It comes as no surprise to most of us that our body shape resembles other family members. Women sometimes refer to the "apple shape" or "pear shape" to describe less than ideal proportions. Our body fat distribution and number of fat cells is determined genetically. By the time we are adults, the number and distribution of fat cells in our body is unchanging. The exception occurs only at extremes of weight. When we gain weight, our existing fat cells swell and when we lose weight they shrink. But, their number and distribution remain the same. This fact explains why we find that our dimensions are reduced after weight loss, and increased with weight gain, but our body proportions stay about the same. Women with a "pear shape" (also unfavorably compared to a bowling pin) may find that they can drop from a size 8 to a size 6, but jeans are still tight on the thighs and loose at the waist. No amount of exercise and fat burning can overcome genetics. As a consequence of this fact, even professional athletes, body builders, personal trainers and aerobics instructors have liposuction.