Weight loss - dress size

oqm69
oqm69 Posts: 1
in Health and Weight Loss
I have to admit to wishing that when I lose a few pounds I would drop a dress size! I've come to the conclusion that my body shape/type just doesn't allow for that. Don't get me wrong *I* notice the weight loss. But 55 pounds ago I crept into a size 14, I'm still a size 14. So technically I will have to lose those 55 again in order to drop to a lower size. I am so thrilled that I have lost 13lbs so far, and I am feeling the difference.

I know it's not a big deal - and it is nice on my wallet that i don't have to go out and buy a new wardrobe.... I guess I just wish that the smaller losses made a bigger difference to my appearance....

I hope I am making sense, but does any one else have the same experience?

Replies

  • wattsj56
    wattsj56 Posts: 94
    that's how i am too. i first lose all weight in my face and neck. then once i lose around 40 something pounds then i MIGHT go down one size!
  • Run4UrHealth
    Run4UrHealth Posts: 348 Member
    I have lost almost 43 pounds and went from a size 16 to 10 in pants and XL-M in tops....it takes more than a few pounds to actually drop a size. I was always told 10 pounds would drop a pants size but that may not be true for everyone because it all depends on where you carry your weight and where you lose from first.
  • carpetbagger12000
    carpetbagger12000 Posts: 41 Member
    I have heard people say that as you lose weight, your body fat redistributes itself. I don't know if this is true in all cases, but I have found that fat comes off top down. The face appears thinner first, then the neck, the boobs get smaller, and it takes a lot longer for the fat to come off the stomach, hips and thighs, which are usually what determine the dress size. Be patient. You will be able to get that new wardrobe you want. You could try signing up for a body sculpting class at your local gym. That would help tone the muscles so that when the fat does peel away, you will have a nicer shape underneath. Good luck!
  • vjt1976
    vjt1976 Posts: 43
    I have lost 23 lbs and have not dropped a dress size. Yes my tops & pants are looser but if I try to go to the next size down they are too tight! I am measuring so I know I am losing inches but it's just a little here and a little there. I know it will take time so I'm not giving up hope. Please do not give hope either. We will get there before we know it!
  • padraigin67
    padraigin67 Posts: 78 Member
    Losing the weigh does not always equate in to size loss. I would start concentrating on toning my body. When I lost 30 lbs, two years ago I stayed a 14 because I did not tone. I have lost 11 lbs since I started here and an additional 14 lbs before. I was a 16-18 and now I am a 10. The biggest difference is this time I am toning as I lose the weight. Just a thought!! :flowerforyou:
  • TinaBaily
    TinaBaily Posts: 792 Member
    I think it all depends on where you are carrying the most of your excess weight. My body puts on excess weight like a painter painting a statue and it goes EVERYWHERE, fairly evenly, with exception of my middle, which has more. The important thing to keep in mind is that you ARE losing, and that you are becoming healthier because of it. Keep up your efforts and before you know it you'll be in the next size smaller. Best of luck to you!!

    edited to correct spelling error :-/
  • glenette1
    glenette1 Posts: 140 Member
    I understand your frustration. I have lost 30 pounds and have gone down a shirt size, but maybe only 1/2 a size in pants (I can still wear some of my size 18 pants, most size 16, and some 14 so I really don't know how to judge it). I thought this far in I would be noticing bigger changes but I guess it does take time.
  • minuet42
    minuet42 Posts: 33
    I understand - I'm lucky in that whenever I gained, I gained evenly all over, but of course that also means that I lose all over, too. I'm down (nearly!) 35 pounds, but all my jeans still fit the same, I'm still wearing the stuff I wore two summers ago, and I'm ready to throw it all out and get to buy new skinny clothes! Gotta work harder...
  • Southern_Belle
    Southern_Belle Posts: 5
    For me, I've noticed that every 20 lbs equals smaller pants or dress. Looking in the mirror my body shape still seems to be the same as before, but I've noticed that it seems that I lose from the outside in. By that I mean that I notice a visible difference from my head & neck, tips of my fingers to my elbows, & tips of my toes to my knees before I visually see changes in the torso, upper arms & thighs. BUT, I keep up with my measurements, so I know I'm losing inches all over. I guess it's just easier to spot in those smaller areas of the body.
  • meggonkgonk
    meggonkgonk Posts: 2,066 Member
    I'm not sure how this works for you but when I got up to size 14, I CLUNG to it for dear life. I was *probably* closing in on size 16 when I started MFP, so it took me almost 2x as long to drop from 14 to 12 as any other size change. Otherwise I find it comes every 10-20 lbs.

    Keep plugging! It will come!
  • ShreddedTweet
    ShreddedTweet Posts: 1,326 Member
    It's all relative, the smaller you get the less you will have to lose to see a difference. 7lbs to 10lbs would see me drop a full dress size but it would be VERY difficult for me to lose that because I am a normal weight...Just keep plugging away!
  • jnj1013
    jnj1013 Posts: 27
    I lost about 14 pounds and was still wearing all my old clothes, I started a boot camp 5 days a week with just 6 pounds to go. So far I have only lost about 3 pounds of that remaining total but I've gone down 3 pants sizes. I had to use a binder clip the other day at work to hold up a pair of my old pants!

    Add strength training to your workout routine, it's the best thing I've ever done for myself. Not to mention now I crave the workout and I can bust out 45 pushups without blinking an eye (on my feet no less)!
  • stardancer7
    stardancer7 Posts: 276 Member
    I find it really funny that the first thing I notice is my shoelaces are way longer!
  • Francesca3162
    Francesca3162 Posts: 520 Member
    At my heaviest, I was wearing a size 18, but could wear some 16 pants depending on cut.
    When I lost my first twenty pounds, those 18's and 16's sat at my hip or fell off.
    With the next 20 lbs, I dropped from 14's, to 12's and some 10's fit now.
    but that is because most of the weight came off waist, hips and thighs...
    Conversely, that is where I carry my weight as well.

    The only exercise I was doing then was cardio (mostly walking, or Zumba).
    Now I have started some beginner weight/strength training so I can tone up the flab..... as I near my goal weight/BF%.
    it is all about where you carry it. Take pictures and compare to before shots.... you will notice the change.
  • mphlab
    mphlab Posts: 187 Member
    My own observation is that there is more space between plus sizes than smaller misses sizes. 38 pounds got me from 20W to 16W but I thought that might mean a lower size. I agree with the poster that said about 20 pounds per size. And for me it comes slower off the hips:(
  • rnb1127
    rnb1127 Posts: 23 Member
    I was always told 10 pounds would drop a pants size but that may not be true for everyone

    I've always heard that too and was like WTF that is NOT the case for me, I have too much tummy AND booty LOL
    Atleast it's good to know that I am not the only one that feels this way.
  • SMJ1987
    SMJ1987 Posts: 368
    It's all relative, the smaller you get the less you will have to lose to see a difference. 7lbs to 10lbs would see me drop a full dress size but it would be VERY difficult for me to lose that because I am a normal weight...Just keep plugging away!

    This. I have found that from sizes 10 to 4 has been equal to about a 10 lbs loss for each.
  • gaiareeves
    gaiareeves Posts: 292 Member
    It depends on how much you have to lose.

    38lbs got me from a UK 16/US 12 to a UK 10/US 6. I've generally found every 10 - 15lbs drops a size for me, but as other's have said, it depends on your body shape and where you carry the weight.

    Like I can fit into some UK 8/US 4 tops, but I'd never get into jeans that size because my thighs are 22" and that's where I carry all my weight.
  • jcstanton
    jcstanton Posts: 1,849 Member
    I think it's relative. Everyone loses weight a little differently. For me, it starts internally. The first thing I lose is the fat that is clinging to my internal organs, and I almost immediately notice a difference in how I feel. For example, it becomes easier to breathe, I don't feel as bloated, and when I suck in my gut the movement is visible. However, there isn't much of a change in my clothing size. The next place I start to lose is my upper abdomen...the area I used to refer to as "my second boobs" because when I'm sitting down my muffin top looks like a second set of boobs...and my arms. By now I am starting to see a visible difference when I look in the mirror and my tops are starting to fit a little loosely. Next I start noticing that the legs and butt area of my pants are getting loose and the love handles on my back and sides are getting smaller. By this point, I have usually lost a size or two. After that the weight usually comes off my whole body and the last places I lose fat are my lower abdomen and boobs.

    SW: 297lbs, Size 24W and getting snug
    CW: 247lbs, Size 18W-20W and holding steady (trying some new things to get the ball rolling again)
    GW: 135-140lbs or Size 7/8 (whichever comes first)
  • gem192
    gem192 Posts: 39 Member
    What everyone's said already, really, plus, I know that I was a UK16 when I started (but kidding myself and my clothes weren't fitting properly) and 8lbs down I'm now a "real" 16, measurement wise. So I'd say for me it's about 10lbs a dress size if I hadn't been kidding myself.

    Keep measuring yourself and remember the same dress size will be different in different clothes, even from the same shop!

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