Terrible body shape - help!

[babe221]

Dear all,
Please give me some advice!
I have had a pot belly every since I was in the 6th grade. Overall, I am not overweight, though I have been gaining a little weight steadily since I was 16 or so. I just have the world's worst body shape, especially in our culture where women want big busts and small waists. I have a small chest and I look like I am permanently 4-5 months pregnant. I dont know what do to. i do cardio pretty regularly, but although I get toned, and more fit, my shape isn't changing. I am so frustrated with the way I look because I serioulsy cant wear anything form fitting! What to do! What could be causing that kind of problem in the abdominal area. Is it just layers of fat? Even my upper stomach area protrudes out. sometimes I think I feel a litttle bloated as well. I have never had any children, by the way. If you people know ANYTHING out there that could help, please let me know! what is a good regimen to follow to help correct this problem???
thanks!
babe221

 

[gingernuts]

I have a similar body shape but have learned how to cope with it! I put most weight on around my middle and wear an A cup bra no matter what my bodyfat levels are at.This body type is known as 'apple-shaped' as opposed to the classic 'pear-shape' most women have.On the positive side apple-shapes rarely the have cellulite problem pears have - I like to think at least I can stand tall and hold my tummy in, if it was on my thighs I couldn't do that.On the negative I have been accused of being pregnant and also told I must be doing my crunches wrong.Other comments have included "i have never seen such a round tummy on someone so fit".

I find following a low carb diet with clean foods makes a difference immediately.The bloat goes away within a few weeks and it feels great.Watch out for any foods which aggravate digestive problems - I find cutting out wheat/bread/cracked wheat helps enormously.Cutting out milk and cheese is another must for me. I do eat cottage cheese and yogurt and my body is fine with these - I believe this is because the lactose is partially digested in the product.

I have also built muscle on my arms and legs in order to balance my overall look.This also increases metabolism to help burn more fat from the abdominal area.

Choosing clothing carefully also helps.I go for hipsters and tops which skim the bottom of my belly button, especially tops which are lowish cut and allow me to wear a wonderbra which gives a cleavage effect drawing attention up to your chest.Dresses in a nicely fitted shape give a sleeker line.


Posture also makes a massive difference.I found that for many years I was slumping my back which made my stomach stick out.STanding more upright and tucking your pelvis under a little will flatten your midriff.

Hope this will help.Don't worry, I know what it feels like but I try focusing on the positives.

 

[navywife23]

well, I don't really know what to tell you...because I don't have the best genes either! I have the world's flatest butt and i am made like a ruler..straight up and down. no curves. lol. really. since i have lost some weight, it's better...but im still trying to get rid of my gut. i carry all my weight in my tummy and inner thighs. my outer thighs are very muscular. my calves are nice to...but I'm trying to work on my tummy and 'creating and illusion' of a good body!

 

[FitFossil]

... i do cardio pretty regularly, but although I get toned, and more fit, my shape isn't changing....

Are you doing any weight training? If so, what?

 

[babe221]

Are you doing any weight training? If so, what?

I recently joined a women's only circuit training gym (like Curves). Do you think that will help? How fast should I see results? I joined it because I was sick and tired of doing ellipticals and treadmills and not seeing any results. I want to lose weight and tone up. THe thing is i am really afraid of making certain parts of myself bigger - like my thighs, which are pretty muscular to begin with.

 

[Sassy69]

You don't really have to worry about making "muscular legs" bigger. When you lean out, you will drop bodyfat proportionally across your body. Training will help. Don't go overboard on the cardio because along w/ fat you can lose muscle. If you don't have a lot of muscle to begin with, you don't want to sacrifice what you have.

Can you post up your typical day's diet? As was stated above, DIET is where you will make the difference. You may have a certain degree of bloat just from not having a clean diet. To be totally frank, I lost a great deal of bloat I had acquired over the last four years from post - competition overtraining & sporadic diet, training and a degree of depression, by doing a colon cleanse & a week long "detox diet". This made a huge amount of difference in my body's ability to metabolize properly.

Other than the detox thing, if your body isn't properly processing the food you feed it or you aren't feeding your body properly to process what you feed it, you will end up where your body has excess stuff it can't metabolize (fat) and also may not be getting what it needs to fuel itself for proper metabolism and also to clean out the toxins & remains of food that haven't been properly removed from the body.

Post up your diet & let's take a look there - trust me! Its the easiest, cheapest way to make a serious stride forward in your quality of life & fitness goals!

 

[babe221]

Well, very honestly, I have to admit that I have not been following a healthy diet, and it is only very recently that I have gained control and a little more self-discipline to consciously eat better. For a while I really struggled with anxiety issues, and so food took on a much more prominent role in my life than it should have. Carbs are so soothing, and I probably ate way too much of them for my activity level.
I would really appreciate some advice in this area though, because I get so confused looking things up myself. there are so many conflicting opinions - to top it off, i need to figure out what works for ME.
First, I am vegetarian, and have been all my life. I eat eggs if they are in baked things, but I dont like them plain. (just preferance). I drink and eat milk products too - yogurt and cheeses are fine. I dont eat red meat, poultry or seafood.
I am a college student, and during the year i have to exert a lot of will power to keep away from the junk food and the "munchies" that are always around.
I dont have a routine, or specific diet. Typically, I eat a small breakfast (cereal, or toast, OJ). For lunch I have some type of sandwich or soup, or maybe a pasta dish. For dinner, I eat things like rice and veggies, or something similar. I know I am really missing out on protein, so I have been drinking soy shakes. I dont know...I want to create a balanced and healthy vegetarian diet - and one that i can safely loose weight on, but i dont know how. I've tried portion control as well as cutting out a meal, but I can't stick to it. I;ve also tried completley cutting out the "soothing snacking" habit that I unfortuantely developed over the years.

 

[FitFossil]

If you're brand new to weight training, the curves-type thing will help, but only up to a point. To progress beyond that, you'll need to train with progressively heavier weights. It is through MUSCLE that we really can change the shape of our bodies.

Since you're new to the board, I'll tell my "big leg story" again - all others can skip this part. I used to be a "pear shape" - my top half (skinny) and bottom half (fat) looked like they belonged to 2 different people. Even as an 80 lb anorexic, my bottom half was still fat. I started weight training but was afraid to train legs heavy since I thought they'd get bigger. Finally fed up with no progress from high reps of low weights, I decided I was just going to build the biggest baddest most muscular legs ever. I figured big and muscular was better than big and fat. So I started training legs hard and heavy. As time went on, I ended up gaining over 10 pounds but dropping over 2 pant sizes.

Muscle is denser than fat, so it takes up less space. The scale might say more, but your body will be smaller and tighter. After all was said and done, I realized I had no BUTT, so I've spent the last year building that part up - that's what I mean about using muscle to sculpt. Another example of that is building up the shoulders and back to give the illusion of a smaller waist. As an added bonus, muscle requires extra calories even at rest!

 

[jenscats5]

Hi & welcome to the site!!

As others posted.....include weight training in your routine. Making your upper body (chest, shoulders, back) larger with muscle will make you look more proportional and your "tummy" will be less noticeable. Also making sure you stand up straight & hold your abs slightly in will make them look better. Adding muscle onto your frame will help you to lose fat faster & your body will look better overall.

Now for the vegetarian part.......as a college student I don't know how your finances are but you need protein in your diet!! Add beans, lentils and try making baked egg type dishes. Also try buying some TVP (texturized vegetable protein). TVP is a dried soy product and you pour boiling water over it & it is like ground beef, sort of......With seasonings it's quite good in chili, enchiladas, etc. Also "Gimme Lean" is a sausage style (it's in a tube) soy sausage product. It's great sliced on English muffins with cheese (veggie cheese too) and an egg.....You can slice firm tofu & mix it with stir fried veggies.....seitan is also a vegetarian protein product but I have not tried it myself so cannot attest.....Boca & Morningstar Farms make chicken patties (non meat) and burgers, "chicken" nuggets and ground meat products -- all very good.....

Try also making your protein shakes with soy or rice milk -- the chololate flavor is good -- really helps with that chocolate fix.

My hubby is a vegan, except he eats cheese, so if you need more veggie ideas let me know.....I'm partially vegetarian so I've tried a lot of different recipes myself.....

Also look for a Trader Joes' in your area --- they carry a lot of vegetarian products. Also look for Kosher products marked "Parve" as they usually don't contain any meat products....

 

[natalie]

Hi, this is my first time at replying, but have been reading your posts for a while.... very helpfull too i must add - thank you!

I am totally relating to FitFossil's "big leg story" thats exactly me! a pear! small up top, although i do have broad shoulders and stubborn large triceps - they just dont seem to budge! so I dont really feel like im small up top but in the photos ive been taking my top half looks exceptionally small in comparison to my lower half : ( I have always had a problem with the size of my legs and most of my life have gone down the startvation/cardio cycle - have lost weight and even dress sizes but still retained the fat! i guess from all the muscle mass i was losing! So I have started on a new regieme and am currently working with a trainer who has given me a program - heavy weights, low rep and longer rest period for upper body and light weight, high rep and short rest period for lower, however there is so much stuff out there that i get so confused whether I should be lifting heavy weights but then i hear that to create long, slender legs (or muscles) you should do light weights for higher reps and at a shorter rest period? any help would be much appreciated!

If you're brand new to weight training, the curves-type thing will help, but only up to a point. To progress beyond that, you'll need to train with progressively heavier weights. It is through MUSCLE that we really can change the shape of our bodies.

Since you're new to the board, I'll tell my "big leg story" again - all others can skip this part. I used to be a "pear shape" - my top half (skinny) and bottom half (fat) looked like they belonged to 2 different people. Even as an 80 lb anorexic, my bottom half was still fat. I started weight training but was afraid to train legs heavy since I thought they'd get bigger. Finally fed up with no progress from high reps of low weights, I decided I was just going to build the biggest baddest most muscular legs ever. I figured big and muscular was better than big and fat. So I started training legs hard and heavy. As time went on, I ended up gaining over 10 pounds but dropping over 2 pant sizes.

Muscle is denser than fat, so it takes up less space. The scale might say more, but your body will be smaller and tighter. After all was said and done, I realized I had no BUTT, so I've spent the last year building that part up - that's what I mean about using muscle to sculpt. Another example of that is building up the shoulders and back to give the illusion of a smaller waist. As an added bonus, muscle requires extra calories even at rest!