legs – 10 Proven Techniques

How to Get Skinny Legs- 10 Proven Techniques

1. Follow the right diet

2. Resize your meals

3. Reduce your carb consumption

4. Choose the right exercises (do not forget cardio!)

5. Keep away from squats and similar exercises

6. Use supplements

7. Stretch the muscles

8. Be patient

9. Run

10. Swim

Final Thoughts

Reference sites:

How to Get Skinny Legs- 10 Proven Techniques

1. Follow the right diet

2. Resize your meals

3. Reduce your carb consumption

4. Choose the right exercises (do not forget cardio!)

5. Keep away from squats and similar exercises

6. Use supplements

7. Stretch the muscles

8. Be patient

9. Run

10. Swim

Final Thoughts

Reference sites:

Related Posts