How To Burn Fat on Hips & Thighs

You can burn fat on your hips and thighs with diet and exercise; however, trying to only burn the fat on your hips and thighs can be difficult. Subcutaneous fat is the type found on hips and thighs and while not as dangerous to your overall health as visceral fat -- the type found around organs -- it can be draining to carry around and cause you to accumulate more fat around your midsection. It takes at least 60 minutes of sustained physical activity at least five days a week to achieve a loss of weight, according to the American College of Sports Medicine. If you engage in a weight loss plan, you will likely lose weight throughout your body. Burn fat on the lower part of your body by combining a healthy diet with calorie-burning cardio exercises and strength training.

Causes

Excess fat on your hips and thighs is particularly problematic for women, but men can suffer from excess there as well. As women get older, hormones can ebb and flow, causing a gradual accumulation of fat, according the Harvard University Medical School. The release of cortisol increases with a decrease in estrogen. Cortisol promotes fat accumulation in the body.

Diet

There is no magic fat-burning food or combination of foods that will help you lose weight on just your hips and thighs. However, whether you want to lose 5 or 40 lbs., fueling your body properly will help you lose weight on your lower body, according to Dr. Walter Willet of the Harvard School of Public Health. Eliminate sweets and fried or fatty foods and restrict your intake of alcohol. Eat lots of vegetables, some fruits and lean proteins. Eating whole grains instead of white or overprocessed grain products, such as whole grain bread instead of white, can help fuel weight loss and encourage a more consistent energy level.

Cardio Exercises

The American Heart Association recommends that everyone do at least 30 minutes of cardio exercise every day (or at least five out of seven days a week). In order to lose more weight, increasing your daily cardio workout -- whether walking, running, swimming or another exercise -- to 45 or 60 minutes will increase the amount of fat you burn on your hips and thighs. Dancing and biking are both high-energy cardiovascular activities that work on strengthening hips and thighs at the same time. A treadmill routine can be varied by alternating between walking and running and even shuffling to the sides to work out inner and outer thighs.

Toning Exercises

Many different toning exercises have been developed to help people lose weight on their hips and thighs. It's important when choosing your toning exercises to make sure you are working out all of the muscles in your lower body. Using resistance bands or ankle weights -- ankle wraps with weights inside -- can increase the muscle mass in your legs, reducing fat. Squats and leg lifts are ideal for working out hips and thighs.