Parents can spare their children a lifetime of weight woes by helping them keep lean, especially during their preteen growth spurt when fat cells multiply. The more fat cells you have, the more body fat you'll have because that's the way fat cells are preprogrammed. So prevention is the key. To get from here to slenderness, don't bother with gimmicks, such as spot reducing, which is based on the premise that you can choose where your fat will evaporate. Everyone, to some extent, has a predetermined body shape and body fat level, Applegate says.
Women tend to hold their fat more tightly in the hips and buttocks than men.
We've been programmed that way since caveman days to support pregnancy and survive famine. Women should try to bless, not curse, their propensity toward heavier hips. It's actually healthier than a man's tendency toward a wide waist, says James Hill, Ph.D., director of clinical nutrition at the University of Colorado's Health Sciences Center in Denver. If your BMI is 25 to 29, you're considered overweight by government standards, and obese if your BMI is 30 or higher. The NIH also reports that women are at a greater health risk if their waists are larger than 36 inches and men if larger than 40 inches.