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Liposuction is the only way to address spot reduction. I never had a defined waist, but at least it's flat now with no "rolls", lol. Great for thighs too.
I exercise, always have, but there's only so much one can do about body shape without "help".
Years ago I used to take belly dance classes (Egyptian style). It gave me an hourglass figure. There are hip/torso movements that will define that area (but not give you a flat stomach despite being called belly dance). It's also a low-impact exercise. I believe Hawaiian and Tahitian dance have similar movements that also whittle the obliques, but those dances are more challenging on the knees.
I'm 54 and I've reduced my waist size. I follow Dr. William Davis's infinite health program (he's the Wheat Belly guy). What helped most:
Addressing low thyroid (free T3 and free T4 in the upper half of the reference range, antibodies in normal range, TSH <=2.0) (tough to lose weight with low thyroid)
Addressing adrenal problems (they were in the tank four years ago)
Addressing SIBO (small intestinal bacterial overgrowth) and endotoxemia
Making my own L. reuteri yogurt
Supplementing magnesium and iodine
At that point, I was able to eat a low-carb diet (<=15g net carb per meal) and tolerate prebiotic fibers. I started making other fermented foods, too.
From there, I severely reduced my intake of dairy and nuts--they make me gain weight.
Recently, I started seeing a personal trainer to build strength, and yesterday I took her fitness class.
Naturally, doing all of this wasn't just to lose a little vanity weight--I was getting so sick that I was headed for disability. But it has had the nice side effect of reducing my waist size and getting my visceral fat level (the fat around your organs) to a nice, low 6%.
Any women here who have successfully whittled the waist? Specifically, the sides of the waist?
Over the years I've read conflicting reports about whether that can be done. Some say yes. Others say exercising the waist area increases those muscles, which enlarges the waist. I've observed many female athletes over the years...for the most part, they have thick waists. Some have a waist width that about equals their hip width visually from the front. OTOH, I've noticed that dancers, who certainly use their entire bodies, often have small waists.
I've also read that women's waists tend to enlarge as they age, due to loss of muscle. I'm in my 60s. My weight for my measurements is less than when I was in my 20s, but my waist is about an inch thicker.
Any thoughts on this? Health and increasing muscle are my first concerns, but if I could get an inch off my waist with a few exercises, I'd like to do that.
I'm curious, too. Would love to know how to do it. I've noticed that 98% of all older people age 40+ that I know or have seen, have a thick waist and a pot belly of varying size. This includes males and females, although the focus is on women for this thread. I've worked on it trying to get rid of the thick waist & small pot belly (but sometimes it expands) but due to long work hours and only one day off per week, I'm inconsistent in working out.
I follow a few older women, age 40+, on IG who've had children and to this day the women have a very chiseled waist and Tina Turner-esque body (circa when she was in her 40's during the "What's Love Got to Do With It" era). But I've noticed that the majority of the women are either professional coaches for exercising/working out videos or TV and film actresses who've been around for decades.
Thanks for all your responses. It doesn't appear that anyone who saw this post has successfully whittled the waist. .
"Whittling the waist" sounds like an old-school diet culture catch phrase. We know that you can't spot train and lose jiggle from a specific part of the body. If you're in a calorie deficit and you work on strengthening your entire body, you're going to lose weight and tone up all over, including your core. You also have to be realistic--maybe you're not going to have the same measurements you did in high school, and that's okay. There's benefit to eating nutritious food and moving your body beyond making yourself physically smaller.
I'm curious, too. Would love to know how to do it. I've noticed that 98% of all older people age 40+ that I know or have seen, have a thick waist and a pot belly of varying size. This includes males and females, although the focus is on women for this thread. I've worked on it trying to get rid of the thick waist & small pot belly (but sometimes it expands) but due to long work hours and only one day off per week, I'm inconsistent in working out.
I follow a few older women, age 40+, on IG who've had children and to this day the women have a very chiseled waist and Tina Turner-esque body (circa when she was in her 40's during the "What's Love Got to Do With It" era). But I've noticed that the majority of the women are either professional coaches for exercising/working out videos or TV and film actresses who've been around for decades.
What is "IG"?
Tina Turner always had a thick waist. The width from the front was almost the same as her hip width, when looking at her from the front. She was very muscular, so that could be it. Or it was just her body type (a rectangular body type).
"Whittling the waist" sounds like an old-school diet culture catch phrase. We know that you can't spot train and lose jiggle from a specific part of the body. If you're in a calorie deficit and you work on strengthening your entire body, you're going to lose weight and tone up all over, including your core. You also have to be realistic--maybe you're not going to have the same measurements you did in high school, and that's okay. There's benefit to eating nutritious food and moving your body beyond making yourself physically smaller.
Well, you can sculpt the body through weight workouts, and you can tighten muscles through toning exercises. You can't spot reduce fat, though. That's why I was asking about particular exercises.
So I'm not speaking of reducing fat in the waist area. I don't need to lose weight, so that's not the problem. Although I wouldn't mind losing a couple of pounds in the waist area, I know that's not possible. We lose weight all over, which I don't want to do at my age. I was a bit thinner; the skin on my arms didn't look too good. So I started working out with weights, including for my arms, to build muscle, and I was able to put on a couple of pounds.
I may try the belly dancing someone else referenced in a post above.
Hard to believe we actually had 20" waists in HS, not so with HS kids theses days, especially females. They will have a chore to get, or keep trim.
Track calories in and out.
Cut carbs, especially refined grains and sugars
NO sugary drinks (ever)
I'm not a keto fan, but have seen the results (thinning of 60 yo).
Aerobic exercise and stretches are mandatory.
Not easy, regardless of path.
our best wishes for your stamina and success.
I had to laugh at the 20" waist in HS....I wish! I've never had a 20" waist since I guess when I was a child. Then again, I was 5'5", so a little taller than the avg girl in those days, which was I think 5'3". (Girls are a little taller now...I think I read the avg height of the American woman is now 5'4" , and the average weight is about 170 lbs. Yikes.)
I keep reading about the carbs. I will try that. I have increased protein, but have yet to decrease carbs, so I'll work on that. That makes sense.
Thanks.
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