female only Iso: Pear-Shaped? Post-Op Advice

[SerendipityHappens 1,594]

Hello all my pear sisters. Please research lipoedema aka lipedema. This is not the same as lymphedema. My sisters and I are all pears and we all have it. Even my skinny sister struggles with disproportionately large legs. (even at 112 pounds she was a size 00 top and a size 4 bottom.. a size four bottom is small... but not when you're a 00 top!!!)

Lipedema is basically fat that accumulates on the legs and lower abdomen and butt. As the lipedema progresses it can become painful along the shin. The fat is not "normal" it does not release like regular fat does, so you might find yourself losing a lot from some areas, but hardly losing any from your legs and lower body. Here's a picture of an otherwise thin person with lipedema http://painmuse.org/images/lipema.jpg Here's another site: http://lipedema-simplified.org/treatment.html

I'm not saying that all pears have lipedema, but if you're a pear and have a hard time losing weight below your navel, you should research this condition.

[Yasmine 109]

Wow.... I never heard of that!?!?!

Interesting... How do you know if you really have the condition???

Lab testing???

And is there medicine or supplements for the condition?

[Yasmine 109]

Ooops... Just started to read link... Awesome info!!!!

[RawrrAshleex3 137]

I've def still got my curves!!! At 246 (top) I was an xl-xxl/42B with a 22/xxl bottom. I still have a 10" dif between my waist to hips. 6 1/2 months later I'm 158 s-m/34C with 10/M bottom!!

[Yasmine 109]

Wow... Great results!!!

[moniq22 12]

I have the same problem..im pear shaped i have lost 10 cm ( no idea in inches ) from my stomach waist hips etc but only 3 on my thighs i was just told to work out to be ale to lose it... My causins have the same type of body and one has lost weight all over because she has been working out religiously and tbe other one hasnt so she has lost more from her upper body... Im really planning on working out im just having a hard time starting... Im 24 days post op so i'll start soon

[Yasmine 109]

My Pear is shrinking little by little :-)

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[Yasmine 109]

Current weight 204

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[Inflectionpoint 1]

I have a very close friend who suffers with a disorder referred to as

Lipedema. She had tried everything to shred pounds,diets,extensive work-out plans. Her upper body shrank some what,however her lower body maintained in size. After countless years of soul searching and a misguided advice and misdiagnosed with hyper tension. One brilliant

Doctor saw it her rare condition from a mile a way,now receiving proper treatment for pain and general support.What is lipedema?

Lipedema is a disorder of adipose tissue distinguished by five characteristics:

1) it can be inherited;

2) it occurs almost exclusively in women;

3) it can occur in women of all sizes, from the seriously underweight to the morbidly obese;

4) it involves the excess deposit and expansion of fat cells in an unusual and particular pattern – bilateral, symmetrical and usually from the waist to a distinct line just above the ankles; and

5) unlike the “normal” fat of obesity, lipedemic fat cannot be lost through diet and exercise.

From Wikipedia: Lipedema is a disorder of adipose tissue distinguished by five characteristics: 1) it can be inherited; 2) it occurs almost exclusively in women; 3) it can occur in women of all sizes, from the seriously underweight to the morbidly obese; 4) it involves the excess deposit and expansion of fat cells in an unusual and particular pattern – bilateral, symmetrical and usually from the waist to a distinct line just above the ankles; and 5) unlike the “normal” fat of obesity, lipedemic fat cannot be lost through diet and exercise. Surgery is highly controversial, and in many cases, can make the condition worse.

Lipedema usually is triggered at puberty, but can trigger or worsen during or after pregnancy, at peri-menopause, and following gynecological surgery. If lipedema is diagnosed early, which currently is very rare, it is possible to prevent a significant expansion of lipedemic fat cells, and to alert patients to their heightened risk for obesity so they can take appropriate action.

Estimates of the incidence of lipedema vary widely, and range as high as 11% of the post-puberty female population. Even if the number were only 5%, that would mean more than 6 million women in the United States alone.

[Yasmine 109]

Well my Pear has shrunk lol

Surgery Wt 240 size 24

Current Wt 156 size 10-12

7 mos post op & HAPPY

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[rdt210 82]

I have to jump into this conversation! I am a pear sister as well. I go crazy when I read posts where women are the same weight as me and say they are in a size 12. I think, "how can that even be possible???". I the past I wouldn't see a size 12 until I was close to 150.

Anyway, like you I lose from the top down and completely lose my boobs. They've never been big to begin with - even at my heaviest (275 about 3 years ago), I was wearing a 42 B bra (now I'm in a 36 B. I was sleeved on 3/25, and this is what my progress looks like (I exercise almost every day: elliptical, interval training, step class, and track my measurements once a month). I'm 5'8", 44 years old.

1/1/13 weight: 258 - 1X top, size 22 pants

3/25/13 surgery weight: 246 - 1X top, size 20/22 pants

7/29/13 weight: 206: L/XL top, size 16W pants

Waist: 3/1/13: 42", 8/1/13: 34"

Hips: 3/1/13: 56", 8/1/13: 48"

Thigh: 3/1/13: 32", 8/1/13: 28"

Chest (band): 3/1/13: 38.5", 8/1/13: 35"

Chest (fullest): 3/1/13: 43.5", 8/1/13: 38.5"

So, hips and thighs are still pretty big, but my husband told me it looked like someone took a pin and popped my butt. It's not a pancake butt by any means, but not the shelf that it used to be either. :-)

I'm loving the fact that I no longer live in fear of fitting in a chair.

[Deakay 15]

I love my pear shape..........my waist is 14" smaller than my butt. My boobs are almost gone and I can't decide if I should buy myself some new and improved ones once I have been at goal for a year or not. The boyfriend is saying "don't ruin it" and has no interest in breasts....he is an ass man and I will always have that.

[AZDee 138]

After losing the needed weight to finally get into the normal weight category one would think life is good. But that is not always the case. For some of us we are left with a body that we would not want to be seen in a bathing suit. For many there is extra skin that needs to be removed which seems to be covered in length here, but I would like to address something else, a disproportioned body that is left after the weight loss. I was super thing on top but my lower body was still a mess. I had no idea that there was something else going on...my legs had fat pockets around the knee area that just would not come off and also saddle bags from hell...These things really stand out when you are otherwise thin. So I went for a lower body lift to help with those things. Only problem was after the surgery I found my self now gaining weight. I had not changed my eating and in fact I was now dieting and trying to lose it but with little response from my body. My calves that had been so wrinkly due to weight loss were now filling back up and getting tight. Then one day as I was feeling my swelling of my calves I noticed this little ridge right above my ankle. What the heck was that??? I am well over a year from surgery for the lower body lift, so it is not swelling from that. Turns out I have a condition that 11 percent of women have, it's called lipedema. I have a different type of fat cells in my lower body and also in my upper arms which cause them to expand weaken and be filled with Fluid that leak and cause swelling. Lipedema can be trigged by certain events such as puberty, pregnancy and surgeries (such as in my case). Actually mine I am sure started when I was 14 and went from a underweight child to a overweight teen in just one year. One does not have to be over weight to have it, it's just many people that are overweight have both kinds of fat. Left untreated will only get worse and could lead to a condition that my Mom had that was diagnosed as lymphedema and caused her to be in a wheel chair for the last 20 years of her life. I now believe she actually had lipo-lymphedema it's actually lymphedema that started out as lipedema and was never treated. I always remember my Mom being fairly thin but having these really big legs. I just thought my sisters and I were built the same way as my Mom. Had no idea this is a condition that can be passed down. In fact one of my daughters has just received her official diagnosis of lipedema. Lipedema has 4 levels and if untreated could progress. I am in a later stage 2. I write this to warn any of you out there that may think you have a disproportioned body that is resistant to diet, to look into this. Lipedema fat is unaffected by diet, so weight loss whether it be by diet or surgery will have no effect on it. These cells need to be removed, the current treatment for this is what is known as WAL liposuction , (Water assisted liposuction). Where the surgeon injects a saline solution and then flushes out by liposuction the fat. This procedure is a gentler way of removing the fat without disturbing the lymph system. This is usually done with twilight sedation. With 11 percent of women having this condition, which for the most part goes misdiagnosed as simply being overweight, I know there are many here that may in fact have this disorder too. The good news is the medical community is becoming aware of this condition and insurance companies are now starting to pay for treatment. The WAL liposuction is not a cosmetic procedure even though there are some cosmetic benefits too... I urge you to do a google search of Lipedema and see if you have any of the many signs of this condition.

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