American women with a healthy weight of 130 to 135 pounds can have more shapes than a geometry textbook. There's the thin 135, the muscular 135, the round 135, even the occasional trapezoidal 135. So don't let sheer poundage dictate your workout program. Instead, have your regimen revolve around more personal factors your body shape, your goals, your lifestyle. We found four women who all fall into the same weight class but have very different kinds of packaging to help them (and you) find a workout and diet program tailored to individual needs. With the help of celebrity trainer Gunnar Peterson and nutrition consultant Christine Palumbo, R.D., these programs will show you how best to burn fat, target problem spots, and change your shape into the one you want.

The Goal: Flatten the Belly
The Woman: Gina Parrilla, 30, a yoga teacher and mother of three children under the age of 6, is petite (5-foot-2 and 135 pounds), but she stores fat around her middle. Her workout consists of running (after her kids) or squats (to pick up toys). She also does yoga or tries to squeeze in a few exercises on her husband's weight machine before the baby's up at 6 a.m. Her goal? "My midsection needs work," she says. "I want to lose the extra fat, but I need to find time to do it."

The Workout Peterson says Parrilla needs to get aggressive with her workouts for both the fat-burning and stress-relieving components. Her plan:

Cardio kickboxing classes "An aggressive form of cardio will burn off both fat and stress," Peterson says. "Her abdominal fat could be a result of a high level of cortisol, a stress hormone, which has been shown to increase abdominal fat." She should aim for 30 to 60 minutes of cardio exercise three times a week to increase her heart rate and burn fat.

Strength training, using all her muscles Since Parrilla is in a time crunch, she needs to do exercises that work many muscles at the same time. "Lean muscle burns calories, and multijoint moves will give her a big calorie burn in limited time," Peterson says. An exercise like the Rotating Squat Press (see the "Build Your Best Body" workout poster at the end of this story) hits a lot of muscles fast. She should add core exercises to strengthen her abdominals, which will help give her a strong, lean look once she burns the fat; target toning will do nothing to shrink her waist. For more core exercises, try the Bicycle Crunch and Stability Ball Oblique Chops.

The Diet

Her Typical Day	Her Biggest Flaw	What She Needs More Of
Breakfast: A bowl of Cream of Wheat and a cup of green tea. Midmorning snack: An apple and a cup of cranberry tea. Lunch: 1 piece of baked whitefish and a cup of green tea Dinner: A large bowl of clear Chinese soup with spinach, bean sprouts, and scallions, and a bowl of mixed veggies. 3 cups of tea; 1 glass of water.	As a practicing vegan, Parrilla avoids dairy. Pal-umbo sees her lack of calcium as a problem. "A study at the University of Tennessee suggests that eating dairy contributes to weight loss, especially belly fat," she says.	Fruit: In addition to vitamin and antioxidant power, fruit contains fiber, which helps you feel satiated. Refined carbohydrates: "Hot cereal is great for breakfast, but instead of choosing a refined wheat cereal like Cream of Wheat, Gina should cook a bowl of oatmeal to get more fiber," Palumbo says. Protein: Parrilla can easily amp up the protein in her diet by adding tofu to her soup.

The Goal: Slim the Thighs, Tighten the Butt
The Woman: Film producer Sabrina Mansfield, 27, sometimes works16-hour days and often is away on location making it harder to eat well and exercise regularly. At 5-foot-4 and 135 pounds, Mansfield has a narrow upper body and a wide lower one. She used to do classical ballet 5 days a week and teach aerobics classes in grad school, but now her lifestyle only allows her one or two hikes a week (if that). A summer of junk food took her from a size 4 to a size 10, and now she's ready for a change. "I just don't have time to work out, especially when I'm away," Mansfield says. "I'd like to firm up, especially in my bottom and inner and outer thighs, but I just can't figure out how to fit exercise into my life without regular access to a gym."

The Workout Mansfield's main challenges lack of time and a consistent home base mean her best work-out options are ones she can take with her. Her plan:

Hotel-room training Being holed up in Room 401 doesn't mean she can't exercise. She should do a circuit of exercises using her own body weight as resistance: One set each of pushups (10 to 15 repetitions), crunches (20 to 25), lunges (12 to 15 each leg), and squats (12 to 15). Rest for 2 minutes, then repeat the circuit. She could even use her bag as a weight holding it when she does lunges or squats. "She doesn't need a gym membership; she just needs to get creative," Peterson says.

Amp the incline When she does have time to hit the hotel gym, Mansfield should choose machines that allow her to adjust resistance so that she feels like she's going slightly uphill, targeting the glutes and thighs. "Doing cardio with some resistance will challenge her muscles while upping her heart rate to lose fat," Peterson says. Crank up the resistance on the bike or elliptical trainer, or increase the incline on the treadmill.

Get hip Working her lower body with exercises that hit her hips at different angles will build overall strength and tone. Try the Side-Reaching Lunge and Pliquat (see poster). She can also do lunges as if her legs were the hands of a clock. Step out and lunge at 1 o'clock, then 2 o'clock, and so on, all while facing in the same direction. At 6 o'clock, step back into a lunge. All exercises can be done without weights.

The Diet

Her Typical Day	Her Biggest Flaw	What She Needs More Of
Breakfast: Soy yogurt with about 11/2 cups of cantaloupe, and a glass of water. Lunch: A salmon salad with baby greens, red peppers, tomatoes, and cucumbers with balsamic vinaigrette dressing, and a glass of chai tea with soy milk and honey. Several afternoon snacks: A half cup of mixed nuts, half of a banana with peanut butter and raisins, a slice of soy cheese, some spoonfuls of tuna with soy mayo, and 3/4 cup of cantaloupe. Dinner: None. Night snack: 8 small potato wedges.	Inconsistency. "Her lack of structure in the evening is causing her to overeat," Palumbo says. "If she planned a dinner where she sat down and ate from a plate, she most likely would eat fewer calories and fats during the day." She's also having too many nuts. Though they're rich in healthy monounsaturated fats, a half cup has 440 calories.	Whole grains: "She should aim for three servings of whole grains every day," Palumbo says. Some simple ways to get your grains: 7 reduced-fat Triscuit crackers (2 servings of whole grains) 4 Rye Krisp crackers (2 servings)

The Goal: Tone a Lean Frame
The Woman: At 5-foot-10 and 130 pounds, model and actress Meghan Nicol, 28, doesn't have much fat or muscle definition. Nicol plays a lot of golf, tennis, and softball, and walks often, but she lacks upper-body tone. "I want to add definition to my arms and shoulders," she says. "I used to work out a lot, and I know what I should be doing and eating it's just a matter of doing it." Her main challenge: a bad lower back. "I wake up with back pain most mornings," she says.

The Workout To build curves, Nicol will need to increase her strength training, starting with twice a week and building to four times a week within a few weeks. "Her body type will really respond to it. She's coming from an untrained background, and she's tall and lean all of which will allow her to see quick changes," Peterson says. Her plan:

Upper-body exercises Nicol's legs get a lot of work already, so any in-gym time should focus on the Pullup, Chest Flies, Triceps Kickback, and other upper-body exercises that will help add lean muscle mass.

Abdominal work with a focus on upper legs If Nicol strengthens her legs, glutes, and abs, this will help support her back. Include the Stability Ball Reverse Hyperextension and the Stability Ball Oblique Chops in each workout. "It will help build her core, which will act like a natural back brace," Peterson says.

The Diet

Her Typical Day	Her Biggest Flaw	What She Needs More Of
Breakfast: Fruit shake with flaxseed, protein powder, soy milk, and aloe juice. Snack: A slice of whole-grain toast with peanut butter and a glass of water. Lunch: Sushi and a diet soda. Snack: Yogurt and a diet soda. Dinner: Pasta with chicken and grilled veggies, and a glass of water. Snack: Low-fat microwave popcorn and 2 glasses of water.	Nicol's protein intake is pretty good. But, "Her diet appears to be low in calcium, although she does receive some in the yogurt snack and a little from the soy milk," Palumbo says. "Still, she needs more." An easy addition: Use calcium-fortified OJ in the morning shake.	Water: "Even though she drinks diet soda, all colas even the sugar-free and caffeine-free varieties leach calcium from the bones," Palumbo says. Instead, she could reach for a bottled water when looking for liquid refreshment.

The Goal: Tone All Over, Boost Energy
The Woman: Stephanie Pressman, 23, a music teacher, is comfortable with the way her weight is distributed which is all over her body. "I know it's hard to look perfect. I'm willing to make changes, but I don't want a workout to control my life," says Pressman, who's 5-foot-6 and 135 pounds. "I'd like to lose some weight, but I need to have fun while I exercise." Pressman's biggest obstacle isn't how she looks; it's how she feels. "I'm always tired, so I don't feel like exercising even if I have time," she says. "What I really want is more energy. Any chance I get to take a nap, I'll do it."

The Workout Pressman's biggest issue is motivation, not time, so Peterson recommends that she find an aerobics class that doesn't feel like one. Her plan:

Aerobic dance classes "Intense, active cardio, like spinning or an aerobic fusion class, will raise her metabolism and help her lose fat and increase her energy," Peterson says. She can recruit friends, which should make it more social and easier to maintain. Ideally, she should try to make class at least 3 or 4 days a week.

Quick weights Long strength-training sessions will only keep her away from the gym, so Peterson suggests a quick circuit of exercise that hits multiple body parts, with four or five exercises for the upper and lower body, including ones like the Rotating Squat Press and Skier Squat Pull. "They'll make for an efficient workout, and she won't have to spend much time in the gym," the trainer says.

The Diet

Her Typical Day	Her Biggest Flaw	What She Needs More Of
Breakfast: Lemon yogurt and a glass of apple juice. Lunch: Mushroom and chicken sausage, some baked potato chips, and a glass of apple juice. Afternoon snack: Happy hour tortilla chips with guacamole and a beer. Dinner: 2 slices of basil, goat cheese, and olive pizza, and a glass of pumpkin ale. Night snack: A glass of lemonade.	Junk. Her diet consists of a lot of high-fat, high-calorie, and energy-sapping foods. She should make substitutions like salsa for guacamole, grilled chicken for chicken sausage, and fat-free milk for apple juice. Adding protein and whole grains will help her maintain energy levels, rather than have sharp spikes and falls that come with chips, juice, and sugary foods.	Fruit: "Her only fruit is in her fruit juice, which doesn't contain the fiber of whole fruit," Palumbo says. Pressman should add more berries (of any kind) for their fiber and nutrients. Complex carbs: "Her breakfast consists mainly of simple carbohydrates that are quickly digested and could leave her hungry," Palumbo says. Instead of the yogurt, she should eat a piece of whole-wheat toast with a slice of reduced-fat cheese melted on top.

Related Link

• A new diet from Oprah's trainer. Bob Greene's Best Life Diet. Start enjoying your best life today! Go now for your Risk-FREE 10-day trial!