Losing weight from your legs, thighs or face: what research says about spot reduction
You cannot lose fat from just your legs, thighs or face: in studies, training one part of the body did not remove fat from that part. Fat decreases across the whole body, and the order is largely set by sex and genes. But the size of your legs and face is not only fat. Muscle and water are part of it too, and they change for their own reasons.
What studies that trained one body part found
Spot reduction is tested by training one leg or arm and comparing its fat with the fat in the other. This has been done several times.
| Study | What participants did | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Ramírez-Campillo et al., 2013 | 11 people trained one leg for 12 weeks: light leg presses, 960–1,200 repetitions per set, three times a week | Total body fat fell by 5.1%, but fat in the trained leg did not decrease. The largest losses were from the arms and trunk |
| Kostek et al., 2007 | 104 people did 12 weeks of resistance training with one arm | On MRI, subcutaneous fat changed equally in the trained and untrained arms |
| Vispute et al., 2011 | 24 people; one group did seven abdominal exercises five days a week for 6 weeks without changing their diet, the control group did not | Abdominal fat did not decrease; abdominal muscle endurance improved |
In the Kostek study, calipers measuring a skinfold at one point showed less fat on the trained arm in men. MRI, which captures the whole upper arm, did not confirm this, and the authors concluded that resistance training does not cause spot reduction.
One experiment points the other way. In a study by Stallknecht et al., 10 men exercised one leg, and blood flow and fat breakdown in the adipose tissue next to the working muscle were higher than beside the resting leg. But that was measured over minutes of exercise. The three-month studies that looked at the fat layer itself found no such difference. A similar study on the abdomen is covered in the article on losing belly fat.
Why fat does not leave where you want it to
Fat decreases when the body uses more energy than it takes in, and the stores are drawn from the whole body. How that deficit works is covered in the article on the calorie deficit.
Where fat is stored and where it leaves from is largely set in advance. Many women store it on the hips and buttocks, while men more often store it on the abdomen; sex hormones are involved, write Karastergiou et al. in a review of sex differences in adipose tissue.
Fat distribution is also inherited. A genetic study using data from up to 224,459 people found 49 regions of the genome linked to waist-to-hip ratio. In 20 of them the effect differed between men and women, and in 19 it was stronger in women.
So two friends on the same diet who lose the same amount of weight may see the difference in different places. Exercise cannot move the thighs or cheeks up the queue.
What else changes the size of your legs
Muscle. Strength exercises for the legs can make the muscles under the fat layer larger. If fat is coming off slowly at the same time, thigh circumference barely changes. That does not make training harmful: in a calorie deficit, strength training helps keep muscle while fat is lost. More in the article on strength training without cardio.
Water. Because of gravity, swelling is most noticeable in the feet and lower legs. MedlinePlus, from the US National Institutes of Health, lists common causes of this swelling: standing for long periods, long flights and car rides, certain phases of the menstrual cycle and taking estrogen. Some medicines also cause swelling: calcium channel blockers for blood pressure, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, steroids, some antidepressants and hormone medicines. Do not stop them on your own; discuss it with your doctor.
Skin and connective tissue. The surface of the thighs depends on more than the amount of fat. Why cellulite sometimes stays after weight loss is covered in a separate article on cellulite.
To see changes, measure your thigh and calf with a tape measure at the same spot and the same time of day, preferably in the morning before swelling builds up. The scale is less helpful here because weight fluctuates during the day with water.
What changes your face
Facial fat is part of your overall fat stores, and it decreases along with the rest. There is no separate way to lose weight in your face. But the face changes noticeably without any change in fat, within a day or two.
Sleep. In a study by Sundelin et al., 10 people were photographed after normal sleep and after 31 hours without sleep. Forty observers rated the second set of photos as having more swollen eyes, darker circles, more hanging eyelids and paler skin. How sleep loss affects appetite and weight is covered in the article on sleep and weight.
Salt. Salty food makes the body hold on to water. In a study by Visser et al., 78 healthy men ate about 3 g of salt a day for one week and about 12 g a day for another. During the salty week, the fluid outside their cells was 1.2 L greater on average, although the increase varied widely between people. According to the WHO, adults worldwide eat about 11 g of salt a day on average, while the WHO recommendation for adults is no more than 5 g, about a teaspoon. Where salt hides in shop-bought food is covered in the article on hidden salt.
Alcohol. If an evening with alcohol comes with salty snacks and ends late, both causes above are at work the next morning. The calories in the alcohol itself are counted separately, using the table for different drinks.
Facial exercises. In a pilot study by Alam et al., 16 women aged 40–65 did facial exercises for 30 minutes for 20 weeks, daily at first and then every other day. Their cheeks became fuller rather than thinner, and their estimated age in photos averaged 48.1 years instead of 50.8. The authors attribute this to muscle growth. The study had no control group.
When it is not fat but a reason to see a doctor
Swelling and asymmetry sometimes point to illness rather than body composition. For leg swelling, MedlinePlus gives these signs:
- Call an ambulance at once if leg swelling comes with shortness of breath or chest pain, especially pressure or tightness.
- See a doctor right away if only one leg has new or worse swelling, if the leg is red or warm to the touch, or if you have a fever. A blood clot in a leg vein can also cause swelling.
- See a doctor if swelling gets worse when you have heart or kidney disease, if your legs or abdomen swell when you have liver disease, or if during pregnancy swelling is more than mild or increases suddenly.
Lipedema is a separate case. It is a chronic condition, mainly in women: fat builds up symmetrically and disproportionately on the legs, sometimes on the arms, while the feet and hands are spared. The legs hurt when pressed, bruise easily and may feel heavy. The authors of the review describe this fat as diet-resistant. If your legs are much larger than the rest of your body, painful, and unchanged by weight loss, see a doctor rather than adding more training.
The same applies to the face. MedlinePlus advises seeing a doctor if facial swelling is sudden, painful or severe, if it lasts and gets worse, or if you have a fever, redness and tenderness. Facial swelling with difficulty breathing is a reason to call an ambulance. A puffy face together with feeling cold, fatigue and dry skin can occur with low thyroid hormone levels, which a doctor checks. What the thyroid does and does not explain about weight is covered in a separate article.
Frequently asked questions
- Can you lose weight from just your legs or thighs?
- No. In studies where people trained one leg or one arm for 12 weeks, fat in the trained limb decreased no more than in the rest of the body. Fat is lost from the whole body, and the order is largely set by sex and genes.
- How do you lose weight in your face?
- Facial fat decreases along with overall weight loss; there is no separate method. But sleep, salt and alcohol affect how your face looks in the morning: after a sleepless night the eyes look more swollen, and salty food makes the body hold on to water.
- Do facial exercises help you lose weight?
- Probably not. In a small study, 16 women did facial exercises for 20 weeks, and their cheeks became fuller rather than thinner. The authors link this to muscle growth.
- Why are my legs bigger in the evening than in the morning?
- Most often because of water: long periods of standing, long flights and car rides, phases of the menstrual cycle and some medicines cause swelling in the feet and lower legs. That is why leg measurements are best taken in the morning.
- When is leg swelling a reason to see a doctor?
- If only one leg is swollen, if it is red, warm or painful, if you have a fever, or if swelling worsens with heart, kidney or liver disease. Swelling with shortness of breath or chest pain is a reason to call an ambulance.
Read next
- How to lose belly fat: what works and what doesn't — The search for "how to lose belly fat" almost always assumes that there is an exercise or product that targets this specific area.
- Cellulite and weight loss: what may change and what remains — Weight loss sometimes makes cellulite less visible, but it cannot guarantee that the dimples will disappear.
- Calorie deficit: how to calculate it and how to hold it — A calorie deficit is the one thing without which weight does not come down.
This article is for general information. It is not medical advice, a diagnosis, or a prescription for treatment or a diet, and it does not replace a consultation with your doctor. If you have a health condition, are pregnant, take medication, or follow a diet prescribed to you, decisions about food belong with your doctor.
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