First off, in order not to lose hope and beat ourselves up, we must accept a few things.

1. Accept the fact that you have a pear shape - we carry most of our body fat in the lower half of our bodies (hips, thighs and butt).

2. Your lower body tends to attract most of the fat you put on. Saying it differently, I mean that the fat on your thighs, hips and buttocks is very difficult to move, however, it can be done.

3. You need to know that it will take a lot of work to slim down the lower half of your body.

By coming to terms with this, you can approach your workouts and weight loss efforts more realistically. You will be able to wait till you achieve your goals instead of giving up in frustration.

Now on to the good news!

1. Leaning out the hips, thighs and buttock areas is not impossible!

2. It IS possible to achieve a great pair of legs.

3. You can balance out your upper body so that you are well proportioned and symmetrical.

So how do we slim down our lower bodies and achieve a proportionate upper body?

First, you will have to eat very clean and watch your fat intake. Stick with fruits, fibrous veggies, tuna, tilapia, chicken, lean meats and egg whites (high protein) Eat more of the green types of veggies and lots of salads. Eat starchy veggies (potatoes, rice, pastas etc...) in moderation. Drink lots of water.

If you're going to eat fruit, it's best to eat them in the am, just before you exercise. Try to eat your fruits before 2pm - 3pm. Here's a list of some of the best fruits to eat: all kinds of berries, grapefruit, apples. Some of the best veggies to eat: brocolli, green beans, asparagus, green, onions, garlic, red, yellow, orange peppers, spinach, cucumbers, tomatoes, lettuce.

Here are some rules: Don't ever use oil to cook your food. It's better to use water, grill, steam, cook in the oven or use Pam Spray to fry your food. If you're going to have junk food, try to do it in the morning so that you can shed some of the calories throughout the day. Don't eat junk food in the evenings. If possible, have junk food only two times during the month, if not, then once a week should be your starting point. So what defines a cheat day: eating ONLY one junk food not splurging throughout the day.

Ok, so now if you eat this way, you will start noticing yourself getting leaner. You'll be shedding some fat off of your overall body. Yes, your lower body too! Your pants and skirts won't fit anymore. So you'll have to buy a new wardrobe!

But this isn't the end of it. Sexy slim legs are created with specific exercises that address your body type.

From my results, women who are shaped like pears need to workout their lower bodies using moderate to heavy weights and alternate between lots of reps and low reps. Lots of cardio in between too.

We need a totally different approach for our upper bodies.

To get that harmonious and even look all over, we need to use heavy weights to make our shoulder and backs wider and get sexy arms too. We shouldn't fear lifting heavy. We can't get big. To reassure you (or maybe not!), pear shaped women resist muscle far more than other body types.

It's not easy to hear, but getting the sleek, beautiful, evenly distributed and symmetrical body is something we can still achieve.

So this is the plan I use and seems to be working very well. Yes, I am seeing RESULTS. It will take time, but if you are completely determined, patient and focused on your goal, you will achieve that sexy, well proportioned and symetrical body that screams out, "WOW"!

Here's the work out plan that I am currently using:

Lower body workout - 3 times per week.

Do a few exercises designed to build the legs such as lunges, squats, butt blaster, leg presses, leg extensions, hip exercises, leg extensions and hamstring curls.

I do between 4 - 5 exercises that target my lower body.

For example:

Day 1: squats, lunges, leg presses, calves

Five sets. Reps - 20 - 30 on moderate weight. Heavier weights - 10 - 12 reps. I rest for 45 - 60 minutes.

Day 2: Upper body - cardio, abs Chest and Tri's. 3 - 4 exercises at 8 - 10 reps. Heavy weights.

Day 3: With moderate weights, I do five sets of 20 - 30 reps. I do leg extensions, hamstring curls, butt blaster, calves. With heavier weights, I do from 10 - 12 reps. I rest from 45 - 60 seconds in between.

Day 4: Upper body - Upper Body, cardio, abs Back and Bicep. 3 - 4 exercises. 8 - 10 reps. Heavy weights.

Day 5: walking lunges, hip exercises, hack squats, calves Five sets each of 20 - 30 repetitions with moderate weight. If I do heavier weights, then I do less reps (from 10 - 12 ). Rest 45 - 60 seconds between sets.

Day 6: Upper Body - Shoulders, cardio, abs. I choose from 3 - 4 exercises with heavy weights and 8 - 10 reps.

Don't worry if you can't do all the sets and reps when you start. Do what you can. Don't hurt yourself.

Cardio: jogging, treadmill, elliptical machine, jumping rope, swimming, cycling, aerobic classes etc... I do cardio for 45 - 60 minutes.

**If you have a lot of weight to lose, then incorporate cardio at least 4 - 5 times per week if you can.

So in summary, this is what my workouts look like (most of the times!)

Upper body - 3 times per week. Lower body - 3 times per week. Cardio - 3 - 4 times per week Abs and Calves - 3 times per week

This concentrated exercise program AND eating in a healthy way free from foods that are damaging, effectively tones and slims the lower region of our bodies as well as bring proportion to the top region of our bodies.

Be sure to get alot of relaxation too!

Just one pear shape sister to another......