Bigger ladies -- jean size help.

kittyinaz

Ok, so this is going to be kind of a confusing question. First I'm gonna tell what is happening to me.

So, when I weighed around 265 i could wear a size 24 jeans. Then when I was 275 I had to go up to a size 26. And now at 286 I would fit into a size 28, which I can't find... so I've had to wear stretch pants the last year.

I was up to 300 lbs, but haven't noticed any change in pant (or clothing fit in general) fit in the 13 lbs I lost. I'm thinking I'm going to have to weigh less than I did before to fit in a size 24.

Like, I'd have to weigh 255 in order to fit into a size 24 instead of weighing 265 because I let myself get so big and my fat is so different than it was back at that weight.

Has that happened to any of you before? I mean I could be wrong, but if I put a size 24 on right now, I have a good 4 to 5 inches to lose before I can even come close to buttoning them, and I really don't see that happening in 20 lbs.

sweetheart03622

I think it's going to have a lot to do with the amount of muscle you have. Muscle is going to weigh more than fat, yet look smaller. So if you were 265, but had a lot of muscle, you'd be smaller than if you were 265 without as much muscle. Be sure to incorporate strength training into your routine and keep a record of your measurements. The strengthening will help you to drop inches in addition to pounds.

ymamyma

Been there. At a 70 pound loss (309 currently), I feel comfortable in 26 dress pants in the morning, but am frustrated with the fact that by the end of the day they look like a baggy mess. I have 24s I can fit into, but only like wearing them with a slightly longer shirt.

As for jeans, I'm in the same boat.

I have noticed with shirts there are some 1Xs I can wear, which blows my mind.

Try not to concentrate on the sizes, but rather how you feel in them. You're doing great! :flowerforyou:

sandram82

Not quite sure to be honest.. but I remember reading a thread on here about pants and jeans are being made differently.. so what was a size 24 was is not really a 24 now.. hope that made sense.. maybe search some threads on here about that!
Good luck.. keep going!

knittygirl52

Yeah, I'm finding my sizes don't match what I remember. I don't know whether sizes have changed (it's been SO MANY YEARS since I lost weight) or my body has changed--it's certainly aged!

Don't get hung up on sizes. You know that you are losing and getting more fit. Perhaps you are also building some muscle, which would change the way things fit.

You might want to try someplace like Lane & Bryant or Torrid online. Lane & Bryant has jeans that are cut for your body shape--apple, pear, straight. They fit really well once you figure out your size. I have discovered that they run a little bit big, so if you are near the divider between sizes, choose the smaller size.

AsaThorsWoman

I was in a 24 and I lost 20 lb and went down to an 18.

NoExcuseTina

I can relate...when I weighed 225 a LONG time ago, I wore a size 13 in juniors...now I weigh 230 and I wear a size 18.

Having said that...things that help with inches is exercise...strength training...toning muscle will help drop inches!


Created by MyFitnessPal.com - Free Calorie Counter

thor9424

In the last five years or so, clothing sizes have gotten smaller. The new size 0 has made everything else smaller. Really small women used to have to buy girls size to get that small in the 90's. Now with new fashion being emaciated, the clothes are all tight and small. Hope that helps!

ashley0616

I weighed more than I do right now before I had kids, and I was in an 18. Now that I am 5lbs lighter and post 2 c-sections, I have flab and fat in different places and have to squeeze into most size 20s. I'm sure your body has changed since you have gained and lost weight, it's completely natural.

Every store, brand, and type of pant has a different size. You may fit into a 24 in one brand but a 22 in another or a 26 in another. Take several pairs in with you and buy what FITS you best, not what is the smallest size. It took me a long time to come to terms with this concept, and I now shop style, not size.

Brannyrocks

I've had something similar happen, but I think its due to changes in clothing sizes. A couple of years ago I got down to 163 and tried to get into some old jeans, but like you I needed to lose even more to fit into them, they were a size 14, the same size I currently wear. I currently weight 183 and my present day size 14 jeans are loose on me, they fit prefectly for about an hour and then they strech out, which is annoying. You didn't say how long ago you weighed that much nor if you were trying on clothes you kept in a smaller size, so this same factor could be playing a role.

Setof2Keys

Yes, my sizes jump around because as I am losing I lose in my legs and hips much faster than my huge belly so my pants are huge everywhere else and not is the stomach. I found that Lane Bryant has their pants sized for differently proportioned women. Try there. They are a little spendy but often put out coupons and they are good quality pants so they last longer. I have also heard that Fashion Bug (if you have one or if there is a website) has good clothes for bigger sizes. Also, keep motivated. This is a good motivation for you to keep pushing!! Glad you're here.

HeatherShrinking

Have you tried playing around on www.mybodygallery.com? You could do a search of your height and the size you want to fit in. Then click on the pictures that come up to see what the average weight is.

kelligonzales

It's not just about how much you weigh you have consider you muscle tone. your working out so your going to get muscule. i mean if you weight 250 and fit into a size12 would you car how much the scale said. you just base it on your weight. keep doing what your doing and you will a difference. :happy:

DawnOf1969

I think everyone's fit is just different. At 225 pounds I was in a size 18 jeans. I have lost down to 180 and I am only in a 14. My top shrunk more than my bottom. I will be so excited when I can get into single digit size jeans. your body just loses and gains fat in different places in your body.

ThatDollSally

It has everything to do with body composition. I have these jeans that I bought when I was about 190 and they fit perfectly. I gained about 20 lbs back and then when I started excercising in my attempt to lose weight I lost about 10, so I'm at around 200 now, but those pants I bought at 190 are too loose now. It's because since I'm excercising I have more muscle, which weighs more than fat, and my shape is different as well. That's why you always hear people say that you should judge your progress by your measurements and how your clothes fit instead of what number you see on the scale.

kittyinaz

Thanks for all the responses guys. Just to clear it up, I'm talking about jeans I already own. I'm not gonna go even try to fit intobany new jeans until next year

Also, I know I need to do strength training but I cant afford a gym membership or home weights. The best I can do is lunges and stuff on my exercise ball.

lovenk

I've been there too! Alot depends on the jeans, A size 28 in one brand may fit great but in another brand a 28 is too big / small. Try not to think about the size, just find some that feel good! Keep up the good work!

ymamyma

Yeah, I'm finding my sizes don't match what I remember. I don't know whether sizes have changed (it's been SO MANY YEARS since I lost weight) or my body has changed--it's certainly aged!

Don't get hung up on sizes. You know that you are losing and getting more fit. Perhaps you are also building some muscle, which would change the way things fit.

You might want to try someplace like Lane & Bryant or Torrid online. Lane & Bryant has jeans that are cut for your body shape--apple, pear, straight. They fit really well once you figure out your size. I have discovered that they run a little bit big, so if you are near the divider between sizes, choose the smaller size.

I'm also a fan of Catherine's and Dress Barn.

ymamyma

Thanks for all the responses guys. Just to clear it up, I'm talking about jeans I already own. I'm not gonna go even try to fit intobany new jeans until next year

Also, I know I need to do strength training but I cant afford a gym membership or home weights. The best I can do is lunges and stuff on my exercise ball.

Have you considered trying bands, too? I have some and looove them!

MelissaL582

Every store, brand, and type of pant has a different size. You may fit into a 24 in one brand but a 22 in another or a 26 in another. Take several pairs in with you and buy what FITS you best, not what is the smallest size. It took me a long time to come to terms with this concept, and I now shop style, not size.

Exactly what I do! I went shopping the other day and was able to fit into size 16 pants- Yay! The next day I decided to try on some jeans- brought in 4 pairs of 16's and none of them fit, not even the stretchy ones. One of them I had this huge muffin top- eww... So size 18 is where I'm at in jeans.

It has to do a lot with where all the fat is now, compared to where it used to be. Before I had kids I was walking pretty in a size 16. Here I am 3 kids later and 2 c-sections later..my flab is everywhere else. I'm not even with my rolls.

mk820

I bought a size 16 in brown. Went to another outlet of the same store and bought 16 in black without trying them on since the brown ones fit. They are tight. Same chain, same brand, same cut...go figure!

finity559

I wore a size 32 pant. Now its somewhere between 30, 28. What I notice though is that when I wore those sizes in my earlier years, they fit better and they are the same jeans. (When i gained weight I saved all my "smaller" clothes)
What I think happened it that my body gained weight in certain places and even though I'm losing weight I may be losing it in my butt rather than my tummy and my tummy is where I gained all the weight. Get it? My arms might be getting smaller but not my thighs. So some clothes may not fit right.
Try looking for clothes on FASHIONBUG.COM and go to ROAMANS.COM & WOMANWITHIN.COM to request catalogs. That's where I get a lot of my clothes. Fashionbug has small and big sizes, some jeans go up to size 32.
Also try The Avenue, they have a website too.

finity559

I swear our bodies are just strange sometimes. We gain and lose in different areas. I wish I would lose the "newer" fat before my older fat. Id much rather lose my gutt first rather then my butt and boobs. That's just a shame! We just gotta work harder to make our old clothes and clothe sizes fit us again correctly.

Valtishia

Sizes have definately changed from the way they used to be.

I started at 268 lbs and in a 22-24 jeans/pants.

After a loss of 18 lbs, I was in a 20-22. Then after another 20 lbs, I was in a 18-20 but it only took another 8 lbs after to get into 16-18. Another 15 lbs got me into 14-16. I have only lost another 5.. and will probably only need another 5 to get to a 12-14.

There really isn't a set weight loss when going down sizes. There are so many factors. Sometimes I lose more in my waist and my hips, other times it will be other areas.

mama_mia3

I weighed in at 250 and wore a size 22/24 comfortably on a good day, not so comfortably on a bad bloat day. BUT!! there is hope to get around that "inbetween" size syndrome. When I was pregnant with my third the thought of going out to buy a new wardrobe was a nightmare, so I invested in a couple "Bella Bands". They are snug, comfortable elastic material that sorta reminds of what skinny little people wear as tube tops, but you wear them OVER your unbuttoned, unzipped jeans and it holds them up and looks like you just wearing a nice, fitted type cami that's long enough and covers your hips. I've lost 15 and I'm in that inbetween phase right now and have been wearing mine just to keep my pants up...great feeling!!

lterry913

You said you were wearing stretch pants for a while...while I love them I think they offer no compression...Your old jeans probably fit you back then because you wore them all the time and they had a compression like affect on that area...I know it sounds weird but I swear stretch pants are our biggest enemy...they let everything fall where it wants to and they don't get tight which gives us no reminder to watch what we are eating and drinking.

knittygirl52

I think some of our weight remains "glued" to certain places until we get thinner. At least that's what I'm hoping!

FILLE

For weights I have used water bottles or small can goods. While your doing your lunges hold the cans in your hands. I agree to bands are fantastic. keep up the good work!

kmtetour

I swear no two brands fit the same. I'm on a tight budget myself, but I don't have many old clothes to fall back on. I was basically a 24 when I started here, maybe 24 was a smidge tight when first out of the dryer, but by the end of the day they were fine. The pants I'm currently wearing are 20, but I have a pair of 22 at home that don't fit yet!

To save money *and* have pants and jeans that fit, I've gone to my local Goodwill and grabbed everything I was remotely willing to wear in the 20 and 22 sections (sadly those are the smallest sections at my Goodwill; plently of 18 and 24, though) and tried all of them on. The last time I did that, I tried on 10 items and left with 3 (one 22, two 20) plus one thing that I knew wouldn't fit yet (18), but I LOVED and couldn't pass on.

hrhwrightca

I started out at 310lbs and was wearing a 24 - I am weighing 280lbs right now and I am wearing 18/20 so sizes are a weird thing really cause I would think I wouldnt be down taht many sizes already

calliope_music

somehow i'm constant in jean sizes - i'm wear a 24 at around 300 and all the way up to like, 315. i really should probably wear like a 23 but alas, they don't make those!

i have way more fluctuation in shirts, i have everything from XL's to 4x's in my drawers!!