How do you know what shape you are? The only one I ever "got" was pear shaped. I have several friends and my 16 yr. old is this shape. They have to get pants to fit the biggest part of their body, in pear shaped cases the hips/butt/thighs. What are other shapes and how do you determine what shape you are? What's an apple? Thin legs, including the thighs, w/the bulk of the weight carried on the hips/stomach/bust/and arms? What shape are you when you seem to carry your weight rather proportionally all over your body?

For pants to fit me I have to have them fit int he waist, which means they are always bigger/looser on my thighs. <sigh>, many days I feel like a papaya!

Jo

Hi Jo!

I've often tried to figure out WHAT shape I am! They talk about apples and pears and hourglass and triangles...CONFUSING!

I am big-boned, have wide shoulders and big feet (size 11!) I just discovered that I am 1.5 inches SHORTER than I used to be, so I am 5 feet 4 1/2 inches. I have a not-so-small waist, and my upper arms and my thighs have always been heavier than most people's. Through walking and exercising my rear and thighs have decreased A LOT! I've lost weight in my waist (13 inches lost), but still am 35" there. I'm currently 43-35-43. Does that make me a large HOURGLASS? I really don't know!

Cheryl

Many years ago I took some classes in Image Consulting. Our shapes were A, V, H and 8. There are variations of those ... my favourite was the straight 8

Starting points were the shoulders and hips. You need to look at yourself straight on in a full-length mirror and see what's wider ... does you waist dip? ... do your boobs stick out further than your belly? ... does your belly stick out further than your boobs? ... Does your butt stick out at all?

BTW ... I was quite a bit more A shaped when I was 30 lbs heavier. I've discovered I have not much hip, bone-wise.

I an "out of" shape LOL LOL LOL

Seriously though.. I have no clue what my scientific shape name would be but I would say its more of the hourglass .. however with extra fluff in my hips and saddle bags.

Linda

I think I am V shaped. My hips are much narrower than my shoulders. My waist is 30 inches now. My beginning measurements were 49-47-45. My actual shape didn't change with the wt. loss, just a smaller V now.

I am pear shaped. I carry my extra weight in the tummy, hips and thighs (saddlebags, yay!).

I believe the other major shape is "apple" (more fat in the waist & arms, etc.) - which is actually worse than a pear since waistline/abdominal fat are the ones that interferes with normal insulin activity, general metabolism, and cholesterol levels.

The easiest way to tell if you're an apple or pear is the waist-to-hip ratio - a simple calculator & chart (and what the shapes mean for your health) is available here:
http://www.bmi-calculator.net/waist-...atio-chart.php

I think I'm a slight hourglass. My shoulders and hips are the same width and my waist is about 12 inches smaller.

Hourglass. I have broad shoulders, wide hips, and a smaller waist.

I'm ROUND.

Round is a shape!

Actually, I am an hourglass. I have a LOT of curves. Only when I'm chubby, I have a lot MORE curves, and none of them curve in the direction I want them to. I'm fairly proportioned correctly except I have a booty - it's bigger than my waist, making it hard to find pants that fit properly.

But as I age & the chubbiness surrounds me & droops even more, I've noticed more chub on my UPPER body. Specially now, with perimenopause swarming me. Bra fat, back fat, upper arm dangle. Ick Ick ICK!

But I'm working on it! Wanna get my hour glass shape back, instead of being an hour & a half glass shape.

Hey, thanks for this link. I think I'm more of an apple shape because I tend to carry the excess around my middle vs. my hips/thighs and butt -- although they're in no great shape either!

Absolutely!!!! Bra fat? Back fat? Good Lord, I've gota a whole bakery going on back there!!!

I like the reference to A, V, H, or 8 shapes. I think I'm probably more 8 shaped, just w/out the smallness of waist. My shoulders and hips seems to be about the same width and my waist is smaller than both of those. In 30 lbs. I'll take another look.

Jo

I have a hourglass figure. I'm pretty well proportioned throughout and have been told I don't look the weight I am. It actually shocks people when and if I tell them.

In the descriptions of shapes-the main ones are apple, pear, hourglass, and cylindar.

An hourglass has a fuller bustline, and fuller hips...but has a defined waistline. Usually an hourglass will gain extra weight evenly-all over the body.

A pear shape is normally very hippy, with larger thighs, calves, etc. and a defined waist. The only thing is-their shoulders, arms, and breasts seem to be "small" in comparison to their hips and legs. It is very common for a plus sized pear woman to still wear a smaller to average cup size in her bra, and be able to wear a smaller sized top than jeans.

An apple woman carries all of her weight from the belly up. These women usually have great muscular legs, small butts-but carry their weight in their entire upper body-big bellies, lovehandles, "back fat", larger upper arms, chubbier faces, and lots of times larger breasts with a larger band size.

A cylindar woman is what a lot of models actually are-normally tall and leaner shaped-no matter what their size, they usually don't hold a lot of weight in their legs or their arms-they stay pretty long and lean. Their extra weight is usually carried all through the torso-so a cylindar with 15 or 20 extra pounds might carry it in her chest, hips, and belly areas-but her arms and legs still look long and lean compared to her torso. They are usually pretty resistant to cellulite as well.

I always thought my mother looked like a flamingo...those long, skinny legs, and I guess what would be referred to as an "apple-shaped" body. I never thought I was like that....and wasn't, I don't think, but more recently I've begun to see myself morphing in that direction (which is why I'm eating healthier-eating lo-cal, high-fiber, drinking lots of water, and exercising.) I envy women who have long, elegant necks and are smaller through the chest. (What shape are they???) Seems like they can always get away with a little extra weight. My neck is on the short side; looks okay when my weight is where it should be, but the minute I gain a little extra, my front...chest and bubelas...start to make me look like a big old hen.

I don't think it much matters what shape we are - if our weight is at appropriate levels, you know? We are ALL gorgeous babes, right?

Ella

The 2 major shapes are apple and pear. The majority of women are pear, with bigger hips and thighs than abdomen..apples have relatively small hips and thighs when compared to their belly. Apple shaped clothes are way harder to find in plus sizes than pear shaped, I have found...
And apples , as someone said, are more at risk for disease, IR, diabetes, apparently the big belly indicates an insulin issue..

UNfortunatly I am an apple, if youa re overweight but cannot tell which you are, you're probably a pear..becasue apples sometimes get people thinking they are pregnant when they are not, sometimes have to shop in maternity wear etc. Here's another way to tell, do you take a bigger size pant if it's to your belly button or a hip hugger? In high school, I took a 31 jeans, and I tried on a pair of hip huggers and I took a 28!!!!!!!!!! lol quite a difference..
and the formal way to tell is by the ratio's..if it's greater than a certain number, you're a pear etc..