Can you ever change your 'body shape?'

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.

You can improve your figure, but a lot of it depends on your bone structure.

I'm always going to have hips about 10 or so inches bigger than my waist. I was that way when I was skinny, when I was chubby and when I'm fit. Someone with a differently shaped rib cage and hip bones will have different dimensions.

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).

same.

i'd like to point out that OP hasn't logged anything since thanksgiving. she logged the five days before the holiday. the days she does log do look pretty good though.

I don't believe you can dramatically change your shape without surgery. You can do things to avoid accentuating things you don't like. For example, pear or spoon shaped women are told not to use direct weight resistance on the lower body.

You can change how your body looks somewhat, but you can't change your bone structure and your genetic predispositions. I'll always have hips that are much bigger than my waist. My body will always be more inclined to gain in the love handle and thigh area. But I have some control over how much fat is on my body, and how I train those areas to look better.