# Slimming down but keeping my curves?



## knottyknicky (Apr 17, 2011)

Just to clarify, this isn't 'diet talk' and I'm not talking about getting thin, just about toning/reshaping some bits and pieces 

I've noticed over the past few years that my body has changed, like bodies do change over time. I was looking back on older pictures of me from around 2005-2007, and noticed that while I was still roughly the same size and weight, my body was definitely proportioned differently. I'm still rather well proportioned, but I've got a little extra tummy growing in and my back is filling out too, and I've decided I just don't want those things hanging around for my wedding pictures this October! I don't intend on 'losing weight'...my fiance chose me the way I am, and I don't intend to change that. That said, I would like to maybe trim down around my waist/tummy and my back, and maybe bring my thighs down just so i'm comfortable over the summer (hello, chub rub). The problem is, I dont want to lose the curves I DO like, like my butt and my boobs, hips, etc. I know you lose weight all over when you excercise, but maybe someone around here has some tips on how I might be able to define my waist/back without ending up like a deflated balloon everywhere else? 

My dress is already bought (and fits perfectly) so I really don't want to drop a ton of weight, I just want to depend less on my undergarments, I suppose


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## knottyknicky (Apr 17, 2011)

I should add that my larger, primary goal is to just be healthier and stronger in general...I miss being as active as I was a few years ago when my tummy didn't get in my way and my extra weight on my back didn't hurt me!


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## Dr. Feelgood (Apr 17, 2011)

knottyknicky said:


> The problem is, I dont want to lose the curves I DO like, like my butt and my boobs, hips, etc. I know you lose weight all over when you excercise, but maybe someone around here has some tips on how I might be able to define my waist/back without ending up like a deflated balloon everywhere else?
> 
> My dress is already bought (and fits perfectly) so I really don't want to drop a ton of weight, I just want to depend less on my undergarments, I suppose



If your principal desire is to define your waist more fully, my advice would be to depend MORE on your undergarments. Really good corsetry gives you greater control over your actual shape than anything else I can think of!


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## knottyknicky (Apr 17, 2011)

Dr. Feelgood said:


> If your principal desire is to define your waist more fully, my advice would be to depend MORE on your undergarments. Really good corsetry gives you greater control over your actual shape than anything else I can think of!



I'd like it to be a permenant fix, though  Corsets don't really mesh with the rest of my life!


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## CleverBomb (Apr 17, 2011)

Dr. Feelgood said:


> ...Really good corsetry gives you greater control over your actual shape than anything else I can think of!


Of corset does!

-Rusty


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## Dr. Feelgood (Apr 17, 2011)

knottyknicky said:


> I'd like it to be a permenant fix, though



Moving right along to Plan B: try getting in touch with a trainer. You might be able to hire one for a single session to set up a schedule for you and show you how to do the exercises. If you live near a college (or, better yet, go to one!) there's going to be a gym somewhere, and an instructor who sets up fitness classes. A friend of mine took advantage of this set-up to get started in an exercise program, and she is very enthusiastic about it. Good luck!


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## Tad (Apr 18, 2011)

I don't think you can really predict (except somewhat through experience) where you'll lose the most fat if you do lose fat. And certainly I'm pretty sure that one excercise or another will not change where you lose any weight.

But, what you can control is where you gain most muscle, and that can have an impact in a few ways:
- it can give a firmer base under the fat, and in particular for the abdomen I think this can make a real difference in how it looks.
- Building up muscle in one area, while losing fat everywhere, will change proportions.
- Building up muscle in one area while not really changing your weight may tighten up the skin in that area temporarily (as it gets bigger), making it firmer and rounder.

I would guess that building up your core, from your butt muscles through your abdomen and up into the chest and shoulders, without losing much weight overall would probably give you some of what you are looking for. Building up your shoulders will make your waist look smaller, building up pectoral and butt muscles will help keep bust and backside filled out. Stronger abdominal muscles probably hold your tummy in more firmly. Losing some fat should make your waist and thighs thinner.

All of that is the opionion of an amateur, and as for how to go about doing it, I have no good ideas (although at a guess swimming would be pretty awesome).

Good luck!


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## knottyknicky (Apr 18, 2011)

Dr. Feelgood said:


> Moving right along to Plan B: try getting in touch with a trainer. You might be able to hire one for a single session to set up a schedule for you and show you how to do the exercises. If you live near a college (or, better yet, go to one!) there's going to be a gym somewhere, and an instructor who sets up fitness classes. A friend of mine took advantage of this set-up to get started in an exercise program, and she is very enthusiastic about it. Good luck!



Hmm...how to find a size-friendly trainer. Maybe I need to start a new topic 

Tad, thanks for your suggestions. Its more or less what I expected to hear, but was wondering if anyone around here had any experience with losing weight and not totally deflating. I do want to lose *some* weight, but massive weightloss isnt my goal, just getting in shape and having a little more streamlined look. I still love being curvy, I'm just finding myself hiding my curves more than showing them off, and I want to do something about that!

I'm thinking about joining a gym but I have such icky feelings about gyms and the excercise/fitness industry in general. I can work out at home, but I honestly detest walking and as weird as it sounds, Id rather do it on a treadmill at a gym. Plus the gym around the corner has a cardio theater. GIANT movie screen plus its dark in the room. Win-Win!


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## Dr. Feelgood (Apr 18, 2011)

knottyknicky said:


> I'm thinking about joining a gym but I have such icky feelings about gyms and the excercise/fitness industry in general.



My experience with gyms has been negative. The buff young models who masquerade as trainers are really salesmen/women. They often don't know much about the machines: I once managed to strain the muscles in both my arms by following the advice of one of these creatures. This is why I think you'd be better off talking with a genuine trainer: you'd be with someone who knows the subject. As to finding a size-friendly trainer, I think you'll be pleased; most professionals are friendly to people who are genuinely interested in what they do and willing to take their advice seriously. Offering them money for said advice may make them even friendlier.


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## Cors (Apr 19, 2011)

The effects of tightlacing are only semi-permanent if you wear a properly fitted corset made for the purpose for at least 20 hours a day (which is not what most people are after), for months and perhaps even years before your shape shifts. Otherwise, minutes after you loosen the laces, you can feel your insides shifting back into place and your squished waist expands again. 

You can't change your shape that much but I agree with what Tad said. Moisturising (I found cocoa butter and shea butter helpful) and gentle massaging might help a little with stretchmarks and loose skin, if you are prone to that.


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## Dolce (Apr 19, 2011)

I was able to completely transform my body through proper diet and exercise without losing more than 10 pounds. The number on the scale can be totally irrelevant in some cases. I have friends that are as tall as me, weigh as much or less than me but are much larger than me because I have built a lot of muscle. 

I would NOT be afraid of gyms. I have found people and trainers to be immensely helpful and non-judgmental. Granted there are always a few who may give you a sideways glance but those are few and far between. In fact, you may see many other large people at the gym trying to stay fit. 

If I could give you any advice it would be to go into this with an open mind. I think you will find that many of your fears are unfounded. 

If you PM me I would be happy to show you my before and after pics. What I did to get into the best shape of my life (and yes, I totally changed my figure while still being a size 14/16 so people telling you that you can't change your body don't know what they are talking about - plenty of people have).. okay what I did was cut out refined sugars completely and eat a diet of UNLIMITED protein (eggs, fish, beef, lamb etc.), brown rice, vegetables, and about 3 - 5 servings of fruit a day plus some nuts or nut butters. I think being hungry is almost cruel so I did not deny myself any quantity of food but I did cut out all sugars and anything with wheat (breads, processed foods) and most dairy. I lifted weights 3 times a weak doing 1/2 as many reps on my lower half as compared to my upper body and 30 -60 minutes of cardio 3 -5 days a week. 

PM me and I can show you! Maybe we can be workout buddies. I am so going to become a personal trainer and nutritional consultant for bigger people. I see there is a huge market for this but the same old BS is being touted by the experts (i.e. eat less, read labels, everything in moderation). That is such CRAP! Oh yeah... I'm a heroin addict but I decided to just have a little heroin in moderation. I call BS! I cannot have any sugar because I am addicted to it. It changes my brain and I think most people would be much better off if they quit the sugar. Screw being thin. You can still be a good size while eating unlimited unprocessed foods.

P.S. I see that you are in So Cal.. I'm from the Bay Area so I feel you on the cultural pressure to be model thin (though I think you have it worse than those that live in the Bay) but screw what everyone thinks. But I will say that when I worked out at the gym most of the 'looks' came from ME. I was most critical of myself and once I got over that I realized a lot of people accepted me the way I was. I find that in some gyms there is an atmosphere of self improvement so any progress is applauded. I saw tons of chubbs shaking their bellies at Zumba. This is your life and you are allowed to have some goals for yourself. Skinny people do not have a monopoly on fun! I am so with you!!! and congrats on your engagement  I want to see the dress


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## Tad (Apr 19, 2011)

As far as the 'having done it' side of things, I was basing a lot of that on what has happened with my wife. Post baby she was around 225 and as with many new moms got upper body strength training from carrying the little guy, but not a lot of other demanding activity. As he got older she was able to get seriously back into cycling, and did some light upper body weights and trunk strengthening excercises on her own.

Over a few years she dropped around 20 pounds, built up the muscle in her legs, backside, back, and shoulders in varying amounts, and regained some of the waist definition she'd lost as well as really tightening up her tummy. To the degree that a couple of years ago when we took a long saved for trip to Hawaii she bought a bikini and wore it with confidence and not a single questioning glance from those around us. (and was also up for spending most of a day hiking around and across old volcano craters in the heat).

That was a slower change than what you are looking for, which is why I didn't try to pass along specific excercise ideas, you would be looking for something much more focused.


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## knottyknicky (Apr 19, 2011)

Thanks everybody for your responses...you all have really interesting takes on it, some I wasn't expecting  

Just to put it out there, I'm not nervous about gyms at all. I really like going to the gym, its just always been a matter of time/money, I never seem to have both at the same time. I actually worked at a gym at the front desk during high school, and was not much smaller then than I am now (maybe 50 lbs difference). That said, that 50 lbs has crept on alongside my body changing just with age, and I don't carry my weight the same way. I am fairly hour-glassy already, so I know if I were to lose weight I'd probably slim right into the shape I want to be. My family however has no natural breasts/butts/hips/fun stuff, and so I'm worried that if I lost more than a few pounds, I'd end up in the same boat. Now, even at my current weight, I have pretty great (if I do say so myself) curves, and they aren't just because I'm fat (I think). I've got thick legs/thighs/butt, maybe it was all the volleyball I played when I was younger? 

I don't necessarily want to stay at my current weight, as I'm not attached to my size at all, I guess I just want to make the focus of any 'training' I do not just about shedding pounds but about working to get my body in the shape I want it to be. I'd much rather be fat but with a great silhouette than stick thin with absolutely no curves or the wrong proportions, you know? 

Dolce, I'm no longer in Southern California, but thanks for the offer. I might take you up on it  I'd love to see those before/after pics. And you can see the dress over on the fashion board


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## knottyknicky (Apr 19, 2011)

Tad said:


> As far as the 'having done it' side of things, I was basing a lot of that on what has happened with my wife. Post baby she was around 225 and as with many new moms got upper body strength training from carrying the little guy, but not a lot of other demanding activity. As he got older she was able to get seriously back into cycling, and did some light upper body weights and trunk strengthening excercises on her own.
> 
> Over a few years she dropped around 20 pounds, built up the muscle in her legs, backside, back, and shoulders in varying amounts, and regained some of the waist definition she'd lost as well as really tightening up her tummy. To the degree that a couple of years ago when we took a long saved for trip to Hawaii she bought a bikini and wore it with confidence and not a single questioning glance from those around us. (and was also up for spending most of a day hiking around and across old volcano craters in the heat).
> 
> That was a slower change than what you are looking for, which is why I didn't try to pass along specific excercise ideas, you would be looking for something much more focused.



I've worked as a nanny for the past 10 years, so I totally relate to this. I carry kids/toys/strollers/etc around constantly, but Ive fallen victim to eating kid food and sitting down whenever I get a chance to, and I've seen what its done to my body. I don't want to have a mom body before I have kids!


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## LalaCity (Apr 29, 2011)

In my experience, the best way not to deflate your curves is to lose weight slowly. Most importantly, no extreme dieting (I know you wouldn't anyway) -- just cut your calories a bit (I wouldn't drop below 1500 per day for safety's sake) and exercise daily (both cardio and weights). 

Oh -- and I've read in health magazines that walking trims abdominal fat better than other exercises (supposedly a scientifically-proven thing). Walking is great exercise if you can do it at a moderate pace for an hour a day and it's wonderful for mood and relaxation.


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## LoveBHMS (Apr 29, 2011)

The only way to change the shape of your body is through exercise. If you gain or lose weight you'll likely have the same general shape, just smaller. Weight training and/or yoga can build and tone muscles and make you leaner and tighter. You might also try Pilates for core building and hardcore toning.


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