Fitness expert Rachael Attard has revealed you can get rid of stubborn inner thigh fat by ditching carbs and avoiding squats at the gym.
The Sydney personal trainer said the inner thighs are a problem area for many women, with many saying whatever they try ends up making their thighs bigger or more built.
‘It took me a couple of years to figure out the best ways to slim down legs and get rid of inner thigh fat,’ Rachael said on her blog.
But she said it is possible with a dedicated approach to both workouts and diet.
Fitness expert and personal trainer Rachael Attard (pictured) revealed how you can get rid of stubborn inner thigh fat by ditching carbs from your diet and avoiding squats at the gym
The Sydney expert said inner thighs are a problem area for many women, with some saying whatever they try makes their thighs bigger (pictured before and after trying her program)
How should you tweak your diet to get rid of inner thigh fat?
In the same way that abs are made in the kitchen, Rachael said your diet is key to getting rid of the fat on your inner thighs.
‘I would advise you to eat at a slight calorie deficit and to follow a low carb diet for the quickest results,’ she said.
‘When we need energy, our body starts burning carbs first, followed by protein and fat. So, if you eat a low carb diet and there are not enough carbs, your body will start to burn more fat and protein.’
The PT said if you want to lose weight, you should also eat at a ‘slight’ calorie deficit of between 200 and 500 calories.
‘If you starve yourself and eat too little, you’ll just slow down your metabolism too much, and you won’t lose weight,’ she added.
To work out how many calories your body frame should be eating, Rachael recommends you look at the Harris-Benedict equation.
The formula is: 447.593 + (9.247 x body weight (kg)) + (3.098 x height (cm)) – (4.33 x age in years) – which for her height, weight and age means if she lay in bed all day without exercising, her basal metabolic rate would be 1329 calories.
For ideal fat loss, you need to be in a deficit of 200-500 calories, taking Rachael’s total to somewhere between 829 calories and 1129 calories per day.
You should then focus on getting plenty of fruits, vegetables, lean protein, good fats and fibre – while eliminating alcohol, baked and fried foods and processed sugars.
While you might think that squats and lunges are the key to toned thighs, in fact these can often make our legs bulkier – Rachael (pictured) recommends bodyweight exercises
‘Walking is the absolute best exercise for getting rid of overall excess fat, including your inner thighs,’ Rachael said (pictured before and after trying Rachael’s workouts)
How should you exercise to get rid of inner thigh fat?
While you might think that squats and lunges are the key to toned thighs, in fact these can often make our legs bulkier in the long term.
Instead, Rachael recommends you do as much walking as possible.
‘Walking is the absolute best exercise for getting rid of overall excess fat, including your inner thighs,’ she said.
However, in order to achieve real results, you need to be clocking a lot of steps – almost 10,000 or close to 10 kilometres per day.
‘My advice is to start each morning with a 5km walk so a lot of your walking is already done for the day,’ Rachael said.
Following this, try and incorporate as many as possible ‘natural’ steps into your day – by walking around the office at work, going outside on your lunch break and walking home or getting off the bus a stop early.
In addition to walking, Rachael also said that swimming and running can also work wonders with slimming your legs, depending on your body type.
‘Running is a great workout and will help you slim down all over as it burns LOTS of calories. But it doesn’t really get the same results as walking, especially for some body types,’ she said.
Endomorph women in particular can get bigger legs from running, because it builds leg muscle.
What are the different body types and their characteristics?
This system breaks down all of the body types into three unique stereotypes: ectomorphs, mesomorphs and endomorphs (pictured)
* Ectomorph:
Ectomorph body types are very tall and slim. They don’t have much muscle and find it difficult to put on muscle or any weight in general.
* Mesomorph:
The mesomorph is between the ectomorph and the endomorph, and they are defined by a muscular frame and broader shoulders than their waist.
* Endomorph:
An endomorph body type is usually a larger curvier figure. They are quite commonly a stocky build and their bodies hold onto fat well and find it hard to lose.
Rachael also recommends resistance work that won’t build your inner thigh muscles too much, including leg lifts, resistance band work and body weight movements.
‘I love doing this type of workout because they require no equipment, they are quick and they help me tone my legs without making them bigger,’ Rachael said.
‘I see a lot of women targeting their inner thighs with resistance training (i.e. that weird inner thigh machine at the gym, sumo squats, etc),’ Rachael said (pictured before and after trying her program)
What should you avoid if you want to get rid of inner thigh fat?
The PT also shared the exercises you should avoid for slim inner thighs, and it’s bad news for gym bunnies.
‘I see a lot of women targeting their inner thighs with resistance training (i.e. that weird inner thigh machine at the gym, sumo squats, etc),’ Rachael said.
But unfortunately, this will not slim your inner thigh area in the long term.
Unfortunately, this won’t slim down your inner thigh area.
Instead, Rachael said you should skip the squats, lunges, weighted leg machines and Crossfit classes.
These could end up bulking you out instead of making you lean.
‘Cycling, the elliptical, stairmaster, stair or uphill running, etc are all great cardio workouts. They increase your cardiovascular fitness and burn lots of calories,’ Rachael said.
But if you’re looking at your inner thighs, again these aren’t the answer.
Low-intensity cardio is the way to go for slim legs, and Rachael said walking cannot be over-estimated.
To read more from Rachael Attard, you can visit her blog here.