Losing 54lbs and going down only TWO pants sizes?!

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WeightingForSara
WeightingForSara Posts: 122 Member
in Motivation and Support
Anyone else have this problem?
I am 5'1 and my starting weight was 275 and now I am 221 as of this morning.. and yet my pants have only went from a solid 22/24 to an 18/20. I'm pretty frusterated with all the before and after photos of people who have lost this much weight looking drastically differant and yet I am stuck in the fat girl section still!

My goal weight is 155-160 or so,
and even at that size I still wore a size 15/16.

Anybody have any suggestions as to how to get over this or anybody else experiencing the same issues/frustrations?

Replies

  • ron2282
    ron2282 Posts: 2,772 Member
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    First of all, I have to congratulate you on losing 54 pounds - that's amazing and you should be very proud!!!!!! I've lost 36.5 and have only gone for a 16 to a 14. I think it all depends on your body type and where the weight is coming off from.
  • Galathea
    Galathea Posts: 420 Member
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    Congrats to losing that much weight. It's awesome!

    But I know how you feel about the sizes. I lost 39 lbs so far and haven only gone 1 1/2 size down. I think it depends on your body.
    and how much you exercise. I'm not really a sports type of woman, but I started working out two weeks ago and although I haven't lost much weight in that time, I notice I start losing inches. :happy: My body FEELS smaller LOL Maybe it's really just a question of muscle mass and body fat.
    Just my two cents ...
  • 623Hernandez
    623Hernandez Posts: 458
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    I want to be 170 and this is still considered over weight for me (5'2"). I don't want to be skinny!!! Being a big girl is part of my identity! 170 will put me in a 11 or 12. I have lost over 20 pounds and can't see it either! So, I added arms and thighs to my check-in measurements. My neck waist and hips have shown some improvement so it is happening!! It will be nice to see my arms and thighs shrink.
  • SusanChambers
    SusanChambers Posts: 4
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    You've lost 54 pounds Woo Hoo! That's fantastic. It's not all about dress size. How do you feel, How do you look, How is your energy, How is your attitude, Start measuring that too! You've done way way more than you are giving your self credit for !!!

    In whatever order the weight went on; the weight will come off in reverse; has been my experience.
  • MFPfriend
    MFPfriend Posts: 1,121 Member
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    A lot of it depends on your height, and where you carry your weight.

    For example, I am 5'6" and my weight is pretty evenly distributed over my body, so it takes me a good 35 pounds to lose one size. This is because I lose weight EVERYWHERE before I lose it from my stomach, and I have more space to lose it from (because I am tall-ish).

    Therefore, someone who is 5' tall, and carries all their weight in their midsection may lose a size after only 10 pounds.

    Trust me, it SUCKS, lol.
  • hroush
    hroush Posts: 2,073 Member
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    I lost 70 lbs and went from a size 38 to 34. That doesn't surprise me as all of my weight was in my stomach, went from tight XL shirts to loose L. As with the previous post, it all depends on your body type and where you carry the weight.
  • WeightingForSara
    WeightingForSara Posts: 122 Member
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    I want to be 170 and this is still considered over weight for me (5'2"). I don't want to be skinny!!! Being a big girl is part of my identity! 170 will put me in a 11 or 12. I have lost over 20 pounds and can't see it either! So, I added arms and thighs to my check-in measurements. My neck waist and hips have shown some improvement so it is happening!! It will be nice to see my arms and thighs shrink.

    I am 5'1 and at 160lbs I was a size 14 :/
  • Sarandipity
    Sarandipity Posts: 1,560
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    Way to go on the 54 lbs! :flowerforyou:

    I have lost just over 100lbs and my top half has only gone from a 22 to a 16-18. so I can feel your frustrtation. My bottom half has shrunk down much quicker from a 22/24 to a 12/14 in the same timeframe.

    It all depends on what shape you started with and where your body decides to lose it first. Part of the reason I am still wearing an 18 on top is I haven't lost a lot of my belly fat yet and unfortunately you have to fit the biggest part of you and go from there. when a coworker of mine was at the weight I am now she was sitll in 16-18 bottoms so it really does change depending on the person.

    Keep at it and you will see a difference :flowerforyou:
  • rhondalicious
    rhondalicious Posts: 2
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    I am also 5'1" and I find it takes about 20 lbs to go up or down a size, and right now I fit in anything from 14s to 18s depending on how they are cut. So I am in the same boat as you!!

    Also, CONGRATS on that weight loss! It's hard when you don't have that immediate gratification of seeing your pants fall off. But don't let it get you down - that's been my downfall, is trying something for a while and not seeing the results I would like, so I give up.
  • Laceylala
    Laceylala Posts: 3,094 Member
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    This is very frustrating.

    Are your jeans the stretchy jean variety? Because I find that these little b@stards will fit you for forever. I only realized this when I went to Macys about a month ago and grabbed a pair of non stretchy levis to try on just for grins and giggles thinking there was no way they'd fit at a size 16, when I owned size 20's. They did. So did the Calvin Kleins and a couple other brands I could find that had little or no stretchy material in them.
    However, here I sit in the size 20's because I refuse to buy more jeans until I get down far enough that these sag upon first putting them on.

    COngrats on that huge loss!! THat is amazing!
  • scotlanded
    scotlanded Posts: 20
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    Congrats on the weight loss, first and foremost!!

    Like everyone has said, it really depends on where your body distributes the weight. My weight is largely in my tum, so the 15 lbs I've lost don't really show too much. I can't even tell where I've lost it, to be honest. I'm sure once I get to my goal weight, things will look different. Anyways, it might just be that your body is naturally pear-shaped or naturally apple-shaped. You can't change genetics or anatomy, only work with what you've got!
  • Mirlyn
    Mirlyn Posts: 256
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    Anyone else have this problem?
    I am 5'1 and my starting weight was 275 and now I am 221 as of this morning.. and yet my pants have only went from a solid 22/24 to an 18/20. I'm pretty frusterated with all the before and after photos of people who have lost this much weight looking drastically differant and yet I am stuck in the fat girl section still!

    My goal weight is 155-160 or so,
    and even at that size I still wore a size 15/16.

    Anybody have any suggestions as to how to get over this or anybody else experiencing the same issues/frustrations?

    I think plus sizes have more inches between sizes than misses. I started at 5'3"/247lbs and was in a 24 and now I'm in an 18/20 just like you and I'm 206lbs now. I think of losing 2 pants sizes at our size is like losing 4 in the lower sizes and I know I feel better in my clothing even if the numbers haven't changed drastically. I hope you at least FEEL smaller :). Congratulations on your great achievement of losing 54lbs :).
  • LittleSpy
    LittleSpy Posts: 6,754 Member
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    If you're anything like me when you started, my size 20/22 was a TIGHT (VERY tight) 20/22 because I absolutely refused to go any higher regardless of how uncomfortable I was in the last couple pairs of 20s and 22s I could squeeze into. I was a solid size 16 just 20 pounds ago. Now I'm a size 12. So yeah, when I look at it like that, I've dropped the same number of sizes in the last 20 pounds as I did with the first 60. But really, I was probably more like a size 24/26 when I started, I just refused to recognize it.

    Keep truckin'.
  • melodyg
    melodyg Posts: 1,423 Member
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    I am 5'1" as well and have had similar issues. Last time I lost weight I lost about 25 pound and went down one pants size. This time I have lost about 15 and can barely tell a difference at all in how my pants fit. (sigh) Maybe it is a short person issue... if you are like me, I tend to gain weight around my middle because there isn't much other place for it to go! Right now I am in an 18-22 depending on brand (all plus size/W sizes). When I lost weight before I weighed about 50 pounds less than I do right now... and I was in a 16-18 (also W sizes)... so... it is so discouraging to not see much clothing size change but I am thinking it is just the way my body is built.

    Congrats on losing 50 pounds -- regardless of clothing size that is a HUGE accomplishment!

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