Where are my PEAR shaped ladies?? Question....

i dropped a jean size in 2 months last year purely through diet. i then dropped another in about a further 3 months with quite a bit of exercise thrown in but then injured my ankle and filled back out again. only recently been able to start fitness again but have dropped 3 inches off my hips in just a month mainly by watching the calories but also exercise biking, it's really slimmed down and toned up my upper legs. good luck

Similar to arem, I am tall (5'9") and the last place I lose fat is on my hips/thighs. I do find lifting heavy to be the best way to change my "shape" - and I hope you are lifting heavy and reducing your calories (you'll need to be in a caloric deficit to reduce your body fat).

I'm 5'2" and 100.5 today. I still have a butt. If I weren't pear-shaped, I wouldn't be trying to drop a few more pounds.

A-line and Empire silhouettes -- the classic pear figure shapes -- look best on me. But at least they create a nice, long line.

Edited to add: I don't use direct resistance weights on my lower body, except for my calves. I would get bigger in the very areas where my body permanently stores extra fat, and my proportions would look even more lopsided.

I'm pear shaped. I lose my weight last on the bottom. No magic tricks. Just continued fatloss. It's annoying.

Am I the only one who loves my pear shape? I mean, yeah, it's annoying that I lose last in my stomach/hips/thighs, but I find the shape quite appealing. Maybe because I have big boobs to balance it out?


Anyway, to your point, exercise. But don't fight your shape. Your hips will always be bigger, but if you're toned, it will look great that way.

Am I the only one who loves my pear shape? I mean, yeah, it's annoying that I lose last in my stomach/hips/thighs, but I find the shape quite appealing. Maybe because I have big boobs to balance it out?


Anyway, to your point, exercise. But don't fight your shape. Your hips will always be bigger, but if you're toned, it will look great that way.

I think most of us don't have big boobs *L* or any boobs a tall.

I'm 5'2 and pear shaped and with that, am desperately trying to drop inches in my hips/thighs! I'm finding it so hard and have heard that it IS hard. So I'm wondering if anyone out there, that is PEAR shaped, is having this problem, OR had this problem?? If so, what are you finding that works best to shrink this hard area??? ALSO, how long did it take you to drop pant sizes? Thanks for the advice and support

I used to have all that fat too. I'm 5'1" and I'm almost 52 years old. It took me two years to lose 60 lbs. I failed for 15 years prior because I didn't realize I was eating to much for such a small (short) person.

Your body loses weight in chunks, not linear. I have found that you can do everything right and your weight loss seems to plateau but if you are patient and keep exercising and eating at a deficit (however slight) you will lose it, it will suddenly "whoosh". There are so many variables for the scale; water retention, digestion, allergies, sodium, carbs, water intake, DOMS, inflammation, the list goes on. People mistakenly think they lose or gain weight when they eat more or less because of these fluctuations.

Losing weight requires tremendous patience. You will not lose it when you want it or where you want it. The body does its thing. Some apparent plateaus can last a month or so. You can not make it happen faster. You must focus on two things; calories and exercise. Nothing else matters. Scales and metrics don't matter. The day in and day out grind of exercise and calories are all that matters. It is not very exciting until things fall into place. You get your victories and you ride one victory to the next.

The scale is a trend tool. The scale is good but put it away and only check once a week and only use it as a trend tool. It will fluctuate, it does not matter. Take front side and back progress pictures at least once a month. You will see differences that the metrics won't tell you and it's that little bit of NSV that will keep you going until the next victory.

There are many who will tell you to "eat more" to lose.

Taller people have more room in their calorie budget to go up or down. Shorter people like me have less room and get frustrated with "eat more" because that typically does not work for us. This is driven by our RMR which is mainly driven by our height. So if we are short (you are only 5'2") then our RMR is just barely above the 1200 calories limit imposed here and it makes it very difficult to have enough of a calorie deficit to make a significant difference. I had to take my documentation from my Anything Goes Diet and Eat Stop Eat manual which showed that I could eat lower calories and had research to back it and discuss it with my doctor. He watched my progress and another doctor checked my blood work. I was able to eat less and not go into starvation mode and also build muscle at the same time. I tell my full story here: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/740340-i-lost-60-lbs-at-age-51-anyone-can-any-workout

If you are confused about it don't just listen to all of us, do some research and get help from your doctor, then do what you need to do and tune out all of the rest of us.

Once I got leaner I had to taper UP my calories. The leaner you get the less of a calorie deficit your body can handle. It needs to be a long slow shallow deficit. For me still under a doctor’s care, this is around 1000-1200 calories because I am so short, petite, and am under 12% body fat where I truly can go into starvation mode if I ate under 1000 calories. I have supporting documentation below. Again, you must seek your doctor’s advice. No one here can tell you how many calories to eat, either up or down.

If you have a lot of body fat reserves you would be surprised at how little you can eat (unless you have emotional eating issues or disorders). The leaner you get the less your body has to draw from and then you have to taper up your calories. There is no such thing as starvation mode for woman over 12% body fat or men over 6% body fat. I pretty much proved that for myself by staying strong and building muscle and doing what I did. I'm the leanest, most muscular, and most fit that I have ever been in my life at almost 52 years old. My doctor looked at my blood work throughout my journey and it remained fine even with “taking breaks from eating” for periods of time and eating less. Even now at less than 12% body fat everything is A-OKAY. I am healthy, active, and vibrant, muscular not skinny. I have never had eating disorders nor do I now. If you have eating disorders you should not be on a diet unless you are under a doctor’s care and/or get those issues resolved first. I do not advocate unhealthy eating or promote eating disorders.


I found the following quotes helpful for sorting through all the myths plastered all over the place.

What is the exact number of calories for you?

We’ve been trying to figure out an exact NUMBER of calories that everyone should be eating, without recognizing that everyone is slightly different. In truth, the calories aren’t the end game. Your body is. So the EXACT amount of Calories that are right for you is the EXACT amount that will allow you to maintain your ideal bodyweight no matter what some calculator or chart says.

In other words, an online calculator might tell you that you need to eat 2,500 calories
per day to maintain your ideal bodyweight. But the only way to know for sure if this is
the right amount for you is to test it out. If you gain weight or can’t lose weight eating
that much, then you know you need to eat less to lose weight no matter how many
calculators and text books say otherwise.

This doesn’t mean your metabolism is broken, it just means the estimate of your needs
was just a bit off.

-John Barban (The Body Centric Calorie Guide from the Venus Index and Adonis Index Manuals)

The Theory of Fat Availability:
•There is a set amount of fat that can be released from a fat cell.
•The more fat you have, the more fat can be used as a fuel when dieting.
•The less fat you have, the less fat can be used as a fuel when dieting.
•Towards the end of a transformation, when body fat is extremely low you
may not have enough fat to handle a large caloric deficit anymore.

At the extreme low end, when your body fat cannot ‘keep up’ with the energy deficit
you've imposed on your body, the energy MUST come from SOMEWHERE. This is
when you are at risk of losing lean body mass during dieting (commonly referred to
as ‘starvation mode’). This happens at extremely low levels of body fat, under 6% in
men and 12% in women [Friedl K.E. J Appl Phsiol, 1994].

-Brad Pilon and John Barban (from The Reverse Taper Diet in The Adonis Index and Venus Index manuals)

Anyway, to your point, exercise. But don't fight your shape. Your hips will always be bigger, but if you're toned, it will look great that way.

The problem is that any area that has a lot of fat is never going to look as toned as a body part that has less fat and more muscle. That's why liposuction was invented. (Not that I'm advocating it.)

Am I the only one who loves my pear shape? I mean, yeah, it's annoying that I lose last in my stomach/hips/thighs, but I find the shape quite appealing. Maybe because I have big boobs to balance it out?


Anyway, to your point, exercise. But don't fight your shape. Your hips will always be bigger, but if you're toned, it will look great that way.

I think most of us don't have big boobs *L* or any boobs a tall.

Not having "big boobs to balance it out" is the DEFINITION of being pear-shaped. :laugh:

Right!! Now only if there was a massage technique that would transfer the junk in the trunk to the top and front...

I LOVE my pear shape and when I first started working out, I was discouraged that I wasn't losing many inches in that area. In my opinion, it's all about muscle tone as well. My thighs and butt are very strong. I can do lunges and squats like no one's business. Now, you ask me to do something with weights and my arms and I start to cry. <~~~ Absolutely no upper body strength.

Am I the only one who loves my pear shape? I mean, yeah, it's annoying that I lose last in my stomach/hips/thighs, but I find the shape quite appealing. Maybe because I have big boobs to balance it out?


Anyway, to your point, exercise. But don't fight your shape. Your hips will always be bigger, but if you're toned, it will look great that way.

I think most of us don't have big boobs *L* or any boobs a tall.

Not having "big boobs to balance it out" is the DEFINITION of being pear-shaped. :laugh:

Right!! Now only if there was a massage technique that would transfer the junk in the trunk to the top and front...

lol. Okay, fair. But in my defense, I am still considered a pear shape! My hips are definitely bigger than my shoulders.

Ugh I have the same problem!!!! I want this FAT ON MY HIPS TO GO !!!!! I swear losing the fat on my hips ill be able to go down a size in my jeans .... I'm fine w/ the thighs my main problems stomach , hips and butt!! I've lost 47 lbs and I still have trouble areas I'm
About 20lbs away from being at the lowest weight I can be for my height ugh ... I just ordered no more trouble zones and killer buns and thighs and ripped in 30 by Jillian Micheals hope that does the trick
Btw
My hips are 38.5 in
My thighs are 19.5 in
My waist 29 in
Chest -29

I'm pear all the way, and honestly, a big part of it was just accepting that I will always be a pear. I have wide hips, so my bone structure is just designed to be that way. No use in fighting it or getting upset about it.

Other than that, lower body work has been my friend. Running has done wonders, and weighted squats, lunges, etc are my best buds.

I'm pear all the way, and honestly, a big part of it was just accepting that I will always be a pear. I have wide hips, so my bone structure is just designed to be that way. No use in fighting it or getting upset about it.

Other than that, lower body work has been my friend. Running has done wonders, and weighted squats, lunges, etc are my best buds.

Yes, this. I'm definitely a pear...32-26-36, and I like my curvy hips. I've found that when I train my lower body, I get more definition, not bulk, but I have to lose fat to actually lose inches. Because I carry more fat on my lower half, it takes longer for me to see results on my hips and legs than it does on my upper body, but it is so worth the effort. I'm 5'4", and for me, 8 lbs brought me down 1 pants size.

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