Many women are skeptical about weight loss for a fear that losing too much will reduce the size of their breasts. Since a large majority of breast tissue is comprised of fat (adipose tissue), this is an understandable concern. During the initial stages of weight loss, women tend to lose fat in their breasts, especially if they have a pear shape tending to carry excess body fat in the buttocks, hips, and thighs.

Related Article: What It Means to Have a Pear-Shaped Body

Pear-shaped women generally have slimmer upper bodies with smaller breasts but during weight gain, their breasts tend to grow introducing curves that most of these women want to keep. Now, apple-shaped women are different, tending to carry most of their weight in the breasts, midsection, and abdomen. Although apple-shaped women may also lose breast tissue during weight loss, it’s usually not a huge concern.

Related Article: What It Means to Have an Apple-Shaped Body

Regardless of whether a woman has a pear or an apple shape, it’s important to understand that fat loss may inevitably lead to a reduction in breast size.

So, what can be done to prevent this?

Well, here are three highly effective tips for losing weight without losing the boobs.

Tip 1

Strengthen and tone the pectoral muscles. These are the chest muscles that lie just underneath the breasts. With targeted resistance (weight) training exercises the pectoral muscles tend to become firmer, which really helps to lift and perk up the breasts. For maximum effectiveness, perform 2-3 sets of the following exercises, all of which require little to no equipment.

Incline Dumbbell Press

The dumbbell press is an excellent exercise for isolating the upper pectorals, which greatly enhances the cleavage area. You can perform this exercise by lying on a bench set at an angle between 45 and 60 degrees with the elbows bent. To complete the movement, extend your arms until the dumbbells touch and then lower them again. This exercise also works the front of the shoulder as well as the triceps muscles on the back of the arms.

Incline Dumbbell Flys

Working the pectorals with dumbbell flys is an excellent way to develop fullness in the chest area giving an appearance of firmer shapelier breasts. You can perform dumbbell flys on an incline bench set at an angle between 45 and 60 degrees or on a stability ball.

Start by holding the dumbbells with your arms slightly bent and then lower them until your elbows are at shoulder height. Complete the movement by raising the dumbbells again. This exercise also strengthens the front of the shoulders.

Standard or Modified Push-Ups

Push-ups greatly build up the pectorals giving an overall appearance of larger boobs. To perform standard push-ups, start in a horizontal lying position, face down with your body supported by your hands and feet. Once you’re in this position, lower your chest to the floor with your back straight and then return to the starting position.

Modified push-ups are performed the same way except your body is supported by your hands and knees. Similar to the incline bench press, push-ups also work the front of the shoulder and the triceps. To focus more on the upper pectorals, elevate your feet on a bench or stability ball.

You should perform these three exercises in consecutive order, 2-3 nonconsecutive days each week. When performing the incline dumbbell press and flys, use heavier loads that fatigue your muscles within 8-10 repetitions. For push-ups, you can perform anywhere between 15 and 25 repetitions.

To balance out your chest work, you should also perform 2-3 sets of weight training exercises targeting the back, shoulders, and arms (lat pull-down, row, shoulder press, triceps dip, and biceps curl) in addition to exercises targeting the buttocks, hips, thighs, and legs (squat, lunges, leg extensions, and leg curls).

Such exercises can be performed 2-3 nonconsecutive days each week using moderate loads that fatigue your muscles within 8-12 repetitions.

Related Article: 5 Reasons Why Resistance Training Is Necessary for Weight Loss

Tip 2

Perform cardiovascular (cardio) exercise with activities that engage the upper body. Such activities include running, elliptical training, swimming, rowing, and aerobic boxing. Shoot for training at a moderate-to-high-intensity for no more than 45 minutes, 3-4 nonconsecutive days each week. This amount of cardio exercise is sufficient enough to keep your heart healthy without burning exorbitant amounts of fat.

Related Article: How to Perform Cardio Exercise the Right Way

Tip 3

Ensure you’re consuming adequate amounts of high-quality protein in the forms of fish and seafood, poultry, lean meats, low-fat dairy foods and/or soy products. Protein helps to preserve muscle and fuels the fat-burning process. To further enhance your fat-burning efforts for weight loss, you should regularly consume sensible portions of foods rich in healthy fats and good carbohydrates (vegetables and fruit, beans, and whole-grain food).

Related Article: A Simple Guide to Eating Sensibly

That’s it!

By following these tips, you’ll effectively rid your body of excess fat while sparing the breasts. Now, you may lose some fat in this area. But, your sculpted pectoral muscles will fill out the space beautifully and you’ll love it!