If you're an apple, come chat with me about waists

[Whyarewefruit]

I am what's known as an apple, big and broad shoulders, no discernible waist, skinny legs. Although, a brick on matchsticks would be a more accurate description of my body shape, tbh.
I'm tall and reasonably slim, with a BMI of 23, but I still measure nearly 34 inches around my waist.

I know this is not a good thing, and that I need to lose some weight to reduce my waist size, but honestly the weight around my stomach and my love handles are always the last to go. To get any significant reduction in my waistline, I have to get really thin everywhere else.
The last time I did this, my mother said I looked sick. (Thanks, Mom!)

Anyway, I was just wondering what other apples do or don't do? Are you worried about the size of your waist? Have you or are you planning to do anything about it? Also, obviously, if anyone has any special tricks to magic the weight from one's waist to, say, one's boobs, I'm all ears.

Like you, my middle is always the last place it goes. With a BMI of 24 I looked like a Buddha. I’ve had to slim down to BMI of 19 to get a waist of 29.9” and my belly is still the biggest thing on my body. Im very aware that you can have a normal BMI but still have increased risk with a waist measurement over 31.5” and mine was higher than that.
Stopping alcohol, bread and reducing sugar in my diet has reduced the blob a lot but the weight loss was down to logging everything on MFP and reducing portion sizes to keep within my target calories.
DM does keep telling me I’m too thin but she is morbidly obese with related health conditions which, as I was starting to look a similar shape, is what has motivated me to drop the weight.

I've Wel I am deffo an apple . No discernible waist, though I do think I go in a bit (not enough though! However I cannot say my legs are skinny. I cannot wear skinny jeans or they look like sausages that have burst their casings!

This is me. I'm a size 10, slim and fairly toned everywhere apart from my belly.
I haven't worn a bikini since I was in my teens because of it. I also rarely wear skirts because they don't sit properly. Sometimes I almost could pass for 6 months pregnant when I'm having a post-dinner bloat.
I don't really have any answers or suggestions, but I feel your pain.
I've just restarted going to yoga classes to try and strengthen my core muscles and reduce the size of my gut!

I think I'm more of a pumpkin than an apple. When we did averages in school, we took measurements of every body part - and I hit the average on every single one, apart from my waist, which was 10 inches bigger than the average! I think it still is, but I've learned to dress for it now - things that hang from the boobage and skim over the hips work best.

Not an apple - but after a lifetime of being a pear that went slightly in at waist before hitting hips, I've turned post-menopause into more of a triangle. I got a dress the other day where waist was snug/fine but I could have got both my cats into the top part with me. I have tried everything from targeted exercise/core/waist definition to going down to BMI 21 (9st 6 at 5'7) (got lots of comments of how awful my face looked) and I still had a 30" waist!! So I would love to know how to solve this one... because once I had a 26" waist and it's gorn... I'm (probably accurately) blaming the DC!

I'm an apple and I'm doing the 16:8 with reduced sugar and carbs. It's coming off my barrel shaped midsection slowly but surely at about 1lb a week.

I'm an hourglass but with strong apple tendencies - weight goes straight on the middle. Like pp, I find 16:8 is a really good eating plan generally, and do it with lower carb/sugar/gluten foods when I need to shift weight.

Well, I'm happy that I'm not alone, but sorry you're all having this problem too.

Yeah, I think I'm going to have the bite the bullet and start slimming down as well. It's annoying as I'm happy with how the rest of me looks, but obviously the size of my waistline is potentially problematic and since I'm no in my forties is probably not going to get any better without some serious effort on my part. Dammit!

I'm like a previous pp, I've got an hourglass shape, I do have a narrow waist above belly button but my lower tummy is huge rather then my hips. If I do lose weight it comes off my already skinny legs and flat bum. I wear size 12 jeans for my belly but mu legs and bum are probably an 8. All the women in my family are apples with big tummies. I'm trying really hard atm to eat less carbs which I think is helping, I'm also trying to up my water intake. It sucks though, a big tummy will never be a desirable shape

I'm the same. Size 8 too and no boobs but a 33-34waist. My shape is so weird.

Hello! I'm an apple too. I have just started the Zoe Harcombe diet today.
My weight used to go on as back fat and boobs, but I've recently gone up a stone and most of it's round my middle.
It's only because I've been eating chocolate and crisps during lockdown, but I need to go cold turkey to get over the food cravings.
I'm planning to start a yoga/stretching course, and make the effort to walk more.
The way I understand it, if your body stops being able to process glucose, that is when it starts to store fat, particularly round the middle.
I was listening to a podcast today and this website was mentioned:
www.fatismyfriend.co.uk
Likewise, skinny legs. It's not a good look for me.

A bit of unfortunate editing there. The skinny legs comment was meant to be in the first paragraph.
Have any apples here had any success with squats to help with a flat bum? I would love mine to be more shapely!

I'm not an apple but have a few close friends who are and the only way seems to be very strict weight management

Unfortunately for you, I do think apples need to keep their BMI to the lower end of the healthy range (18-21) to maintain a healthy waist measurement, where as those with chunkier limbs/wider hips etc can have a healthy waist measurement with a BMI at the top end (24-25 or even a bit higher)

I don't know about squats, @Whenwillow, but when I was cycling regularly I had a great bum, high and round. Maybe a stationary bike might help?

I agree about keeping to the lower end of a healthy weight, EhUp Even when my tummy is nearly flat my waist has never been below 28" because I'm quite wide. Shoulders are wider than my hip so when I'm slim I'm like an upside down triangle.
I would love to be curvy!

@Whyarewefruit thank you - you've inspired me to dust off my bicycle.
Good luck with sorting out your tummy!

Right, i need to lose 6.5kg or 14.4lbs to get to a BMI of 21. That sounds kind of doable, doesn't it?

My shoulders are also wider than my hips, @Whenwillow. Go triangles!

I've tried to give up diet fizzy....not sure if this will work, think I'm destined for a massive tummy with skinny legs!