I am losing weight, I've lost 23lbs! But my basic lumpy bumpy shape is still intact. I read about other women who are roughly my height yet weigh more, and they are fitting into smaller jeans sizes then I am. The truth be told while I do fit into 2 pairs of size 16 pants, that is it! I'm too small for an 18, but yet still too big for a lot of the 16s out there?! Would weight training help? A ton of crunchers? I am riding my excercise bike 60-80 minutes a night. But still, I look in the mirror and I pretty much look exactly as I did at 180lb. Except I can pull down my size 18 shorts/pants/whatevers without unsnapping and unzipping. Granted, its convenient, but still !
Thanks for hearing my vent, and if anyone has insight on my affliction --- do tell!

Are you working out, or just eating well? Working out and doing weight training will definitely help! You don't have to do anything crazy... you can buy two weights and a resistance band and do things right from home a few days a week. And of course, crunches and 'wall push ups' don't require anything. Oh, and I am a small 18 at 203 lbs right now, so everyone's body is different! I wouldn't compare yourself because body shapes can really vary... but I bet that if you add in some working out and weight training, you'll really see things firming up.

I also suggest adding muscle-building exercises to your routine. Muscle will take up less room than fat will and help you burn more calories too

Keep up the good work! We change in different rates in different ways. I have seen some people here wear a size 14 at 200 lbs and for me, at 145 I was a size 10 in pants! Every body is different.

Hey backtome! Good for you for losing 23 pounds!

Everyone is different--but in most cases, body shape does not completely change with weight loss. I could be wrong about this--and if so, I hope some folks will correct me. I have not always been heavy, but my heavy shape is just a blown-up version of my thin shape.

You could try varying your exercise if possible--so it's not always the bike. That way you'll use different muscle groups. Toning exercise and weight training also helps a lot--for me it has been especially helpful toning my abdominal muscles.

I've gone from a size 20 to a size 16 (in some clothing). Stay with it! Keep going!

Jay

I think weight training does help. 1 pound of fat takes up much more space than 1 pound of muscle.

I started more serious weight training in the fall and began working with a trainer 2ce a week and on my own once a week. I had a period of a few months where I lost no weight on the scale but dropped a dress size. I changed my body composition -- same weight but more muscle and less fat and therefore smaller clothes! It's hard to see the scale stay the same, but the clothing reward was worth it!

One book you may want to read is Body For Life. In the book, the author specifically talks about being able to shape your body through weight training. So you can use weight training to help improve your overall shape as well as help you look proportioned.

Weight training will also help you build muscle that will increase your metabolism.

I, too, think that weight-training would likely help. The results maye not be that evident to see on the scale, but your clothing size will then tell you what your progress is. We can't change the way our body shape was genetically programmed (there's no way I'll ever be an ectomorph type, for instance), but we can certainly make it look better by nicely toning (or a little more, if you want your muscles to really be seen).

Your basic body "shape" isn't really going to change - if you've always been an "apple" or a "pear" or whatever, your body is going to be a larger or smaller version of that (there are some exceptions - those who are 100+ pounds overweight have often lost their "true" shape). In your case, what you're saying doesn't surprise me - at 180 and 5'5" you weren't obese and probably weren't overly out of proportion. Therefore, if, say, your hips and waist were within a couple inches of each other at 180, you aren't going to suddenly see an hourglass figure appear at 140.

Adding weight training will definitely help you firm up the body you have. Losing fat and adding muscle will produce a gorgeous body that's unique to you - but it's not going to change the basic form of your shape in any major way. The same way that you're not going to add 6 inches to your height through any workout or diet plan known to man, you're not going to change a cylinder into an hourglass or vice-versa!

Add weights and keep working - you've come a long way! Just keep in mind that while you can smooth and tone the "lumpy bumpy shape," your body is basically yours to keep.