I want to lose inches but maintain my weight- possible?

Hi everyone.
Im a good deal underweight, but fluffy and not compact. I want to stay the same weight but Im interested in losing inches on my body (mainly lower body but I know you cant spot reduce) and replacing fat with muscle.
The thing is, im not sure how to do it at the same time.
I know cardio burns fat and strength training builds muscle (which then burns fat too) but ive heard that you cant do them at the same time. That makes sense to me since one takes a calorie deficet and the other takes a surplus.
But some of the advice that ive read on bodybuilding sites and fitness sites says that you can indeed build muscle while in a calorie deficit.
And also, many dieters lose inches and have looser clothing but the scale doesnt change or goes up a little.
I want to decrease body fat and size while at the same time maintain my weight at around the same level. How can I do this? I would really love it if someone could set up a program or something for me or tell me how to modify my current program.

I walk 3x's a week for 8.6 miles each time. I go at a pace of around 16 minutes per mile. (so about 2 hours 20 minutes of walking each session).
And then I do random strength exercises throughout the day. Pushups, dumbell curls with 8 pound weights, bench press using the bar, lifting dumbell overhead,.
Anyway I really hate my lower body. My thighs and above the knee is just fat and gross. So I dont focus my weight training on this area for fear that it will get bigger. Sometimes I do leg extensions and the opposite (where you lay on your back and reverse curl).
I am keeping my calories at maintainence level of 1500. I figure the walking helps to lose fat and give a deficit but can I build muscle too? I eat mostly carbs and very little fat but now im thinking about adding in more fat and protein and reducing carbs. Do carbs and sugar make some women more prone to thigh fat?
Please help me and give advice. Id really appreciate it.

Welcome to Elite!

Muscle is denser than fat. A pound of muscle will take up less space than a pound of fat. As for losing inches but maintaining your current weight, I suppose it's possible, but I'm curious as to why maintaining your current weight is so important. Are you a jockey or something where you can't weigh over a certain amount?

Anyway, in my case, I've actually gained weight (10 lbs) and still lost inches (2 pant sizes). I added a size in my upper body. I went from being a 2 on top and a 6 on bottom to a 4 on top and a 2 on bottom. I too used to be afraid to train lower body because I thought I was already "too muscular"

After years getting nowhere w/ light weights and high reps, I decided to start training my legs hard and heavy, figuring big and muscular would be better than big and fat. I also cut down on the frequency and duration of my cardio, instead I started doing shorter more high intensity cardio sessions, which really seemed to burn the fat and give my legs more definition. Too much long slow cardio makes your body more energy efficient - NOT what you want if you're trying to burn fat. Read this: http://64.56.238.34/bodyessence/Pages/Articles/aerobicvstrength/chunkysyndrome.html

The most important thing is diet. To make any sort of progress, you MUST eat to SUPPORT your training. Eat like an athlete, train like an athlete, and you will soon look like an athlete. Protein, carbs, and fats are all important. Proteins are building blocks for your body/muscle. Carbs are your fuel, and fats are important for satiety and other important functions like hormone production. Check out this link for good info on Eating and training: http://www.stumptuous.com/weights.html

angelpaws said:

Anyway I really hate my lower body. My thighs and above the knee is just fat and gross. So I dont focus my weight training on this area for fear that it will get bigger. Sometimes I do leg extensions and the opposite (where you lay on your back and reverse curl).

Click to expand...

I used to think the same thing... but I was SOOO wrong. I was scared my legs would look bigger if i trained my legs with heavy weights etc. Finally, a friend of mine (and this site) convinced me I was wrong. Doing squats (not with the Smith machine) with heavy weight has made my legs look so good. I've been using the 5x5 training method since August and I love it. Here is the link that explains 5x5.

http://boards.elitefitness.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=281085

I will also post my workout for you.