Does shopping make you feel down

fitnessqueen91

I know that dress size isn't everything, but it always makes me feel low when I go into a shop and can't fit into the desired size. I've been working out a lot and not binging. I feel great and slimmer even if my weight hasn't changed much. I feel my legs and belly are thinner. However I wen shopping today and size 12 was too tight! I know some shops have small sizes and even the shop assistant said that people complain about small sizes but it still makes me feel crap. I don't feel like a size 14. It just makes me think if a 12 is too tight, how small would I have to be too fit into an 8 or 10. My mum thinks that if I loose more than a stone that I'll be too skinny.

Liftng4Lis

Keep your chin up, it will come.

White_hibiscus

Me! Because nothing looks good. I hate the fitting room

ohmyllama

A bit. The size itself doesn't bother me. I mean, nobody knows what size you wear unless you tell them.

It is, however, frustrating. I can admit that. Finding pants/shorts was really difficult. Also frustrating that I get stuck in my shirts because my arms are so large. I've decided I won't go shopping for clothing until I lose all my weight, then I can go in feeling confident and have many more options. I hate shopping right now because I get stuck in shirts in the try on room, but I have to laugh about that sometimes!

Please don't beat yourself up over your size! As long as you're actively working at it, you should feel confident because you're taking action to transform your body.

cdudley628

I have definitely gotten stuck in a few things! I try not to get down about not fitting into certain sizes, though. I used to have a really hard time, but then I took a break from shopping. During that break I took some time to work on my self confidence and now I enjoy shopping, even if it can be a little frustrating sometimes!

entwife

You are right, every shop DOES have different sizes. There is no such thing as "a size 12" or "a size 14", its not a fixed measurement like 1.5 metres or 10 stone weight. Each company develops clothing sizes according to their own measurements and their target market, so if you go into a shop for older women you should easily fit into a size 8 or 10 (not that you would probably want to wear their stuff, I see you are 23). At least that is how it works here.

Please don't let this get you down, what they sell really has nothing to do with how much you weigh. Maybe avoid that shop until the binge eating is well in the past, if it is going to make you feel bad. You want to do things that make you feel stronger and better.

vespiquenn

I have found that more people than you think have this problem. I was having a conversation with a friend of mine yesterday, who is the skinniest thing ever at about 5'6. She confessed that she even dislikes clothes shopping because nothing fits correctly.

I have issues finding pants because I have an extreme hour glass figure, so wide hips, but chicken legs (even starting to get thigh gap unintentionally). So most jeans sag in the butt because I have to buy larger sizes to avoid muffin top. This also is the same for shirts. I have a 36D chest, so shirts are tight on top but way too loose around the waist.

Point being, do not be discouraged shopping. I look at it this way, when I find the perfect pair of pants, it's like winning the lottery, and I get incredibly excited. The perfect fits become the ultimate boost, and are worth the waiting and searching for.

Sued0nim

innerfatty91 wrote: »

I know that dress size isn't everything, but it always makes me feel low when I go into a shop and can't fit into the desired size. I've been working out a lot and not binging. I feel great and slimmer even if my weight hasn't changed much. I feel my legs and belly are thinner. However I wen shopping today and size 12 was too tight! I know some shops have small sizes and even the shop assistant said that people complain about small sizes but it still makes me feel crap. I don't feel like a size 14. It just makes me think if a 12 is too tight, how small would I have to be too fit into an 8 or 10. My mum thinks that if I loose more than a stone that I'll be too skinny.

It is the shop

There's no consistency in fashion

I'm a UK size 8 to 12 and still have 14s that fit

Go to white stuff or gap if you want an ego boost based on size

nyponbell

I don't go shopping. The last thing I bought, aside from a few work out tops (and a training bra) were two sweatshirts I had to buy because it was cold and I was working abroad and hadn't brought any (this summer). Before that I bought some leggings-type black trousers that I didn't even try on (I knew they would fit). I'm going to wear them until they break so completely I can't repair them again (already started repairing; they were cheap and the fabric is not exactly thick) and then I'm going to get similar ones (but not from Primark as I don't live in the UK) that will last me a bit longer.

So I tend to just not shop most of the time. I do have some "weak moments" when I'm out with a friend and we go in shops and I see something I like, but I try to just stay away from it all together. I'm planning a larger shopping spree once I've lost "enough" weight to warrant new clothes, and I already have a lot of stuff I never really wear anyway that I need to get through.

The only thing I will replace are the basics; underwear, socks, trousers when there's a need for it, bras (when I can no longer wear the ones I have and a sports bra just won't cut it). But aside from the eventual bra I will need to actually test out (and that's going to be so much fun, said no one ever) I'm just going to grab it and go. I tend to buy the same type of trousers, so I will know if I need to go down a size or not, and how it will fit me.

But don't feel discouraged! Sizes are tricky, and the most important thing is how you feel and the fact that you can feel that there's been a change in your body!

lorrpb

I love shopping because I love finding I can wear s smaller size than 1-2 months ago. You really hAve to pick your stores & brands & styles within a brand. There is no consistency. It's horrible regardless of weight or size. Because I'm in transition and go through sizes every few months, I do as much shopping as possible at goodwill. Because brands are all mixed together god one size, you quickly see what a wide discrepancy there is. I usually go through racks for 2-3 sizes to find what I need. It's actually more convenient the way they have things organized than going to the mall. I hate shopping in the mall or regular store because it's so frustrating.

However, ladies, the problem is with the manufacturer NOT our bodies!

sunandmoons

I love shopping for clothes.. 18 pounds until my goal.. Right now I will stick to handbags as I have plenty of clothes that fit from a size 6 in jrs. (a few years ago) to a size 11/12 and now a size 9/10

Ninkyou

Before I lost weight, yes, I hated it. Nothing ever looked good and I could never get quite the right sizes.

Now, I have zero problem. I love it.

Lounmoun

You want clothes that fit and look flattering on you. The size on a clothing item is supposed to help you find the item that fits but it often doesn't unless you stick to the same clothing brand and that brand is consistent. It does not mean you are better or prettier if your size number is 8 versus 14. The vast majority of people probably struggle to find the right size. No one is going to care what size you are wearing if it looks good on you.
I had a hard time buying new clothes even though I had lost weight and needed a smaller size. I didn't feel like I could just walk into a store and pick up clothes and try them on until I found something that fit. I took a lot of body measurements. I looked at size charts for the different brands I was interested in. I shopped online and read lots of reviews on how things were fitting people. Everything I ended up ordering actually fit pretty well. The fit is the important thing- not what number was on the clothes.

47Jacqueline

In the 1960s a size 12 was considered an average size. Today everyone thinks it's for fat people. The more expensive the cloting, the larger the smaller sizes are. It's a marketing tactic. A size 8 in Walmart is larger than a size 8 at Bloomingdales.

Stop worriying about the number and look for stuff that flatters you and you feel great wearing.

It took me about a year of bringing clothes into the dressing room that were too big, to start getting to know where my body boundries were.

nvmomketo

I avoid shopping when possible. It is a time suck.

Size variances irritate me too. At the moment I have jeans that fit in sizes 8 to 15. Lol

CatherineHillin

This makes me feel so bad as well...I know it's hard, but keep doing what you're doing women's sizes are ridiculous, every store has a different set, so try not to care too much okay?

HippySkoppy

47Jacqueline wrote: »

In the 1960s a size 12 was considered an average size. Today everyone thinks it's for fat people. The more expensive the cloting, the larger the smaller sizes are. It's a marketing tactic. A size 8 in Walmart is larger than a size 8 at Bloomingdales.

Stop worriying about the number and look for stuff that flatters you and you feel great wearing.

It took me about a year of bringing clothes into the dressing room that were too big, to start getting to know where my body boundries were.

So much this......I'm chiming in with my support here.

I feel for you OP but do yourself a favour and ignore "that" number.....


In a perfect world it would be so much better if women's sizes went on the same parameters as men's. You got a 27" waist well that your jean number right there (Yes I am aware some brands in America do run that way) I think it would eliminate a lot of the frustration and heartache that women go through when clothes shopping.

malibu927

Ninkyou wrote: »

Before I lost weight, yes, I hated it. Nothing ever looked good and I could never get quite the right sizes.

Now, I have zero problem. I love it.

Same here. Now that I'm wearing 14s (tight, as I gained weight through September), I shop almost anywhere except Lane Bryant and Torrid.

PinkPixiexox

Don't let it get to you *Hugs*!

First of all, UK Sizes are ALL over the place. I can be a size 8 in one shop and try a size 10 in others and not be able to do the zip up. Forget the sizing at this point, carry on doing what you're doing and buy clothes for confidence, not for what the inner tag says! Okay, so you're buying a size 14 even though you 'ideally' wanted a 12? I bet you look damm good in those 14's regardless so own it.

LKArgh

If the scale says you have not really lost much and you do not feel like you are close to a smaller size, why is this weird? It sounds like you have more weight to lose to reach your goal.
The question is, is your goal realistic or are you just obsessed wiht an arbitrary size, which might not match at all your body, height, built etc?

KT_3009

I find clothes shopping to be quite anxious as the first time I lost weight (25 pounds) I didn't drop down a size until than! And even though people could tell I had lost weight and so on it can be quite disheartening not seeing the results when trying to buy new clothes..

BethMilledge

I hate trying in cloths.

Whitezombiegirl

PinkPixiexox wrote: »

UK Sizes are ALL over the place. I can be a size 8 in one shop and try a size 10 in others and not be able to do the zip up.

So true! It's vanity sizing that gets to me. M&S have admitted to adding 2 inches to the sizes of thier standard range (not Et tu). I've been sized out of a few stores- I have real trouble finding clothes that are not too big in M&S, Coast, Prescis peitte, Monsoon, Next. - and Topshop have tiny sizes!

I stick to a couple of brands which i know will fit- but even then I have to tailor as i'm I'm only 5ft and also short-waisted so waistbands are all 'gappy' on me and have to be altered.

The worst of it though is that a size3 (US 6) in ladies shoes no longer measures the same- so now I'm a 2 or 2.5 and womens shoes don't start till a 3. Ridiculous, and no my feet haven't shrunk.

One question: has anyone found that their taste in fashion has changed since they lost weight ( not through necessity but through choice). I've got from tighter form-fitting clothing to prefering loose floaty styles since moving down a dress size. It could just be that 70's vibe in autmn fashion though........

Pawsforme

Other than a brief period in my teens when I was mildly interested in fashion and felt peer pressure to wear the "right" brands, I've never enjoyed shopping. And that was regardless of whether I was a size 2 or a size 16. What's to enjoy? Stores now are generally packed so full of merchandise they feel claustrophobic. Quality is for the most part totally lacking. Dressing room lighting is horrible. Sales staff seem to think they're doing the customer a favor by being there. All in all I much prefer to stick with a simple, somewhat classic wardrobe. It means I don't keep up with the latest trends, but neither do I have to waste time and effort on shopping. I know the brands and styles that I like so I just order more when needed.

PinkPixiexox

Whitezombiegirl wrote: »

PinkPixiexox wrote: »

UK Sizes are ALL over the place. I can be a size 8 in one shop and try a size 10 in others and not be able to do the zip up.

So true! It's vanity sizing that gets to me. M&S have admitted to adding 2 inches to the sizes of thier standard range (not Et tu). I've been sized out of a few stores- I have real trouble finding clothes that are not too big in M&S, Coast, Prescis peitte, Monsoon, Next. - and Topshop have tiny sizes!

I stick to a couple of brands which i know will fit- but even then I have to tailor as i'm I'm only 5ft and also short-waisted so waistbands are all 'gappy' on me and have to be altered.

The worst of it though is that a size3 (US 6) in ladies shoes no longer measures the same- so now I'm a 2 or 2.5 and womens shoes don't start till a 3. Ridiculous, and no my feet haven't shrunk.

One question: has anyone found that their taste in fashion has changed since they lost weight ( not through necessity but through choice). I've got from tighter form-fitting clothing to prefering loose floaty styles since moving down a dress size. It could just be that 70's vibe in autmn fashion though........

I know the struggle!

I'm usually a size 3 but in a LOT of shops, the 3's can be a little on the loose side and I can very, very, very rarely find anything smaller than that so I'm stuck!

I've noticed my fashion tastes changing in the sense that I don't feel the need to wear big cover-up's to hide my arms or stomach! Definite win!

Francl27

Not anymore. Except when I shop for jeans. My body shape means that pretty much any low rise jeans are a disaster, and it's pretty much the only thing you find in stores nowadays... very frustrating. I found *one* type of jeans that fit me.