Is there any way I can trim down my thighs without losing too much weight around my arms and shoulders? I’m a 38-year-old woman who has had two babies and I’ve noticed since delivering my second that my thighs hold fat more easily than before. So I want to trim them down but I don’t want my upper body (which is leaner) to look too stringy. Does this make sense?

Is there any way I can trim down my thighs without losing too much weight around my arms and shoulders? I’m a 38-year-old woman who has had two babies and I’ve noticed since delivering my second that my thighs hold fat more easily than before. So I want to trim them down but I don’t want my upper body (which is leaner) to look too stringy. Does this make sense?

Your question makes perfect sense, but I’m afraid you may not like my answer. In short, no, you can’t “spot reduce” fat. People have been trying to do so since time in memoriam but unless you go the surgical route, by way of liposuction, it’s impossible.

This isn’t to imply that you can’t make sea changes in your physique, no matter how your body distributes fat. When you say you fear your upper body looking “stringy” I think the issue may partly be that you don’t have enough muscle on your upper body. If your arms and shoulders are developed to the point where they match your lower body you probably won’t run the risk of getting stringy-looking. Lean, yes. Stringy, no.

Consider a routine in which you focus on both building your shoulders and arms while burning fat. No, the fat may not come off your body in the ratio you wish, but I believe that you can compensate for any imbalances by thinking of your figure as being shaped both my fat and muscle, rather than one over the other. It’s this holistic approach that will give you the body you seek.