Is it possible to have a smaller waist? How ?

[Anonymous]

OP, I could have been you a few years ago. I'm also 115 but have been as low as 99 pounds in an effort to get my stomach to look better. After too long, I recognized that this was an unhealthy view of what my body should look like and just quit. Honestly, expecting to have a waist when you have a straight up-and-down body is a fool's errand. You will just frustrate yourself, and even if you succeed, you'll have to keep working to keep an inch or two off of your waist forever since that isn't your natural body type. Wouldn't you rather put that energy into just staying healthy or spending more time with your kid(s)?

Also, FWIW, I ended up having twins and now have a 28-inch waist with extra skin. The difference in clothes really is minimal now that I'm healthy enough to recognize that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP I am about the same size as you with no defined waist just a straight banana type shape. My hips are just a few inches wider than my waist. But I learned to emphasize my best parts, and cover things I do not like. Honestly you cannot drastically change your shape without surgery, and I like myself well enough where I would not subject myself to any medical procedures. The ideal body shape is a myth we are all different. Don't obsess over your measurements. I am sure you loook better than you think, we are the worst critics of ourselves.

OP here. Thanks to you and the 2 other PPs who understood the apple shape issue.

I probably shouldn't have given numbers to avoid the inflammatory responses. I don't believe I am fat for one minute, but please believe me When I say my stomach is not proportionate and I look weird in a bathing suit ( or any clothes that follow body shape). At 110 I am not underweight either, i have a very narrow frame (and head, and shoulders ..,) and I don't build muscles easily. At a "normal" BMI I have a double chin and everyone would say I look better losing a bit, I am sure people can understand (think Ethiopian lanky type) . At 115 I just have a serious muffin top.

I talked about weight first to actually get it out of the way : realistically I don't have pounds to loose and I don't want to focus on that to get an ok stomach (that's how I ended at an unhealthy 103). But no one looking at my stomach right now would say it is ideal either ( just 36 year old who eats well and exercise regularly ideal, I am not trying to look like a VS model)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, I could have been you a few years ago. I'm also 115 but have been as low as 99 pounds in an effort to get my stomach to look better. After too long, I recognized that this was an unhealthy view of what my body should look like and just quit. Honestly, expecting to have a waist when you have a straight up-and-down body is a fool's errand. You will just frustrate yourself, and even if you succeed, you'll have to keep working to keep an inch or two off of your waist forever since that isn't your natural body type. Wouldn't you rather put that energy into just staying healthy or spending more time with your kid(s)?

Also, FWIW, I ended up having twins and now have a 28-inch waist with extra skin. The difference in clothes really is minimal now that I'm healthy enough to recognize that.

Thanks PP, I hear you. Did the same (unhealthy 103 to ty to get to a flat stomach). You are probably right that there is nothing to be done

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, I could have been you a few years ago. I'm also 115 but have been as low as 99 pounds in an effort to get my stomach to look better. After too long, I recognized that this was an unhealthy view of what my body should look like and just quit. Honestly, expecting to have a waist when you have a straight up-and-down body is a fool's errand. You will just frustrate yourself, and even if you succeed, you'll have to keep working to keep an inch or two off of your waist forever since that isn't your natural body type. Wouldn't you rather put that energy into just staying healthy or spending more time with your kid(s)?

Also, FWIW, I ended up having twins and now have a 28-inch waist with extra skin. The difference in clothes really is minimal now that I'm healthy enough to recognize that.

Thanks PP, I hear you. Did the same (unhealthy 103 to ty to get to a flat stomach). You are probably right that there is nothing to be done

Not true. You can build curves, hence making your waist look smaller. Build up your shoulders/back and booty. You need to eat to do this and be in a calorie surplus, not deficit. Realize that you will gain weight, not lose, but this will give you a more proportionate look. If you're worried about gaining fat, then add more protein to your diet (not tons of pizza & high-calorie/high fat foods).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, you are already very small. Do you want to have ribs removed? Do you think that's worth it? I agree with others - seeing a professional that deals with body images would be more beneficial.

Maybe do some strength training with weights to build up your arms and legs a bit more, if you want a more "proportionate" look - but this may cause you to gain a little weight (muscle, not fat).

At the end of the day, a stupid number of a scale is meaningless. Stop chasing a number. Feeling healthy and strong is a far better goal.

Thanks PP, I hear you. I honestly don't care about number though, was trying to give an idea of what I am dealing with (no big weight loss issue, more of a shape issue), i think my post gave the wrong impressions. I am an "old" mom now and what matters to me is indeed being stronger and having a functional body. This belly / waist thing is a superficial annoyance. But it does make a big difference (and I am not crazy/ have completely disproportionate vision of myself).

Given that this is a diet and exercise thread I thought it would be ok to ask if anyone managed to do something about their waist shape. But I guess it was too superficial and I should have posted in the beauty and fashion thread

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, I could have been you a few years ago. I'm also 115 but have been as low as 99 pounds in an effort to get my stomach to look better. After too long, I recognized that this was an unhealthy view of what my body should look like and just quit. Honestly, expecting to have a waist when you have a straight up-and-down body is a fool's errand. You will just frustrate yourself, and even if you succeed, you'll have to keep working to keep an inch or two off of your waist forever since that isn't your natural body type. Wouldn't you rather put that energy into just staying healthy or spending more time with your kid(s)?

Also, FWIW, I ended up having twins and now have a 28-inch waist with extra skin. The difference in clothes really is minimal now that I'm healthy enough to recognize that.

Thanks PP, I hear you. Did the same (unhealthy 103 to ty to get to a flat stomach). You are probably right that there is nothing to be done

Not true. You can build curves, hence making your waist look smaller. Build up your shoulders/back and booty. You need to eat to do this and be in a calorie surplus, not deficit. Realize that you will gain weight, not lose, but this will give you a more proportionate look. If you're worried about gaining fat, then add more protein to your diet (not tons of pizza & high-calorie/high fat foods).

Op here : I am trying to build up my hips and legs and stronger arms too. But I am not a type that builds up easily, exercising actually makes me leaner/more compact (even as I end up heavier which is perfect). I have kind of a ridiculously small head too (or very proportionate to the rest in a way), gaining any shoulders is not at all a win for me

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m an apple shape too so I get it.

+1

I get it OP. I’m petite and thin everywhere except my stomach looks perpetually pregnant. The only way I get it less rounded is to loose too much weight. Then, I have a normal looking stomach but a sickly looking skinny rest of my body.

I’ve had to just learn to dress for my body type, which unfortunately means loose tops that can sometimes overwhelm my petite frame.

OP here : yes exactly. The loose tops that still needs to be narrow at the shoulders or I look completely lost in my clothes ... I am better now at dressing for it. And very happy the low rise jeans are on their way out... i can tuck my belly back in higher rose pants...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, I could have been you a few years ago. I'm also 115 but have been as low as 99 pounds in an effort to get my stomach to look better. After too long, I recognized that this was an unhealthy view of what my body should look like and just quit. Honestly, expecting to have a waist when you have a straight up-and-down body is a fool's errand. You will just frustrate yourself, and even if you succeed, you'll have to keep working to keep an inch or two off of your waist forever since that isn't your natural body type. Wouldn't you rather put that energy into just staying healthy or spending more time with your kid(s)?

Also, FWIW, I ended up having twins and now have a 28-inch waist with extra skin. The difference in clothes really is minimal now that I'm healthy enough to recognize that.

Thanks PP, I hear you. Did the same (unhealthy 103 to ty to get to a flat stomach). You are probably right that there is nothing to be done

Not true. You can build curves, hence making your waist look smaller. Build up your shoulders/back and booty. You need to eat to do this and be in a calorie surplus, not deficit. Realize that you will gain weight, not lose, but this will give you a more proportionate look. If you're worried about gaining fat, then add more protein to your diet (not tons of pizza & high-calorie/high fat foods).

Op here : I am trying to build up my hips and legs and stronger arms too. But I am not a type that builds up easily, exercising actually makes me leaner/more compact (even as I end up heavier which is perfect). I have kind of a ridiculously small head too (or very proportionate to the rest in a way), gaining any shoulders is not at all a win for me

You may be a hard-gainer. Eat more. Do you drink protein shakes? That's a good way to get in your protein if you get full easily or just don't want to eat tons of chicken breast and fish. You can also try timing your calories by eating some carbs like swedish fish or rice cakes right after lifting weights (think 100-150 calories).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, I could have been you a few years ago. I'm also 115 but have been as low as 99 pounds in an effort to get my stomach to look better. After too long, I recognized that this was an unhealthy view of what my body should look like and just quit. Honestly, expecting to have a waist when you have a straight up-and-down body is a fool's errand. You will just frustrate yourself, and even if you succeed, you'll have to keep working to keep an inch or two off of your waist forever since that isn't your natural body type. Wouldn't you rather put that energy into just staying healthy or spending more time with your kid(s)?

Also, FWIW, I ended up having twins and now have a 28-inch waist with extra skin. The difference in clothes really is minimal now that I'm healthy enough to recognize that.

Thanks PP, I hear you. Did the same (unhealthy 103 to ty to get to a flat stomach). You are probably right that there is nothing to be done

Not true. You can build curves, hence making your waist look smaller. Build up your shoulders/back and booty. You need to eat to do this and be in a calorie surplus, not deficit. Realize that you will gain weight, not lose, but this will give you a more proportionate look. If you're worried about gaining fat, then add more protein to your diet (not tons of pizza & high-calorie/high fat foods).

Op here : I am trying to build up my hips and legs and stronger arms too. But I am not a type that builds up easily, exercising actually makes me leaner/more compact (even as I end up heavier which is perfect). I have kind of a ridiculously small head too (or very proportionate to the rest in a way), gaining any shoulders is not at all a win for me

And are you saying you don't want to build shoulders because it will only make your head look smaller? If it's so difficult for you to build muscle, why are you all of a sudden worried that your shoulders will get so big, they will make your head look too small? Your responses are only confirming your body issues. I think prior PP's are right - you need a therapist, not diet or exercise advice.

[Anonymous]

OP, maybe you just have diastis recti? If you're thin but have a 'pooch' it can be tight psoas muscles, weak abs, separation, etc if you have had kids. Dieting is not the answer if its not fat on top of it. If it is a layer of pinchable fat, I would honesty do something like coolscupting over dieting to unhealthy extremes (well, honestly I would be thrilled with a 28" waist but what I mean is that if it his is so bothersome to you, I would do that rather than diet yourself away to nothing).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Troll

Why ?

[Anonymous]

If you have narrow hips, I don't know that you're going to be able to create the look you seem to be going for. A waist is noticeable in large part because of its ratio to the hips. So even if you reduce the size of your waist, it may never look the way you want it to. You are not going to be able to go from an apple shape to an hourglass shape. You can build muscle and reduce your overall body fat - not that you need to with those numbers - but at your size you aren't going to be able to get your waist small enough in relation to your hips.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you have narrow hips, I don't know that you're going to be able to create the look you seem to be going for. A waist is noticeable in large part because of its ratio to the hips. So even if you reduce the size of your waist, it may never look the way you want it to. You are not going to be able to go from an apple shape to an hourglass shape. You can build muscle and reduce your overall body fat - not that you need to with those numbers - but at your size you aren't going to be able to get your waist small enough in relation to your hips.

Yep this. OP we are body twins. Nothing you can do will give an illusion of a waist. We just aren’t built that way. The best I can do is try to eat better to have a flatter stomach but my waist is always 26/27 too. It’s how my bones are made. I have no hips. Pure barre has helped give me the ab definition that makes me feel more confident in a bathing suit and naked.

[Anonymous]

Seriously?

Lift weights.

Eat healthy. You might not be eating enough food.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Seriously?

Lift weights.

Eat healthy. You might not be eating enough food.

I eat very healthy, I am not skin and bones at all. I just have a very narrow frame. I also lift weights but as I said I don't build up easily. At one point I had very well defined arms (but they get toned not bulky), I stopped for 2 weeks as I was traveling, my muscles melted so fast it was scary...

I also have pretty strong abs considering how super soft my stomach looks. I always focused on abs, I can easily do a 3 min plank for example. But I have never had the slightest hint of muscle definition on my belly...