Weight or clothes size?

Bunnehface

Hi everyone

I've been on MFP since March now and am 2lb away from hitting 4 stone (56lb) lost. I really want to get there by the end of this year so that I can put it behind me and get to work on losing the last 2 stone (28lb) to get to my goal weight.

What I'd like to know is, for those of you who have met your goal or have lost a substantial amount, what has been more satisfying to you - the number on the scale or the clothes size you are wearing?

When I started, my weight was the most important goal for me. I wanted a BMI of under 25 so that I would be a "normal" weight for the first time in my life.

When I started I was a UK size 22 (US size 20), currently I am a 16 top (US 14) and small 18 bottom (US 16). I really wanted to be at my goal weight in time for my wedding dress fitting in July (we're getting married in October), but lately I've started worrying less about the scale and more about my clothes size. Being tall, I would love to be a size 14 (US 12), which is a nice curvy size for my height (I'm 5'10).

Which do you think is more important? Would you rather be a smaller size but still heavy, or a healthy weight but still wearing a bigger size?

FutureSkinnyMama03

I think I'd say the smaller size but heavier because wouldn't that mean I was leaner & had more muscle. Which would also mean the heavier weight was healthier if it meant I had lower fat% and more muscle. Right? Maybe I'm overthinking this.

sheleen302

Hi,
I definitely would rather be tighter and smaller, no matter what the scale says. I've found lifting heavy weights to be an excellent way of accomplishing this. Good luck on your fitting in July!

Jstash88

Well, weight is no indication of health, meaning that one can be slim but still unhealthy (no muscle, high cholesterol, and weak lung capacity) and the scale is not always the best indicator of size because muscle weighs more than fat, and if you lose fat and gain muscle the scale will go up but your clothing size will go down. In your case I say for now, work on how you'll look in that wedding dress. Congratulations! And make sure to post pictures when the time comes.

Narla444

Go for clothing size! My fittest and fattest were the same weight, but two sizes apart.

SleepySin

Neither are where I would find satisfaction. Depending on your body type, clothing sizes can range quite a bit and the same for weight as previous posters have said. Numbers are just silly. You can use them to help reach your goals but ultimately, I go with how I look naked in the mirror

nashbear

Neither are where I would find satisfaction. Depending on your body type, clothing sizes can range quite a bit and the same for weight as previous posters have said. Numbers are just silly. You can use them to help reach your goals but ultimately, I go with how I look naked in the mirror

^^^This

aschmidt679

I gained 3 lbs this week, all muscle, and i have decided i couldn't be happier. My fiance has mentioned how much smaller and trimmer i am looking, even though the scale isn't moving down. Stick with how you feel, be healthy, and don't worry quite as much about the scale. Yes, have a goal, but don't become so attached to that number that you get defeated. And be confident! You've accomplished so much, you will be a gorgeous bride!

Mutant13

Clothes size for sure, don't give a damn what I weigh

nxd10

The clothing size. In fact, maybe because I'm tall and didn't have that much to lose, the weight loss isn't that impressive (26 pounds). But the way I look - wow, what a difference. Every time I look in the mirror, slip on some clothes, or touch my legs, or bottom, or stomach, I'm reminded of what my body used to look/feel like when I was thin.

The clothes all being too big - even shoes and my stupid hat! - is pleasing but expected. But I had to laugh last night when I took out my banjo and I had to readjust the strap!

mrseelmerfudd

id go by clothing size!!!

newcs

Most definitely the clothes size. I've only lost about 15lbs since joining MFP (plus about 10 prior) but I've dropped 2+ pants sizes. The thrill of seeing the lower number on the scale wore off but every time I try on a small clothing item and it fits and looks good without any "omg, need to cover THAT area" sort of reaction, I'm happy about and proud of my weight loss all over again.

Tracey0013

I have moved from the scale to the clothing size now that I am down 40 pounds. I seem to be losing inches more often than pounds lately

LorinaLynn

Clothing, measurements and photos, definitely. No one else can see the number on the scale.

I'm leaner and look better at 135 than I did at 125.

BeachGingerOnTheRocks

For me, it is the number of dimples in my hips and thighs. The fewer of those there are, the happier I am. Between the two, clothing size makes me happier.

maddieprice87

I would rather be the smaller size and heavier, than the lower weight and less toned. xxx

jennfranklin

Both are very satisfying to me, but I say the way my clothes fit, just a little more!

kristen6022

When I was losing, weight. Now that I'm maintaining, if I can put my size 4 jeans on and they are comfortable, I'm good, it doesn't matter when I scale says.

em9371

size every time, especially if your goal is a wedding dress. Nobody will know what you weigh but everyone will see what size you are, and if you are nicely toned or flabby!!! Just becuase you have a low weight doesnt make you healthy. My friend is a size 8 but is pretty flabby and cant run to the end of the street.
Im down from 244lbs, UK 20-22 to UK 12, I do lots of exercise (weights / boxing / running). I still weigh 173 lbs but I'm only 2 inches / 1 size bigger than when i weighed 130lbs and did no exercise :-)

Sweetpea472

I really don't pay more that a second's worth of attention to the scale anymore. I'm looking more at body fat % and how I look in the mirror. I'm 5'3" and still wearing my size 12s. I need to get smaller clothes because my pants really do slide right off me, but I really like getting undressed at night and not having red marks all over my belly & hips from my clothing being too tight.

racheljonel

going down a size is much more satisfying for me! Sometimes I can't actually see a change in my body when I drop lbs....getting into smaller sizes makes it real.

n2thenight24

For me, the mirror is more important than anything else. Numbers lie, mirrors do not

BusyRaeNOTBusty

Size, (but yeah, looking good in the mirror too). I can wear the same size 6 jeans at 160lbs right now that I could at 145lbs 3 years ago.

celb500

I am also 5ft10 and I went from a size 16 (Uk sizes, I live in London) to a small UK12. I weigh 10 stone 12 with 4 pounds to go until my goal weight. If I say that I weigh 10stone 12 to my friends they gaspin horror but at our height being a size 12 is nice and allows you to still have curves so i'd say that my clothes size is WAY more important to me. I'm tall so i'm never going to be 9 stone something.

BTW WELL DONE FOR YOUR PROGRESS SO FAR!

kittyraj

I would definitely say clothes size. I was a UK 10 - 12 and I weighed about 160lbs.

I'm still trying to get leaner. I love the baffled look that nurses and doctors give me when my BMI doesn't match what they see.

My boyfriend thought I was about 10stones (140lbs) for someone my size and when I told him, he called me 'lead' (compact and heavy!)

I am presently 174 and a UK12

I'm 5'8" by the way. x

Emmenstwin

.

What I'd like to know is, for those of you who have met your goal or have lost a substantial amount, what has been more satisfying to you - the number on the scale or the clothes size you are wearing?

Which do you think is more important? Would you rather be a smaller size but still heavy, or a healthy weight but still wearing a bigger size?

I've found that the size I was wering mattered more to me then my weight did. I'd rather be smaller and heavy(like I am now) then weigh less and be a bigger size. Congrats on your loss and keep up the good work.

Drewillbeback111

how you look.

SleepySin

Coming from the fashion industry and adding to my earlier comment about the clothing sizes, every clothing manufacturer has their own technical specifications for their products. A size 4 pair of jeans could be a size 6 in another brand and depending on fiber content and cut, clothes "fit" differently. Likewise with letter sizes - I wear size Small but sometimes prefer a Medium.

I still say to stick to the mirror. Mirrors don't lie unless you happen to have a cheap one that's warped (this is more common than most people think and department stores are notorious for using ones that make you look slimmer) or you're lucky enough to have an awesome funhouse mirror.

Erica262

Neither are where I would find satisfaction. Depending on your body type, clothing sizes can range quite a bit and the same for weight as previous posters have said. Numbers are just silly. You can use them to help reach your goals but ultimately, I go with how I look naked in the mirror

I agree with this too. Clothing sizes (at least in the US) vary depending on the brand. The number on the scale is a good starting point if you have a lot of weight to lose, but after you get closer to a healthy weight, the number on the scale doesn't matter as much as how you feel, how you look in the mirror and in photos. My goal right now is to get back down towards 130 pounds, but I also want to be really strong (because I'm training for Tough Mudder), so the muscle I gain might make me closer to 140 and I'm okay with that.

dorianaldyn

Being female, I'm going to go with what the scale says. Womens' clothing sizes are all over the place. I have skirts that are size 0 that are big on me and I have pants that are size 4 that fit just right, jeans that are size 2 - all over the place. I think there's too much vanity sizing so I just don't trust sizes here in the U.S. (BTW, there is no way I should be a zero, my friend who is much smaller than me has such a hard time finding clothes to fit her because of vanity sizing). Anyway, if I were a guy, I could see the size being more rewarding - like fitting back into those 32/34 pants one wore in high school. 32 inches is still 32 inches as far as I know! Guys, please feel free to correct me if you have vanity sizing problems too.

Bunnehface

I'll be honest, I'm not in pursuit of the perfect body, which some people will probably criticise me for.

Just to be a "normal" size - aka not plus size - would be huge for me. I've never been that. I'm not looking for a six pack or bikini body. I just want to be normal! I'm probably never going to love what I see in the mirror, but I can be ok with it. That might sound defeatist, but believe me, when I've spent the last 26 years hating what I see, being ok with it would be a great improvement!