Girls 5'7", when were you able to stop wearing +sizes?

I'm 5'7" and stuck at 160. I have a huge *kitten* and huge thighs, and I wear a size 11 jeans. In a top, I wear usually large, occasionally extra large. Not because I'm busty -- I'm an A, for sure -- but because I carry weight in my stomach and can't seem to get rid of it, and if I put on a shirt and see a bulge or even anything I don't like, I either don't wear that or find a larger size. I'm dying to get back in a 7, like I was five years ago, and a medium or even small top. Sigh!

When I was 216, I wore a size 16. When I was 206, I wore a size 14. I got down to 12 at about 180. And am wearing 8's at 160.

At 167 pounds, I was a size 14; now at 154 pounds, my size twelves are loose, and size 10s a little tight. Apparently different body types because I don't think someone weighing 160 could wear a size 8.

I started at 16 stone 2lbs and was in a UK size 18/20. After dropping 3 and a half stones, I'm in a 14 generally now. Hope that helps!

I lived in the UK for a bit and UK has stayed true to size where the US each size has actually GONE UP AT LEAST 2 SIZES in the past 20+ years!! So if you think you are a size 10 you are really what used to be a size 14!!

So if we put on a size 14 made today it is actually the same as an 18 twenty years ago. The US fashion industry has continued reset our clothing sizes as the population has continued to get bigger. When I was a gymnast 5'6" in high school and college at 130 lbs I was JUST sneaking into a size 12, off season at 150 - 160 lbs I was size 16!!

Now as an overweight adult at 230 I am in a size 20....in the UK I had to buy size 24!! I was never in a 24....it hurt to have to get a 24.

So for anyone older than 40 years old the sizes are not at all similar to what we were in high school. In high school some at 200 lbs was in size 20-22.

So it is all relative unless you are under 20 years old then you can measure yourself against 'what you used to wear"

The US fashion industry isn't doing any of us a favor really just setting up an illusion for us.

Caveat: I am NOT 5'7". I'm only about 5'1.5". And I very much agree with an earlier poster... today's US sizes for women's/misses clothing are NOT the same as the sizes 20-25 years ago! I had jeans that old to compare to, and wish I hadn't gotten rid of a couple of smaller pairs from that era a while back so I'd have them for comparison! Another difference is the advent of "stretch denim." The extra give in the jeans of today makes a HUGE difference in what size can be tolerated across a range of body sizes/shapes.

At my starting point I was wearing 10-15 year old Lee jeans in a Women's (Plus) size 24 or somewhat newer (about 5 years old) Women's (Plus) size 22. I weighed right at 220 pounds. At about 195 or so I was able to wear newer Misses (not Plus) size 18 petite and some older 15-20 year old Women's (Plus) 20. In early November, at about 180 I moved into my smallest pair of Lee jeans... a 5 year old pair of Misses (not plus) 16 petite. I bought more pairs in that size, and they were comfortably snug. I just bought a new pair of Lee jeans and a pair of Lee twill pants today. They are Misses 12 petite and they are what I would call a comfortably snug fit. I weigh 161 pounds currently. I think that as my weight drops more and more, there are fewer pounds between sizes. For what it's worth, I've just moved into a medium on my scrub pants and today bought a medium in a knit skirt because the XL wouldn't stay up at all and the waistband on the large was already loose and floppy. Any more pounds dropped and the skirt would drop too!

The OP later added that she finds "plus" sizes to be anything over a 14 because of the limited availability of anything over a 14. Where I live sizes up through 16 are pretty readily available with 18's being more rare or limited. If you get above that, the tags often specify "Women's" and a number or letter size. So, I'll go with about where I could have worn size 14 jeans, which would have been between 165-170 pounds on my 61.5" frame.