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.

Just spotted the IBS bit... also ask for a Heliobacter Pylori test... my IBS turned out to be largely due to that. Treatment for it followed by good pre/probiotics made a huge difference to my bloated stomach. I lost 5 inches from my waist

May be worth getting checked for fibroids.

Excess cortisol can cause an apple shape - try less caffeine, more sleep and more exercise?

Green tea also helps burn stomach fat

And, like others have said, cutting down on wheat, sugar and alcohol. Not fun sorry but you'll feel better!

Quit booze and do pilates

Could you post a side pic OP? Headless if you want I have a large fibroid in my womb and I look pregnant!

I have a similar problem. I’m well within BMI and I’ve a 28 waist but ZERO SHAPE literally a rectangle because I’ve got very narrow hips so my waist looks thick. I got very skinny on Keto but guess what..my legs and hips got thinner and I still had the stupid rectangular shape and stomach fat. I go to the gym but I simply cannot wear a dress because I have no shape at all. I’ve had a baby and I’m 45 so of course I have a rounded lower tummy. Most mums do.

I have become an expert on dressing my shape though. Play suits/jumpsuits are made for us. Smart shorts too. Also bat wing tops with a thick waist band create an illusion of a small waist. Puffy shoulders and sleeves also do. I know all the tricks.

I have really good legs do you?

@RockinHorseShit
I had full bloods done and a Vitamin D deficiency was flagged up actually!

@Siameasy
I hear you! My problem is also a leg complex because my limbs are so thin I used to get teased for them 😵 It doesn't help that being very tall they are very long so you feel really conspicuous. Sometimes people will still comment so it's like I'm stuck in a double insecurity, too fat around the middle and too thin elsewhere. Maybe this is what weights could help with, balancing it out a little. I hear you on knowing the "tricks" though! You can wear something short and look very slim, with a hint of cleavage, but still easily conceal your middle.

It gets tricky with swimwear though, or in bed. I've been with my partner for 5 years but still tense up when I feel his hand moving over my tummy

@Siameasy

The most difficult thing for me to wear is skirts, do you find the same? I've never found a skirt that looks okay. They seem to all cut me off at a weird place and exacerbate the bunchiness but for some reason like you say, short shorts are fine? It's weird.

Oh you sound like you are my shape, though I have big boobs to add to the general torso issues.
I have long legs, very long with muscle and little fat. Similar arms. Talk, with a torso shorter than much shorter friends. Weight only goes to my torso.
I’ve discovered over the years

• a lot is bloat, I need to look after my guy health. I can’t drink and eat sugar like others may. I must eat sensibly

-I may be thin elsewhere, but I still need to lose weight. At a point my belly reduces significantly -yoga helps me significantly in managing my gut -never wear a tight waist band, I bloat -occasionally fasting resets my gut -no exercise except cardio helps. I can’t just walk miles or cycle a lot, I need to get my heart rate up properly, and then I change shape

Also

• I have no waist, I am a rectangle. I just need to work on staying a rectangle and not becoming an apple! Easily my worst could exceed my hip

I have this! I don't drink alcohol or eat fatty food though and I'm much shorter. I am mostly legs, tiny torso. I permanently look pregnant - no fat around the sides/flank. I guess it is in a legs/bum/tum distribution, I have been to many a gym classes called legs, bums & tums - I can now squat like a beast, do a gazillion sit ups etc yet still have a chunky layer of fat overlying. My arms are skinny but my thighs are mega chunky (for my frame I mean, size 8 top, size 10 bottom). No idea what I am supposed to do. I just dress in a way so that the midriff is never exposed/emphasised.

Familial partial lipodystrophy?

The women in my family are all like this. Sadly, the only thing that works is to maintain a BMI at the very low end of normal

Here are some photos in my most unflattering jumper 😁. The fourth one was the hardest for me to take. I can't even bear to take a photo from the front topless as it's just really messy 😢

I have to be honest with myself... A lot of this is genetic because I've had a lot of tummy since I was 12, so it's going to be hard to slim it down. However, i am drinking way too much wine as a coping mechanism for stress, from work primarily. I think I should get into pilates and weights and tweak my diet but if I'm really honest with myself, the wine should be my biggest priority now. It has been damaging to me emotionally and physically too.

Fourth photo here.

I will come back to this thread and update with progress (if I manage to make any) 😊

Less wine, more vegetables and a new bra because that is more than a B cup. Plus Pilates because few tall women stand up straight.

I am this shape naturally - I look fine from the front, but side on I look like the letter S.

Or I did, till I started eating low carb and doing Pilates at least 3 times a week. I have quite a flat stomach now (unless I eat bread - then it suddenly pops back out again!)

I think, if you’re apple shaped you have to accept that you won’t have a flat stomach, in the same way pear shapes accept they’ll never have slim legs.

I’d focus on building muscle in your arms and legs and losing weight overall. If you’ve already got skinny arms and legs then they can’t just get thinner and thinner. At some point you will lose some belly fat. A healthy BMI in apple shapes tends to be nearer the bottom of the range.

Excess booze and carbs won’t help but unless you got an underlying issue like cysts/fibroid/ thyroid issues then it is just a case of cutting down on bloaty things and losing fat.

I’m the opposite, flat stomach and I HATE my bulky legs. Whatever I do I still have bulky legs though. I’d swap my flat stomach for nice legs!

my god, you are totally thin and absolutely fine. What is your expectation?? Nobody has a totally flat stomach .

I hadn’t seen the photos when I commented. I was expecting you to look pregnant! You totally don’t. You’ve got a lovely figure you’re obviously just carrying any extra weight around your tummy.

I’d really recommend weight training if you’ve not done it previously. I do CrossFit and it’s the best thing I ever did for my figure.

It's just a bit of bloating love. Cut out the booze and it will go away. Please don't spend your life worrying about it though, you look lovely.

Oh it’s not that bad OP!
I am the opposite of you. My fear is being seen from the front because I hate my sticky out hips, but side on fine!!

@CompetitiveMumming
I just want to look more proportionate that's all. Either bigger all over or slimmer at the waist!

@Isolateykatey
Thank you for such thorough advice. There's actually a crossfit gym down the road from me which I'm really intrigued by... But the idea kind of terrifies me! Maybe now is the time to just walk in there and give it a go.

@AdviceHunter Do it. I promise you won’t regret it 😊

Ibs and a rounded tummy could be a gluten intolerance