WIll my pear shape ever change?

peanutcats
peanutcats Posts: 14 Member
edited November 7 in Health and Weight Loss
I think I'm pear shaped, anyway. I have these tubby legs. It's hard to describe but imagine my legs to be like two stretched-out upside down triangles: I have tiny ankles, skinny calves, then my knees have this weird "double chin" thing and my legs just get more and more huge from my knees. Sorry if the description sucks but anyway...I was wondering will this shape ever change? I want my legs to be thin and lean, not chunky! I already do a lot of cardio with resistance and a bit of weights too (light/moderate). I'm just so sick of thick legs!!! Aaargh!! :-( Will they go away? My logic is that if all my fat is stored there, surely if there's no fat LEFT to store then it won't be in my legs? What body fat % does it start to go away from the legs at? Thanks so much! I'm just a little upset about it now because of a comment from a family member that my legs look like tree trunks.
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Replies

  • SharonNehring
    SharonNehring Posts: 535 Member
    If you continue to reduce your body fat, eventually your thighs will get smaller. There's no magic percentage of fat number that will make it disappear. You also can't spot reduce certain areas unfortunately.

    The bad news is, you can't change genetics. If you've had large thighs since childhood then chances are they may always be a little larger than you'd like as compared to the rest of your body, although smaller than they are now. Weight lifting, doing squats and other body weight exercises will help you tone up though.

    And truly, ignore people who think making rude comments is somehow helpful.
  • phedre79
    phedre79 Posts: 3
    Could a lot of the appearance be due to water retention? There are massage techniques call lymphatic drainage and lypossage that can help reduce any inflammation that may clogging things up. Toning will help your double knees; resistance or low weight exercises with lots of reps. I lost a lot of weight from my arms, but didn't have bat wings. I wasn't working them out, but I was working at a grocery store at the time. Pulling forward items, even low weight items for hours a day made them look great.
  • Tresiel
    Tresiel Posts: 98 Member
    The short and sweet answer is yes, for a more detailed answer I would need more information.
  • Ephesian432
    Ephesian432 Posts: 9 Member
    If you keep doing cardio, eating properly, and you keep losing fat, your thighs will eventually get smaller. But as for your pear shape ever changing - no.

    Again, I'm not saying that your thighs can't get smaller, because they can. If you're already smaller on top and larger on the bottom, when you lose a lot of fat, you will be VERY small on the top, but still larger on the bottom, even though your thighs are smaller. I hope that makes sense. I'm speaking from experience. I once got really small (too small actually) but I was still pear shaped...just sort of a thin pear shape. :happy: I thought my thighs would never get small because they were always so huge. But they did get small!!! So it is possible! But pear shape changing? Again, no. Where we tend to retain fat is determined by our individual body chemistry and genetic make up. (And don't forget about bone structure, that also makes a huge difference in body shape. If you have wide hip bones, even being stick skinny you will still have wide hips.)

    Just to summarize: you will lose weight all over your body, but you will retain the natural shape you were born with. So start to embrace it! (From your fellow pear shaped gal.) :wink:
  • MagnumBurrito
    MagnumBurrito Posts: 1,070 Member
    Staci from nerdfitness had a pear shape, and also hated her legs.

    http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2011/07/21/meet-staci-your-new-powerlifting-super-hero/
  • Ephesian432
    Ephesian432 Posts: 9 Member
    p.s: Ignore those rude comments from family members! They are probably just jealous because you are doing something good for yourself by being healthier!
  • RekindledRose
    RekindledRose Posts: 523 Member
    Staci from nerdfitness had a pear shape, and also hated her legs.

    http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2011/07/21/meet-staci-your-new-powerlifting-super-hero/


    She is definitely a fitness hero!
  • JosieRawr
    JosieRawr Posts: 788 Member
    The pear shape will be less defined as you lose weight to an extent.
  • aedreana
    aedreana Posts: 979 Member
    The answer to your question: very likely yes. MENOPAUSE will probably redistribute your weight. The fat from your hips, butt and thighs will probably shift to your upper arms, breasts, waist, midriff, and belly. Most postmenopausal women turn into apples within a few years. Hourglasses and pears then will long for their pre-apple figures. You don't know what you've got till it's gone, gone, gone...
  • smetka01
    smetka01 Posts: 99 Member
    Look at her video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VPsszzFwru8

    Her transformation is crazy! You can do it too :)
  • lelyke
    lelyke Posts: 47
    Pear tastes better than Apple, IMO.
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  • flumi_f
    flumi_f Posts: 1,888 Member
    You're a pear and will remain a pear, but your thighs will get thinner with weightloss.

    I'm an apple and have always had slim knees and massive / muscular calves and quads even at my highest weight. I inherited those from my dad. It's genetics.... We can change alot, but not our genetics ;-)

    I've lost 3+ inches off my calves and a bit more off my thighs and a foot off of my waist over the last year....My legs are still massive and muscular for my height, but they are much leaner. And they sure do help with my uphill runs :tongue:

    Embrace who your are. It's OK to be a pear ;-)
  • ContraryMaryMary
    ContraryMaryMary Posts: 1,786 Member
    I always thought I was a pear - I hold my weight on my hips, tummy, bum and thighs. I lost 15kg and, hello, under that fat I'm a banana. I've gone from a UK 12 on top, 16 on bottom to a balanced 10 on top and bottom, so it is possible. That being said, my legs were never heavy and now are quite skinny (like the rest of my family, so yes, it all comes down to genes).
  • hmg90
    hmg90 Posts: 314 Member
    I am a pear too, and like others say, you cannot change genetics. I think there are advantages to every shape though - I've always had a nice bum and a flat stomach and slim arms, even though my thighs store fat. My sister is an apple and she has the advantage of slim thighs, large breasts for her shape but less bum and an unattractive shape if she gains.
    Body shapes are different and nobody's perfect.

    I also have to get really thin before my thighs become slim. Although you can't change your shape you can do a lot with it. A lot of very attractive celebrity women are pears, they are just in great shape.

    Doing weight training for your upper body will also be beneficial.
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  • BootCampC
    BootCampC Posts: 689 Member
    once your body fat percentage dips low enough the pear shape will be almost gone , it will look quite sexy :)
  • SingRunTing
    SingRunTing Posts: 2,604 Member
    You might find this website helpful:
    http://www.mybodygallery.com/index.html

    You can sort by body shape and weight to see what a pear shape looks like at different weights.
  • kenyainez
    kenyainez Posts: 222 Member
    I'm an apple shaped woman, which means I have a pronounced upper body and my lower body is quite narrow. When women like us gain weight, we're as good as doomed LOL (according to medical research and medical experts). They say this because of the fat stored in our bodies being very close to vital organs such as the heart and lungs. I couldn't stand my shape, until I saw women with apple shapes who were fit. Their waist line starts early and the out curve starting at their lower abs gives them a curvy appeal.

    I say all that to say this....

    If you're born with a pear shape, the best thing for you to do is embrace it and make it look as best as possible for you by getting in great shape. One of the things as an overweight apple shaped woman is I don't have a porportioned hip to waist ratio when over weight whereas many pear and hourglass shaped women still have that curvy appeal even with extra pounds. I'm not trippin', its the hand I was dealt and I'm just learning how to play it the best I can. And when it comes to genetics, that's something we all have to do. :0)
  • aedreana
    aedreana Posts: 979 Member
    Excess fat not only enlarges us; it also distorts us. You might well discover that when you lose weight, your thighs will not be disproportionate. Until menopause turned me into an unwilling unhappy apple, I was always an hourglass. I allowed myself to gain up to 200 lbs. once, very briefly, when I was in my late 30s. I was still an hourglass, 44"-34"-43," but I had ROLLS of fat on my back! If a person carries enough excess fat, their body will become distorted with rolls and/or bulges and/or localized fat deposits that cause them to look out-of-proportion. When they reach their ideal weight, they are smaller AND better-proportioned!
  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 9,985 Member
    No idea if it will! I'm more of a pear with wide hourglass shoulders and I have strong legs (also kalves) wide hips but an ok belly. Since trying to loose a bit weight I noticed that there is some overall loss on the tape measure. The quickest results where on my waist, but this has slowed down considerably now and as my belly gets relatively flat relatively fast anyway I'm not surprised. Based on overall circumference I saw the largest relative and overall! changes on my lower legs and lower arms! And least change on my hips and thighs ( I guess chest has the smallest change, but I'm not measuring that) which isn't really too surprising, seeing my body shape. Plus I have rather wide hip bones anyway. On the positive side: my rather nice round butt (long live squats!) is probably not going away soon :D

    Hmm.. looking at this mybodygallery (cool website) for my weight and height I think I have more of an athletic body anyway rather than a wobbly one. Interesting! O.o

    Just played with a waste to hip ration calculator: 0.74 while I'm still somewhat overweight. Yep, I guess I'm a pear :)
  • BlueVelvet93
    BlueVelvet93 Posts: 2 Member
    If you keep doing cardio, eating properly, and you keep losing fat, your thighs will eventually get smaller. But as for your pear shape ever changing - no.

    Again, I'm not saying that your thighs can't get smaller, because they can. If you're already smaller on top and larger on the bottom, when you lose a lot of fat, you will be VERY small on the top, but still larger on the bottom, even though your thighs are smaller. I hope that makes sense. I'm speaking from experience. I once got really small (too small actually) but I was still pear shaped...just sort of a thin pear shape. :happy: I thought my thighs would never get small because they were always so huge. But they did get small!!! So it is possible! But pear shape changing? Again, no. Where we tend to retain fat is determined by our individual body chemistry and genetic make up. (And don't forget about bone structure, that also makes a huge difference in body shape. If you have wide hip bones, even being stick skinny you will still have wide hips.)

    Just to summarize: you will lose weight all over your body, but you will retain the natural shape you were born with. So start to embrace it! (From your fellow pear shaped gal.) :wink:

    This is my experience exactly. I am a weird kind of pair shape - petite, small on top, narrow hips, average bum but bigger thighs, and small calves - and even at a very low weight my proportions are pretty much the same. When my body fat is lower I basically lose the jiggle but find I have a lot of muscle underneath. The downside is I have to get pretty bony up top to slim down my thighs, but on the upside I tend to look smaller than I am in the right clothes and my legs taper nicely instead of being straight up and down.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 49,024 Member
    Your "shape" is genetic. Meaning you cannot change the width of your hip or shoulder bones which help to dictate your shape. You can lose body fat which will help you look leaner.

    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
  • feedmedonuts
    feedmedonuts Posts: 241 Member
    I'm a pear and have those thick thighs you speak of. When I was 118lbs all the way up until 150lbs it was the same way, just less severe when I was smaller. Can't change my shape, but can make it better. Thankfully I don't have a thigh gap infatuation, because let's face it...ain't happening :bigsmile:
  • fushigi1988
    fushigi1988 Posts: 519 Member
    His is a GREAT post about your question: http://fitvillains.tumblr.com/post/7934677568/why-losing-weight-wont-change-your-shape-and-other

    Short answer: basic shape will stay the same, that's just your bones, but by lowering BF% and increasing muscle mass, you can change it a bit. Make your legs look tighter.
  • skinnyb05
    skinnyb05 Posts: 87 Member
    I'm a pear too! I was just reading that you should be happy to have a pear shape rather than an apple due to an apple carrying most of their weight around their belly. That helped me to accept it more and work with what I have, you can't change the genetics part of it. Just as the other pears have mentioned I always lose from the top first. Don't listen to the unkind comments.
  • albayin
    albayin Posts: 2,524 Member
    I don't know if this is for every pear out there...but for me, my shape has changed. I am still slightly peared but more balanced after 2 years of lifting and training...
  • skinnyb05
    skinnyb05 Posts: 87 Member
    Staci from nerdfitness had a pear shape, and also hated her legs.

    http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2011/07/21/meet-staci-your-new-powerlifting-super-hero/

    Awesome!! Thank you for posting this, she is an amazing inspiration!!
  • albayin
    albayin Posts: 2,524 Member
    Staci from nerdfitness had a pear shape, and also hated her legs.

    http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2011/07/21/meet-staci-your-new-powerlifting-super-hero/

    LOL this Staci was "introduced" to me back to when I first joined the lifting group....Is she still around?
  • IllustratedxGirl
    IllustratedxGirl Posts: 240 Member
    I'm very pear shared because the widest part of my hips, like the spot where my thigh bone connects to my hips, is very, very wide. So I'll never be smaller than that lol. It's ok though because as long as I can look leaner within that frame, then that works.
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