This pear shape meal plan is exactly what you need if most of your weight is carried through your hips and thighs. Many pear-types also carry extra fat below the belly button area as well. One of the most distinguishing characteristics of a pear-shaped body is a defined or smaller waistline in contrast to the hip area. If this sounds like you, you're in the right place.
Often times when people try to lose body fat, they follow a one-size-fits-all diet, restricting calories and jumping on the scale every day. No body type, including Pears, should get wrapped up in a dieting frenzy.
The reason Pears gain weight through the hips, thighs, and lower stomach area, is related to hormones.
A lot of things play into the balance of our hormones, including the food we eat.
The pear-shaped meal plan will help turn your metabolism on and shift your hormones so your body loses fat from the problem spots in your body.
It's normal and good to have fat on our body. But it's never good to have too much extra fat getting stored in specific parts. Whether it's the belly, shoulders, or in your case, hips and thighs. I also mentioned that you might have a little extra fat stored below you belly button.
You might be wondering why and how you gain weight in those places only, while your arms and torso remain relatively lean. Let me explain why.
Weight Gain Around Your Hips & Thighs
As frustrating as it might be to gain weight, or store fat around your hips, thighs...and maybe below your belly button making that little "pooch" you can't get rid of, it's actually a healthier place to pack on the pounds - if there could be such a thing - than your belly.
Still, you want to get rid of it. I don't blame you.
Before you can lose it, it might help to understand why you gain it there in the first place. Here's a brief explanation.
Hormones are constantly telling our body what to do and how to feel. Hormones help us feel happy, and sometimes sad. Hormones help maintain our body temperature. Hormones help control our appetite. And hormones tell our body where to store fat.
Estrogen and Progesterone
You have just shy of 50 hormones in your body. Two of those hormones, estrogen and progesterone, may be what's causing the trouble with your body.
High estrogen to low progesterone levels is what's known as estrogen dominance. It doesn't necessarily mean that your estrogen levels are through the roof, but it does mean that relative to the amount of progesterone you have in your body, your estrogen is too high.
The solution is to get rid of excess estrogen through the foods we eat. Excess hormones are usually eliminated from the body through detoxification channels. Your pear shaped meal plan will focus on doing just this!
Women who gain weight in their hips, thighs, and lower belly often have excess estrogen circulating through their bodies. In addition to unwanted fat storage, excess estrogen is also associated with bloating and fluid retention, mood swings and anxiety, and decreased sex drive.
Download the 6-Week Meal Plan Today
Do You Have A Pear Shaped Body Type?
This may be an obvious question, but it's common. Because some characteristics of a Pear and an Apple are similar, I thought I'd take a minute to clarify.
The Pear Shaped Body Type
- You have a smaller waist in comparison to your hips
- You tend to accumulate more fat through your hips and thighs
- You might have a little "pooch" of fat that is stored below your belly button, not above
The big distinguishing factor is that the type of fat you store in greater amounts is called subcutaneous. This is different from visceral fat, which is what Apple shapes tend to store through their midsection.
Pros of a Pear: The biggest upside is that this fat isn't as unhealthy as visceral fat. Visceral fat is what's stored deep inside the abdomen, and is commonly found in Apple Shape bodies.
Cons of a Pear: The downside of Pear Shape subcutaneous fat storage is it's harder to lose in comparison to visceral fat, which makes things might frustrating for the person trying to lose it!
2-Day Pear Shape Meal Plan
This is a sample 2-day Pear Shape Meal Plan. If you enjoy this plan, pick up the book and get all six weeks, recipes that accompany the meal plan and workouts, too! You'll love it.
Drink lots of water and herbal tea as you follow this plan. Everything you drink counts, too, so avoid juices, sodas (even diet), and alcoholic beverages.
The hardest thing about this plan...
You should avoid caffeine. Estrogen and caffeine share the same detoxification pathway in the liver. If we're causing a traffic jam in that pathway, it's very hard to eliminate excess estrogen.
This is hard news for some people. I get it! There is ONE type of caffeine I give the green light to in small amounts. Read more about how caffeine can cause weight gain and get the inside scoop on what you should and shouldn't consume.
The Focus of Your Meal Plan
You're a carb type, but that doesn't mean you should eat 100% carbohydrates either. Eat a combination of complex carbohydrates paired with smaller amounts of protein and a little bit of fat.
You 100% absolutely, positively need to eat lots of fiber. Fiber is good for all of our bodies, but especially yours! Fiber is healthy for most people, but when you have excess estrogens running around your body sending signals to "store fat," fiber comes in and attaches itself to those estrogens and pulls them out through elimination.
The 6-week meal plan will keep you on track with fiber for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Get the plan today.
Here are a couple of other areas of focus.
Foods Pears Should Eat
- High fiber fruits and veggies: Fiber helps to move hormones, especially excess estrogen, out of our body. Fiber also helps to keep us feeling fuller longer, and helps to increase beneficial bacteria in our gut!
- Low-fat dairy: While not all body types need to avoid high-fat dairy, you do. Keep dairy low fat, but don't overdo it. Aim for a low-fat plain yogurt with some fresh berries and cinnamon a couple of times a week as opposed to a high-fat cheese or bowl of ice cream.
- So no to spicy: Spicy foods tend to turn "on" the hormones responsible for fat storage through the hips and thighs, so curb a super spicy salsa or hot sauce for a milder counterpart.
Foods You Should Avoid
As I mentioned above, some foods turn on the hormones that make Pears store fat where they do. It's important to avoid these foods. The list is pretty simply but may contain foods you love or have formed a habit in eating.
- High fat dairy: including butter, sour cream, cream, ice cream, whipped cream, etc.
- Low fiber foods/Refined Carbs: refined breads, crackers, cereals, bagels, etc.
- Spicy foods: Hot salsa, cayenne pepper, etc.
- Unnecessary snacking before lunch or after dinner. Not eating or snacking after 7pm. This is generally not great for anyone, but for Pears especially. If you need to eat later, then focus on high fiber, vegetable-based meals or snacks.
The Size of Your Meals Matters
Pears should eat like a pyramid:
- Small breakfast
- Moderate lunch
- Larger dinner
Serving Sizes/Calories
You’re probably wondering how many calories you should eat, or how much food you should put on your plate. The answer is different depending on gender, activity level, natural metabolism, age, stress level, etc. Instead of focusing on calories, focus on portion size. Use common sense and don't eat to capacity, but make sure you're eating enough.
Meals
You are a carb type. A good balance of carbohydrates, some protein, and a little fat will turn your metabolism on. Too much fat, particularly high-fat dairy, spicy foods, and eating late at night turn your metabolism off.
You need to eat! Fiber is your friend, and too much fat, especially dairy, is your foe.
