Can you ever change your 'body shape?'

Lyra89

Hey guys, just looking for people with progress pictures/stories and/or opinions!

I think I'm apple shaped, as I carry my excess weight around my tummy.

After losing 54lbs, my body is still the same shape, just a lot smaller and firmer.

However, my belly and love handles are so out of proportion to the rest of my body! And I'm starting to feel that no matter what I do I'll always look this way...and will never have a 'bikini' figure no matter how much effort I put in.

I'm happy in myself and I'm a confident girl, I don't hate my body or anything like that, I think everyone should love and appreciate the body they were born with in order to be generally happy, I just want to know if it is possible to ever have a flat tummy with curves after having a muffin top with love handles for years (love handles stick out and are very noticeable!)

I've been working out for the last two years and I walk every day. My problem has been unhealthy weekend eating habits. Could this be to blame for my 'apple' shape or am I destined to end up like my mum and all of my aunties who are very wide in the stomach and arms?

xxxx

amy_marlene

bump!
i've always been wondering about this

sarajo16

Yes you can change your body shape depending on your exercise. Since doing Pilates with the JM DVD's I've noticed a huge change. Heres a link for a little bit of fun!
http://www.shopyourshape.com/calculate-your-body-shape.html

katielauren2001

Yes it will take a while so be patient.

Lyra89

Yes you can change your body shape depending on your exercise. Since doing Pilates with the JM DVD's I've noticed a huge change. Heres a link for a little bit of fun!
http://www.shopyourshape.com/calculate-your-body-shape.html

^ Thank you so much! According to this, I have a 'straight' body shape as I have an undefined waist and my bust and hips are balanced & lower legs are best asset Sounds about right...I was convinced I was an 'apple'! x

katielauren2001

Start using weights and upping when body feels ready. You will notice a change, good luck!

sarajo16

^ Thank you so much! According to this, I have a 'straight' body shape as I have an undefined waist and my bust and hips are balanced & lower legs are best asset Sounds about right...I was convinced I was an 'apple'! x

I'm straight body shape too!

oouurr__aayylleeyycan

Adding some strength training will change your body shape. I've seen results pics from people who have done BodyPump classes and other similar strength training workouts alongside their usual cardio, and the changes have been immense. x

rosied915

Absolutely!!

I did 30 Day Shred last year and completely changed the shape of my body~ so much so that I even "looked" taller!!

I am another JM fan and am currently doing Body Revolution and in Week 3~ and sure enough, the changes are a-coming!!

As for how long it will take your body to "change"~ well, the 30 Day Shred took......well, ya know......

psuLemon

You can change your body to an extent. You can cut fat by starting to lift heavy weights (where you would fail at 8-12) and eating closer to maintenance. Or even start eating at a surplus to stimulate the growth of muscle. But if it's your stomach that is having issues, you definitely want to start lifting. In fact, you can cut cardio our completely if it's not necessary to your goals (like running a marathon). This biggest thing that you need to do is look at your calories. It's possible to go out and have fun and still be smart. If you go to a restaurant, look for a healthier option like chicken or fish and instead of fries ask for a salad or a veggie. Also, a question will come into play if you are eating enough calories to cut the fat. Under eating will preserve your body fat as it's the quickest source of energy (commonly found in those eating 1200 calories). At this point, it's all about making smart decisions.


For example, below is a forum member I was working with. She is 36 years old, 5'5" and weighed 154. She used to eat 1400 calories and did a lot of cardio (running, etc). I changed that for 12 weeks where she ate 2100 calories on lifting days and 1800 calories on off days. She did 4 days of strength training and NO cardio. Below is her result.

"I just wanted to thank you for your help. You helped me a few months back and I just wanted to give you an update on my progress. 12 weeks ago I started at 154 and 28% bf. I got my bf remeasured last Friday and it was 24%. But I only lost 1 pound. It is crazy to me but I have learned to ignore the scale. You were right that keeping consistent and not giving up my body would finally adjust.

Thanks again for your help!

Stephanie"


Now in terms of fat burning, below is a study that was done that shows ST has more benefits than cardio for FAT loss, not to say cardio doesn't have it's place. But since you are trouble areas and fat is what you want to cut, i am giving you the options.

http://www.metaboliceffect.com/topic/38-nutrition-lifestyle.aspx

Arani70

Yes you can change your body shape depending on your exercise. Since doing Pilates with the JM DVD's I've noticed a huge change. Heres a link for a little bit of fun!
http://www.shopyourshape.com/calculate-your-body-shape.html

LOL my results were "unavailable" the website said it does not know my body shape so I must have a weird one haha

em9371

I think you can improve it to an extent and make the best of what you have, eg for a pear shape working the shoulders / upper body to balance out the hips, for an apple shape bulk up the legs and trim the waist, however no amount of exercise will change the basic shape that's down to genetics.
If you are an apple shape, you will always be bigger around the middle even if you are athletic and toned, you will never have a tiny waist, but you will probably have fabulous legs so emphasise those!
A straight body shape will never have big boobs / hips.
A pear shape like me will never have thin thighs or a small butt, however have a pretty good waist and upper body, even at my smallest (size 10 / us 6) I was still much bigger on my bottom half.

Jul158

This is very motivating! I'm definitely an apple shape and carry most of my weight in my stomach and upper body. I've been working more intense strength training sessions in to start building muscles and losing fat. I'd love to be able to take a Body Pump class, I've heard they're great!

yoovie

I sure did.

Fred4point0

You can change. After two years I'm sure you probably need a workout makeover. Try these dvds. Jillian Michael 30 day shred, Jillain Michael 30 day ripped. Marie Windsor Lower Body Pilates, Men's Health dvds, Rodney Yee's Yoga for beginners, and finally books Body for Life by Bill Phillips and "The Complete Book of Abs. I used all of the these programs and changed ever four weeks. In November I weighed 200 lbs and wore size 38 pants. This morning I weighed in at 165 lbs and have a size 30 waist. Not bad for a 46 year old huh. Good luck and God bless.

therealangd

Start lifting weights. That is how you change your body composition.

korsicash

Huh I thought I was an apple too but nope I am a straight and yup does fit....and nope no idea about the love handles, trying JM dvds as soon as they come in and I have been doing some oblique work.

AlsDonkBoxSquat

You can change the appearance of your shape. For example I'm a pear. I'll always be a pear, but through far loss and working on making my shoulders wider through lifting evening out my appearance.

littlebutcurvy

bump x

goldair23

Yes you can change your body shape depending on your exercise. Since doing Pilates with the JM DVD's I've noticed a huge change. Heres a link for a little bit of fun!
http://www.shopyourshape.com/calculate-your-body-shape.html

Ooh that's so cool! I'm an 'hourglass' which I'd kind of already worked out, it's fun though! Is there one where you put in aaall your measurements and it shows exactly what you look like? xo

purpleipod

Since when can you turn an apple into an hourglass or a pear into an apple? I was under the impression that your body type will always be your body type, regardless of how heavy or thin you are.

soliddreams

There are things you can do to manipulate the muscles you have, as well as getting low enough that you strip all the fat off of love handles etc. I'll always have wide hips, so I have an intense focus on making my back and shoulders as wide as possible, because that will give me the aesthetic V Taper. Some things aren't easy to deal with, but you can still make changes!

acogg

Interesting topic. Out of curiousity, I used the body shape calculator and entered my current measurements, then my measurements from 2.5 months ago. Both came back as "straight" (a politer way of saying apple). I have lost exactly the same 4" in my bust, waist and hips. I am apple shaped, always will be, but it's all in how I choose to carry the shape. IMO, Jillian Michaels is an apple. The still pictures in her advertisements have been retouched to make her waist look narrow. In her videos she looks like an apple.

llkilgore

Yes you can change your body shape depending on your exercise. Since doing Pilates with the JM DVD's I've noticed a huge change. Heres a link for a little bit of fun!
http://www.shopyourshape.com/calculate-your-body-shape.html

^ Thank you so much! According to this, I have a 'straight' body shape as I have an undefined waist and my bust and hips are balanced & lower legs are best asset Sounds about right...I was convinced I was an 'apple'! x

As defined by fat distribution you probably are an apple, as opposed to a pear. That site seems to be more interested in the shape of your frame than in your pattern of fat distribution and doesn't even include apples among its 8 female body types. I don't think you can change your shape from one major type to another, but you can keep your weight under control and make the most of what you have.

I also have the straight body shape and consider myself to be a apple as well because any excess weight goes straight to my belly and midsection and completely obliterates what little waist definition I have. I do NOT carry extra weight very well at all because any curves that develop are in the wrong places. And I'm thick waisted, even with a BMI below 20, because I'm short waisted, and nothing short of the surgical removal of a few ribs could ever give me a classic hourglass figure. But on the plus side, I've always had lean and shapely legs and a firm butt, even at my heaviest. Even at nearly 60. And I'm not genetically programmed to store excess fat on my face, neck, or arms either, so no bat wings or double chins. Nature has a way of balancing the books in the end.

magerum

Weight/resistance training.

47Jacqueline

Yes you can change your body shape depending on your exercise. Since doing Pilates with the JM DVD's I've noticed a huge change. Heres a link for a little bit of fun!
http://www.shopyourshape.com/calculate-your-body-shape.html

Thanks for this. I am a "spoon" ;-). I thought I was an hour glass. However I'm trying to lose some inches in my butt.

KatieSChaisemom

Mine said I am a spoon ( like a figure 8) I guess that's a good thing?

BarackMeLikeAHurricane

We've all heard the whole "sport reduction is impossible" thing before and I feel like that's basically what would need to happen to change your shape. Even when I was at the bottom of the healthy BMI range I still had love handles and a little bit of weight on my stomach. I just started lifting weights and lost more weight now it's basically gone. For some people, if you want to get to your desired shape you need to drop into the "unhealthy weight" category. I'm not suggesting other people do this, I'm just sharing my experience.

darrensurrey

It's something I've been considering for people in general.

If you just, for instance, eat less or do a lot of cardio to burn excess calories, you will lose weight over time but you will develop a body akin to a pensioner's - either very weak/skinny limbs with a flabby mid-section or if you continue to diet, skinny everywhere (much like a chemotherapy patient but without the hair loss, knackered fingernails, tummy troubles etc). (In my professional capacity, I have worked with a lot of cancer patients and very old people (even some older than 100!) and have had the opportunity to study body composition from general health/interest viewpoint - perhaps I need to get a life and stop worrying so much about dieting and fitness.)

However, if you lift weights, you can "adjust" the proportions to become more athletic and healthy-looking.

This is why Non-Scale Victories are so much more important than looking at the numbers on the scales.

That's my take on things, anyway. If you don't believe me, well, jog on. (Geddit? :happy: )

MemphisKitten

What was your shape when you were at your lowest weight? If it was still an apple shape, then you probably can't change it. You can put on a bikini no matter what shape you have; there isn't a specific "bikini shape." Go stay in Vegas at a hotel with a pool (in the summer of course) and you'll see all kinds of women in all different shapes and sizes wearing bikinis! You can shape your body by toning and building your muscles though.

BinaryPulsar

I guess if you have excess fat you can lose that and discover what your true shape is underneath. But, we do tend to have a natural body shape that stays the same and places on our body that lose or gain fat more easily. I always have a small/slender waist, tummy, back. If I gain, I will gain on my butt/thighs (not much). If I lose I like to be careful that my upper body doesn't get "too skinny". But, I have a balanced shape (like an hour glass, but I am very small and slender).