Achieving a girly figure

[stacee2008]

It's all about hitting the gym on a regular basis. Trust me, I've been there and I'm finally getting back to femme body.

[Celeste]

There is a healthy way to diet and exercise,I recommend the site shapefit.com. Start out with finding out your BMI ,then you will know what you are suppose to weigh according to how tall you are.at shapefit there are unlimited resources on all exercises and diet.To start with your mid section you'll want to begin with Pilates,core and ab exercises.I find that a good balance of running for cardio one day and then strength training with weights the next is the most effective.I like to keep my core going everyday.

[Lisa O]

Lisa what is the website you use for calorie counting. I am one of those who needs to see things in black and white to really get me motivated and that website would help me. I know I have reduced my calorie intake and upped my exercise, but I don't know if it is enough.........Stephanie

The one I use is www.calorieking.com.au (or www.calorieking.com for the US). It is a bit stricter with the exercise and only counts exercising in additional to normal daily activities.

I eased off today as I donated plasma at the blood bank (about 750ml), but even then I am still under the daily calorie allowance without as much exercise.

I'll give it a go for a while and see if it is allowing to many calories. May need to adjust the target.

[JoAnne Wheeler]

EAT LESS - lose weight - wear a corset or waist nipper or girdle - get breast

forms and a padded fannie

JoAnne Wheeler

[linnea]

I'm working on this, mostly with regular, vigorous exercise and reduction of food/calorie intake.
I agree with the comment(s) that point out that there are all shapes and sizes of women, so a "girlish" figure is a little bit of an invalid concept. Nonetheless, I want to be more curvaceous with less padding and more natural look. I have broad shoulders and when I'm trim, I have an inverted triangle shape, so I've got some build problems. I can enhance my look by continuing to lose weight, by choosing flattering clothing styles, and by my way of walking and moving.

[michelle1980]

If you are in the states run to the news stand and check out the minibook from men's health (yea yea doesn't really belong here) but it's got great information about eating, what to eat, what not to eat, different tips to keep from over eating.

plus it has some great workouts for people who dont have a lot of time or equipment.


I lost 6 lbs in the last two weeks since i've just changed my diet. I need to drop about 40 lbs so i can fit back into my size 10 skirts.

[Barbara Dugan]

What is a "girly" figure? Every day I can see girls of all shapes and sizes: big, small, tall ... And they are girls. I think it is a mistake to try to have a figure that you will never have. Have you a beer belly? I know girls that have more than a beer belly and they are very pretty and dress beautiful dresses! I think it is easier to find your own style and the clothes that fit you better than to change your body. Just what most girls do.

I totally agree ... not all the women are curvy and thin I hardly diet or workout to me be feminine is a state of mind

[docrobbysherry]

H. Angel!
In the LONG RUN, diets don't work for most folks!

Exercise just makes me hungry!

U need to change the way u eat and drink! NOT immediately, but gradually!

I switched from beer to red wine. Same buzz, less carbs.

Eat healthy cereals with lofat milk at breakfast. Fill up then, and u won't be hungry until lunch time. ( Sometimes, I can skip lunch altogether, and NOT miss it!)

Eat your HEAVY meal at lunch. (I CAN'T, or I'm not fit for work in the afternoons!)

For dinner, try to satisfy yourself with soups and stews. Less meat and cheese, and NO potatoes, or bread. I sometimes eat nothing but a large salad. But, that doesn't always satify me! Still hungry? Eat a piece of fruit, like a banana. Then, drink a large glass of water or tea, without sugar. Wait about 20 minutes. U won't be hungry anymore!

Every one of the things I mentioned got me started losing just a few lbs. a week, or month. It isn't important to lose weight fast. What's important is to start losing weight PERIOD, with a regimen u can stick to!

U seem to reach weight plateaus. I did anyway. Where I had to try something ELSE to keep losing!

Imagine yourself in that hot, slinky dress you've admired! It's a GREAT motivator!

[Leslie Mary S]

I am not happy with my shape but I am willing to be me until the new eating habits become true habits and the norm.

[Amanda Shaft]

EAT LESS - lose weight - wear a corset or waist nipper or girdle - get breast

forms and a padded fannie

JoAnne Wheeler

I think this must be one of those transatlantic nations divided by a common language things. The image made me smile though!

As for wieght loss they say breakfast like a King, dine like a pauper.
Amanda x

[TxKimberly]

I'd say pretty much the same thing everyone else has said - eat less (and better foods) and exercise more.
I used to do the corset thing but quite it when I realized it made me look sort of unnatural. While giving me a nice shape when seen from the front, all it does is redistribute your fat, and so I looked "thick" when seen from the side. I also hated the way it tended to bulg the fat out of the top. Ugghhh

Wanting to have the appearance of a waist used to drive me nuts until I listened to someone's advice (can't recall who). A typical womans waist is not the result of her waist itself being so thin. Instead, it is the difference or ratio of her bust, waist, and hips. Your typical male is going to have hips that are the same size as his waist, or maybe hips that are smaller than the waist (the dreaded beer belly), so the ratio of hips to waist doesn't help us. To get around this you use hip pads. You can buy them, or you can make them as I have. Once you have wider hips, this gives you a MUCH better illusion of having a waist.
I know I babbled writing that so:

THE SHORT ANSWER:
Eat less food/better for you food
Exercise - It doesn't have to be an expensive gym. Just walk or jog in your neighborhood.
Wear hip pads. The relationship of your waist to your now wider hips helps a great deal.

[suchacutie]

Some in this thread have asked "what is a girly figure". One possible answer is told to us by the size charts. To buy a pair of women's jeans and NOT buy ultra low rise (where the hip measurement is all that counts) the waist measurement must be 10 inches less than the hip measurement. THAT, in my mind is a girly figure.

Now for us part-time guys, that is real hard! My answer to this question is to diet down to within corset distance and see how that works. My hips are 37.5 inches and my waist is currently 35.5. To try this out, I bought a "waist cincher" from Fredericks of Hollywood, of all places. I bought it there because it was cheap and it looked pretty sturdy. I bought a medium and by turning it upside down I matched the hip, waist, and bust measurements with that medium (I'm 41 on top). The waist cincher reduces my waist 2.5 inches without all the hassle of a corset (okok, corsets can be fun too! ). So, assuming my hips will drop to 37" in the process, I need to get down to about 30 inches for a waist if I'm going to stay with the cincher, or 32 or so with a corset.

Now the diet. I was intrigued with the so-called French dietary habits: i.e. eating all that rich food and not putting on weight! What I read told me that they just eat less of everything. I've been working on this for 2 years now, but I got a lesson in this diet when I had kidney stones a few years ago. While passing a massive stone, the drugs put me out for about a week. At the end of that time I found that eating one very large orange totally filled and satisfied my need for food! I know that sounds amazing, but it's fact.

So here's how I keep my portions down. As I'm getting a meal ready, I drink a glass (13 oz.) of water, selzter, or club soda (Schwepps has no sodium). I have another glass with dinner (I put lemon or lime in the liquid.) During dinner I have a small glass of wine, and I never eat quickly. Dinner should last at least 15 min, and contain at least 4 different items of food, preferably 6. I no longer use a regular plate. I use a bowl or a small plate and I only fill it once. I am almost always stuffed at the end of the meal. Make sure that the food is not bland. My only dietary issue is sodium, so I keep that down but I don't avoid any food that I like, so I eat anything I want! Put your fork down between bites....SLOW DOWN.

Now, this takes a while to accomplish. Don't go cold turkey, but cut back over a month or two. For a while I found that I simply HAD to have something to eat late at night. To combat this I took something from dinner that could serve as a late-night snack, and I removed it from the dinner plate for later consumption.

I find that in doing this my weight does drop in fits and starts, but when I joined this forum I was 215 pounds. I'm now 175, and as you get lower the inches come off faster with each pound! I expect that I'll need to get to 165 to acheive my "girly" figure

Just one girl's experience!

tina