Clothing size question

[Lucky4]

I seem to have been in a size 16-18 forever. What have you weighed that you were able to see the 14's again? Last time I wore a 14, it was the time before they started vanity sizing--and that still a long way for me. BTW, I'm almost 5' 8" and pretty muscular. I just want to see another number soon

On the bright side--I've lost 9.5 lbs in the last 14 days on a re-start! Nothing is going to stop me this time!

[MamaSage]

Well, I'm also 5'8", but have kind of a wimpy build...I was wearing size 14 at my heaviest, 208. I'm now in a (loose) 10 and still have a little ways to go, so I'm not sure where I'll end up. My boobs have definitely disappeared (), and I have small shoulders, so my shirts are quite loose, and I recently started wearing mediums. I would be "banana-shaped". Narrow, no boobs, no hips, no bum. So, it will depend on your shape, too, because an apple at the same weight might wear an entirely different size than a pear or a banana...Sounds like I'm talking about fruit salad. Anyway, that's my experience, FWIW.

Congratulations on your loss! KUTGW!

[heyjupiter]

I am 5'7" and was 210 at my highest last year, wearing a size 14.

[stardustshadow]

I am 5'7'' and muscular.

I was wearing a 14 at around 225 (ish...I can't remember exactly!). They were too big at around 210.

[Brandiva]

14/16 tops I was in the 220s. I now wear large tops.
I was wearing a Lane Bryant 14 jeans around the same weight. They got to be too big around 210. Now I no longer wear LB bottoms.

An Old Navy 14 jean is still just barely too small for me, but the 16 is just a bit big and I need to wear a belt.

I'm 5'7" with a muscular build.

[Kerry]

Well I'm 185 and 5'8 and wear an 18.. I'm bottom heavy and also small framed

[brr9270]

I am 5'6, 201 and am still in my 16's, but they are getting almost too big.

[Patkid]

I am glad you posted this.
I have always been so frustrated on this topic.
I have always been measured at 5'10", but at my last doc visit they checked and rechecked and I measured 5'8.5 so I have ageed w/ myself to call it 5'9".
I am 63 and I guess it is normal to lose some stature. Wish I could have been an inch shorter in high school................
anyway.
Everytime I read on WL message boards I feel so HUGE. I must be just plain BIG cuz the only way I can squeeze into a 14 is at my fighting weight which is 163. After Brian died I went from 163 to 212. ( Grief and 'I give up' eating.) I have to monitor every bite to stay at 163 but I did it for years. I traveled for work and was the only woman on a 65 person sales force. I sold construction and auto fasteners. I was always with men and that was a great incentive.
Shortly after Brian died the economy tanked and my job went away.
I felt completely adrift.
Anyway..................again...............anyway :
at 212 I barely sqeeze into an 18 pants. I mostly wear 2XL tall sweats. My tops for jeans are 2X. I weigh 199.2 today and am still in the same clothes.
I need to get to about 175-180 to wear 16s and I have to stay between 158 and 165 to wear 14s.
So often I see women post at or near 200 in 14s and many portray 14 as a size to work to get DOWN from. for me 14 is victory.
see what I mean?
I must be so huge.
This topic has been a very big deal in my life and continues to be so. I think it helps feed the 'I am way too big' conversation that is constantly in my head.
So today at 199.2 I am in tight 18s and working to get to 16s.
I just don't get it.
Thanks for listening.
Pat

[janetsbreeze]

I'm 5'2", 184 lbs and wear 16 or 18 depending on the brand. I am an apple shape and carry my weight around my middle, yuck. I think because of my shape, it might take a while for me to drop any sizes.

[Illanit1]

Wow ! What fluctuation! I'm 5'8 and size 14 for me is 180-190. I'm in the 20s at 225 and 18 at 215.

[Takeiteasy2000]

Are you talking about a 14 misses or a 14 womens? That makes a big difference as well as your particular build. At 5 foot 7, I wear a 14 misses at about 200-210.

[tybeeanna]

The vanity sizing/spandex just ticks me off. To the OP it has been to long for a 14 for me to be any help. I was a size 13/15 jr @160 5'5 tall

[yvonne326]

Originally Posted by Lucky4

I seem to have been in a size 16-18 forever. What have you weighed that you were able to see the 14's again? Last time I wore a 14, it was the time before they started vanity sizing--and that still a long way for me. BTW, I'm almost 5' 8" and pretty muscular. I just want to see another number soon

On the bright side--I've lost 9.5 lbs in the last 14 days on a re-start! Nothing is going to stop me this time!

I can't judge with clothing sizes. I can fit into so many different sizes depending on how the garment is cut, quality, fabric.... I think at this moment 5'5" 190 lbs I am wearing a 12 or 14 pant; Misses XL to a Plus 2X top.

Way to go on your losses so far since your restart!!

[ThePinkOne]

I can't judge with sizes either. I'm only 5'3" and at my heaviest was about 165 and I was wearing a size 13. I'm down to 149 and am wearing a size 11. Even when I was 120 I was sometimes wearing a size 8. I don't think clothing sizes make any difference these days. It's more about feeling good with the clothes off anyway if you ask me. Just sayin.

[Momto2boysNJ]

I"m 5ft 6 I weigh about 168 and I have 2 pairs of JUNIOR size 15 jeans that look FANTASTIC on me.

Clothing sizing drives me crazy. I was looking for a button down blouse for an event on friday and ended up with a MEDIUM. The last time I measured, my chest measurement was 34 and I'm a C cup and shoulders like a linebacker. No way am I medium!

[Hoppinn]

Almost three years ago, I weighed about 236 lbs. I was wearing an XXL top and it had been a few months since I was able to get myself into my size 18W jeans. Spandex was something that I wore around my house and I am definitely more comfortable wearing it now.

I am close to 5'3" and when I weighed 118 lbs., almost thirty years ago, I was able to wear a size 8. I was able to begin wearing a size 6 at the beginning of this year when I got myself down to 150 lbs. I have no idea how much clothing sizes have changed over the years, but I do know that I am approaching my third year of following an exercise program which has made quite a bit of difference in my body composition.

[Lucky4]

Wow, what a variety! I guess the only way to tell is to just lose it and wait. Patkid, I can hear you loud and clear. I would love to be in a 14 and that's one of my middle goals. I remember an acquaintance complaining that when you traveled, she couldn't find any clothes to fit her--they were all for fat people. I asked her what size she found and she said a size 10. I almost dropped. I would have died for a size 10 then! Guess she didn't figure that not everyone is petite, short and skinny. I don't think my bones would even fit into a 7--and she was wearing maybe a 6 then.
Even before vanity sizing, at my absolute lowest I didn't get below a 12. High school always was a 14 for me. Problem today is that the sizes are not consistant and with the new 'stretchable' fabrics, I can squeeze into sizes that I probably shouldn't be in
Anyway, you've all given me something to think about and my plan is to hit those 14s and then make them baggy!!!

[Patkid]

Great post, Lucky.
I am with you.
Really, you'd think by age 63 I would have made peace with my body.
Maybe that should really be my goal.
Pat

[Patkid]

yeah, Lucky, that's it...........my new goal: Peace w/ my body.
thanks for the post to help me think.
P

[MaterialGirl]

Similar to Janetbreeze, I am 5' 2" weigh 178 right now and am in 16's. I can wear 14's when I am in the 160's as far as weight. When I was diligent in 2008 and lost quite a bit my 14's were getting too big when I was at around 150 lbs.

[Kerry]

I'm 44% fat so un sure that haas something to do with it

[afuentes]

When I was a 14, I was at my heaviest: muscular, medium boned, hourglass, 188lbs on a 5'5 1/2" height.

[RealFoodLiving]

I'm like some others, I'm an Apple shape and I'm 5'2", weigh 176 and I'm in size 18's right now. I can ALMOST get into some 16's, but not quite.

[stardustshadow]

Originally Posted by Patkid

I am glad you posted this.
I have always been so frustrated on this topic.
I have always been measured at 5'10", but at my last doc visit they checked and rechecked and I measured 5'8.5 so I have ageed w/ myself to call it 5'9".
I am 63 and I guess it is normal to lose some stature. Wish I could have been an inch shorter in high school................
anyway.
Everytime I read on WL message boards I feel so HUGE. I must be just plain BIG cuz the only way I can squeeze into a 14 is at my fighting weight which is 163. After Brian died I went from 163 to 212. ( Grief and 'I give up' eating.) I have to monitor every bite to stay at 163 but I did it for years. I traveled for work and was the only woman on a 65 person sales force. I sold construction and auto fasteners. I was always with men and that was a great incentive.
Shortly after Brian died the economy tanked and my job went away.
I felt completely adrift.
Anyway..................again...............anyway :
at 212 I barely sqeeze into an 18 pants. I mostly wear 2XL tall sweats. My tops for jeans are 2X. I weigh 199.2 today and am still in the same clothes.
I need to get to about 175-180 to wear 16s and I have to stay between 158 and 165 to wear 14s.
So often I see women post at or near 200 in 14s and many portray 14 as a size to work to get DOWN from. for me 14 is victory.
see what I mean?
I must be so huge.
This topic has been a very big deal in my life and continues to be so. I think it helps feed the 'I am way too big' conversation that is constantly in my head.
So today at 199.2 I am in tight 18s and working to get to 16s.
I just don't get it.
Thanks for listening.
Pat

You are *NOT* Huge.
The only lesson to take away from this is that EVERY body is different. Everyone carries their weight in a different place, everyone has different bone structures and muscle tone! YOUR SIZE MEANS NOTHING!! These threads may be disconcerting for some (if they make you feel big, or, like me, awkwardly smaller for my weight) but they are really valuable because they DO prove something, and it isn't about you. They just prove that you can't tell ANYTHING about a person's weight or health from their size!!

A lot of what goes into what size you wear is genetic. You have NO CONTROL over where the weight goes. So please stop blaming yourself. I might wear size 12 pants (I am a freak of nature with tiny hips, skinny legs and no bum!! That is why!) BUT that does not make me feel slimmer than I am. I carry my weight in other places. My upper arms are HUGE. I can fit into tiny jeans but some jackets and shirts that SHOULD fit everywhere else can't fit over my arms. That makes me feel huge.

I also have a large chest. This makes me feel huge because I cannot wear most fitted shirts. If they fit over the chest area, they sag and hang everywhere else and are unflattering!

Anyhow, what I am trying to say is please, stop mentally punishing yourself because your size is larger than some at your weight. Everyone is different. Everyone is unique...clothes are NOT. Clothes are made in stupid, standardized sizes that rarely fit ANYONE well, with arbitrary numbers that are supposed to give us an idea of how they fit, but do more harm than good.

SIZE is inconsistent. A SIZE is not an indicator of anything, except how you fit into that BRANDS average-relative size (that they have chosen based on some statistics about their supposed average buyer-they base their medium size on the brand's 'core customers' average measurement, supposedly.)

A SIZE does not say anything about your health, or the effort you put into your weight or weight loss. IT SAYS NOTHING ABOUT YOUR WORTH AS A HUMAN BEING!!!

It took me years to work through the issues that 'size fixation' in our society/peer groups, etc have given me. I urge you to, for mental wellbeing, to rationalize through how little size really means.

AND; may I say in conclusion...*HUGS* I hope you feel better about it soon. Learning to love or accept your body is the biggest challenge any of us may ever face when it comes to our self-esteem. May you eventually come to terms with it!!

[Patkid]

(((SDS)))
You are a very smart and kind person.
Blessings.
I have had some good advice and revelations reading around this board.
Today I changed my goal to read: at peace w/ my body. It is time.
I mean, really, it is time.
Pat

[stardustshadow]

Originally Posted by Patkid

(((SDS)))
You are a very smart and kind person.
Blessings.
I have had some good advice and revelations reading around this board.
Today I changed my goal to read: at peace w/ my body. It is time.
I mean, really, it is time.
Pat

That is great! I think it is a worthy goal. I, too am working on this. It think that this process can be as much about healing our minds as it is about healing our bodies!!

[scandalouslyglam]

Nice thread....it's turned into a real inspiration. I am 6'1 and wear a Gap Size 16 at this weight...

As a grown-up I have never worn smaller than a 12, I weighed 170. How is it possible that I can fluctuate 60pounds and only go down 2 sizes?

[tinatina]

5ft3.5in., 157 lbs, wearing a size 14 that are just starting to get loose.

[stardustshadow]

Originally Posted by scandalouslyglam

Nice thread....it's turned into a real inspiration. I am 6'1 and wear a Gap Size 16 at this weight...

As a grown-up I have never worn smaller than a 12, I weighed 170. How is it possible that I can fluctuate 60pounds and only go down 2 sizes?

Sizes over 10 or 12 have a larger difference (more inches-for example, the difference between a 14 and a 16 may be 2.5 inches circumference, where as it might be only 1 inch between and 6 and an 8. These are just examples, each brand does it slightly differently) between sizes!! Lots of people comment that they have to lose a LOT more in the 'teens' to go down an size than they did to go down a size that is 10 or under. Again, deceptive sizing by clothing manufacturers--don't let it bug you!

[janetsbreeze]

I remember being young and thin and wearing a size 7 or 8. I hated my body then and thought, as a lot of young women do, that I was too fat.
I wish I could go give that younger me a hug.