Need a little help!

[cnada]

What should I do to lose the fat in my thighs & butt?

I'm WELL AWARE that I'm clueless.

[cross]

A combination of cardio to reduce fat, strength training to increase muscle definition and diet for general health is a good place to start.

For the cardio, try things like running, skipping, biking, swimming.

For the strength try squats(bodyweight or weighted depending on your access to equipment and ability).

[bushido_man96]

Cross has some good ideas there. The places that you mention tend to be the places that put weight on first, and are also the places that the weight comes off last. It will be tough, but diet and exercise are the way to go.

[Chikara]

On the diet, it's best to eat what you can see in nature; whole grains, vegetables, fruits, complex carbs, and protein are very good examples. The less ingredients it has, the better.

Also, kicks are excellent for leg strength and tone. There's also the jumping, where you try to get your heels to touch your butt, and the other type where your knees come to your chest.

[joesteph]

From cnada:

What should I do to lose the fat in my thighs & butt?

The average male tends to gain weight in the midsection, while the average female tends to gain it in the hips and thighs. It's not a hard and fast rule, but it fits the majority of the two sexes.

There's really no such thing as spot reduction by exercise and diet. Fat is lost all over the body evenly, so a person might lose pounds, but the inches lost are distributed over the entire body. This doesn't mean that exercise and diet don't work; on the contrary, they do, but focusing on one area isn't nature's way. One way to help reduce, though, seems to be by proper hydration. I spoke with a health food store owner only recently, and she maintains that the particular areas men and women complain about gaining the most weight can be boosted to hold onto that extra weight by a lack of fluids. Fluids flush the system is the way she sees it. Obviously, she is very big on drinking water over any other liquid. No, she's not a doctor, but she's in middle age, as I am, and looks good.

It wouldn't hurt to up your fluid intake, particularly water, Christina, if you want to give it an extra go beyond the exercise and diet you're doing already.

[Chikara]

Yes, I agree. Water prevents you from eating too much, keeps you fuller longer, and gets rid of water weight.

[doug_kissaki]

Everything that joesteph said is right on target.

Spot training can, in fact, work against your goals. As was said earlier, fat will come off your body evenly, so the trouble areas where there are the greatest fat deposits will seem to take much longer. However, if you are building the muscle underneath those deposits, those areas may actually start to look bigger.

Increase your aerobic activity. Simply put, increasing your heart rate burns more calories. Burn more calories than you take in and you burn fat.

Also, DEFINITELY increase your water intake. There is no such thing as drinking too much water. And like joesteph said, increasing water intake actually will decrease your water retention.

[doug_kissaki]

Oh, and one other thing... I am personally a big fan of fitness water (my personal favorite is Propel).

I read an article one time that said the tendency when drinking plain water is to stop drinking when you no longer feel thirsty. When drinking flavored waters, people tend to drink much more. I know that if I have just plain water, I may drink a bottle or two during the course of the day, but I will easily go through 4 or 5 large bottles of Propel

[Fish]

Use more calories than you eat over a sufficient period of time and you will lose weight. But be patient, and lose the weight gradually, or you will only put it back on again.

[Tiger1962]

What should I do to lose the fat in my thighs & butt?

I'm WELL AWARE that I'm clueless.

Plain and simple, to lose fat, one must reduce caloric intake and increase aerobic exercise. There's no magic pill out there and every doctor will tell you the same thing.

What I've found to be most effective is eating smaller meals throughout the day rather than 3 huge meals. If you have access to a treadmill or ellyptical trainer, that is ideal because you can start off slowly, use it no matter what the weather is like outside. On the treadmill - once you get used to a beginner's pace you can increase the incline for a more intense workout. Of course, as all the books say, once you get clearance from a doctor to begin an exercise program, then you can find different workouts suited to your ability. With the treadmill for example, you can start off at 15 or 20 minute setting, increase to 30 minutes after you've become used to that and then graduate from walking to running or increase the incline. Start off slow and gradually work your way up. That's the safest way to do it. Good luck !