I just read an article on sparkpeople about waist-to-hip ratio and body shapes. Towards the end it talks about ways to improve both to lower health risks, and it said, "First, you have to accept that there is no way to change where your body stores fat—your genetics determine that. If you are an apple now, you will always be an apple, even if you lose a few extra pounds. Weight loss may not change your body shape, but it will reduce your size."


This is disheartening for me. I don't want to lose weight and be working this hard for it just to be the same exact shape, only smaller. My question is, have any of you been able to change the shape of your body through weight loss + diet + exercise? I get the fact that my stomach, being my trouble spot, will probably hang on to weight a bit longer than other parts of my body... but I don't see why it should be impossible to have a flat stomach someday. Is this wishful thinking??!





article: http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/...les.asp?id=776

I'd have to say that for someone who has a an apple shape would have to go far below a normal weight (or low low body fat %) in order to get a flat belly.

This is disheartening! As a fellow apple, I assumed I would eventually have a flat stomach if I worked hard at it. I have already accepted the fact that my stomach weight will be the last to go but I figured it will eventually leave. I hope someone can give some insight on this

I'm an apple as well, and I can tell you that it IS possible to have a flat stomach and a good body. You just need to make sure you're doing strength training and doing cardio. It may not be possible to determine where your body stores fat, but it is possible to gain muscles in different places to help change your shape!

same here. I thought it would be hard work to get rid of the belly fat, but not impossible. I know of some exercise video instructors that have said they are apples, and they have flat stomachs...but they could have also had lipo.

How our individual bodies respond to lower body fat percentages is really individual.

Of course, if you got to a low-enough body fat percentage, even an apple would have less weight on their stomach, but the basic shape really won't change. That'll be the last weight you lose, and you may get thinner than you like in other parts (face, legs, etc) to get to a body fat percentage that would allow for a flat stomach. It's really impossible to tell until you get near goal what weight will be the "best fit" for you and your lifestyle...what is maintainable, and where you feel best.

I think you can have it. My best friend's her sister is an apple shape. It runs in the family. She was slim everywhere else, but gains weight in the stomach. After working out for sometime on a regularly basis doing both cardio and weights she achieved a very flat stomach. My friend on the other hand has just relies on diet to control her apple shape.

As for me I'm a pear shape. But, I'm definitely less of a pear at 117 lbs than at 135 lbs. If I put muscle mass on my upper body it will even me out even more.

It is down to genetics where you lose weight last. You can have a flat stomach, but it will probably take a lot of determination to achieve.

I'm pear-shaped, and my own personal experience with varying weights over the years -- from dangerously heavy to dangerously low -- could be summed up by the statement attributed to Catherine Deneuve: "You have to choose between your @ss or your face."

By the time my butt, upper thighs and calves are as slender as I'd like them to be, my face is gaunt, my nose is beaky & my neck gets sinewy-looking. This is when I stop getting my period because my body fat is so low.

If I stay at a weight that keeps my face & neck filled out, my butt & legs are a bit thicker than I'd like.

Keep in mind, this is just about me, personally, but I must say, I've been unable to "even it all out" through weight loss. I have retained my basic proportions, even though my general shape becomes less noticeable or quickly identifiable as one particular fruit. I have to work the "illusion" thing with clothing choices & etc.

[Wishing our icon options included a kick-boxing pear or apple, rather than a carrot leading an aerobics class. ]

I'm more of an hourglass-ish pear, but I do have a stubborn pooch right below my belly button. I'm not sure if I'll ever be able to get rid of it completely, I just have a fat deposit there that my body would like to keep. I'm sure that if I got to a low enough weight/BF%, it would go away, but I don't think I'm willing to do that.

As long as you're strength training to improve the shape that you have, there's not much else to do about where you'll hold on to the pounds that it's healthy for you to keep.

I have always been thigh challenged. When I gain weight--even a pound or two, my thighs are usually take the hit. They are smaller now--way smaller than before and I can wear a swimsuit and not feel uncomfortable.

Because I have lost the weight my troubled spot (thighs) don't bother me as much anymore. They are smaller than ever before. When I run I can feel the muscles and see the muscles. They are strong, they are fit and they are MINE. I have other areas of me now to "play up" since I am fit and healthy--I guess that is what I focus on--what I LIKE about me--not dislike. So, I have almost quit worrying about the bits that bother me.

Clothing that is properly fitted will work wonders once you hit goal. Absolutely have NO question as to that!

I'm a rectangle, but after two 9 lb children, my lower stomach was pretty poochy with a flap. Well the flap is getting smaller and firmer over time with strength and cardio training. You would never know that my stomach is not very flat with my clothes on. I look pretty trim, if I do say so myself.

You know, I was thinking again about this. I can liken it to a dinner party done on a budget--which I have done several times. When I choose to entertain on a shoestring I focus on what we DO have.

"We DO have some yummy vittles prepared in a healthy fashion. We DO have it beautifully prepared on pretty platters. We DO have ambient lighting and some awesome music. We DO have unending hospitality and warmth that welcomes everyone."

So, in other words. I focus on what I DO have. I try to make the most of what I have and represent!

I have no desire to have a flat stomach. I want to lose weight but I don't want to lose my curves. I've also heard that a lot of guys find a bit of a "pooch" feminine and attractive. It is very normal for women to have a bit more fat in that area from childbirth and our shapes. I know that our society seems to have an obsession with flat stomachs on both genders, but I don't see it as being realistic or healthy for a lot of women! Embrace your curves!

ok you might think this sounds drastic but hear me out---think about lipo.

I'm serious.

I'm totally an apple; I got abdominal liposuction on New Years' Eve. It has drastically improved my midsection (I store most of my fat in my lower abdomen and flank area).

Liposuction isn't a weight-loss surgery, it's a way to fix body contour deformities. I'm still in the process of weight loss, but it's so nice to see the shape so much better than it was. It's obviously not super-common because it's pricey, but it really is the only way to change a shape. My stomach was pretty "flat" before the lipo (I'm in the military and work out a decent amount) but you couldn't see abs or anything--and I had a pretty big waist measurement because I was so wide. If you have any questions feel free to ask

I feel it's true that you can't change where your body store fat. I used to be down to 62kg (136lb) by running and diet. I was running 10km per day, 7 days a week, but back to then (26 yr old), I still had an apple shape, hidden underneath the clothes. Never slimmer than that time in adulthood. Maybe losing another 15-20lb may help.