Getting skinnier feet and ankles is more than possible. Fat and wide feet are something that a lot of people have to unfortunately deal with. Nobody likes not being able to fit in their old shoes and having to now buy wide-width shoes. 

If you can’t wait to be able to tighten your shoe laces again as your feet slim down then this is for you. One lady I talked to referred to her feet as “boat feet.” And her jerk podiatrist told her good luck finding stylish shoes with feet that wide. Rude!

The truth is getting slimmer feet is possible once you start doing what works to get rid of the chubby feet. Feet do get fatter when you gain weight. But you’ll be able to fit into a narrower shoe once again after the weight loss. You’ll have healthy thinner feet once again. 

Here you’ll discover how to get skinny feet even if you now have wide feet. Your shoe size may even become smaller once you start getting results. Soon enough you’ll even be able to fit back into wearing those heels again without them pinching your feet. 

Can You Slim Down Your Feet?

With weight loss, most already know that your hands and fingers can slim down to the point you have to get your rings resized. Well, the same thing happens to your feet when you lose weight too. The fat on your feet will burn off and you’ll be left with slimmer feet.

Over the years as you gain weight you’ll also gain weight in your feet. Fat distributes throughout your body and in some areas worse than others. For many it’s their belly, hips, thighs, and arms. But if your cause it’s also your feet.

It’s not likely your feet will shrink in shoe size though. Most of the weight loss will result in the narrowing of the foot and shrinking its width. But I have heard from some who have lost a lot of excess weight that they went down 1-2 foot sizes too.

Spot reduction on certain fat spots on your body doesn’t work very well. By this I mean just doing foot exercises isn’t going to be very effective for getting skinnier feet. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t ways to get some fast results.

Why Your Feet Are So Fat

Let’s go over what causes feet to become wider and fatter in the first place. There are a few reasons why somebody might have wide or fat feet. 

Carrying Extra Weight

This is the number one reason why somebody might have chubby feet. When you carry around excess body fat your feet will store some of that fat too. You can’t spot reduce it away by doing foot exercises either. The only way to get rid of this type of foot fat is to lose overall body weight and burn fat.

Water Retention

If your body is holding water weight then it can make your body appear more bloated and bigger than it is. Fluids build up in your body making them appear bloated and swollen. The “puffed out” look that water weight brings will widen your feet. 

Poor Circulation

Your feet could build up with fluids without proper blood circulation in your body. This usually results in your feet, ankles, and calves swelling up and appearing bigger than normal. If you’ve ever sat for long periods such as on a flight then you’ll know how much the fluids can build up in your feet. 

High Body Fat

With age, there’s a good chance your body composition has changed. Muscle mass starts to go away unless you’re strength training and eating enough protein. Body fat stores go up by eating too much and eating the wrong foods. Stress and sleep deprivation also play. role. The higher your body fat the more likely you are to have stubborn body fat parts such as your feet. 

How to Make Your Feet Thinner

So just because spot reduction isn’t going to be the most effective way to get skinny feet it doesn’t mean it’s impossible. You’re just going to have to fix the problems that are causing the fat feet in the first place. Those problems listed above are the causes and below are the ways to fix them.

Weight Loss

If you’re carrying excess weight on your body then it’s going to be vital that you lose it. Excess weight distributes throughout your body causing you to also gain weight on your feet. This makes your feet pudgier and wider with the only way to get skinnier feet is to also to have overall weight loss. You aren’t able just to have weight loss in your feet through feet exercises but you can lose weight throughout your entire body and then the weight should start to come off your feet too. 

Reduce Water Weight

Fluid retention and water weight will cause bloating in your feet. So it’s going to also be vital to get the water weight out of your body. The first step is to stop eating so many high sodium and salty foods. High amounts of sodium cause your body to retain water. Processed foods are the worst of the bunch and should be made a priority to eliminate from your diet. Also, eat higher potassium foods that help balance and pull out the sodium from your body. Some high potassium foods include : 

• Bananas
• Sweet potatoes
• White kidney beans
• Salmon
• Avocado
• Coconut Water

Get Better Circulation

Poor circulation causes fluids to build up in your lower extremities. Gravity forces the fluids down into your feet and ankles. This causes your feet to “puff out” and appear bloated. It’s important not only for foot health but for your overall health as well. Poor circulation can lead to more serious health problems down the road such as heart disease.

Make sure you’re getting enough movement throughout the day by standing up and walking around at least a couple of times every hour. If you’re sedentary and not very active then look into getting some compression socks. These add some pressure to your feet, ankles, and calves that in return help to increase circulation. These are the ones I like to use every day.

Lower Body Fat

Fat loss is also going to be just as if not more important as weight loss for getting skinnier feet. The best way to lose fat and some lean muscle is to start strength training exercises. Building up muscle is going to improve your body composition helping to slim you down. Without any muscle you won’t be able to get toned with skinnier feet. 

Consume a high protein diet too. Protein contains the essential building blocks needed to create muscle. Protein itself is high satiating and can help you feel fuller for longer. It’s best to eat 1.0 to 1.5 grams of protein per pound of body weight. So if you weigh 150 pounds then you should be eating at least 150g of protein per day. If you’re struggling to meet this requirement try adding some protein shakes to your daily routine. 

Add Feet Exercises

Wait… you thought doing foot exercises wouldn’t work? No, just doing feet exercises alone probably won’t work. But what does work is losing weight throughout your entire body, lowering your body fat, and then adding in some foot exercises to help tone them up so they can narrow down.

Let’s get into some feet exercises…

Best Feet Fat Loss Exercises

Strengthening your feet is important as you get older since there’s a good chance you’re less active. There’s a saying “if you’re not using it then you’re losing it.” And this is especially true when it comes to muscle and strength in the body.

Feet weaken from lack of activity and as a result, will have a higher amount of fat on them than they used to when they had more muscle. This will cause them to bulge out and widen as you gain weight and fat. So adding in some feet strengthening exercises in addition to the above steps will further help to get skinnier feet. 

Yoga is a great way to strengthen your feet and has a lot of other health benefits. One of my favorite foot strengthening exercises is to simply stand barefoot on a padded exercise mat with one leg. Your feet will have to work hard to keep your balance thus strengthening them at the same time. 

Toe curls exercise. This exercise is simple and can be done anywhere. You just curl your toes downwards into the floor and then release them. Repeat this motion for a few sets of 15-20 repetitions.

Heel raises. This is a great exercise to work your calf muscles which indirectly helps to tone your feet as well. Just stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and raise onto your toes. Slowly lower yourself back down and repeat for a few sets of 15-20 repetitions.

Toe lifts. This exercise is similar to the heel raise but instead, you just lift your toes as high as possible and then release them back down. Again, repeat this for a few sets of 15-20 repetitions.”

Conclusion: The Last Word

Now that you know how to get skinnier feet you can start by incorporating some of these tips into your daily routine. Those with fat feet and cankles can get some fast results without plastic surgery.

And remember that losing weight throughout your entire body is just as important as strengthening and toning your feet specifically. So make sure you’re eating a healthy diet and getting plenty of exercise – even if it’s just walking around the office a couple of times per hour!

It’s true spot reducing doesn’t really work. But the key is to lose weight on your entire body, reduce water weight, improve circulation, lower body fat, and then add in some feet strengthening exercises. And the good news is you won’t just get skinnier feet but the rest of your body will be too!