Will A Pear-shaped Woman Lose Weight Quicker Than An Apple-shaped Woman?

Will a Pear-Shaped Woman Lose Weight Quicker Than an Apple-Shaped Woman?

Apr 7, 2011 | By Jason Brick

The idea of "apple-shaped" vs. "pear-shaped" bodies has been around for decades, and popularized in fitness literature during the late 2000s. The concept describes two different ways bodies store accumulating fat. These tendencies don't just affect the ultimate shape of a body as she gains weight -- they also affect how and where she will lose that weight.

Weight Loss Basics

Losing weight is ultimately a matter of physics and math. If you consume more calories through eating than you burn through activity, you will gain weight as your body stores the excess energy as fat. If you burn more than you eat, your body burns away the stored energy to make up the excess. Burning the energy means burning fat, and burning fat means losing weight. The concept of apple- and pear-shaped bodies enters into the equation because the two bodies store fat in different areas, creating distinct body shapes.

Apples

People with an apple-shaped body tend to put on weight around their middles -- in the abdomen, back and chest. Apple-shaped body types who become overweight are more likely to suffer from heart disease and adult-onset diabetes. Women with apple-shaped bodies are at greater risk for breast cancer, and may experience more issues with menstruation and irregularity. Apple-shaped bodies tend to store fat in their abdomens, around and between the internal organs.

Pears

A pear-shaped body tends to have more subcutaneous fat -- fat stored between the muscle and the skin. People with this body type are at an increased risk for osteoporosis, cellulite, varicose veins and psychological problems stemming from poor body image. Pear-shaped women may also experience a rougher transition during menopause.

Shape and Weight Loss

According to Dr. Marie Savard in her landmark book on the subject, "Apples and Pears," apple- and pear-shaped bodies respond better to different weight loss methods. It's not so much that pear-shaped people lose weight faster or slower than apple-shaped people. Rather, a diet that works well for a pear-shaped person will have slower results with an apple-shaped person. The ideal weight loss plan for the "apples" won't work as well for the "pears."