Abdominal fat?

[deb34]

i have a question and i hope someone can give me some information. it's about the placement of my abdominal fat. This will probably gross some people out(i'm grossed out myself :lol: ) but here goes:

Barrel or apple shaped people are the ones that carry most of their excess fat around the upper part of their torsos and this is the most dangerous place to carry fat healthwise.

My problem is, i don't know whether i would be considered to be an apple shaped person or not because while i carry a lot of fat on my belly, it is all below my waist. I have a fairly small torso for my weight, and a very defined waist but i have a huge pot belly directly below my waist. This makes my measurements very large when measuring the circumference around my belly and hips. The fat hangs there like a bowling ball and seems almost to be a seperate attachment held on by skin(i told you it was gross :D ).

Does this make me an apple shape and should i be more worried about the health problems associated with abdominal fat or do i just have a huge pot belly? BTW, i'm not a pear shape either with overly large hips or butt. My thighs are somewhat chunky but i don't have saddlebags on them. It seems to me, my fat distribution is more or less equal over my body(i gain from my neck to my ankles).

Any reason i should be more concerned than i am at the moment about elevated risks because of excess belly fat?

thanks

deb

[cs_carver]

1. I don't think so--the apple /abdominal problem is partly because much of that fat is in the peritoneal cavity, pushing on organs, rather than outside, under the skin. Sounds like yours is mostly outside.

2. What would being "more concerned" do--make you stick to the diet harder and not cheat? I mean, what would change? You're here, you're losing, it will eventually go if you follow the plan. Sooner or later, it'll be different and not a matter for concern anyway.

[babe]

waist to hip ratio (http://www.stayinginshape.com/3osfcorp/libv/d18.shtml) has a calculator for figuring out the ratio and the guidelines for healthy ratios. kind the "official" definition of apple or pear shape.