It seems to me that it is far easier for a middle-aged man to grow breasts, than it is for him to shrink his waist circumference to feminine proportions.

Apart from reversing metabolic syndrome, maintaining optimum BMI and getting plenty of exercise, does anyone know of additional tricks to shrink waistline?

The only thing I have found that works well is crunches. I uses and Ab roller, at it works well on the front. To lose the love handles or what ever those things are that grow above your hips is to lay off the carbs, like white bread.
I've just started doing a 20 lb kettle bell and that gives a nice hip and waist work out.
Eat veggies and exercise.
Bobbi

Beyond tricks that remove body fat like using steam rooms, cardio, diet, etc... nope, I don't know any. Even strength building exercises like crunches and leg lifts can bulk you up depending on how well your body responds to muscle build. Using a body shaper ... maybe (It's what I'm going to try anyway).

I went on a diet and lost 25 lbs. My waistline reduced significantly, but I also lost fat elsewhere on my body where I would prefer not to. My cheeks hollowed out, my butt got flatter, and my legs, too, lost what little fat was there. Obviously, dieting isn't the answer for me. So I've been exploring liposuction body sculpture. Fat is removed from my mid-section and injected into my buttocks and hips. Not cheap, but it is effective, and permanent.

Clara

Yes.

I carry about 18% body fat, since any less, and I look really gaunt in my face. Accentuating the old man look is not what I had in mind at all.

My bodybuilding has given me a bubble butt and large hip flexors, as well as large pectoral muscles. Fortunately, my genetics are not for a thick waist, but any fat I get wants to go towards love handles and a droop at the belt line.

I can achieve pretty good results with topical 7-keto DHEA, topical progesterone, bee pollen, oral DHEA (100 mg./day), extracts of sphaeranthus indicus, garcinia mangostana, and irvingia gabonensis.

Hopefully, there are a few more tricks that others here may know of..

The problem you've got is the shape of the rib cage. It's just so much wider that all you can do is corset the lower floating ribs and it's not an overnight job. Despite what you say about hollow cheeks, if you want your waist to be as feminine as possible, then you need as little fat there as possible. If you really want this, then I would suggest that you use low carb dieting to get all your fat off, then get fitted with a corset and then and only then, gradually increase your weight under the influence of PM, which will encourage the fat to deposit mainly on the hips and breasts.

NB I speak theoretically. I have no corset and I'm still a little way from zero fat.

B.

Adjustment of the diet will probably do it, though you can't just loose weight in your waist, of course. I'm 5'11" and ten years ago when I eating at a company cafeteria every day I had about a 34 inch waistline and weighed 160 lbs. Then I left that job, started working from home. I rarely eat out and eat a super healthy low-cal diet from basic (no pre-prepared) foods. I now weigh 127 with a 27" waist and can't gain a pound if I try. My main exercise is taking long walks (4-6 miles) several times a week. The downside is my face has more of a thinned out appearance than I'd care for, but that's part of the price you pay.

Well, fiddlesticks.

About 7 years ago, I went on a low cal/low fat diet, and got down to about 160 lbs. I looked like an anatomy illustration. What bodybuilders would call "ripped". Though I liked the way my body looked, when I saw my face in pictures, it was like, "Eeww, who's that old geek?" After seven more years of getting older...ugh.

I've never looked into liposuction, since it seems a bit radical, but if that's the only way...

Has anyone here ever posted before and after pictures of lipo waist reduction?

A thought and question based on what we hear / write about here, using oils on the butt and breasts...
What about using them on the face, too?
Is it possible to sort of "spot gain"? I know we can't really spot reduce*, but maybe gaining would work differently?

*: Actually, it IS possible to spot reduce. E.G., do ab work interspersed with HIIT intervals. The increased blood flow means more fat is taken from that general area.
Difference is less than 1%, I understand - so who really cares? ;-)

I agree with Diana, it is possible to gain/reduce certain areas via isolation exercises. Reps and weights (if any) depend on whether you want to gain or reduce; if trying to tone, add cardio/HIIT (like Diana mentioned) that targets the specific area. Some areas are harder than others (ie: building hips without building quads).

Fitness Blender has a lot of different workouts, saying what areas they target, and roughly how many calories you'll burn.

As far as lipo, have you looked into "fat grafting"? From my understanding, they use fat from one area in your body and graft it to another area that you want to fill in.

For the face, don't hormones round/fill out the face a bit after awhile? Either way, isn't there facial mask/creams that help with this? (l'oreal revitalift, or creams that contain collagen?)