Pear shapes and losing pant sizes

jennifermaffei17
jennifermaffei17 Posts: 158
in Health and Weight Loss
I hear these articles and commercials say they can make you drop a dress size in a week guaranteed. While I think that works for some people, that definitely doesn't work for me. I had to lose 30lbs just to drop 1 dress size. I think I have wide hips and I know I have "thunder thighs" ...currently I'm 185lbs and 5'8". Anyone else having issues actually dropping those dress sizes/jean sizes even if they lose a lot of weight?

Replies

  • llkilgore
    llkilgore Posts: 1,169 Member
    It took a loss of around 25 pounds, down from 180, before I lost the first pant size, and I'm about as far from being pear shaped as women ever are. I lost from the top down and suspect that you've doing the same. My pant size went down fairly rapidly once I began losing fat from areas of my anatomy covered by pants, but that was only after most of the excess fat north of my waistline was gone.
  • meechi53
    meechi53 Posts: 195 Member
    I have lost over 25 lbs and have dropped about a size and a half and that's mostly due to my booty and thighs. I think when they claim that, they are appealing to the apple shaped folks that carry their weight in their stomach and the weight comes off more quickly there. If I could get my hip/butt size down to my waist size I'd be down 2 sizes, maybe 3. People always said 10 lbs per size but not with my body
  • jaj68
    jaj68 Posts: 158 Member
    I am definitely pear shaped. I have lost 26 pounds....and I am still in the same size. I had to take in the waist...but I still needed all the room in the hips. :( boooooooooooooooo
  • shortnerdy
    shortnerdy Posts: 131
    Having a 12.5 inch difference between my hips and waist I HEAR YA! Thighs are SO hard to lose weight from. My old "skinny" shirts fit no problem now but my old pants I can barely squeeze into. You are not alone :)
  • mmarcy7
    mmarcy7 Posts: 227 Member
    Yes, I hear people say 10 lbs is a dress size, but I have only gone down 1 size, maybe 2 in certain pants and have lost 36 lbs!
  • amanda_ataraxia
    amanda_ataraxia Posts: 400 Member
    It also took me 35lbs to lose a pants size!
  • Rae6503
    Rae6503 Posts: 6,294 Member
    Our "problem areas" are our "problems areas" because they are the first area to gain and the last to lose. As you get closer to your goal, the hips/thighs WILL start giving up the fat and the pants size will drop.
  • jsdholland
    jsdholland Posts: 77 Member
    I am having the same issue...down 35 and only one size...but I was probably squeezing into clothes one size too small anyway, so maybe I'm down more. Definitely trimmer on top than the bottom at this point.
  • ToughTulip
    ToughTulip Posts: 1,118 Member
    Our "problem areas" are our "problems areas" because they are the first area to gain and the last to lose. As you get closer to your goal, the hips/thighs WILL start giving up the fat and the pants size will drop.

    Yup! Its just slow. Took me a very long time to start actually losing in my problem area.
    I lost 20 pounds before I dropped a size. Then I dropped them a lot faster after that
  • frando
    frando Posts: 583 Member
    I'm a pear shape and kinda embrace it really, otherwise I'd hate it!

    I've dropped about two dress sizes on my torso (ie tops, shirts and blouses) but only one (at a push) for trousers, jeans etc.

    When it comes to dresses I tend try to go see them in person and see if I can meet it in the middle size wise.
  • tammyopolin
    tammyopolin Posts: 98 Member
    My pant size hasn't changed much, and I've lost almost 50 lbs since January. I've only gone down about a size and a half. Most of my weight has come off of my chest and waist, but hardly any from my butt and thighs.
  • Superrhi
    Superrhi Posts: 84
    I'm a pear, Its taken me about 15-20lbs to lose 1 pant size and 2 top sizes. Damn my big butt and thunder thighs.
  • faya195
    faya195 Posts: 17 Member
    I started off quite big and it took me 20-30 pounds to go down the first dress size. It then was around 15 pounds for a dress size and currently - I.e. now that I'm in the "normal" BMI range - it seems to be 7-10 pounds. Of course the strange sizing companies use doesn't help: at the same weight I was wearing two pairs of jeans from the same company, same cut but one bought last summer and one bought this spring. The one from last summer was a very loose (as in: almost fall off me if worn without a belt) UK 14, the one bought this spring a tight around the thighs UK 16...
  • Le_Joy
    Le_Joy Posts: 549 Member
    I'm a pear shape and 80 lbs took me from size 20 pants to size 12. I can fit into a 10 if the pants are made for people with hips. And I lose dress sizes easily IF it has a high waist and then fits loose from there. Also I am less pear shaped than I was when I started. Will likely be that shape forever, but it isn't as obvious as it was.

    ETA: Another thing to consider is the type of pants you wore before. Many people (me included) wore the pants with some stretch to them that are made for people with hips & butt and now I try to wear "normal" pants.
  • tssmith5311
    tssmith5311 Posts: 1
    Doing weightlifting with your legs adds muscle. I find running and elliptical and biking help to tone up the legs without bulking them up. Good luck!
  • AZKristi
    AZKristi Posts: 1,801 Member
    I'm averaging about 20 pounds lost each time I go down a pant size. My fat is around my waist more than my hips or thighs.
  • Lyssa62
    Lyssa62 Posts: 930 Member
    I'm a pear :( I did go down 1 size in jeans after the 12 lbs lost..but they are still clinging to my thunder thighs...and let's talk about the booty? Uh yeah mine needs it's own zip code.
  • jenmurray116
    jenmurray116 Posts: 18 Member
    Definitely pear shaped and it takes me close to 25lbs to lose a size, though from past experience, after the first size drop, it goes a little quicker (more like 15 to 20 lbs for the next size, etc...)
  • AlphamaleBAMF
    AlphamaleBAMF Posts: 373 Member
    It's weird how women (and some really rare pear shaped men) put on weight on the lower half of their body first. It must be so bizarre to have all this fat down there, but not much up top.

    I saw a group of big butt ladies wearing spandex tights and singlets walking up a hill, while I was on my way home from gym. They all had big butts and thighs. I thought it was an interesting contrast to my apple shaped male body.
  • rottiegirl22
    rottiegirl22 Posts: 19 Member
    I'm so happy to read this post! This is such a pet peeve of mine, watching sizes go down on everyone but me. HA! I'm at 32 pounds lost and FINALLY have dropped a size, maybe 2, in pants. I started in 16 Women's, and those are too big so I got rid of them. Currently wearing 16 in misses and they are baggy but still stay up. I tried on 2 pairs of 14's, one extremely tight and 1 that fit. So that's where the maybe 2 sizes comes in. Do people normally count going women's to misses as a size change? And why can't brands just be consistent in sizing? Geesh. Way to make it hard on people. Kid's clothes are the same. The range of sizes in my daughter's closet is ridiculous. And she's only 5!
  • marie_cressman
    marie_cressman Posts: 980 Member
    i'm pear shaped... definitely struggle with jeans, but with dresses i can easily wear a size 6 or 8 (as long as they have a higher waist). i have a 14 inch difference in my waist and hips. i kind of like it though. LOL i just know i can't shop in the juniors section EVER and certain stores i easily wear a size 10 and others i wear a size 12. :)
  • Lyssa62
    Lyssa62 Posts: 930 Member
    LOL I can't get in on the size discussion..I've pissed a whole bunch of people off discussing sizes and it's not worth it. :) ...but I HEAR you!!!! I have 1 size 15 too tight..1 pair just right and then another brand I'm still wearing a 16 in. Holy mother of all things denim.
  • ngcgurl03
    ngcgurl03 Posts: 207 Member
    yes i definitely know how that goes i lost over 40lbs and i can still wear my same clothes they are a little loose but i can still wear them i wear size 14 some 12s but i have for the longest time wore 12-14 so i am hoping to get to a size 9/10 at least i hope i make it.
  • Janet1042
    Janet1042 Posts: 5 Member
    I think the key thing to know is... once a pear shape, always a pear shape. I dropped from a size 14/16 down to a 6 or 8 after losing almost 50 lbs, but I'm still a pear shape, just a smaller one. And a much flatter one up top... sigh.

    It took me years and years to accept it, but I've finally resigned myself to buying a size larger pants than a non pear shape would typically wear and then take the pants to a tailor for hemming and altering around the waist. This has driven me to have fewer pairs of pants, but I spend a little more money on them to make it worthwhile to hem/alter. I will admit that after losing the weight it's much easier to say - I have hips, so what! :-) It's also still important to only buy pants styles that flatter pear shapes even when those pants size numbers are smaller. Avoid pleats, tapered jeans/pants and anything high waisted. I bet those size numbers will drop, just takes time.
  • fueledbychange
    fueledbychange Posts: 132 Member
    I am a VERY prominent pear shape, and I've only lost about 50lbs in total, but I've dropped like 8 dress sizes. Everyone's body is different, even if they're the same body shape!
  • mstifb
    mstifb Posts: 230
    I hear these articles and commercials say they can make you drop a dress size in a week guaranteed. While I think that works for some people, that definitely doesn't work for me. I had to lose 30lbs just to drop 1 dress size. I think I have wide hips and I know I have "thunder thighs" ...currently I'm 185lbs and 5'8". Anyone else having issues actually dropping those dress sizes/jean sizes even if they lose a lot of weight?

    Yes - and I still have my "buddha belly" - haven't even lost 1/4 inch in my abdomen! :noway: Have big hips and thighs and I really want to lose the gut too. I keep hearing the belly weight is the "last to go" but I want it gone NOW!! :cry:
  • midnightwhispers
    midnightwhispers Posts: 42
    I hate my hips! I could fit a size smaller in my waist but need the bigger size to fit over my damn hips. Being pear shape sucks
  • onyxgirl17
    onyxgirl17 Posts: 1,722 Member
    Yea I have a 12 inch difference between my waist and hips too. It kinda sucks because I don't really want to lose much off my top half but that's exactly what I lose first. ^-^
  • Lyssa62
    Lyssa62 Posts: 930 Member
    I hate my hips! I could fit a size smaller in my waist but need the bigger size to fit over my damn hips. Being pear shape sucks

    I could have written that..can't say it any better. The only plus is..I think if a person is going to hold weight isn't the pear shape better??? I mean I know none of it is but I thought I heard once we that hold it in our hips and butts are better off than people who hold it on their waist? Holy crap we should get some kind of benefit out of this deal!
  • Rae6503
    Rae6503 Posts: 6,294 Member
    I hate my hips! I could fit a size smaller in my waist but need the bigger size to fit over my damn hips. Being pear shape sucks

    'eh, find a tailor or wear a belt. There are worse things in life.

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