Weight and Clothing Size

zylkm4
zylkm4 Posts: 18 Member
edited December 22 in Health and Weight Loss
I hope it is ok to ask this as it really bothers me. I am a female weighing between 110-113 lbs at 5' 5.5". I have been this weight range for about five years, and before that was very underweight for six years.

I wear a size 4 in pants and jeans. My body is very tiny towards the top, in chest and arm area, but I carry more weight in thighs, butt, low abdomen. I could wear a child's top and have almost no breasts. I have friends who weigh as much as 30 to 40 lbs more than I do who wear a size 2 or less in pants. Almost everyone who is my weight wears smaller size pants than I do.

I am moderately active with dance, ballet, cycling, lifting weights and calisthenics, hiking, canoeing etc. I workout about an hour and 20 minutes per day five days per week on average. I do however have an 8 hour a day desk job.

Why do I need a larger size pant than others who weigh a lot more than me? Is it due to body fat or is it bone structure? Though I am 47, I am also in surgical menopause since age 33, but even before that, when my normal weight was around 120 as an adult, I wore size 6-8. I was under 100 lbs before I could fit into a size 0. When I would lose more body fat, I would lose it everywhere and would look skeletal on top, so I am not sure that I could reduce fat in just lower area.

I am just curious if anyone else experiences this? Is it normal to vary so much in size of pants for people of the same weight?

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Replies

  • mbonacci12
    mbonacci12 Posts: 72 Member
    I think it depends on your body shape. I am smaller on top than the bottom. But the sizes vary by designer/brand widely. I have clothes size 4 to 8 that I currently wear.
  • cbihatt
    cbihatt Posts: 319 Member
    Yes, it is normal.

    Just because two people weigh the same on a scale doesn’t mean they carry the weight the same way. Your friend may be more (or less) muscular than you. Or you may just be genetically blessed to have larger legs and a smaller torso.
  • confidenceinrain
    confidenceinrain Posts: 104 Member
    Different bodies hold on to weight and size in different places. My hips and butt have always made shopping difficult, no matter what size I am! Even several sizes down from where I was a year ago I have to wear the same type of shape as I did then as I'm the same shape, just a smaller version of it.
  • koalathebear
    koalathebear Posts: 236 Member
    I've lost a lot of weight this year. My bust is now down to a size 6 / 8 AUD/UK, my hips are around a size 8/10 but my waist is still around a size 12. It's frustrating because it means I still don't quite fit into conventional sized clothing but our bodies are weird and inexplicable :P
  • deannalfisher
    deannalfisher Posts: 5,600 Member
    men have it sooo easy when it comes to clothes shopping - waist and length - yes, i know women have hips as well - but you would think it could be done...

    did with shirts - collar size and sleeve length; add boob circumfrence and voila
  • Pricklypineapple422
    Pricklypineapple422 Posts: 52 Member
    cbihatt wrote: »
    beckyrpl wrote: »
    Don't go by sizes of clothes - I'm 5'2" and weigh about 116 lbs - I have sizes in my closet - all that fit me well - from a 2 to a 10. Due to vanity sizing, the size on your clothes is meaningless right now. Clothes manufacturers realize you're more willing to buy a garment that is a lower size, so sizing is now really skewed. It could be body shape - I am very small on top, a bit bigger through my hips and belly (this is especially true since I've gone through menopause). Relax, look in the mirror, focus on the good.

    I read somewhere once (maybe here on MFP) that vanity sizing is not actually a thing. The explanation has always stuck with me. Apparently clothing manufacturers make a size 12 to fit the average sized woman. So, as the average size woman got larger, so did a size 12. Other sizes are cut larger or smaller than the size 12, accordingly. I guess that’s why they use an arbitrary number instead of measurements. But, it’s not a huge conspiracy to make us feel better or worse about ourselves.

    Vanity sizing refers to the change in size of clothing over time, and the thought that people are more likely to buy clothing and feel good about themselves when the size is a smaller number, regardless of their body size. Vanity sizing has changed pants sizes, for example what used to be a size 6 is now a size 0 at some stores.

    While people who wear larger sizes typically see no issue with this, the people at the small end of the spectrum lose out because they can't find clothes that fit them, because what once was a 0 is now actually sized to a 6.

    Anyways, back to the original question, it is impossible to compare your pants size with another woman's unless you are trying on the same pair of jeans or the same brand/style at the same time (not years apart, because the sizing changes). I can't even compare what I wore as a teenager to what I wear now because the sizes are not the same.

    It sounds like you work out regularly, eat healthy, and you are technically underweight - so you don't have room to lose any more weight. I would work on learning to love your body how it is, because you have worked hard to maintain a healthy body and your body allows you to do all of these activities you enjoy. Maybe try to change your thought process when you start to think about what sizes other people wear.
  • SnifterPug
    SnifterPug Posts: 746 Member
    I find that cut and sizing varies hugely, especially depending on where the clothing is made. I am 5'10" and weigh 180lb. I usually fit comfortably into a UK size 16 (bottom half) and a 14 or less (top half). I carry the weight on hips and backside. Clothing from German or Scandi labels is fine. French or Italian - forget it.
  • kimothyschma
    kimothyschma Posts: 209 Member
    Add me to the chorus: it's just your body type/bone structure, NOT fat. You don't have any fat to lose with your stats. I am inverted triangle shape, wear a size 6 top and size 4 bottoms. 130 lbs, 5'5".
  • HoneyBadger302
    HoneyBadger302 Posts: 2,085 Member
    Body type and shape will vary widely as does one clothing manufacturer to another, one country to another.

    I'm relatively proportioned, but have no waist (curvy is a term no one will EVER accuse me of LOL), and broader shoulders. I do weight lift, but am not heavily muscled (no body building or anything like that). 5' 7" currently 147 pounds.

    I am comfortable in a size 6-10 on bottom, and tops are generally Medium. Some tops will fit me great most places but cut off circulation in my arms (if I can even squeeze my arms into them). Bottoms my thighs can be tight once they fit my waist/hips, especially closer to my goal weight (not because I have thick thighs, but just because I'm active and actually work out and have some muscle).

    I still have another ~15-20 pounds to lose, even at my thinnest I was a typically in sizes 4-6 depending on the brand. If I was wearing smaller than that I KNEW it was "vanity" sizing.

    If I ever want to feel bad about my size, I just need to try on some European/Italian-brand/made clothes LOL.
  • Duck_Puddle
    Duck_Puddle Posts: 3,237 Member
    Body shape matters but so does clothing cut. Mid rise, low rise, high rise, ultra rise, modern cut, classic, skinny, boyfriend, and whatever other random words being used as labels. Honestly-what does boyfriend cut even mean?

    I go look for pants in some magic combo of rise/cut/shape/material/size that actually fit my body shape. I might wear 3 or 4 different sizes (of the same brand) because of varying cuts/styles.

    I pick which one looks best to me.

    I have clothes in a size 2 to size 20 that all fit.
  • slbbw
    slbbw Posts: 329 Member
    Size has little to do with weight within specific ranges. I am currently wearing a 2/4 but am 145lbs and 5'5. Some of it may have to do with brand and cut. I have muscular things and not all pants fit me well. I wear anywhere from a 2-8 depending on brand. I have exceedingly narrow hips compared to the rest of my body. It makes finding certain types of clothes very challenging, but it also means I can wear smaller pants. I think I would personally trade my small pants size for some semblance of a waist. The difference between my waist and hip bone where my pants sit is like 2".

    I diatribe to say, that what you find frustrating, on your end others who you seem to think are in the "better" camp may find it equally frustrating. Mentally I have had to get over weight 20-30lbs more than friends that are the same size as me, its just the way my body is shaped and there is no use fighting it.
  • collectingblues
    collectingblues Posts: 2,541 Member
    Duck_Puddle wrote: »
    Body shape matters but so does clothing cut. Mid rise, low rise, high rise, ultra rise, modern cut, classic, skinny, boyfriend, and whatever other random words being used as labels. Honestly-what does boyfriend cut even mean?

    I go look for pants in some magic combo of rise/cut/shape/material/size that actually fit my body shape. I might wear 3 or 4 different sizes (of the same brand) because of varying cuts/styles.

    I pick which one looks best to me.

    I have clothes in a size 2 to size 20 that all fit.

    Not to threadjack... I have no idea what it *means*, but boyfriend/girlfriend cuts are the best fitting ones I've found for my body shape -- they fit not-super-tight-not-super-loose through the waist and hips, but are more relaxed in the thighs, so they work well with my running/lifting quads and hamstrings.
  • whmscll
    whmscll Posts: 2,255 Member
    I agree that clothing brand sizing varies., and that it is subject to vanity sizing. I just bought a size 2 in Macy’s store brand skinny leg pants but a size 8 in Levi’s jeans. And I fit anywhere from size 4-8 in dresses depending on brand and style. I am 122 pounds and 5’ 4.5”.
  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,011 Member
    edited August 2019
    Worrying about what size you wear is an exercise in futility. It depends on where you carry your weight, your bone structure, what brand, what type of cut, how fitted or loose you like to wear your clothes, what time of day it is. Heck, I have had to buy different sizes of the same pants in different colors as they fit differently for some reason. I currently fit well in clothes that are small or medium, sizes 6-12.

    Being bothered by a numbering system that is not in any way standardized is a waste of time and energy, and it's concerning that you are wondering if losing more weight would get you into a lower size. You are already underweight, and there is no standardized clothing size that means you are the right weight.
  • bekahlou75
    bekahlou75 Posts: 304 Member
    whmscll wrote: »
    I agree that clothing brand sizing varies., and that it is subject to vanity sizing. I just bought a size 2 in Macy’s store brand skinny leg pants but a size 8 in Levi’s jeans. And I fit anywhere from size 4-8 in dresses depending on brand and style. I am 122 pounds and 5’ 4.5”.

    I am 5.4" and weigh 155, and wear sizes 6-12. It's great to be on here and see how everyone is so different.
  • ritzvin
    ritzvin Posts: 2,860 Member
    zylkm4 wrote: »
    I hope it is ok to ask this as it really bothers me. I am a female weighing between 110-113 lbs at 5' 5.5". I have been this weight range for about five years, and before that was very underweight for six years.

    I wear a size 4 in pants and jeans. My body is very tiny towards the top, in chest and arm area, but I carry more weight in thighs, butt, low abdomen. I could wear a child's top and have almost no breasts. I have friends who weigh as much as 30 to 40 lbs more than I do who wear a size 2 or less in pants. Almost everyone who is my weight wears smaller size pants than I do.

    I am moderately active with dance, ballet, cycling, lifting weights and calisthenics, hiking, canoeing etc. I workout about an hour and 20 minutes per day five days per week on average. I do however have an 8 hour a day desk job.

    Why do I need a larger size pant than others who weigh a lot more than me? Is it due to body fat or is it bone structure? Though I am 47, I am also in surgical menopause since age 33, but even before that, when my normal weight was around 120 as an adult, I wore size 6-8. I was under 100 lbs before I could fit into a size 0. When I would lose more body fat, I would lose it everywhere and would look skeletal on top, so I am not sure that I could reduce fat in just lower area.

    I am just curious if anyone else experiences this? Is it normal to vary so much in size of pants for people of the same weight?


    I have a similar build. My excess weight goes to my thighs, but it is also muscle and my build. I'm at least 4 sizes up from my waist, and I've never found pants that actually fit correctly (always tight around the thighs, but clown pants around the waist) - I always wear skirts or dresses. I'm a dancer, cyclist, hiker, runner. I've come to very much appreciate (and be proud of) my strong thighs.
  • ritzvin
    ritzvin Posts: 2,860 Member
    HoneyBadger155 wrote: »
    If I ever want to feel bad about my size, I just need to try on some European/Italian-brand/made clothes LOL.

    haha. or clothing that is dual marked for Eur/US. I have cycling shorts with the following tag..

    Eur L
    USA M
  • Courtscan2
    Courtscan2 Posts: 499 Member
    Oh the joys of the many various body types. My lower half is always larger than my top half. Sometimes by a lot, sometimes by a little, depending on the make of the clothes. Doesn't matter how much I gain or lose, it's just my shape. I prefer to think of it as "mermaid" shaped. I just buy whatever fits and I feel good in, and don't think or worry about the size, as life's too short to get hung up on things that don't matter and that I can't change.
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