The Odd Body Shapes

I'm not gonna pretend that I'm not big EVERYWHERE… because I am. But when it comes to proportions...I am VERY apple shaped. Trying to find pants that fit is difficult, because I will measure at LEAST a full size larger in my waist measurements than in my hips. Sometimes even 2 sizes. My chest is proportional to my waist…. but my hips are not. But my grandmother was that way too. Large chest and stomach… but she ran around on little stick legs!

This reminds me of my neighbor. She is round in the abdomen and has a chubby face and modest chest, but her legs are killer (trim and well defined) and her arms are pretty decent, too.

I'm the type to gain evenly everywhere, but the first place I notice a change in weight is in the face (confirmed by my sister.)

Skinny arms and legs and a chubby tummy? Sign me up. It's called "being sedentary." Try moving more throughout the day. 5 minutes of stair walking every couple of hours.

Also work on loosening up your hip flexors and hamstrings and engaging your glutes. Don't tuck your butt. My tummy flattened dramatically when I got loose enough to actually stand up straight and work the right muscles for a good posture.

http://www.katysays.com/mind-your-pelvis/

No, it's not necessarily related to being sedentary. There's also a hormonal component, which is why you see more women start towards an apple pattern of weight gain/distribution in perimenopause, menopause and post menopause. Apple shapes are more common in men at all ages.

^ I totally agree. Being sedentary does not give your body an apple shape.

Sitting on your butt all day gives you biomechanical issues that tend to lead to an apple shape.

And, Katysays.com has found that men seem to be more likely to "tuck" which is one of these biomechanical issues:

http://www.katysays.com/hamstrings/

Posture can exaggerate or minimize the protrusion of your abdomen. It doesn't change where your weight is distributed.

While weight distribution defines the "apple shape" I can tell you that I remain an apple shape when thin. Another poster mentioned this as well. It's not just about fat.

Looking pregnant or having a pot belly, even while at a normal weight, indicates a tight psoas (and tight hip flexors and hamstrings, and the lack of gluteal engagement).

Everything about the OPs description (lack of a butt, her other problem) indicates a tight psoas as well. I'm not an expert, but I'd certainly suggest that more movement throughout the day and loosening up these tight muscles won't hurt the situation.

Posture is important but not really related to "apple shape" if genetics influence core adiposity (OP mentioned being fat without significant load on legs or arms) - that's hormonal. The belly forward or anterior pelvic tilt (why can't Katy use the words?) is a significant modern issue in sedentary people.

Resolving it Is not about walking more or being more active - it is necessary to actively strengthening the weak hip extensor and abdominal muscles (planks, hip thrusts, OHP, various leg raises, etc....)and stretching the tight hip flexor and back muscles (cobra, lunges, hip flexor strech, etc...) to address specific weaknesses and issues.

Hi, I'm Leslie. I'm 5'6 and weigh 113lbs. I have a large rib cage that makes me look fat compared to all my friends who are the same exact height and weight as me. I don't know what to do. I work out about 4 times a week and I eat mostly healthy, I'm a vegetarian. Does anyone know how I can make myself look leaner? Clothes, workouts, eating choices?
Me
I I I
VVV

http://s1379.photobucket.com/user/lesliemedina100/media/photo2-3_zps8b83ce8a.jpg.html

http://s1379.photobucket.com/user/lesliemedina100/media/photo1_zpsd4c34748.jpg.html




I look like this if I suck in my stomach
I I I
VVV
http://s1379.photobucket.com/user/lesliemedina100/media/photo3_zps62dcc724.jpg.html?sort=3&o=2



I wish i looked like this
I I I
VVV
http://s1379.photobucket.com/user/lesliemedina100/media/photo5_zps8176d094.jpg.html?sort=3&o=0

http://s1379.photobucket.com/user/lesliemedina100/media/photo4-2_zps7f0e6bca.jpg.html?sort=3&o=1

I have a family member that gained just in her face and torso. But, she has some major health conditions, hormonal imbalances, and is on medication including prednisone. Everyone always thinks she is pregnant. She still has very slim legs.

i ONLY get fat around my thighs and behind, it looks ridiculous. id have the upper body of an anorexic (anorexic with boobs though lol) and STILL have a fat butt. so people would look at my waist or arms and say "wow youre already skinny enough!", well sorry, it seems i need to get super skinny in my upper body first before any weight comes off my butt.

You should see me!
I feel like I should be in one of those freak circuses!.... You know " Roll up ..roll up, come and see this woman.......!"
I have an altered body shape that is grotesque ...hope weight lifting and swimming and a calorie deficit will do something!

I take corticosteroids! ....my face is becoming more moon shaped as the days go high dose steroids go on! I have neck fat, that looks like cervical spine curvature! My torso looks like a massive potato....my abdominal fat is all around my lower abdomen and hips! My legs are thin 'ish.........I do look like a spud on legs!
And ....then God blessed me with massive boobs!

Skinny arms and legs and a chubby tummy? Sign me up. It's called "being sedentary." Try moving more throughout the day. 5 minutes of stair walking every couple of hours.

Also work on loosening up your hip flexors and hamstrings and engaging your glutes. Don't tuck your butt. My tummy flattened dramatically when I got loose enough to actually stand up straight and work the right muscles for a good posture.

http://www.katysays.com/mind-your-pelvis/

No, it's not necessarily related to being sedentary. There's also a hormonal component, which is why you see more women start towards an apple pattern of weight gain/distribution in perimenopause, menopause and post menopause. Apple shapes are more common in men at all ages.

^ I totally agree. Being sedentary does not give your body an apple shape.

Sitting on your butt all day gives you biomechanical issues that tend to lead to an apple shape.

And, Katysays.com has found that men seem to be more likely to "tuck" which is one of these biomechanical issues:

http://www.katysays.com/hamstrings/

I'm pretty sedentary and Have a fairly strong hourglass figure(I got all the butt and "chest") also have them thunder thighs... You're sounding a bit spammy and not really making a very good case for yourself..

I have PCOS (and a bunch of other metabolic disorders) and have had the apple shape since puberty. My arms and legs are very slender, and of course as I've been losing weight, I've lost the most from those locations. I'm probably 20 lbs away from having a thigh gap and a 45 inch waist, haha. I am sick of trying to dress myself with a waist that is bigger than my hips and the same size as my bust! Let's not even talk about how hard it is to find plus size bras for a B cup!

I have relied on maternity pants for years so I'm not swimming in my clothing, and that is coming in helpful when it comes to extending my wardrobe for weight loss. I don't think I'll have to buy new pants (for the most part) for quite some time yet. I can tell that my belly fat is going to be slow to get rid of, but as I am running out of the other places to lose from there wont be much choice left!

Skinny arms and legs and a chubby tummy? Sign me up. It's called "being sedentary." Try moving more throughout the day. 5 minutes of stair walking every couple of hours.

Also work on loosening up your hip flexors and hamstrings and engaging your glutes. Don't tuck your butt. My tummy flattened dramatically when I got loose enough to actually stand up straight and work the right muscles for a good posture.

http://www.katysays.com/mind-your-pelvis/

No, it's not necessarily related to being sedentary. There's also a hormonal component, which is why you see more women start towards an apple pattern of weight gain/distribution in perimenopause, menopause and post menopause. Apple shapes are more common in men at all ages.

^ I totally agree. Being sedentary does not give your body an apple shape.

Sitting on your butt all day gives you biomechanical issues that tend to lead to an apple shape.

And, Katysays.com has found that men seem to be more likely to "tuck" which is one of these biomechanical issues:

http://www.katysays.com/hamstrings/

Posture can exaggerate or minimize the protrusion of your abdomen. It doesn't change where your weight is distributed.

While weight distribution defines the "apple shape" I can tell you that I remain an apple shape when thin. Another poster mentioned this as well. It's not just about fat.

Looking pregnant or having a pot belly, even while at a normal weight, indicates a tight psoas (and tight hip flexors and hamstrings, and the lack of gluteal engagement).

Everything about the OPs description (lack of a butt, her other problem) indicates a tight psoas as well. I'm not an expert, but I'd certainly suggest that more movement throughout the day and loosening up these tight muscles won't hurt the situation.

Posture is important but not really related to "apple shape" if genetics influence core adiposity (OP mentioned being fat without significant load on legs or arms) - that's hormonal. The belly forward or anterior pelvic tilt (why can't Katy use the words?) is a significant modern issue in sedentary people.

Resolving it Is not about walking more or being more active - it is necessary to actively strengthening the weak hip extensor and abdominal muscles (planks, hip thrusts, OHP, various leg raises, etc....)and stretching the tight hip flexor and back muscles (cobra, lunges, hip flexor strech, etc...) to address specific weaknesses and issues.

I think Katy uses the term "butt tuck" because she works with people and when she says "pelvic tilt," their automatic reaction is to tuck more.

Resolving it does take active effort. One of the things that I was advised, however, by a sports medicine doctor, was to be active throughout the day. You need motion in order to move blood and other fluids through those tissues and keep them pliant.

However, way to avoid tight hip flexors in the first place and the best way we can keep them healthy is by being less sedentary. A smarter man than me (Dan John) pointed out that, given the way our bodies adapt sooo specifically to load and intensity - it's easy to see what will happen if you work out HARD 6 hours a week and sit on your butt for the other 162 hours.

The parking in the furthest space and the stair walking and the extra lap around the floor that health practitioners keeps harping about really are keys to fitness.

Skinny arms and legs and a chubby tummy? Sign me up. It's called "being sedentary." Try moving more throughout the day. 5 minutes of stair walking every couple of hours.

Also work on loosening up your hip flexors and hamstrings and engaging your glutes. Don't tuck your butt. My tummy flattened dramatically when I got loose enough to actually stand up straight and work the right muscles for a good posture.

http://www.katysays.com/mind-your-pelvis/

No, it's not necessarily related to being sedentary. There's also a hormonal component, which is why you see more women start towards an apple pattern of weight gain/distribution in perimenopause, menopause and post menopause. Apple shapes are more common in men at all ages.

^ I totally agree. Being sedentary does not give your body an apple shape.

Sitting on your butt all day gives you biomechanical issues that tend to lead to an apple shape.

And, Katysays.com has found that men seem to be more likely to "tuck" which is one of these biomechanical issues:

http://www.katysays.com/hamstrings/

I'm pretty sedentary and Have a fairly strong hourglass figure(I got all the butt and "chest") also have them thunder thighs... You're sounding a bit spammy and not really making a very good case for yourself..

LOL. Then you've been blessed with a more flexible psoas or do something regularly to stretch it out.

Have you read the links? It's just a Biomechanist handing out free information (and practical advice, such as stretches) over the internet. Nothing spam about that.

I'm an apple. I've always been an apple and will always be an apple. However, getting myself aligned has made me a sexier apple.

So your conclusion is that all apple shaped women have tight psoas muscles? That does not compute.

Skinny arms and legs and a chubby tummy? Sign me up. It's called "being sedentary." Try moving more throughout the day. 5 minutes of stair walking every couple of hours.

Also work on loosening up your hip flexors and hamstrings and engaging your glutes. Don't tuck your butt. My tummy flattened dramatically when I got loose enough to actually stand up straight and work the right muscles for a good posture.

http://www.katysays.com/mind-your-pelvis/

No, it's not necessarily related to being sedentary. There's also a hormonal component, which is why you see more women start towards an apple pattern of weight gain/distribution in perimenopause, menopause and post menopause. Apple shapes are more common in men at all ages.

^ I totally agree. Being sedentary does not give your body an apple shape.

Sitting on your butt all day gives you biomechanical issues that tend to lead to an apple shape.

And, Katysays.com has found that men seem to be more likely to "tuck" which is one of these biomechanical issues:

http://www.katysays.com/hamstrings/

I'm pretty sedentary and Have a fairly strong hourglass figure(I got all the butt and "chest") also have them thunder thighs... You're sounding a bit spammy and not really making a very good case for yourself..

LOL. Then you've been blessed with a more flexible psoas or do something regularly to stretch it out.

Have you read the links? It's just a Biomechanist handing out free information (and practical advice, such as stretches) over the internet. Nothing spam about that.

I'm an apple. I've always been an apple and will always be an apple. However, getting myself aligned has made me a sexier apple.

So your conclusion is that all apple shaped women have tight psoas muscles? That does not compute.

Not at all. I think some women with a tight psoas muscle assume that they are "apples" when they are more hour glass shaped because of that fact that their stomachs are distended. On the flip side - I, myself, am an "apple" whether or not my psoas (etc) are working correctly. It's not just weight distribution but where my obliques attach.

I spent a lot of time assuming that my figure flaws were the result of "genetics" rather than understanding and fixing what was off balance. I'll never be an hourglass or a pear, but I look a lot more balanced when my body is aligned.

Also, look at all these people who get a nice round butt from doing squats. What other muscle develops that quickly? I certainly don't get biceps or quads like that. I'd suggest that much of the time it's because people learn to activate their glutes correctly and this pulls the pelvis into alignment.

Girl I am the exact same way!! I have a normal B cup chest, I have nice legs with no cellulite and they look toned, and all the weight is in my stomach and face! It is honestly so frustrating

justsalad wrote: »

...and one very odd location that I won't disclose. (which by the way... I have no clue how to lose, seems to be the only place that stays fat. You can't do any type of exercise for that area...ladies, I'm sure you know what I'm talking about!)

You're talking about your mons pubis, aren't you? AKA - FUPA. Why can't you mention your mons pubis? I mean, I can mention your mons pubis and neither the ground has opened up and swallowed me nor the heavens parted and a bolt of lightning hit me.

As I mentioned in another thread about FUPAs, both men and women will end up with additional fat accumulation there as the mons pubis is composed of adipose and loves to increase in size with fat gains, just like anywhere else. A lot of women who get abdominoplasty will complain of having a 'fat vulva' afterwards when the tummy tuck exacerbates its fatty appearance against the now-taunt(er) skin of the lower abdominal musculature. For most people, the area will eventually lose the fat it gained with fat loss, too. If you are one of the unlucky ones who do not for some reason then you'll need a bit of liposuction to reduce the amount of adipose present in it.