The "hourglass" figure

[calliekat]

Is there any exercise and/or diet that can help me get the "hourglass" figure of a women.
Right now I have the figure of a beer drinking guy......yuck!!!!! And I stopped drinking several months ago.

[ColleenW]

Hi Calliekat –

Diet and exercise can get rid of the beer drinker gut but I don’t know of any thing that will get you the hourglass figure we all want, excepting for padding or hormones.
:sad:

[victoriamwilliams1]

Maybe figure training with a corset along with hormones.

[Alice B]

At my age, soon to be 66, the closest to an hourglass figure will be the glass I have some wine in. I do work on keeping my belly as flat as I can. This is quite a challenge. I am thinking of getting a corset, but don't know enough on how to select one that I can self lace. Any suggestions?

[Sedona]

For me I can get an hourglass figure only by: eating right, exercising (aerobic, not weights), keeping under about 10% bodyfat, and (this is the most important part), a well made corset from a good maker (no Frederick's playtime get-ups). Hip and butt pads don't look good on me, as I already have muscular hips/butt.

Once I get the waist drawn in a few inches, and the forms put on, I'm gold (except for the guy shoulders, but that's a different story).


Alice B. Checkout staylace.com, for some tips on how to lace it yourself (you use a door handle or similar).

Ciao,

[Stargirl]

"Colon bellies" we call them in my vegetarian groups. I have a friend who lost 32 pounds in a few months by drinking water, eating beans, and potatoes with Mixed salad greens. He says he feels lighter, and has more energy. His face is more slender, too. He jogs 45 minutes each day. He was previously gorging on ice cream, and drinking Mountain Dew. He developed a nasty colon belly. :tongueout

[Kristen Marie]

Hip pads and a corset, and for me, it's still a struggle. My corset has these great draw strings and I pull them from the back to in front of me, reach behind a tighten the strings up and down, and then repeat the process about 5-6 times. It's not that hard, and I have use door knobs, but it's easier using my onw hands.

[Rachel Morley]

Cut out the beer, eat a lot less volume of food, eat a lot less fat in your foods (fat has high calories - more fruit and veg are good things to eat) and use breast forms, hip and bottom padding, and maybe add a corset to really "get the look". Other than that, I don't know of any other way ... sorry :sad:

[Sonia Kiss]

Hello Calli,

Cutting the drinking was a huge start, but yeah, it takes even more. What worked for me was 1. losing weight, and 2. hip pads. I lost weight by cutting out alcohol, a strict diet, and aerobic exercise.

Just for completeness, I'll add a couple of other things I've heard but haven't tried. I have one friend that swears by Pilates for trimming the waist, but then she's a strict vegetarian too, so if there's anything to that "colon belly" theory, then she may have her diet to thank more than her exercise. I have another friend that has slept in her corset for years and claims that it has taken inches off her waist. The hormones, I understand, have mixed benefits for the hourglass figure. They usually help redistribute fat to give you naturally fuller hips, but they can also affect your metabolism in a way that makes it much harder to lose weight in general.

[docrobbysherry]

But u mite not like it! I have a bad back and have to do crunches every morning first thing, to function. As a result, my back is better and I've got great abs! Start with 25 to 50 and keep adding more each day.
I'm not going to tell u how many I do, but it's a lot!

PS: Corsets work best when u have a waist to begin with.

[JessieB]

Okay, first you'll have undergo surgery to remove a rib or two from the bottom of your rib cage ...

[JoanAz]

Alice,
I have purchased a corset from;
http://www.staylace.com/
It was about $350 an well worth it..they custom make it for you and your measurments.
I love mine and it gives me an hour glass shape:)

[Joy Carter]

Okay, first you'll have undergo surgery to remove a rib or two from the bottom of your rib cage ...

I read where the ribs grow back.:straightface:

[Tasha T]

I have one friend that swears by Pilates for trimming the waist, but then she's a strict vegetarian too, so if there's anything to that "colon belly" theory, then she may have her diet to thank more than her exercise.

A healthy diet and plenty of exercise go hand in hand with getting a nice looking body. I have been doing Pilates exercises for a few months now and am very pleased with the results.

[Sissy_Audrey]

There are many different style of corsets that will indeed give you the figure you desire. There are also training corsets that one wears under cloths, that is specifically for body modification, and will re-shape one's body to a large degree.

[Jocelyn Quivers]

I've been trying to attempt this for about the last 6 months. My method is through body sculpting, in addition to diet. I do use weights but very light, no more than about 20 pounds, and very high reps.

The majority of my workout is all lower body, lots and lots of sit ups, crunces, exercises that target obliques, squats, and the leg magic exercise machine.

[Lilith Moon]

No easy answers...diet, exercise, a good corset, patience, determination.

I've now got a reasonable figure and a weight of 168 lb after 9+ months of cutting back on food. I now eat *far* less and what I do eat is low fat and high in veggies. The extra bulk of a high fruit/veg diet means that I'm not craving for food even though my calorie intake is lower. Food bills have also taken a plunge...more cash to spend on fun stuff :heehee:

Exercise also helps, I run 5-8 miles several times each week and during these runs I stop and do some workouts including push-ups totaling, I would guess, around 80-100 per run. These help with ab firmness and also develop pects..I can almost fill a B-cup with my prominent pects :battingeyelashes:

Finally, as others have said, get a good corset. I have a lovely made to measure one from Axfords (UK). As well as feeling wonderfully sexy to wear it does add a final touch to get that curvy figure, provided you have got rid of any protruding gut.

[JenniferR771]

You really need some Denise Austin exercise videos--she is the best. And easy to look at, too. I used to exercise with her every morning on her television show. (Two half-hour segments on Lifetime network.) Check out her website.

And there is a new diet that is so easy--you can lose weight in your sleep!

Set your alarm for a half hour later and skip breakfast. You get used to it in a few days. You are allowed black coffee or a diet soda, after you get to the office.

[JessieB]

I read where the ribs grow back.:straightface:I hate it when that happens@ :D

[Krystyn]

If you really want a classic hourglass figure...you need a corset...even most GG need a corset to get that classic look.

If you are like me....I hate to be constrained or feel uncomfortable with the clothes I wear...male or female...lesser is better and means no corsets,girdles or padding.The most I would go for would be a light shaping garment like a spanxs.Unless I'm in one of those real kinky moods...then the underware gets more exotic.

You can achieve a slimmer waist by eating and drinking correctly and exercising often.Does this mean starving yourself and going to the gym everyday...yes! Just kidding...no... just eat smarter,drink healthier and maybe take long walks after dinner.You can even have an occasional beer every so often.Track your caloric intake,stay away from sugars and fats,cut down on carbs and eat more fish and chicken.If you do belong to a gym(which I recommend)stay away from weights,they will bulk you up...vs...tone you up.Use the machines and cardio equipment(elliptical and tread mills)and dress to sweat,like wearing a corset...just kidding again...sweating alone does not make you loose weight but it does help you burn off the blubber...concentrate on the abs and back muscle(men get spare tires around the lower back area)use common sense.It will take a couple of months to get there but when your there it will only take some tuning up to stay there.If all else fails...get a corset...but get one with garters,they're much more sexier.

Krystyn

[JAYNETHOMPSON]

I NEVER go out without my corset on. So Femme and feels great.

x

Jayne

[TSchapes]

The Spanish government has been studying women's real shapes, because the international sizing systems are a mess. They estimate that 4 out of 10 women can't find clothes in their size.

Here's what the study found:

According to the study, 56 percent of Spanish women have a normal body mass index - the ratio of weight to height - while 25 percent are slightly overweight. Just over 12 percent are obese and 1.4 percent are thin or very thin. In the 31-to-40 age range, 47.1 percent have hourglass figures, 22.2 percent are pear-shaped and 30.8 are cylindrical. By the time women reach the 61-to-70 age group, that shifts to 30.2 percent hourglass, 38.2 percent pear-shaped and 31.6 percent cylindrical.

In other words, most GGs don't have an hourglass shape. And I would guess the numbers in the U.S. would have fewer hourglass shapes.

Spain gets women's measurements down (http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/02/11/europe/spain.php)

[KateSpade83]

Exercise to get lean, then try a bodyshaper with padding. But I wear skirt suits that are cut to make me look that I have an hourglass figure!

[Tasha T]

I found a great exercise website that had some specific instruction for getting an hourglass figure:

http://www.shapefit.com/waistline-illusions.html