5 Ways to Lose Thigh Fat and Tone Your Legs

1. Carry a water bottle around with you.

It seems counterintuitive, but the less water you drink, the more your body holds onto it. Drinking plenty of water flushes out the excess salt and fluids your body doesn’t need, reducing bloating.

                                           

2. Start your morning with a cup of coffee.

Coffee has a very mild diuretic effect and may stimulate your metabolism, your body’s fat-burning ability, and your workouts. That said, there is such a thing as too much coffee. “It can lead to crashes that contribute to overeating at night and generally not feeling great,” says Moskovitz. She suggests sticking to two cups per day max.

                   

3. Cut back on carbs.

When your body transforms carbs into glycogen, they're stored along with water in your liver and muscle. That means the more carbs you eat, the more water your body stores. “That’s why a lot of people find they lose a few pounds immediately on low-carb diet. A lot of that is water weight,” says Moskovitz.

She suggests getting a minimum of 75 to 100 grams of carbs per day, although some people might need quite a bit more depending on their height, weight, and activity level.

Just don’t skip whole grains altogether, since they're an excellent source of filling, heart-healthy fiber as well as folate, iron, magnesium, antioxidants, and phytonutrients. If you’re not sure of your carb sweet spot, check with a nutritionist.

4. Watch your salt intake.

Salt makes your body retain excess water, and that causes bloat that can affect your whole body, hips and thighs included. “Water follows salt, so the more you eat, the more water gets stored instead of being filtered out by your kidneys,” says Moskovitz. “By cutting back, you’ll notice almost an immediate change in how you feel and how your clothes fit.”

Per the American Heart Association's recommendations, most people need 1,500 milligrams of sodium per day (the upper limit is 2,300 milligrams)—but many of us are getting way more than that. Cut back by limiting processed foods, like sauces, canned veggies, and soups, which are often loaded with sodium.

5. Add more electrolytes into your diet.

You’ve seen them in sports drinks, but electrolytes like calcium, magnesium, and potassium are plentiful in many healthy foods that might already be in your diet.

All of them—and potassium, in particular—compete with salt. “The more [electrolytes] that you have, the less salt your body will retain," says Moskovitz. "It helps keep the fluid balance stable, so your body flushes out water retention,”

Dark leafy greens, yogurt, and bananas are excellent sources of various types of electrolytes. Moskovitz says everyone should aim for nine servings of fruits and veggies every day: two to three half-cup servings of fruit, and the rest veggies (one cup raw or one-half cup cooked).