Someone with a “pear shape” carries extra weight around the hips. A study at the Children’s Hospital in Boston found that pear-shaped individuals have lower levels of insulin than individuals who carry extra weight around their abdomens (“apple shape”). What this means is good news for the pear-shaped: they can lose weight both through restricted fats and restricted carbohydrates. However, while losing weight around the hips is easier, making a plan and sticking to it is key.

Instructions

1. Eat fewer fats and simple carbohydrates. Instead, eat lean foods, including chicken, turkey and fish, as well as slow-burning carbohydrates like black beans and kidney beans. Include vegetables at every meal and eat only fresh fruit (no juice or dried fruit). Banish foods that serve no healthy purpose, such as chips, candy, soda, white bread and fast-food meals.
2. Set a calorie goal. Use a weight calculator to determine your calorie needs and to calculate the calories you’re consuming. Make it a daily goal to meet but not exceed your daily calories.
3. Exercise frequently: aim for five or more exercise sessions per week. Your exercise should be at least 30 minutes with little or no weight and high intensity. If you aren’t used to exercise, start with a half-hour of walking, then work up to intervals of walking and jogging. If you have difficulty motivating yourself, sign up for an aerobics class or other guided fitness program. If you enjoy sports like tennis, basketball or soccer, they are all excellent for burning fat.
4. Perform resistance training to tone your upper body and even out the appearance of your pear shape. Toned shoulders and a V-shaped torso will make your hips look smaller. Add resistance training to your workout two or three times per week. Some fitness classes include a resistance training component.

Tips & Warnings

Planning ahead makes healthy eating easier. Determine which combination of foods best meets your caloric needs and schedule your meals. Make a shopping list with healthy foods and stick to it. Don’t be afraid to eat the same thing every day, if you enjoy it and it’s healthy, until you reach your goal. Find a friend to exercise and compare meal ideas with. You’ll keep each other honest and motivated.

According to Michele Olson, professor of exercise science at Auburn University in Auburn, Alabama, lower body fat is much more difficult to lose than fat in the midsection or other areas. The good news is that overweight, pear-shaped women are at a lower risk for health problems than overweight, apple-shaped women. However, it is best to tackle obesity as early as possible to avoid complications later in life. Begin by implementing exercise into your life at least five days a week, and by eating smaller meals. Remember, starvation or extreme food restriction will cause your body to store more fat, so focus on reducing portions but eating steadily during any workout program.

Interval Walking and Jogging

Interval cardio training burns more calories than steady cardio, such as going for a long jog. To incorporate intervals into a cardio workout, simply start at about half your maximum intensity (a brisk walk, for example), and increase your intensity every couple minutes. After you sustain your maximum intensity for a minute or two (a jog or sprint, depending on your fitness level), drop back down to a recovery level at about half-intensity. Repeat this cycle for 20 to 45 minutes, and remember not to strain yourself if you haven’t exercised in a while.

Other Interval Training

You can implement interval training into a variety of cardio activities—running, cycling, elliptical, or swimming. A good way to increase intensity in running or cycling is to add hills to your workout. Because interval training is intense, you may want to alternate interval days with steady cardio days, or alternate interval days with strength training days.

Strength Training

Two or three days a week of weight training can have phenomenal effects on health and physique. Weight training is the only way to change your body shape—while cardio training will help you lose weight, weight training will build lean body mass and balance the shape of your body. For the lower body, light weights and high reps will build lean body mass without “bulking up” your pear shape. For the upper body, Olson recommends a more traditional program—higher weight levels and a lower number of reps.