[hilariousness]

So my body shape is...apple I guess. But all my weight no matter what I've weighed is on my waist. But NOT my hips. Like I have a small butt, lean legs, and then PLOP... Huge love handles, back fat, and stomach fat, and naturally big boobs(they don't get smaller) It makes it really irritating to go clothes shopping bc I basically have a built in muffin top unless I get high waisted jeans or I end up with saggy butt jeans. I've always had this problem and when I got down to the lower 160s it was there but not as bad as now.

I guess I'm wondering do any of you have the same problem? And when did you see it go away? I know there's no spot reduction but I hate feeling like cotton candy on a stick haha.

[Gingerjv]

I have the opposite problem. I am a pear shape( I have thin waist and face and arms, my shoulder is very nice;-) but my hips!!! it is my curse((( almost all of my extra weight is on my hips(( And it's very difficult to get rid of it( i think we all have problems and noone is perfet;-)

[Riestrella]

I have the same problem! My legs are quite thin, my butt is small but I store all my fat on my torso. I have huge boobs too, isn't shopping a nightmare?! Don't get me started on bra shopping, the bane of my existence.

When I started to lose weight I began to realise I'm actually an hourglass figure, my waist is generally smaller than the rest of me. This would be great and all if it weren't for the chronic muffin top I have. I dream of a day where I can wear jeans normally and not hoist them over my pudge to try and conceal it.

Unfortunately the overweight body does have its pudge, its rolls and all the things we deem disgusting. As you lose weight these will decrease as you begin to lose the fat and tone up the body. While having a body without pudge seems like a pipe dream to me, I'm sure that once I'm at my goal weight it will not be a problem. We just gotta keep on swimming and learn to love our bodies along the way flaws and all!

[Psychic]

I have the opposite problem. Being a pear shape with a large butt and thighs makes it hard to find pants that fit right. If they fit around my butt, they're guaranteed to be loose and baggy everywhere else.

[futureformerfisher]

I'm the "classic" hourglass shape, so you think I'd be happy that all clothes were made specifically for my shape, right? Nope

My hips and my busy are the exact same size, right to the .25 of an inch. And yet, I have always been much bigger in tops than bottoms - even when I wore a size 0-2 in jeans, I was a medium in shirts, because anything smaller literally wouldn't fit over my boobs. Back before it was common to buy bathing suit tops and bottoms as separates, I used to have to buy two of the same suit in two different sizes - a smaller one for the bottoms, a bigger one for the top.

The problem isn't us or our body shapes; it's that designers seem to think there's one ideal shape out there and we should all conform to it! Even those of us that are told we DO conform to it, DON'T! I get that OTR clothes are supposed to be standardized for the masses, but the model they used to develop that standard must be a Barbie doll - proportions that don't exist in real life.

Honestly, the best way I've figured to combat it was to how to sew. I buy OTR clothes and alter them to fit my specific body. The irony is, friends with similar shapes fit better in my tailored clothes than in any OTR outfit they can find if learning to sew is possible and something you're interested in, I definitely recommend it! Plus, I've salvaged half my old wardrobe so far, by sizing things down, so it's saved me a lot of money

[Munchy]

Originally Posted by futureformerfisher

Back before it was common to buy bathing suit tops and bottoms as separates, I used to have to buy two of the same suit in two different sizes - a smaller one for the bottoms, a bigger one for the top.

Yep, I remember buying a two piece with XS bottoms and XL top. The places that have bra sizes changed my bathing suit shopping experiences immensely. Plus after having a child my body isn't as "extreme" as it was.

[LiannaKole]

Yep. I have a very similar body shape to that. Jeans and pants are hard to find (if they fit my waist, they're big in the butt, thighs, and legs). Shopping in the Jr's section actually helps because they're designed for people with straighter bodies.

Button up shirts are also an issue (my boobs give me huge gaps between buttons at the top).

Also, my ribs are wide, my waist is high and short. All of that just makes my torso look huge. Which is worse with all the fat on it (it is where I gain weight mostly).

But how my body loses weight suggests that when I get to my ultimate goal, I'll look pretty narrow from the side (which is nice) and be pretty okay from the front. It's just a difficult body shape to deal with while I'm overweight, I guess.

[futureformerfisher]

Originally Posted by Pattience

As a clothes maker now, i can tell you, that making for every different set of proportions would put the price of clothes up through the roof. There are so many variables and its hard enough to cater for three different sizes, let alone all of them and their variable shapes.

Shopping is probably most difficult for people with large busts because you can't easily let them out.

You have to learn to sew your own/ get a dressmaker or buy a bigger size and take things in where needed.

I'm at least lucky to have a b size cup. Though i never bother with jeans, partly because of the size and shape of my backside. Although when i'm slim, i can look fine in them too.

Getting slim is a fairly good antidote to most clothes shopping issues. Though i remembered i do have a friend who often used to buy girls clothes because she was so little.

Like I previously said, the issue is that whatever body shape the "standard" sizes are based on, doesn't exist. I spent the majority of my life in a size 0/2, with a classic hourglass figure and a big chest, the epitome of everything fashion tells you a woman should be. And nothing. ever. fit. Judging by the way other members talk about clothes shopping, this is the norm, not the exception.

Sewing or only buying bespoke clothing is not the answer; it's an individual solution, and one that has worked well for me (and one I readily suggest), but it doesn't address the problem: that clothes are made for body types that simply don't exist. "Getting slim" doesn't magically solve the problem, either - millions of slim women have the same exact problem. And telling people that "getting slim" will solve their problems is dehumanizing - every woman deserves clothes that fit her body and shape, regardless of her size or weight.

[kaybee1]

I have a very similar body type to you as well! But I disagree with what Pattience said about never being an hourglass shape - I think I'm just a fat hour glass! lol. I have big boobs, belly/back fat, but still some weight in the hip/butt region. I've never really been a low enough weight as an adult to really notice my actual shape but in certain outfits/gym clothes I can start to see a little nip-in at the waist which gives me hope!

Either way, we have to come to terms with the body types we DO have. I know that I will never look "petite" not matter how small I get, my bone structure is just larger - thanks mom - and so what? I just want to be a healthier, slimmer version of myself, whether that means being a chubby hour glass or an apple on toothpicks, so be it!

[SophiasMom]

As I'm reading everyone's posts, I'm sitting here thing, "what shape am I?" I guess apple? I have lean legs, no butt, belly and back fat, small boobs, and big arms. Is that an apple?? Lol maybe a grapefruit!

I think the OP asked a very good question because as someone who carries all of their weight from upper thighs and up, it's difficult to work on target areas. I've done some research but am focused on running.

Will subscribe to this to keep reading what you guys have to say

[futureformerfisher]

SophiasMom, a few measurements will tell you your body type! This article is very helpful: http://www.styled247.com/body-shape/

Or this quiz seems fairly accurate, it guessed my shape correctly: http://www.beautyriot.com/fashion/qu...ody-type-q8191

But remember that it's impossible to classify every single woman into one of four predetermined categories; you might not fall under one specific shape. A lot of women fall somewhere in between two shapes, or have most characteristics of one shape but some of another. So if you find that you don't quite fit into one specific category, don't freak out - that just means your body type is totally unique and all your own

[SophiasMom]

Thanks so much futureformerfisher

I will check out both of these links. I appreciate you responding

Took the quiz and the measurements, looks like I'm an apple. Thanks for sharing the info!

[atmos]

Count me in the opposite problem camp. I am around a size 10 in my lower half and a size 2-4 on my top half. I have no problem finding shirts, but jeans are a nightmare. I am short, so I need to find jeans cut for shorties. But I'm not "petite", as petite clothes never do fit me right. I have to try to find jeans specifically for "curvy" girls, so that the jeans don't pull on my hips while simultaneously sagging in the thighs and waist, but are also short enough. Sigh. And don't get me started on trying to shop for a dress. The only shape that remotely works is an A-line, because that way I can compromise on a size medium and it isn't toooo big on my top half, but the A-line shape also means it isn't pulling on my hips.

Not that I don't have a goodly amount of fat on my hips and thighs, but I can also feel my hip bones, so I know I don't have much hope of sinking down my extra wide hips.

I also had to buy two sets of swimsuits before separates became more readily available. A size small for the top, a size XL for the bottom. And forget fitting into a one piece, I haven't been able to wear one since I was in third grade. Ugh. My bust and hips are about 8" different from each other.

Except my face carries a bunch of my weight too. So I guess it evens out in theory?

Here ends my pity party.

[Hotaruchan]

I have the mom jeans and saggy butt issue CONSTANTLY. The majority of my weight is in my stomach and thighs. No butt. No hips. No curves. I've gotten compliments on my calves at every weight, but it is entirely impossible to find girl pants that fit right because I'm essentially built like a dude.

I've been in a size 4 since about 150...maybe when I hit 2 the jeans will be cut more for girls with no junk in their trunks and the sad saggy butt will finally leave me alone...

[futureformerfisher]

Originally Posted by SophiasMom

Thanks so much futureformerfisher

I will check out both of these links. I appreciate you responding

Took the quiz and the measurements, looks like I'm an apple. Thanks for sharing the info!

You're so welcome! It's hard to find clothes that fit and look good, knowing my body type has definitely helped me narrow down styles and cuts that show off my best features It's amazing how the right dress or style of jeans can totally change my perception of myself!