What do you do if you're stick thin with a fat midriff?

[AdviceHunter]

I need help!
My body shape is really strange. I'm tall (5'10) and very thin... Except for my midriff! Don't go imagining someone who is quite slim with a soft tummy. I am literally skinny, with a midriff that is just awful
My limbs, joints and general frame are extremely narrow with nothing extra on them. B cup, so I have some bust but nothing to write home about. I do have something of an arse which is nice. But it's like any fat i get, it goes directly to my stomach, with any extra on my bum.

Dressing for my shape is really easy because I look fine in clothes. Nobody would ever guess the state of my midriff. It's both "parts" of my middle, the section from under your bra strap, and then the tummy.

Does anybody else have this body shape? Is there any hope at all of improving it? When I lose weight it's a joke as what little fat there is elsewhere disappears but the fucking midriff is still there. How am I supposed to lose weight from my middle without first losing it on my boobs, face and hips, which I dont want?

Anyone who has this body shape please advise. All the women in my family have this issue so I'm wondering if it's a case of just having to live with it.

Should mention in case its relevant that I'm also very short waisted. I would say more than 2/3 of my height are the legs and then the torso is very short.

Exercise? Stomach crunchey type maybe?

Check your diet rather than exercise. Avoid sugar, carbs and alcohol.

You cant target fat loss, so I dont think losing weight will help you. Lots of tummy toning exercises? Pilates to strengthen your core?

Have you had children? Maybe you muscles have separated.

Honestly though, your figure sounds lovely, tall, slim and look good in clothes - if you cant loose the tum, try and focus on all those positives - no one is perfect!

You are me. Except I'm a short arse at 5 foot 2. About 4 foot of which is legs. Reformer Pilates has toned me quite a bit and def improved the core so I can hold it in naturally a bit better, but I have carried flab there my whole life, even when I was a stick thin teenager.
Hoping for a magical revelation, obviously!

You need to tone your body. Build some muscle on your arms, thighs, calves and bum, then do core exercises to tone up your mid section. That should give your body more shape. Just losing weight won't look good if you are otherwise stick thin.

Do core exercises

@Alconleigh
Yay! Greetings fellow gut-bearer! 🤭 I'm exactly the same, have had this shape since I was a preteen. I've often wondered whether being short or tall makes it worse! What is your diet like? Thanks for the pilates tip, I will take your advice.

Maybe I need to focus on my food. I cook from scratch but it is very fat heavy. And I drink too much. I was thinking of trying out a high protein diet combined with weights. It's just a shame because when I've lowered the fat in my diet before, I lose fat on my legs, chest and face first.

@Hamster1111
Nope, no pregnancies. 🙈 My midriff is definitely like a B shape.

If you drink too much that will absolutely make it worse

Do you drink plenty of water? It's a funny one, being hydrated reduces bloating imho.

Yeah I definitely drink too much alcohol. Diet is pretty good but IBS bloat exaggerates the issue at times and can make me look 5 months pregnant. Which doesn't help!

@DeepaBeesKit
I do drink shit loads of water, but I also drink way too much wine. Everybody in my family does come to think of it so maybe that isnt helping other female relatives either.

Too much wine = beer belly.

You see it in men.... you also see it in women.

A b belly is hormonal. I have one. Could be thyroid or sex hormones are off. Usually it's too much estrogen.

I am sure no one else but you sees you this way! But my advice would be to build muscle!!! That way you wouldn't be skinny, if you don't like being skinny.

And unfortunately yes drinking less is also the answer for sure.

@DeepaBeesKit
Well alcohol is definitely the biggest culprit here. But when I see men with beer bellies they are extremely round and almost hard looking, my midriff is more flabby and soft. I know I need to massively cut back though

@Superfoodie123
Interesting, I got my thyroid tested and it's normal. By sex hormones do you mean estrogen?

I was reading about the link between stress and cortisol and fat around the stomach. I'm s really stressy person and was wondering whether that plus alcohol could be the main factors.

Cut down booze and fatty food.

If your tummy is really soft I'm guessing muscle is untoned? Do pilates. I do twice a week as rehabilitation from injury and it's made my abs really hard

I have the same type of body but I'm short ( 5'2 ) regardless of how much I've weighed, I always have a fat tummy. In september I was underweight at 42kg and still had a tum!

I cut out sugars for a month and that made a massive difference but I've ended up back on the sugary stuff

Intermittent fasting really attacks belly fat

[quote AdviceHunter]@DeepaBeesKit
I do drink shit loads of water, but I also drink way too much wine. Everybody in my family does come to think of it so maybe that isnt helping other female relatives either.[/quote]
I gave up all alcohol. Makes a massive difference.

You will be surprised to see how much you don;t actually miss it and how much you £ you save. Even if it was just a bottle of plonk per week.

Ditch the booze.

@Roundlampshade

Check your diet rather than exercise. Avoid sugar, carbs and alcohol.

This.

Sugar is the death of the waist, especially alcohol like wine🙄

Exercise with weights to build muscle. Drink less alcohol and eat less sugar. Eat more protein. It’s definitely possible to improve on a “skinny fat” sort of body, even if you’re unlucky with genes. I store fat in my stomach too, though also my boobs.

It’s the alcohol! Sorry OP!

Get your vitamin D checked by your GP, midriff fat, especially when otherwise slim, can be a sign of deficiency