Hey, pear-shaped women...

krnlcsf
krnlcsf Posts: 310
edited November 7 in Health and Weight Loss
Just a question to those "pears" out there... has anyone experienced this: After losing weight (i'm down about 20 lbs since joining MFP) I've noticed that my upper body is starting to look a little boney (muscular, but boney) while my lower body (i.e. hips and thighs... the trouble zones) doesn't seem to see much change. I've lost about 4-5 inches off my waist, plus 2-3 off my chest, but only maybe 2 inches from my hips. And I know 2 inches is nothing to complain about! But I'm wondering, if I continue to lose more weight is my upper body just going to look more and more skeleton-like? Or will I soon start to see more change in my hips/thighs? To be honest, I would really like to NOT lose anymore up-top... I don't enjoy looking in the mirror and seeing my ribs poking out. :noway:

So... is anyone else noticing this?
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Replies

  • teagan911
    teagan911 Posts: 36
    I feel your pain. I too would like to know how to prevent my ribs from showing through my shirt while my thighs rub and jiggle 0_o
  • kateroot
    kateroot Posts: 435
    I have the same problem, it's very common. You're most likely genetically predisposed to carrying fat on certain areas of your body. For some people it's their tummies, for other people it's their lower body. Unfortunately, it will probably be the last to come off. Just keep at it! I notice around a certain weight that I feel really disproportionate (super skinny on top and heavy on the bottom), but another 5-8 lbs. or so lighter, and everything evens out.
  • dad106
    dad106 Posts: 4,868 Member
    Unfortunately you can't choose where you lose from.. so if you continue to lose, it may very well come from up top and not from the bottom.

    Are you lifting weights? That is what is going to really make a difference in your lower half. Squats, lunges, leg press etc will all help shape the lower half by making the muscles tighter and burning off the fat thats on top.
  • witheredorchid
    witheredorchid Posts: 164 Member
    My body is the same way. I can see my ribs yet my lower waist and thighs seem to havn't changed much at all.
  • TMcBooty
    TMcBooty Posts: 780 Member
    I'm in the same boat! The top half of me looks good and the bottom not so LOL. I lost 15lbs and I feel like not much was lost in my lower half. I just plan to keep at it and eventually it will have to come off my butt, thighs and hips!
  • tisha220
    tisha220 Posts: 13
    Don't lose faith once you lose enough weight things will be a little more evened out. My body is shaped the same too and when I had lost weight before it finally evened out at about size 10 for me. There is light at the end of the tunnel.
  • ComeAroundSundown
    ComeAroundSundown Posts: 69 Member
    I'm like this too. Even when I lost my first 10 lbs and weighed around 158 (I'm 5'6''), my friends were commenting on the appearance of my collarbones - which started to noticeably stick out. Now, they stick out quite a lot and my arms are becoming thin, while my lower body has changed but not much. We can't choose were our fat is stored/lost, unfortunately. I'm just going to continue exercising, maintain a calorie deficit, and hope that the next few pounds come off where I want them to! :ohwell:
  • Cat_296
    Cat_296 Posts: 40
    Yeah, this happens to me too! I do find that I reach a certain point on top and _then _ I start to see weight coming off my bum and thighs. It's really annoying for a while, but keep at it and you'll even out :happy:
  • krnlcsf
    krnlcsf Posts: 310
    Glad to hear your responses! I'm doing Jillian Michael's: Killer Buns and Thighs and Ripped in 30 videos 3-5 times a week... there's lots of squats and lunges in those for sure! And I'm thinking of starting walking/jogging 2-3 times a week. Hopefully it helps.

    I know there's no "Magic Bullet" approach to this and that you can't spot-reduce... I guess I just want to know if it will EVER go away before I become a walking skeleton on my top half. :frown:

    And if anyone has any suggestions of workout videos to try or exercises that they like to do, please share!
  • missyshelle
    missyshelle Posts: 17
    When I lost weight a few years ago, one friend remarked that I looked like I was melting from the top down...lol. I am more hourglass shaped and lose in my boobs and thighs last. But I did get to point where my ribs were visible, collarbone very visible, face really thin but still had thighs and hips.

    I incorporated running into my workout and once I added Pilates/Yoga into the workout as well, I saw more changes in my hip/thigh area. I highly recommend Pilates. Seriously, nothing changed my body more or made it look more lean.
  • pringle83
    pringle83 Posts: 6 Member
    I am the same, bony shoulders, shrunken breasts and still massive hips and thighs :(
  • TMcBooty
    TMcBooty Posts: 780 Member
    when I weighed 121lbs (Nov 2009) I was still a size 10 in jeans.. so I totally feel your pain!!!
  • peggy363
    peggy363 Posts: 1
    I also have the same problem! I have always lost weight on my top half first and it does discourage me because I lose so much weight in my face and breast and rib cage area first, I have tried exercising my hips and butt area more while dieting to try and at least tone it up. I usually get so discouraged with how thin my face and rib cage looks that I quit all together. I am trying this again but I am not taking my calorie intake down to low this time and taking it off slowly to see if that may help some and adding a lot more exercise to my hips and leg area. I thought that when I would lose weight it would lose proportionally from all over my body but after dieting and losing weight I realized that it is not that way at all, I have just had to accept that fact that I will always be bigger built on the bottom,
  • ranewell
    ranewell Posts: 621 Member
    Yep! Down from a size 26/28 top to a size 18/16/XL top, but from 26/28 pant down to size 22 pant. I can feel my rib cage and those inches are coming off, but not so much with my hips and booty!
  • soniyamas
    soniyamas Posts: 160 Member
    Running. Yup running has helped me a lot to reduce my lower half.
  • ComeAroundSundown
    ComeAroundSundown Posts: 69 Member
    When I lost weight a few years ago, one friend remarked that I looked like I was melting from the top down...lol. I am more hourglass shaped and lose in my boobs and thighs last. But I did get to point where my ribs were visible, collarbone very visible, face really thin but still had thighs and hips.

    I incorporated running into my workout and once I added Pilates/Yoga into the workout as well, I saw more changes in my hip/thigh area. I highly recommend Pilates. Seriously, nothing changed my body more or made it look more lean.

    I second this! I started doing pilates around a week ago and I can already see a difference in my body, especially my legs and butt :) It's a fun workout, too :bigsmile:
  • driaxx
    driaxx Posts: 314 Member
    I understand the curse of being a pear shaped woman.

    Put it this way, I weigh 92lb and my bum is still big in comparison to the rest of me. People get shocked over how skinny my waist is, but I'm told that I have plenty of meat on my legs and thighs still! It's crazy.

    I think to get more proportioned you'll have to add muscle mass to your upper body.
  • krnlcsf
    krnlcsf Posts: 310
    I incorporated running into my workout and once I added Pilates/Yoga into the workout as well, I saw more changes in my hip/thigh area. I highly recommend Pilates. Seriously, nothing changed my body more or made it look more lean.

    Do you have a Pilates/Yoga video that you recommend? I prefer to do workouts at home as I don't have a gym membership. I have an old pilates video from years ago when the trend became more popular, and I hated it! So maybe there's something newer and more fun! I'm definitely open to suggestions. :) Has anyone tried the P90X yoga? My bf has the videos that I could borrow if it would be worth it.
  • lovemydrmartens
    lovemydrmartens Posts: 144 Member
    had this issue my whole life! my arms, shoulders and neck have always been really skinny... lower legs too... when i put weight on I literally look like a pear ( into which someone has jokingly inserted some matchsticks.. ;-) I'm lucky I do have sustantial boobs which balance it out a bit!
  • adjoa84
    adjoa84 Posts: 261 Member
    Yep in the same boat! Ive only been on here snice Monday but ive been exercising for the past three weeks lost nearly two inches on my waist but nothing on my hips. Like suggested I'd incorporate some upper body weight training so the top half looks more toned rather than skinny and bottom half? just keep at it and increase your walking and running....i need to take my own advice re running lol for me it's the only way to get my hips down
  • LaMujerMasBonitaDelMundo
    LaMujerMasBonitaDelMundo Posts: 3,634 Member
    I'm a pear-shaped too but I was able to "change" it a bit by doing heavier weight lifting on upper body while lighter weights on the lower body. Honestly cardio doesn't do anything to sculpt your body so weight training is the best answer.
  • mochalovies
    mochalovies Posts: 192 Member
    aww yea -- I feel that I have the top of a teenage male and godzilla tights, thank goodness for Victoria's Secret
    (someday will get me some boobies!) :tongue: -- we loose fat last from where we store them first as predisposed by genetics... so you will not really see a lot of change in your lower body until you lose from arms, face, tummy etc. >.< weight lifting has also been the answer for me. Big booty, toned godzilla thighs topped with sexy arms and abs that are ridiculously easy to achieve so why not milk it! :drinker:
  • Stepmom1
    Stepmom1 Posts: 155 Member
    How about of instead of loosing weight to do exercises that tone your lower body?

    Squats
    Lunges (forward and back)
    Side Lunges
    Sumo Squats

    I would add light to medium weight dumbells to add resistance to the moves and make you burn more on the lower half of your body. Give it a try.

    Do 15 reps of each exercise. When doing lunges do 15 reps on each side.

    Good luck!

    Maria
  • karen_thinmint
    karen_thinmint Posts: 500 Member
    I have the same problem. Ive lost a lot of weight from the top, my waist is so much smaller, collar bones are showing, even a little rib, but my hips and thighs haven't gotten the memo. I'm a 4/6 on top and a 8/10 on bottom now (started as a 10 on top, 12 on bottom).

    I am doing pilates (reformer and mat), and while my measurements on the bottom haven't changed much the compositions has... fat off the sides of the hips were replaced with some muscle in the bum. I can also feel the muscles in the legs leaning out, so when the fat finally gets the message, they'll be toned and ready.

    In the meantime I'm just a big bottomed girl I suppose. And hearing people evening out makes me feel better, us pears need to stick together.
  • Lesa_Sass
    Lesa_Sass Posts: 2,213 Member
    Yes, I have this same problem. I even hired a personal trainer to help me with this because I thought it was cheaper, healthier and less painful than liposuction.

    I did hundreds of squats, lunges and those (*&^ kettle bell swings. Although I did see a difference in the way my bottom was shaped, the "saddle bags" are still there. This fat is not going to come off unless I go into the dangerous zone of body weight of around 89 lbs. I am not willing to do that.

    I will state that I am 43 years old and it is much harder to take that fat off as a person grows older.
  • melsinct
    melsinct Posts: 3,512 Member
    I lost almost 30 pounds total. I saw the most dramatic drop in my hips/thighs during the last 10 pounds. For a while I was getting quite small up top and thought my pear shape would be even more exaggerated, but it evened out a bit. Also, strength training really helped out in the thighs (I do pilates 2x week).
  • TurtleCrush
    TurtleCrush Posts: 80
    I know exactly what you mean. My husband (even though I have only lost 20 pounds) says he can feel my ribs. I would say to do more lower body workouts. I love the elliptical because I can hang on to the handles while I work my hips, butt and legs. Maybe even add in strength training for your legs too. This is what i have been doing and I have been evening out at a better pace. Hope this helps.
    Big hugs,
    Rebekah
  • engineman312
    engineman312 Posts: 3,450 Member
    I'm a pear-shaped too but I was able to "change" it a bit by doing heavier weight lifting on upper body while lighter weights on the lower body. Honestly cardio doesn't do anything to sculpt your body so weight training is the best answer.

    give this girl a cigar!!!!


    btw, OP, if you aren't doing deadlifts, please start. they are awesome. also, let me introduce you to staci: http://nerdfitness.com/blog/2011/07/21/meet-staci-your-new-powerlifting-super-hero/
  • Hourglass25
    Hourglass25 Posts: 340 Member
    How about of instead of loosing weight to do exercises that tone your lower body?

    Squats
    Lunges (forward and back)
    Side Lunges
    Sumo Squats

    I would add light to medium weight dumbells to add resistance to the moves and make you burn more on the lower half of your body. Give it a try.

    Do 15 reps of each exercise. When doing lunges do 15 reps on each side.

    Good luck!

    Maria

    Thank you Maria! This those help a lot. I started doing sumo squats.lunges,squats with weights and my lower half( trouble area) seems to be more toned
  • p0stdramatic
    p0stdramatic Posts: 372
    I started to even out some when I got close to my goal. I do a lot of strength training, but I'm still eating at a deficit, so until I get to my goal I'm not going to build any muscle. Then I will switch to eating a small surplus and working harder on strength to shape my body, HOPEFULLY. My arms are super thin, even though they are strong, and my ribs also show. But, my upper thighs still rub together. And omg, saddlebags. lol.

    Here's a pic of me in my usually housewife gettup. :laugh: (Really, it's 80's week at the fitness studio.) But you can see, my bottom half is just not cooperating!

    Gaither-20120118-00166.jpg
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