pear shape blues...

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sunshine92
sunshine92 Posts: 228 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
ok im just wondering...are there specific foods or execises that work better for those of us that carry most of the weight in the lower stomach/hips/thigh area? its so frustrating to me. i wear a small/medium shirt, but an 11/13 pants :'( shopping for jeans just wants to make me cry...any help on this woud be much appreciated! (i've heard eating really low carb is suppose to work??)

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  • mvl1014
    mvl1014 Posts: 531
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    Where we carry our weight is genetic. You can't spot reduce fat, but you can certainly spot tone. BTW, FWIW you look fantastic so don't see anything bigger than a size 5 as a failure.
  • OliveCulona
    OliveCulona Posts: 66
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    hey!! I'm pear-shaped also... I also wear medium shirts and 11-14 jeans or Large/XL pants. It's annoying!!! I feel your pain. But it's not all that bad because at least carrying weight in this area is **a little better** than having stomach weight which is more risky for your heart/organs etc... But on a realistic note... I have lost inches off my thighs by running 3-4miles daily. It took me awhile to work up to this but now this is my baseline and I do additional cardio 3 days a week. Doing toning exercises on your lower half will help shape up and make your lower half smaller! I do leg lifts, squats, pilates (core work) lateral raises, and many other toning moves! Good luck... I also do many of the moves they feature in the Shape magazine and Runner's World (runnersworld.com)
    Hope this helps... keep it up!!
  • kas1021
    kas1021 Posts: 92
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    i am the same way! all my weight seems to come off everywhere but the lower half. i have muscular thighs and i hate it. i just started running and so far i'm started to see improvements. also i'm doing kickboxing and that kind of helps. let me know if you find anything that works well for you. Im tired of this. pants shopping is the worst! all my shirts are mediums and my pants are size 10. its so very frustrating because i was once a 3- so i know its possible!
    good luck!
  • mvl1014
    mvl1014 Posts: 531
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    I also wanted to point out besides the cardio and lower body strength training, don't forget to do upper body strength training. The cardio will help remove the fat all over and the lower body will tone, as I said before... but working your shoulders and arms will help balance out your look so that you don't look bottom-heavy.
  • epoeraven
    epoeraven Posts: 458 Member
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    I also wanted to point out besides the cardio and lower body strength training, don't forget to do upper body strength training. The cardio will help remove the fat all over and the lower body will tone, as I said before... but working your shoulders and arms will help balance out your look so that you don't look bottom-heavy.

    Totally agree with this!!!!
  • CinthyNair
    CinthyNair Posts: 261
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    Me too!! I am pear shaped, most of the fat around the lower belly, hips, thighs and bum bum!!

    Now that I have lost some weight, it seems that my upper body is more toned and slim, compared to the lower body. Maybe I am paranoid, but I feel my bum looks bigger now, coz I am smaller on the top! Frustration :grumble: :grumble: :grumble:

    I am just doing loads of squats and lunges and situps and gluteal lifts. I don't run as my knees are super sensitive. So I just use the dual action bike and I exercise with an exercise ball.

    I hope my pear shape will slowly reduce, and I will get that hourglass figure I want :love:
  • acakeforawife
    acakeforawife Posts: 207
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    Another "ME TOO!" - size medium shirts, and 14/15 pants. :grumble: I haven't found anything that specifically works, although as a few people have mentioned, running seems to have made the most difference. I'm also hoping that as I get closer to goal, I'll lose more from that area (even if comes off a lot slower) -- because frankly I don't have that much more that I CAN lose from the upper half, but still have a good 25 lbs to lose overall. So here's hoping it comes straight from my butt/thighs!
  • annhjk
    annhjk Posts: 794 Member
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    Spinning or biking has helped me a lot. It has slimmed down my hips and thighs a lot. Hubby even noticed when I put on a bikni on vacation. I do run and lift so maybe it was just changing up my workouts.
  • foxyforce
    foxyforce Posts: 3,078 Member
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    Spinning or biking has helped me a lot. It has slimmed down my hips and thighs a lot. Hubby even noticed when I put on a bikni on vacation. I do run and lift so maybe it was just changing up my workouts.

    how much do you bike, i find that no matter how much i bike i can't prolong my baseline, i can generally go for an hour but then it just hurts, and most of it is slow...i have weak legs i guess?
  • sunshine92
    sunshine92 Posts: 228 Member
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    ok so its sounding like i really need to amp up my cardio...i already do alot of strength training, and my lower half is actually quite muscular...it's just that i cant seem to get off what's covering those muscles up!!! lol
  • prideofasoldi3r
    prideofasoldi3r Posts: 1
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    you just keep doing what you're doing ;)
  • Crunchytxmama
    Crunchytxmama Posts: 169 Member
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    Yep, I can relate. I never realized I was pear shaped until I got smaller and actually had a shape other than round all over, but I have definitely realized I am pear-shaped. I am very small and toned on top--I've lost what little boobs I did have, and my arms are really toned. My thighs and lower abdomen still need a LOT of work. They do look much, much better than they used to though. My legs in particular used to be covered with cellulite, and now I just have a little on my inner thighs. I do a ton of cardio, including cycling, running, stairmaster, etc.....and I've weight trained for a long time, but recently I've been spending more time on my abs and lower body. For me, I need to continue to cut the calories and lose the fat ...my legs and abs are really strong and underneath all that flab I know they look fabulous under there :laugh:
  • Jennplus2
    Jennplus2 Posts: 984 Member
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    I got a pair of Sketcher shape-ups shoes about 2 mths ago and really see my legs slimming down. I also do The Biggest Loser Weight Loss Yoga DVD and started it at about the same time as I got the shoes. I am not sure if it is one or both, but I am seeing vast improvements in the tone of my tummy, legs and booty! The shoes are really comfy also. :love:

    We pears are lower risk than apple shape so love those beautiful curves on your hips! You know guys love junk in the trunk better anyway, so strut strut strut your stuff! :happy:
  • sunshine92
    sunshine92 Posts: 228 Member
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    haha thats what my boyfriend tells me all the time. "sweetie do these jeans make my hips look bigger?" "no but they make your butt look amazing." lol...i get caught up with wanting to be tiny, but knowing how much my love loves my body makes me feel 110% better about myself.

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