Why am I slim yet wide? Should I lose more weight? What to do? Help!

2

Replies

  • bulk_n_cut
    bulk_n_cut Posts: 389 Member
    threnjen wrote: »
    gonna be pear shaped. It's hard to deal with though.

    6pu1wl745t58.jpg


    i thought pear shaped was desirable?
    pears are awesome
  • lemon629
    lemon629 Posts: 501 Member
    azulvioleta6 wrote: »
    How are you seeing hourglass? Absolutely not an hourglass in any sense.

    In the photos, it appears that her bust and hip measurements are toughly equal, and her waist is at least ten inches smaller. That is the definition of hourglass figure. Hourglass figures come in all sizes. It's about proportion, not size.

    OP, you are not wide. You have a very nice figure. Stop focusing on what others have that you don't have and never will and be happy with what you do have. Envy is the root of unhappiness.
  • threnjen
    threnjen Posts: 687 Member
    azulvioleta6 wrote: »
    How are you seeing hourglass? Absolutely not an hourglass in any sense.

    OK. I was complimenting her. She has a nice tiny waist. That, to me who is not an hourglass, looks pretty hourglassy. I agree she has a long torso, but her waist nips in to my observation. It is my opinion that she looks curvy because of that.
    You seem very contrary today. Bad day? You've always seemed pretty nice in the confessions thread.
    Sorry you didn't agree with my compliments to her. My question to you: Does it matter if she is an hourglass or not? Is nitpicking my compliment to her furthering the conversation somehow?
  • uvi5
    uvi5 Posts: 710 Member
    KittenTamer91 wrote: »
    Hello I'm new to MFP. I've lost so much weight over the months. I'm close to being underweight honestly. My stomach is flat and so is my chest now and and bum and so on but what I don't understand is why am I still wide. I see other women who weigh more than me yet are narrow [below]. I'm trying to narrow myself down below but no matter how much I exercise, eat healthy and lose weight I remain the same width. WHY? Sorry for freaking out. Here are example pics.

    2lvipew.jpg

    2njy9nb.jpg
    Look how wide I am [below] in this pic! But I am so slim from a side view. I don't get it. How can I become less wide?
    :neutral:

    You have a fantastic woman's figure. You don't look wide. I used to feel the same way about my figure (when I'm at goal weight). It was all in my head. Also, your slim waist accentuates your figure. Embrace it. You look great.
  • LovingLife_Erin
    LovingLife_Erin Posts: 328 Member
    You look great, as you just have naturally curvy hips. That is normal in women! Please don't stress about it, because it is your bone structure and not fat.

    I have an hourglass shape and even if I got to be a very low weight, I'd still have big hips and shoulders so wide you'd think I play for the NFL lol. Nothing will change that, and that's OK. Love yourself as you are. :)
  • maidentl
    maidentl Posts: 3,203 Member
    lemon629 wrote: »
    azulvioleta6 wrote: »
    How are you seeing hourglass? Absolutely not an hourglass in any sense.

    In the photos, it appears that her bust and hip measurements are toughly equal, and her waist is at least ten inches smaller. That is the definition of hourglass figure. Hourglass figures come in all sizes. It's about proportion, not size.

    OP, you are not wide. You have a very nice figure. Stop focusing on what others have that you don't have and never will and be happy with what you do have. Envy is the root of unhappiness.

    I was thinking the same thing. How is that not an hourglass? LOL Which, by the way OP, being hourglass is a not a bad thing. You look great. :)
  • flatlndr
    flatlndr Posts: 713 Member
    That's not "wide", that's "wow!".
  • iris_79
    iris_79 Posts: 1 Member
    I think part of the problem with how you're seeing your figure is that the drop-waist style of the gown in your photograph is very unflattering to your (and most people's) shape. I wouldn't say you look "wide" in either picture, but you look better in the athletic clothes because your waist is defined. Your body doesn't need to change; you should just accentuate it differently. :)
  • myfatass78
    myfatass78 Posts: 411 Member
    I would love to look like that !!! When I'm skinny, I have ZERO shape. I look like a cardboard box lol. You have nothing to worry about.
  • flumi_f
    flumi_f Posts: 1,888 Member
    You look great! What you are seeing is YOUR body shape. Can't change that.

    I'm not wide and I don't have a very prominent waist....I'm deep....have a very deep ribcage. I also have very muscular quads and calves on a short frame. Thus I will never be a petite woman. No exercise will change that. But I love my athletic build and those legs carry me up any hill! I am happy with the strong and fit person that has appeared after my weightloss. It's a far from 'perfect' body, but it's the only one I have.

    Those are the cards we are dealt. Learn to love it!
  • Whitezombiegirl
    Whitezombiegirl Posts: 1,042 Member
    Women come in all shapes and sizes- variations on inverted triangle (top heavy), straight, hourglass and pear-shaped. They are all absolutly feminine and all beautiful. You are your shape due to your bone structure as everyone says and you may always have a flatish bust and bum at your current weight- but that's okay.

    I will never be willowy- I love 30's fashions but bias-cut really doesn't suit my curves ( which I had even when underweight- dito for my 'bubble but' and accompanying pot belly)My Mum had the same shape as me and even when at about 77lbs with terminal cancer she had 36 inch hips- which was all pelvic bone. I long ago accepted that I'll never have a 34-24-34 figure. You are lovely- rather than focus on a shape you aren't, why not find some role models who are your shape.
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
    I am stunned

    Own it and flaunt it

    You look amazing - stop picking at perceived faults that nobody but you can see.

  • kindrabbit
    kindrabbit Posts: 837 Member
    Anniepi66 wrote: »
    Have looked and looked. I don't see any wide! You are fine. Listen to me. You are fine. You have a curve between your top and bottom, which is exactly the way a woman should look. If you are measuring yourself by the stick figure models who have to fit into a size 0, you don't need to be doing that! You are beautiful. I would kill for your body, which I will NEVER have, no matter how much I lose. And please be happy with all the work you've done and what you've lost. You don't have to answer to anyone else. That 'wide' that you see is your BONE structure! They are not going to get unwide! Which, again, you are not wide. You are not. Now enjoy all those pretty clothes you can wear, the bikini you can wear. You. Are. Not. Wide. :)

    Listen to Annie!! Girl you are stunning!!!!

    I get that you might 'feel' wide or 'think' you look wide. I think that is the left overs from when you where bigger. You're brain hasn't caught up yet. You are beautiful. Didn't you hear? boys like a little more booty ;)
  • PAV8888
    PAV8888 Posts: 14,252 Member
    rabbitjb wrote: »
    I am stunned
    Own it and flaunt it
    You look amazing - stop picking at perceived faults that nobody but you can see.
    ^^
    This
    flatlndr wrote: »
    That's not "wide", that's "wow!".
    ^^
    and this!

  • bettybing1
    bettybing1 Posts: 162 Member
    I wonder if maybe your brain hasn't caught up with you yet? Are you still seeing part of the you before you lost weight? If you can't get past this image of yourself maybe talk to a professional. And STOP COMPARING YOURSELF TO OTHERS!
    Keep being awesome OP, you should be proud of your achievement.
  • KittenTamer91
    KittenTamer91 Posts: 54 Member
    Thanks everyone. I guess you're right. My mind hasn't caught up to my weight loss yet. I lost more than 50 lb and for some reason everyone else notices it more than I do. I'll work on weight training for now to at least firm myself like a few other commenters said.
  • yopeeps025
    yopeeps025 Posts: 8,680 Member
    Tubbs216 wrote: »
    You are woman-shaped! You certainly don't look like you should be wanting to lose any more weight.

    This OP
  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,151 Member
    ahhh
  • SoDamnHungry
    SoDamnHungry Posts: 6,998 Member
    That's your bone structure. You have narrow hips which makes your chest look wider (to you, the rest of us just see a thin person). I have wide shoulders and a small waist and big hips, and it always annoys me. But at the end of the day, you can do anything about it. So don't develop body dysmorphia and just accept yourself as you are.
  • JenMc14
    JenMc14 Posts: 2,389 Member
    edited April 2015
    You can make the girls perkier, but you can't really make them bigger. Do chest exercises like bench press to help develop muscle underneath your breasts for a lifting effect. As for your bum, check out Bret Contreras, "The Glute Guy". Squats and variations, bridges and hip thrusts, will do wonders for your bum.

    You are definitely not what I would consider wide. I think what you might be seeing is the bone structure of your rib cage? You just can't change that. You cannot compare yourself to others because, as others have said, genetics. I will never look like a willowy runway model because I am 5'4" and have wide hips. And that's ok. Definitely look into heavy lifting, as has been suggested. I bet you'll be pleased with the results.
  • HeySwoleSister
    HeySwoleSister Posts: 1,938 Member
    You look tiny and well-proportioned. Don't obsess over things like your skeletal shape! If this continues to bother you, or you find yourself more and more convinced that you are "wide" or there is something about your body that you need to change to be attractive, please talk to a therapist. While a certain degree of body-image consciousness is sadly normal for women in our culture, if you are genuinely looking at those photos and seeing someone "wide" or needing "fixing?" You are edging towards body dysmorphia.

    I think you are more an hourglass than a pear because you have nice shoulders that are proportionally equal to your hips. At my lowest weights, I also keep my hips (because pelvic bones aren't going anywhere!) but am a true pear, with very narrow ribcage and shoulders. I like to joke that I'm more like a pumpkin with a long stem than an actual pear, LOL.

    At any rate, OP, the only thing I would recommend to you is a progressive lifting workout added to your rotation. You will get a bit more curve to your bum, which you seem to want. (Although that does contradict your desire to be "narrow" or "thin, athletic build." Personally, since you have a nice curvy shape, I think you should run with it and focus on lean curves rather than the angular "thigh gap" coltish look that your bone structure doesn't fit) Also, you clearly have a delicate bone structure, and while it may seem long off now, eventually you will care about bone density...and lifting is one of the best ways to protect yourself from future trouble!
  • evileen99
    evileen99 Posts: 1,564 Member
    KittenTamer91 wrote: »
    Ok sorry for worrying so much. I just wish I was more narrow. You know like athletic built. I envy busty women [who's bust and shoulders are wider than their lower half].

    So what you really want is to have a figure more like a man's? Please don't waste your life wishing for something you can't have. Rock what you *do* have, because it looks great.

  • neanderthin
    neanderthin Posts: 10,221 Member
    Aerodynamic, of course.
  • littled1986
    littled1986 Posts: 101 Member
    Oh my goodness you aren't wide! You're curvy and gorgeous!
  • HeySwoleSister
    HeySwoleSister Posts: 1,938 Member
    evileen99 wrote: »
    KittenTamer91 wrote: »
    Ok sorry for worrying so much. I just wish I was more narrow. You know like athletic built. I envy busty women [who's bust and shoulders are wider than their lower half].

    So what you really want is to have a figure more like a man's? Please don't waste your life wishing for something you can't have. Rock what you *do* have, because it looks great.

    I'm not sure what she "envies" in terms of her whole body. It seems like she's breaking down her body into parts and fretting about that, which is why I mentioned she should be on alert for dysmorphia. She wants narrower hips, but a rounder bum. She wants to be narrow and athletic, but busty. These things...they don't tend to come on the same body.
  • galaxyeyed
    galaxyeyed Posts: 98 Member
    You look like Shailene Woodley in Divergent after she gets badass! Rock it :smiley:
  • azulvioleta6
    azulvioleta6 Posts: 4,195 Member
    threnjen wrote: »
    azulvioleta6 wrote: »
    How are you seeing hourglass? Absolutely not an hourglass in any sense.

    OK. I was complimenting her. She has a nice tiny waist. That, to me who is not an hourglass, looks pretty hourglassy. I agree she has a long torso, but her waist nips in to my observation. It is my opinion that she looks curvy because of that.
    You seem very contrary today. Bad day? You've always seemed pretty nice in the confessions thread.
    Sorry you didn't agree with my compliments to her. My question to you: Does it matter if she is an hourglass or not? Is nitpicking my compliment to her furthering the conversation somehow?

    I just don't get how you are seeing that. Her waist looks like it is an inch or two smaller than her hips, at most. It's not a compliment to tell someone something that is not true.

    As someone who is ACTUALLY hourglass, let me tell you, that is not it. It seems like the fact that she is not curvy is part of why she is not seeing herself in a generous way to begin with.

    Wrap dresses look great on someone who is an hourglass. They are probably best avoided by women who are a banana shape. The OP is a banana shape. Pretty dress and a nice, fit body, but they do not go together well.

    There is nothing wrong with the OPs body, but she might benefit from going shopping with a friend who can suggest more flattering clothing choices.

    I was having a great day, thanks. :)
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,988 Member
    Your shoulders are wider than your hips due to genetics. Your ribcage is also more prominent due to genetics. I personally see you a being very low in lean muscle mass and by improving it may improve your figure.
    A good person to talk to about this is Ipuffyheartheelsinthegym. She was quite skinny and worked on her physique and ended up competing.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
    9285851.png
  • francophile101
    francophile101 Posts: 1 Member
    yopeeps025 wrote: »
    Tubbs216 wrote: »
    You are woman-shaped! You certainly don't look like you should be wanting to lose any more weight.

    This OP

  • itschanelle
    itschanelle Posts: 86 Member
    KittenTamer91 wrote: »
    Ok sorry for worrying so much. I just wish I was more narrow. You know like athletic built. I envy busty women [who's bust and shoulders are wider than their lower half].

    Lift heavy weights. Your bone structure will still be your bone structure but if you want the athletic look then become an athlete.
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