40lbs Lost, but same clothing size?!?

hawaii86442

Yes--all size "12's" are not the same. I wore a twelve when I started losing weight and still wear a twelve. Some still dont button and some are falling off. Keep up the good work and get a cloth measuring tape. Less than $3 at Target!!

I have lost 10.5 already<3

emeralz

Also, if you're anything like the girls around here your clothes are waaaaaay to tight to begin with. So when you lose weight, your clothing size doesn't go down because you were in the wrong size to begin with.

Actually, mine are the same way, and I never wore clothes too tight, actually the opposite, everything was too big because I didn't want the clothes touching me in anyway, let alone someone to see how big I was, so I wore bigger clothes.. errr.. Not sure where I got that logic..

Anywho, 38 down here, and can still wear everything that I could before, and cant wear some things I thought I should be able to.. Very frustrating, but I also measure and if I look at my measurements, I have lost 8 inches around hips, and 7 inches around my waist, though only 3 inches around my thighs. so, my thighs are what is holding everything up.. and I found that all of my clothes have some sort of stretch material in them, because the plus size clothing usually do, so my jeans etc, have the stretch stuff, and that works both ways, if your smaller, it will fit too. it is throughout the day that they get more loose.

My friend told me to go into a store and find an jeans that have zero stretch and see if they fit me one size smaller.
lo and behold, they did. Just those ones tho, the same size ones I have at home.. nope, don't fit..
frustrating indeed, but you are doing awesome!!

pogojr

I hit the 42lb mark today, and I'm finding the same thing. I am just starting to go down a size in both top and bottom even though I can see the difference myself. I'm guessing I should have been up a size on clothes in order to fit the bigger me properly. So technically, then I would be down two sizes if I was dressing size appropriate in the first place. Don't be discouraged! 40 lbs is a fantastic start!

lorishultis

Plus you have to look at who made them; have they shrunk; when were they made??? Designers "alter" sizes all the time based on the population size. I didnt realize it until my dad went to get pants and the size he ALWAYS wore since high school was now to big! He had to go to the Juniors dept to find pants. When he was telling the clerk about it the clerk told him the designers, in an attempt to make people not feel bad, made the sizes larger - so your currents smalls were mediums last season.

Look at the thickness of the denim and if there is spandex mixed in too... My stretch jeans are one size my non stretch a different.

I doubt all three pieces of clothing are the same size.

Callicia143

perhaps the reason why they all seem to fit is because unless they are the same label, all clothes run big or small, it is hard to find clothes that are true to size. If you shop in juniors sections, chances are they will run smaller in the hips and thighs. If you shop in the womens shops, they will be cut a lot different. also, if the waist is low cut, they will run smaller as well. but if you really want to know your true size, measure yourself or have yourself measured by a professional. great job on the 40 lbs lost.

ReneeTurnage

I have to wear "Casual Dress" clothing to work, and when my slacks were becoming so big I couldn't hang in them anymore, my husband carried me shopping at his favorite store...Lane Bryant. They brought me the smallest size they carried, a 14, and they were still big on me. So he carried me to JC Penney and he picked out clothing for me in a size 12, some fit beautifully, and others...well we'll just say they didn't fit. :-) When we left that night, I had 4 pieces of clothing.. a dress and a pair of slacks size 12, and 2 other pairs of slacks, size 14 and 16. It's all in the way they are cut. Don't get discouraged.. You have made a great accomplishment with your weight loss, and remember ALL clothes do not fit alike and they all can be the same size on the tag. Have a great day, and keep up the good work!

bojamashell

Also, if you're anything like the girls around here your clothes are waaaaaay to tight to begin with. So when you lose weight, your clothing size doesn't go down because you were in the wrong size to begin with.

Actually, mine are the same way, and I never wore clothes too tight, actually the opposite, everything was too big because I didn't want the clothes touching me in anyway, let alone someone to see how big I was, so I wore bigger clothes.. errr.. Not sure where I got that logic..

Anywho, 38 down here, and can still wear everything that I could before, and cant wear some things I thought I should be able to.. Very frustrating, but I also measure and if I look at my measurements, I have lost 8 inches around hips, and 7 inches around my waist, though only 3 inches around my thighs. so, my thighs are what is holding everything up.. and I found that all of my clothes have some sort of stretch material in them, because the plus size clothing usually do, so my jeans etc, have the stretch stuff, and that works both ways, if your smaller, it will fit too. it is throughout the day that they get more loose.

My friend told me to go into a store and find an jeans that have zero stretch and see if they fit me one size smaller.
lo and behold, they did. Just those ones tho, the same size ones I have at home.. nope, don't fit..
frustrating indeed, but you are doing awesome!!

You're doing great! Those inches!! According to my measurements (which are probably wrong), I've lost 3 inches in my hips, gained 3 inches in waist (still not 100% sure where to measure for waist) and stayed the same in the neck. When I was going to the gym, they would measure arms, bust, midrise, waist, hips, thighs, and calves. Maybe I should go back to measuring all of that to see where the weight has gone.

lisa1231

First off - woohooo for losing 40lbs. All the clothing in the world can't take that away from you. :-)

Second - each clothing brand / manufacturer has their own specific specs for tops and bottoms. Specs are the measurements that they brand / manufacturer determines for the factory for each clothing size. Like how many inches the waist band should be for each size, how many inches the length of the top should be, neck size etc etc.


A big box store like Target and Walmart have the same specs across the board for all brands that they own. Target - Merona, Xhilaration, Walmart - George, Faded Glory .......
A store like Kohls the specs vary amongst the designer brand name - Vera Wang, Dana Buchman, Jenifer Lopez......

It is true that most higher end American brands Ralph Lauren, Michael Kors, Donna Karan tend to run a little smaller than mid-tier brands/stores like New York & Co, Charlotte Russe.

Also stores like H&M / Zara that are European based have smaller specs because the difference between European and American sizes. The garments in those stores were made with European specs, they then slap an American size on it.

So the moral of my post is screw it. The proof is in the number. You lost 40lbs. Give yourself a pat on the back because you deserve it. You can make yourself a new wadrobe account. Stash money in that account and when you are ready, go shopping and you'll see all your hard work paid off.

yoovie

different brands can definitely mean smaller cuts. I wear a 7 or a 9 in most brands of jeans, but with Revolt jeans I still wear an 11 or a 13.

Also - some brands of jeans put ZERO stretch material in their denim so it doesnt move and form to you as well as the ones that do- so you have to actually fit in it without it giving at all.

KEEP THEM, you will probably fit them soon and then they will fit you for a very very long time. Ive dealt with this alot over the past few years (i went from a size 24/26 to a 7/9) and it pays to be patient with those.

I recommend getting another pair of goal jeans, some you can get into barely, from a different brand, with a little stretch to them. Nailgun those suckers to the wall and try them on the first of every month. The day you wear them out of the house- no one will be able to even TOUCH your good mood!!

chevvy53

my advice they are just numbers...... in Britain wow the difference in sizes is amazing it a cost cutting thing for the stores on material , when I was at my lowest weight two years ago I was still in the same size clothes but looked great ??!! i just wear nice stuff regardless of the label .

emstgm

I have lost 37 lbs, and though many of my pants are too big (size 20-22), I still wear a pair of khakies size 22 that never fit me even when I was a size 20. Now I wear size 16's, yet these 22's still fit me (a bit baggy). I pulled out my size 16 jeans from about 10+ years ago. WAYYYY too small. But my new size 18 clothes are too big.

It's discouraging because as we lose we obviously want to go down in size. For a long while, I was stuck where my current pants were too baggy and the new smaller stuff was too tight. Hang in there ... it will shift and you'll be able to get those smaller ones on.

MarincicS

I am having the same problem. My old clothes are loose and baggy but new ones in a smaller size don't quite fit yet.

One thing I think is that my old clothes were probably too tight and stretched out a bit with the strain. I have been wearing the same pairs of Lane Bryant pants for years. Yet I bought the same size 9 months ago and they have been too snug to be comfortable. So really I had probably grown out of that size except for the stretch of my old ones.

But the old ones are going to have to go. The new ones in the same size actually fit pretty nicely. But I reckon I'll go down a size in another month or two. Can't wait.

But 40 pounds lost . . . . . YOU ROCK!!!!

tamsinwhitfield

Pretty much what everybody else said - sizes have become bordering on meaningless, given the increase in vanity sizing (and the difference in cut between different brands). However, I actually find the opposite of what a few people have mentioned - I tend to notice that high-end brands are cut smaller whereas cheap fall-apart-in-two-washes stuff is usually gigantic (to the extent that I actually can't shop in some stores at all because the smallest size stocked still seems to fit a good two sizes larger than what I'd consider correct). "Younger" stores also tend to have a smaller fit, as they're generally less forgiving to body shape.

Short version - ignore the labels, get the tape measure out. Tape measure doesn't lie!

twinmom01

Yep like everyone else said different brands are goinfg to fit differently - heck the same brand different styles are going to fit differently - I can wear some styles of Levi jeans in a 14 - other styles I can't get past my thighs

I went from a tight 16 (I.E. there were only a few brands I could fit a size 16 in) to now I am wearing a loose 14. I have a number of dress pants in size 14 that I bought about 6 years ago when I lost a bunch of weight the wrong way (hence why I am back loosing it again) and they all fit to the point of almost being too loose - but when I got to the store and try o 12's - no go without them being really tight...

I went to Goodwill the other day and managed to scoop up 2 pairs of size 14 jeans to have on hand -since I only had 1 pair of size 14 jeans (ok I lie I have 3 but 2 are from the mid 90's and really should not be seen in public ever again - light wash and mom style - I wasn't even a mom then....) and actually have something that fits - since I am still trying to loose weight I didn't want to spend a lot of money for jeans that (hopefully) won't fit in a few months...

gwyn48

Deja VU! I was just going to post on this same problem!
I too have lost a total of 46 lbs, but am getting discouraged because I have barely moved down in pant sizes. I also have a pair of jeans that were tight(size 22), and now, with a belt can be worn and look stylish.

As some posters have stated, all the pants in size 22 I can still wear is because they have between 5-25% Lycra spandex in them.

Shopping is no fun, because I am still not ready to shop with anyone, since none of them shop in the "big women's" section. However, I am in between sections. I can get into an XL or 18, but not always, and sometimes it's the large. I still plan on losing 50 more lbs, so I don't really want to spend alot of money on clothes.

I have found whenever I see any diet commercial about how they lost 20 lbs and 4 dress sizes I get frustrated, so as soon as those lead-ins come around, I mute them. I can't take it.

I have tried to concentrate on the little things- Trying to enjoy the pants slipping down the waist as I walk, or the start of seeing the collarbones around my neck.

The one thing that I have rarely seen mentioned is the difference in shoe sizes and widths these 46 lbs have made. I have gone down a 1/2 shoe size and am down to a D width from a WW. Heels no longer hurt at the end of the day and I can fit into sandals I bought last year but were so tight I couldn't wear them out. I now prance around in them at work.

Concentrate on the little successes!!

bojamashell

I am having the same problem. My old clothes are loose and baggy but new ones in a smaller size don't quite fit yet.

One thing I think is that my old clothes were probably too tight and stretched out a bit with the strain. I have been wearing the same pairs of Lane Bryant pants for years. Yet I bought the same size 9 months ago and they have been too snug to be comfortable. So really I had probably grown out of that size except for the stretch of my old ones.

But the old ones are going to have to go. The new ones in the same size actually fit pretty nicely. But I reckon I'll go down a size in another month or two. Can't wait.

But 40 pounds lost . . . . . YOU ROCK!!!!

That's exactly what I was talking about! So maybe that is it. I don't wear my clothes tight at all. Actually, I work in a soil lab, so it's jeans and t-shirt every day and I usually wear the shirts that aren't snug at all. I guess like someone else said that doesn't make much sense if you don't want people to see how big you are to wear bigger clothes. lol. But I guess it was more of, I don't want to show everyone where the weight actually is. Why should people be able to see the bulge in my tummy that almost looks like I'm pregnant. Haha. But perhaps, the jeans I wear all the time have been stretched because of wearing them so much. So I'll give it some more time.

Side note- for those of you that have lost weight, but still have more to go (a lot more to go, like me), have you noticed a shift? As I've lost weight, I notice the smallest part of my torso (which I used to think was the waist until proven wrong by a trainer at the gym) has gotten smaller. But as it has, it's like the skin is moving down, so now I have more in my waist and lower torso area. (which may be why I measured and figured I gained inches on my waist). Anyone have this happen? Seems kinda of weird.