Fitness wear frustrations

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  • maledoux
    maledoux Posts: 24 Member
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    Wow. I had the exact SAME experience at Academy... it's so frustrating that my fitness goal is to fit into workout clothes. So, for the longest I just wore some men's gym shorts and tshirts. Until I discovered JC Penney's plus size fitness clothes, I really like the Xersion line. Especially, the compression capris with the zipper pocket above the butt. They are just perfect. And the shirts come in every color. Love Love. I'm not a big fan of the Old Navy line; even though they aren't bad either.
  • redheaddee
    redheaddee Posts: 2,005 Member
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    My local Goodwill has been a godsend. Seriously. And on Thursdays a whole section of the store becomes $1 a piece. I own more clothing than one person should ever have. I have found some of my very best workout clothing there, sometimes with tags still on them.
  • BIRDIEBL8
    BIRDIEBL8 Posts: 155 Member
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    I feel ya on this one! Last time I was at Academy Sports I just drooled over all the cute running clothes & comfortable looking hiking shorts. It is currently my motivation to keep exercising. So far I bought men's running shorts, men's long underwear top, men's cycling shorts, women's nike running shoes & socks. I can't wait for the day I shop the woman's dept. BTW good luck with the sports bras, I just grabbed a couple at L Bryant.
  • CoderGal
    CoderGal Posts: 6,800 Member
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    I'm new here. I've lost 20lbs using the myfitnesspal since late September and so thankful for the phone app.

    Currently I am working out 5-6 days per week and I am trying to find fitness wear in my size. I left Academy Sports in tears tonight. After searching high and low I asked the Manager where the plus sizes were. (honestly I knew there weren't any and that was my point).

    She told me they have "One t-shirt over there" but that's it. Really? ONE t-shirt? NO yoga pants? No shorts? No moisture wicking cute workout shirts? No. I then asked her how large her men's wear sizes go. 4X. She kept telling me the men's dept goes to 4x if I want to check there. Or, she suggested, go online.

    So I did. I went online. They have 3 shirts in womens wear above a size XL. In the men's shirt dept they have over 50 shirts right now.

    Where do you find workout wear for women with large chests? I don't want to order online. I want to go inside a store and try it on just like the skinny girls. I am feeling sad and overwhelmed. Very frustrated.
    Do you know how much one (not online) store would make selling plus size athletic wear? Even some of the skinny people don't like snug clothes. If that place ever existed it likely went out of business. You can be obese on the BMI scales and still be very thin if you keep active and weight train.

    With that being said there are no reasons to cry when you are headed in all the right directions. I use to know a couple of online stores but can't for the life of me remember anymore :( I use to work at Zellers long ago and know they use to sell some (the clearance racks use to be maggoty with them). It was usually mixed in with regular clearance as well as maternity clothes. I've seen the same type of things happen at Walmart so you may get lucky there as well. I'd suggest looking for another online store.
  • peacemongernc
    peacemongernc Posts: 253 Member
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    I cried, happy tears, in the dressing room when I finally got to a size that I could wear "real" exercise stuff. It was particularly frustrating because the sizes for workout clothes are all over the place, but it all started to fit about the same time... I bought XLs, 2Xs and Larges from different companies, all fitting when I got the about 225. The most comfortable ones were the ones from Target, but even there, I tried 3 or 4 different styles, all from the same company, in the same size, and only one fit well. I found some at Kohls, too.

    Before I could get into those, I found some great cotton (t-shirt material) capris at Kmart, with matching t-shirts, in the plus size dept, and they worked great. I wore them OUT, but they were very comfortable for working out.

    I'm going shopping tomorrow to see if I can find a sports bra type top that fits. I'm down to 203, over 20 pounds from where I first got into the fitness clothes, and I think I still can't get into the sports bras... I'll see soon. They appear to be all made for A, B, and C cups, so even if they will go around me, they still won't fit.

    So, yeah, my chest is by far the hardest thing to get to fit into fitness clothes.
  • mommm65
    mommm65 Posts: 15 Member
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    Wow. I had the exact SAME experience at Academy... it's so frustrating that my fitness goal is to fit into workout clothes. So, for the longest I just wore some men's gym shorts and tshirts. Until I discovered JC Penney's plus size fitness clothes, I really like the Xersion line. Especially, the compression capris with the zipper pocket above the butt. They are just perfect. And the shirts come in every color. Love Love. I'm not a big fan of the Old Navy line; even though they aren't bad either.

    Thank you! I will try to hit the JCPenny's this week and hopefully find something. Several people have also suggested Walmart so I will look there again in case I missed it before. I am just really tired of wearing the same old cotton t-shirts every.single.day.
  • CoraGregoryCPA
    CoraGregoryCPA Posts: 1,087 Member
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    I like Target workout clothes.
  • maledoux
    maledoux Posts: 24 Member
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    Yes! Plus, the cotton tshirts hold the sweat more noticeably... not so cute when working out around others. Plus, fun workout clothes help with the overall experience! Keep it up, woman!
  • peacemongernc
    peacemongernc Posts: 253 Member
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    I'm sure you probably already know this, but don't buy anything without trying it on. The plus sized Under Armour is cute, but runs really small! Walmart does have a big selection, but the stores around here tend to only have one style in the largest sizes, BUT if you can determine your size by trying some stuff on while you are there, you can order that size in the style that you want and have it shipped to the store. You can try it on before you leave the store with it and return it before you go home if it doesn't work.
  • ecw3780
    ecw3780 Posts: 608 Member
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    I had the same problem when I started my journey! I ended up finding just what I need at Wal-Mart. They have Danskin workout clothes up to a 3X. They carry the moisture-wicking tops too. As much as love the comfy clothes to workout in, it's my socks that i couldn't do without. I was spending a lot of money buying Thorlo brand socks and I liked them but I recently bought a three pack of New Balance socks at Academy Sports and I love them even more and I got all three pair for the price of one pair of Thorlo. They have cushioning and are moisture-wicking. Don't forget to take care of your feet! Good luck on your journey!

    target has fantastic socks! I have switched to their compression socks...and they are not expensive.
  • galvestongal
    galvestongal Posts: 186 Member
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    I have always gotten plus size fitness clothes from Old Navy. Their clothes are just as good as the other brands and are very cute. I would go check out their website for plus size active wear. I don't think you'll be disappointed!
  • TssCnn
    TssCnn Posts: 114 Member
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    I've seen larger sizes in Target and ****s Sporting Goods.

    Old Navy will probably be best bet HOWEVER Plus size is online only. Returning/Exchanging with them online is really no issue. Actually very easy.
  • tstancom
    tstancom Posts: 47 Member
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    Congrats on your 20lb loss! All the other ladies have made great suggestions here. I just wanted to say hang in there and don't let the clothing issue drag you too far down. I've been there and it sucks, but the best part is when you get to your goal weight and can pick up the expensive stuff in your size. Keep the end in sight :) You're doing great!
  • Poetic_Photography
    Poetic_Photography Posts: 138
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    I go to lanebryant.com (or visit the store) and woman within.com - I understand your frustration as I have been in your same shoes many times!
  • Summerberry1012
    Summerberry1012 Posts: 109 Member
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    Not sure if you have a costco near you but I've found some decent stuff there at good price points. I just go for comfy as most users have mentioned and would rather wait to buy the cute stuff when i'm closer to my goal as they are pricey. I like Champion for workout bras (i'm busty too and it took me forever to find a bra that worked and that i didn't have to double-up on.)
  • Cyclingbonnie
    Cyclingbonnie Posts: 413 Member
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    I so understand what you are going through. Actually one my listed motivations is to be able to wear sport clothing made for women. I had an on going email with Terry Bicycles about their plus size clothing. At first they were trying to say there were plenty, then they just quit responding. At one time they carried an extremely diverse selection for the plus size and then suddenly not. I wear Men's UnderArmor, I'm looking forward to the day I can wear women's clothing.
  • mjhedgehog
    mjhedgehog Posts: 249 Member
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    Do you have a Shopko near you? The one I work at has plus size activewear in Adidas, Nike, and Energy Zone. Not sure if all Shopkos have it or not.
  • okcat4
    okcat4 Posts: 224 Member
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    Target, Walmart and Kohl's. Cheaper and have larger sizes. I bought good bras and shorts ( Champion) there and pants, but stick to t shorts for most work outs.Comfy and easy to wash. However, if you are larger chested lady, I can not recommend Moving Comfort for bras for larger gals for sports. Much better work outs when you are not sore...
  • NZhellkat
    NZhellkat Posts: 355 Member
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    I got my stuff from The Warehouse in New Zealand. That was about 13 years ago and the pants are still in excellent condition as are the tops. I've only had to buy sports bras. These pants have stretched to fit me at 245lbs and now I'm down to 188lbs and they still fit. By the time I get to my first goal they may not unless I can get them taken in. I love them and they were very affordable.
  • meshashesha2012
    meshashesha2012 Posts: 8,326 Member
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    I'm sure you probably already know this, but don't buy anything without trying it on. The plus sized Under Armour is cute, but runs really small!

    that's because under armor is meant to be compression wear. the functions of compression wear are completely different than for other types of workout gear. so it's the size it's supposed to be and isnt running small

    i wear my compression on days i do weights close to my 1 rep max and want to minimize the post workout DOMS.

    on other days i wear old navy vintage style tees since i have so many that are too large. they are thin enough that they dont hold on to sweat

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