Genetics..........accept them or....

ninerbuff

Work with what you have. There are lots of complaints about wide hips, big calves, short torsos, etc. Guess what? Unless one is willing to do under the knife to change it (think nose job here), there's nothing you can do to change them. So accept them.

But that doesn't mean you can't enhance your look. Have wide hips with a small shoulder width on top (making one look like a triangle)? Then you CAN "widen" your shoulders by increasing your side delt size along with some increase in the lats giving the appearance of a more hour glass figure.
There are other ways to enhance one's look (mostly just by lowering body fat to see some definition), but understand that the shape of one's muscles are permanent unless there's a muscle detachment (torn muscle) or it gets surgically repaired. Same with the bones. You can't "lengthen" them or muscle through exercise, but using non progressive resistance (like isometrics) and having lower body fat will give the "appearance" of that happening.

I look forward to hearing comments and opinions on this.

A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

scrapsthefish

Fun post! I liked what you had to say about how you can alter what you've got and what you have to just live with, and I love the idea of lifting to alter one's body shape.

Genetics are such a tough spot with me, though...and an insanely depressing one. Some aspects of genetics, you really can't work with. For instance, I have a severe thyroid disorder...and what I've learned from this site and about 10 continuous years of trying is that it's simply impossible for me to lose weight.. It can't be done. I've tried everything. Short of surgery, I'm not dropping any lbs. My grandmother had the same disorder and was probably about 500 lbs when she died - she controlled her weight with diet and exercise up until her knees gave out, and then it was pretty much all over.

I really don't want to rupture a bowel in my bathroom when I'm stepping out of my shower and have to be removed from my house by six total strangers in the middle of the night. If things stay the way they are, though, that's exactly what's going to happen to me. I put on a few lbs every year, and no amount of watching calories, watching fat, cutting carbs, or excessive jogging seems to help. I'm going to be morbidly obese by the time I hit my forties. All I'm trying to do now is slow the process. I won't have children because I'm afraid that they'll get the same disorder, and I couldn't live with that.

So...genetics.

I'm typing this post from my exercise bike. We're looking at hour four of exercise for the day - I threw up earlier from practicing full contact martial arts for two hours in a non-air-conditioned studio. I took a long, brisk walk (because I couldn't jog; I'd taken a couple of shin-shots and was kind of limping), I went swimming, and now there's this. Yesterday I did the same thing. I've gained four lbs this weekend...I think it was the bananas I ate to help me with my sore muscles. I'm on thyroid meds, and the doctor claims that I need to eat less and exercise more.

No lie, I want to die sometimes.

Anybody has any words of thyroid-encouragement, I'd love to hear them.

ilovedeadlifts

I don't know how to make my small calves less small. I've just had to accept that, and typically wear jeans in public haha

mrsjoyw

For me it's my arms. I'm the only one of five siblings that inherited the fat arms gene. Whenever I gain weight my arms are on the top of the list. But I keep working them with hopes that they will slim down. I'm not one of those women that's afraid of getting bulky from lifting weights. I mean if my arms looked like Popeye arms I'd be cool with that LOL! Just let me get rid of these bat wings and show some sort of definition. I'd like people to look at my arms and be able to say, "Oh wow! She works out!"

seltzermint555

I think attitude can make a big difference. I used to shy away from weight loss because I know when I am smaller it makes my bum and hips look a lot larger than when my body is big all over. My mom and aunts all have extreme pear shaped bodies. But now I've come to embrace it, and realize when I look at photos and see "normal" me with wide hips that are not really in proportion to the rest of me, it's still better overall than seeing myself with a double chin, rolls on my belly, etc. I feel as I age I am learning to appreciate small things like the leanness of my lower limbs or my height allowing me to carry weight better than some. I'm not going to freak out over my big bum and hips and my fiance quite enjoys them, anyway.

BigBrunette

I come from a long line of strong, beautiful, pear-shaped women. My hips have always been significantly wider than my shoulders, even when I was super skinny. I've only recently embraced my shape and learned to love it. Go, pears!

chercee

Mostly I try to just deal with genetics. I've gotten both good and bad from my folks, as most here probably have. On the good side, I have an hourglass figure (thanks Mom) but enough height and natural slimmishness (thanks Dad) to pull it off without worrying too much. On the bad side, I have rosacea (thanks Dad) and an unstoppable tendancy to carry any extra weight in my hips and thighs (thanks Mom) - especially the thighs. Seriously, I could Susanne Sommers my thighs to death and that's still where I would be heaviest. It is what it is.

However, it bothers me that my brother uses "genetics" as a reason to just not care. He's genetically predisposed toward stockiness/heaviness, I'll give him that. But the crap he eats and drinks has nothing to do with genetics - that's just bad choices. He's definitely in the "obese" category now, and I'm scared for him. The couple of times we've talked about it, he just points out that I got the good genes, and he got the bad genes, so what's the point? It's frustrating and scary. I get that his genetics might make it harder for him to lose weight, but why help them along?

ninerbuff

Fun post! I liked what you had to say about how you can alter what you've got and what you have to just live with, and I love the idea of lifting to alter one's body shape.

Genetics are such a tough spot with me, though...and an insanely depressing one. Some aspects of genetics, you really can't work with. For instance, I have a severe thyroid disorder...and what I've learned from this site and about 10 continuous years of trying is that it's simply impossible for me to lose weight.. It can't be done. I've tried everything. Short of surgery, I'm not dropping any lbs. My grandmother had the same disorder and was probably about 500 lbs when she died - she controlled her weight with diet and exercise up until her knees gave out, and then it was pretty much all over.

I really don't want to rupture a bowel in my bathroom when I'm stepping out of my shower and have to be removed from my house by six total strangers in the middle of the night. If things stay the way they are, though, that's exactly what's going to happen to me. I put on a few lbs every year, and no amount of watching calories, watching fat, cutting carbs, or excessive jogging seems to help. I'm going to be morbidly obese by the time I hit my forties. All I'm trying to do now is slow the process. I won't have children because I'm afraid that they'll get the same disorder, and I couldn't live with that.

So...genetics.

I'm typing this post from my exercise bike. We're looking at hour four of exercise for the day - I threw up earlier from practicing full contact martial arts for two hours in a non-air-conditioned studio. I took a long, brisk walk (because I couldn't jog; I'd taken a couple of shin-shots and was kind of limping), I went swimming, and now there's this. Yesterday I did the same thing. I've gained four lbs this weekend...I think it was the bananas I ate to help me with my sore muscles. I'm on thyroid meds, and the doctor claims that I need to eat less and exercise more.

No lie, I want to die sometimes.

Anybody has any words of thyroid-encouragement, I'd love to hear them.

If you haven't already, consult an endocrinologist.

A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

ninerbuff

I don't know how to make my small calves less small. I've just had to accept that, and typically wear jeans in public haha

Man, calves are tough. Even some of the best bodybuilders in the world who juice have a tough time even increasing muscle size on calves.

A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition