Scale Going Down, Clothes Not

jkandktmom
jkandktmom Posts: 1,010 Member
in Motivation and Support
I've lost over 20 pounds at a pretty good pace :smile: but my clothes still fit. My jeans aren't getting loose. My bras don't need adjusting. I'm not swimming in my shirts. When will I start to see changes in my body? Is it because I'm tall (5'9.5) and the weight is more distributed?

I love watching the scale go down but I would love to buy some summer clothes in a smaller size and at the rate I'm going I won't even be buying winter clothes in a smaller size.:frown: Oh and in case it matters I have been doing weight resistance circuit training 3-4 days a week and walking 2 miles 2-3 days a week.

Replies

  • TiaFerrera
    TiaFerrera Posts: 93
    Funny aint it? I've dropped 17 and I'm just not seeing it either. I think it will all pay off though ;)
  • squirrelzzrule22
    squirrelzzrule22 Posts: 640 Member
    The height does make a difference. My pants have gotten looser, but when I tell people I've lost 17lbs they don't believe it for a second!! Especially if you lose evenly all of your body you may not feel a big size change. But I am totally sure it's more than you realize, and its one of those things where you could wake up five pounds from now and be like HOLy COW I'M TeENY!

    Great job and keep it up!!
  • Wrenbot87
    Wrenbot87 Posts: 100 Member
    I've lost almost 50 and only just moved down a pant size where they didn't give me muffin top! I'm 5'10.5, and I'm hour glass shaped. It took a while for me..but I know I'm losing inches everywhere!
  • NoXQuse
    NoXQuse Posts: 10
    This is not meant to be discouraging to you, but I did not really notice a huge difference in my clothes and the way they fit until I was down about 30 lbs. Now nothing fits. Everything (including my bras) are all way too big. Hang in there. It's also funny because I feel like I noticed it over night. One day I could barely wear a size ten becuase they were tight and then all the sudden I put on a size three pants and they fit great. However they were nine months apart. I tried not to focus on the size of my clothes, though more eating healthy and working out because I wanted to feel good about myself. Try not to focus on how clothes fit and before you know it they will be too big. Just don't give up!
  • dawningr
    dawningr Posts: 387 Member
    I'm almost to 40 pounds and am now noticing a difference in my pants. Also, people are starting to comment on my weight loss now. It'll come.
  • JenSD6
    JenSD6 Posts: 454 Member
    Feeling much the same way. I'm down 20 pounds from my worst point last summer, 15 since January, and I'm still wearing those clothes. I'm losing weight somewhere, but it's certainly not in my waistline which feels worse and more disproportional than ever.
  • DarkSable
    DarkSable Posts: 36 Member
    I am around your height, and it does take a good while before you'll really start to notice a big difference. I think you won't be far away now though. I lost about 36 pounds before, and it was around 25 that people really started to say "WOW - Look how much weight you've lost!!"

    On the up-side, a couple of pounds put back on at our height, will not even show! :wink: When I would tell people what I weighed before, they never believed me because I didn't look that heavy,
  • chasetwins
    chasetwins Posts: 702 Member
    Down over 20 pounds and several inches ALL over...still in same clothes! Doesn't make sense but so long as I see both measuring tape and scale going down..I am dealing :/
    I have noticed that my pants are loser in the evening after wearing them all day LOL..so i get a boost of confidence then :)
  • EPICSRT
    EPICSRT Posts: 222 Member
    Not sure what you are doing to lose the weight, but if it is only watching your coloric intake and not exercising very much, then add something like JM's 30 Day Shred.

    My wife was in similar situation- losing weight, but not a lot in the way of clothes size (she does not wear tight fitting clothes either). I made a deal with her that if she would do 30 consecutive days of 30DS and lose some inches, I'd buy the new wardrobe.

    Overall, she lost a total of 38 pounds and went from a size 12 to a 6. Before doing 30DS she did not really engage in any much exercise at all. She was losing weight by simply watching her intake. Also, before committing to the exercise she probably could have gotten into a 10, but she didn't lose much in size until she added in the exercise.

    Hope this helps!
  • jkandktmom
    jkandktmom Posts: 1,010 Member
    Yep, I'm working out 4-5 days a week- resistance weight training and C25K/walking.
  • punkisdead83
    punkisdead83 Posts: 69 Member
    I'm wondering if its muscle you're developing.
  • A_Fit_Mom
    A_Fit_Mom Posts: 602 Member
    It all depends where you lost the weight. Most of my weight is in my lower belly from my two pregnancies. I am 5"8 with a long torso, so after both my pregnancies it was my lower stomach that was stretched out.


    So I noticed after just losing 15 pounds and went down from a 12 to a 10 now. This is because I am losing my lower belly first. Now, my legs haven't really changed..as they are the last to change for me.
  • AppleValleyJEN
    AppleValleyJEN Posts: 1
    This thread was the whole reason why I joined Myfitnesspal! I found it after I googled "lost weight clothes still fit" so it's a relief to see so many others are experiencing this cruel oddity :P I've lost 14 pounds and my jeans are still tight. What the heck?? And yet my underwear is loose and falling down.

    It's a cruel cruel world we live in LOL
  • Jimaudit
    Jimaudit Posts: 275
    it's all proportional. If you have 100+ to lose, then 10 or 15 lbs is not going to result in you having to buy a new wardrobe.

    I have lost half my weight and only gone down 1 suit pant size. My shirts are a size down also but nothing drastic.
  • Jimaudit
    Jimaudit Posts: 275
    This thread was the whole reason why I joined Myfitnesspal! I found it after I googled "lost weight clothes still fit" so it's a relief to see so many others are experiencing this cruel oddity :P I've lost 14 pounds and my jeans are still tight. What the heck?? And yet my underwear is loose and falling down.

    It's a cruel cruel world we live in LOL

    because you didn't lose 14lbs in your waist, you lost it all over your body.
  • bellesouth18
    bellesouth18 Posts: 1,071 Member
    Remember, you're also losing visceral fat that surrounds your organs, too, which isn't really visible. Right now, I go down a size with every 15-20 lbs., but I'm 5' tall, so it shows more on my frame than someone taller. At first, it took about 30 lbs.

    Keep at it! You'll eventually melt away!

    Edit: I've gone from a 4x shirt and 3x pants to a Large shirt and 14 dress pants after losing 62 lbs.
  • sfbaumgarten
    sfbaumgarten Posts: 912 Member
    We're all different, but it took me somewhere between 30-40 lbs before I started changing sizes. After that, I blew through clothes like crazy... Went from an Old Navy pant size 14 or 16 to a size 2 over the next 30-40 lbs.
  • lilawolf
    lilawolf Posts: 1,690 Member
    I'm 5'9 and I was between a 12 and a 14 when I was 172lbs. At 146lbs, I am now between a 6 and an 8, so about a pant/dress size every 10 pounds or so. I have started weight training so I am probably ~5lbs heavier than I would be without due to muscle gain and water/glycogen in my muscles, so a size every 11 pounds?

    When you are larger, I think it takes more pounds per size.

    Maybe you were stretching your clothes and now you aren't?

    Take measurements and bikini/underwear pics! That may help you figure out what is going on.
  • luckydays27
    luckydays27 Posts: 552 Member
    You will start to see the change soon. Just keep going. My clothes got noticably big at 30 lbs. They were lose before then but falling off at 30 lbs.

    It may be possible that the clothes were tight when you began so now they are fitting the way they were designed to fit. And soon will be falling off.
  • blc1971
    blc1971 Posts: 170 Member
    As another poster said, it took me a good 25 lbs or so before I went down a size, but once I got that far I started blowing through sizes. I've lost about 48 lbs so far and I'm down from about a size 20 to a 12. I'm also noticing the smaller I get the less weight it takes to move down a size. As others have also said, the weight loss is proportionate so it's coming off even in places you don't really notice. That is until one day you put on your sunglasses and they almost fall off because your head is smaller!! LOL!!! Good luck as you move forward and don't be discouraged. Enjoy the changes as they happen!
  • Timshel_
    Timshel_ Posts: 22,834 Member
    That is how I started with about 15 pounds off, then it completely reversed. I actually dropped a few sizes in my waste without dropping but another couple pounds. I have even gained some pounds back but my waist is still doing decent.
  • HippieChickadee
    HippieChickadee Posts: 34
    I noticed my clothes being looser at 18 pounds and not a pound before.
  • WDEvy
    WDEvy Posts: 814 Member
    I've lost over 55 lbs and I'm only down 2 sizes. Where you carry your weight and you're height matters when it comes to clothes sizes changing
  • Iron_Lotus
    Iron_Lotus Posts: 2,295 Member
    That's funny, my scale hasn't moved but I have had to buy all new clothes, bras, under ware, the whole 9. I was upset about the scale not moving, now not so much :)
  • airdiva1
    airdiva1 Posts: 198 Member
    I've lost over 55 lbs and I'm only down 2 sizes. Where you carry your weight and you're height matters when it comes to clothes sizes changing
    I'm in the same boat! Was wearing a 26W and only down 22W at 59lbs lost.
    I read how some people lose 20 pounds and drop three, four and sometimes more dress sizes.
    I will admit needing to do more strength, just got some bands to help because I can't afford a gym or equipment (out of a job and very limited funds). I keep going because my goal is to get out of the 20's one day. My goal is a size 10.
  • wozkaa
    wozkaa Posts: 224 Member
    I'm 5'9" ish (175cm) tall and am with the OP. I've lost 16lb and it's barely noticeable.

    I think as someone else mentioned, maybe your older clothes may have stretched with you - I think that's what happened to me!
    I also seem to lose from the head down, and always the lower tummy last. This time I have a destroyed tummy from carrying twins, so the way things fit has changed too.
  • JourneyingJessica
    JourneyingJessica Posts: 261 Member
    I don't think this was mentioned so it.

    In my case my clothing was all stretched near the breaking point. If you've stretched your clothing it may be as much as a 1/2 or more bigger than what it was when purchased.

    I started at 278 and it was like a good 40lbs before i noticed the weight loss. Soon after i started blowing through sizes quickly.

    It may be you just need to hit that *point*
  • culo97
    culo97 Posts: 256 Member
    Thanks for sharing your shrinking experience folks. I was wondering when my clothes would start feeling noticeably loose. Now I know it may be a while.

    My goal is to make it to the "blowing through sizes" stage. That would be a nice change.
  • elghee123
    elghee123 Posts: 489 Member
    If you have taken regular photos of your body then you would recognize the changes.

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