Now I wish I had "before" pictures/ & what about clothing si

givprayz

I always hide from cameras, so consequently I have no pictures of myself at the (horrendous) peak of around 208 lbs. I have lost 23 pounds since mid/late August and gone from a size 18 to a size 12, which is great, except the sizes keep changing, so they aren't as meaningful as they used to be. Has anyone else noticed that today's sizes are way-ay-ay bigger than they were 15 years ago. I still have my wedding dress, a size 8 from 1986, and it is only slightly loose on my daughter who wears a 3 today. I wore size 10 pants when I weighed 132, and a 12 today at 185, which makes no sense. It looks like my goal size is going to be like a 6, and as a woman of 5' 8" and broad hips, that sounds nuts to me. I have 10 year old pants size 12 that don't come close to fitting me. Has anyone else noticed this, or am I the only one who still has a few peices of clothing from the 20th century?

SW: 208-ish
CW: 185
GW: 142

Fruit4dessert

Nope, you're not alone. Sizes have definitely changed over the years, which has made things confusing!

Here's an idea instead of "before" pictures, how about you take pictures of yourself wearing your former clothes, you know those pictures where people are holding out the waistband of a pair of trousers to show how much smaller they are? It's a good visual if you don't have any pictures of yourself at your before weight.

hyenagirl

I have. Sizes keep changing and what's a size 10 in one brand is either a size 8 or a size 12 in another. Many years ago, there was no size zero, since then I guess sizes had to be redone.

4lafz

Oh yea - sizes have much changed through the years. You are doing great - I started at the same size and am just now a 12 after 47 lb loss (started 212 and now 165)! My old 10's do not fit me - but some 10 pants in stores today fit tightly.

ashlee954

Yep sizes have changed. That is because of the population's change in average sizes. That is what the sizes are based on. I am not sure what average is and how they assign the number. But then smaller and larger sizes are based off of that. We as a population are huge in comparison to past years!

khk2010

I totally do. I have a couple of size 12 skirts and tops that are from 14 years ago! They are still tight-not wearable. I am wearing size 12 in new clothes. So yes. I think that sizing has changed a lot.

My goal when I started was a size 12. Now I am thinking a size 8. I am also 5'8" and weigh 179 currently.

mamacremers

Nope, you're not alone. Sizes have definitely changed over the years, which has made things confusing!

Here's an idea instead of "before" pictures, how about you take pictures of yourself wearing your former clothes, you know those pictures where people are holding out the waistband of a pair of trousers to show how much smaller they are? It's a good visual if you don't have any pictures of yourself at your before weight.

I didn't take measurements or pictures at my pre loss weight of 207 either. Now down 43 lbs and I think i'm going to take pics of me in my old pants when I'm done. I still think about taking measurements since I have 13 lbs to go, I jsut keep forgetting to...

loxleys

I live in the UK and i'm sure that the sizes are getting smaller! Or is it just that i'm getting fatter?

I remember at one point that a size10 was the smallest that you could buy and now the smallest in UK shops is size4 (is that the US size 0?) Size4 looks like its made for young children! My desirable size is a UK10-12 with no muffin top on show.

Currently i'm wearing size14 and have been for years ,i've been as high as 160 and as low as 135 in that time and i've never been able to get into my old size 12 jeans. I like my curves and want to keep the good ones.

abtropix

I saw this on Oprah a few yrs ago and they said it was also due to marketing. People really like shopping if they fit nicely into a size 6, when they've always been an 8. So if people ask for it and purchase, then the manufacturers keep doing it! I can see that the general average is higher today, but it's also a marketing scam! And it's happened to me personally! You feel good when it fits perfect and it's a size lower...
But guys don't have this, they go by inches, so there's not changing there!

JaydeSkye

YES! And it drives me INSANE.

I have my clothes from highschool and they're size 5s. smaller than the new size 3s.

I'm 5'10" and when I reach my goal weight of 125lbs, I have NO IDEA what size I will end up in because right now I am fitting into my old, regular normal size 5s and starting to fit into old size 3s, at 150lbs. I have no idea what the 'new' or current size 3s, or 5s or any size really looks like because I REFUSE to buy new clothes until I drop all of my weight.

I've reconsidered my goal size to be a 1, because the 3s just seem like they'll still be too big. AND I have natural curves and a big butt. So.. the sizes are definately changing.

Frustrating.

Looks like I will just have to go shopping in the UK when I'm done, haha.

Ravyn1982

Size on your clothes have nothing to do with how healthy you are over all! So don't fret over it. I know its confusing but the people who design clothes don't seem to care about that!

maryellengallagher

That makes a lot of sense. My daughter wears a size 2 pants, size 0 tops and I know that I weighed less than she does when I was her age and I wore a size 5-7. Also I have noticed that size 18 pants are the same size as 16W. I have pants and skirts in my closet in a very wide range of sizes.

Keisha604

I work in retail and we aim to please the customer. We want them to buy buy buy! So as America grows fatter, we make a size 5 bigger, so the customer will feel better about themselves and therefore buy the jeans, dress, etc. Just the other day at work I was hanging up a pair of pants and someone who has been working at the store longer than I have told me to push the clips that hold the pants closer together so that when someone looks at them they don't look any bigger than a size 2(another way to make the customer feel good and therefore buy our clothes).

givprayz

Great comments! I think I will hunt up some 18's and put them on to show off the difference. I've heard about the marketing ploy before, but it sure makes shopping and comparing impossible. I have tried on jeans from one brand that fit, while the same size in another brand won't go over my hips! I guess my goal will be to wear whatever looks good when I weigh less than 150. :happy: