Size 12 vs Size 10?

easily123
easily123 Posts: 5
in Motivation and Support
I'm writing from the UK, so the US equivalent would be "Size 8 vs Size 10" or maybe "Size 6 vs Size 8"?

Measurements of a UK size 12:
Bust - 36"
Waist - 29"
Hips - 39"

Measurements of a UK size 10:
Bust - 34"
Waist - 27"
Hips - 37"

I'm currently between a UK size 14 and 16 and I'm considering buying a bikini in either a size 10/12 as a way of solid, tangible motivation. Problem is I can't decide which size to aim for! My goal weight is 150lbs which is sort of on the heavier side of "Healthy Weight" in the charts, so I think I would be able to get down to a size 10 without dropping to an unhealthy weight for my height.

Additionally, can ANYONE really get down to that sort of size? Like could I get to a UK Size 8 if I even wanted to? Or does bone structure and genetics genuinely restrict how much weight some people can lose?

Thanks in advance for any responses! :happy:

Replies

  • __Di__
    __Di__ Posts: 1,659 Member
    When do you intend wearing the bikini if you buy the smaller size? In how many weeks I mean?
  • easily123
    easily123 Posts: 5
    DeeKayPea;

    However long it takes really! I aim to get down to a comfortable size 12 at least. And hopefully by around September, maybe August. I'm working my butt off in the gym so I'm anticipating that it wont take forever :)
  • jakkisr
    jakkisr Posts: 175 Member
    Depends on your current size and inch measurements! I'm a UK 12/14 at 130lbs (I'm a standard size 12 really) - I went bikini shopping last week and was horrified to find that in some designer brands I couldn't even look good in XXL !!

    One step at a time - aim for that size 12, its a good achievable goal.

    Getting down to a size 8, its up to you - I did it 10 years ago through excessive exercise and strength training and thought I looked amazing at the time ... until I look back on the photos and see that I didn't at all, I just looked like a lollipop head.
  • __Di__
    __Di__ Posts: 1,659 Member
    DeeKayPea;

    However long it takes really! I aim to get down to a comfortable size 12 at least. And hopefully by around September, maybe August. I'm working my butt off in the gym so I'm anticipating that it wont take forever :)

    Right, the reason I am asking is because if you bought the smaller size and you didn't quite reach the weight you wanted by the time you came to wear the bikini, although you will be able to get into it, it may look slightly too tight and in turn, that makes you actually look bigger than you really are.

    I reckon you will easily reach it actually, Here's to your weightloss :drinker:
  • kri1977
    kri1977 Posts: 63 Member
    mmmm

    I would actually go buy a bikini once you reach your weight goal as a celbration :)

    You do not really know how you will look at that point and in exactly which spots you will lose so you may end up buying something which does not look good in the end (even though you did reach your goal) and that would be really demotivating, right?

    K
  • tinak33
    tinak33 Posts: 9,883 Member
    Depends on your current size and inch measurements! I'm a UK 12/14 at 130lbs (I'm a standard size 12 really) - I went bikini shopping last week and was horrified to find that in some designer brands I couldn't even look good in XXL !!

    One step at a time - aim for that size 12, its a good achievable goal.

    Getting down to a size 8, its up to you - I did it 10 years ago through excessive exercise and strength training and thought I looked amazing at the time ... until I look back on the photos and see that I didn't at all, I just looked like a lollipop head.


    LMAO @ "lollipop head"!!! :laugh: :laugh:
    Never heard that term before!



    To OP, sorry I can't help with sizes... My body is like 3 different sizes. :ohwell: Very frustrating....
    Good luck! :flowerforyou:
  • easily123
    easily123 Posts: 5
    Depends on your current size and inch measurements! I'm a UK 12/14 at 130lbs (I'm a standard size 12 really) - I went bikini shopping last week and was horrified to find that in some designer brands I couldn't even look good in XXL !!

    One step at a time - aim for that size 12, its a good achievable goal.

    Getting down to a size 8, its up to you - I did it 10 years ago through excessive exercise and strength training and thought I looked amazing at the time ... until I look back on the photos and see that I didn't at all, I just looked like a lollipop head.

    Oh damn, sorry! hah but surely you look great in 12/14 bikinis? And oh that's odd.. My younger sister is like a Size 8/10 and I'm so jealous! She's a good height of 5'6" so that may be why she doesn't resemble a lollipop?
    So you're happier at size 12?
  • JessiBelleW
    JessiBelleW Posts: 836 Member
    I say buy the 12. You may get there (to a size 12) and decide you want to go smaller, or you may get there and decide this is perfect. Either way you will have a nice bikini to wear and look and feel great it!

    I'm sort of having a similar delima. I'm trying to decide if I will still be a 14 by the end of the summer or if maybe I will have dropped to a 12. I don't wan to buy a bunch of UK swimsuits only to have them not fit come September!
  • Hellheels
    Hellheels Posts: 2
    mmmm

    I would actually go buy a bikini once you reach your weight goal as a celbration :)

    You do not really know how you will look at that point and in exactly which spots you will lose so you may end up buying something which does not look good in the end (even though you did reach your goal) and that would be really demotivating, right?

    K
    Yeah I have to agree with this... Just wait I say but if you are going to do it then I would say go for a size 12 one step at a time and size 12 imo is smexy ;)
  • easily123
    easily123 Posts: 5
    mmmm

    I would actually go buy a bikini once you reach your weight goal as a celbration :)

    You do not really know how you will look at that point and in exactly which spots you will lose so you may end up buying something which does not look good in the end (even though you did reach your goal) and that would be really demotivating, right?

    K

    I do see what you mean! Just, the way I had imagined it was that I'd have the bikini to at least have something real to look at every day and aspire to. You know, be able to wake up every morning and see it hung up in my room somewhere and the whole "HEALTHY HEALTHY HEALTHY DAMMIT" mood would be set for the day? Even if it didn't look amazing by the time I could fit into it properly, at least I would be able to go out and get a different one that did look good? Or no? You still stand by the suggestion that I save it as a congrats to myself?
  • mrsnecincy
    mrsnecincy Posts: 115 Member
    You could buy cheap ones now in both sizes. I haven't thought about what weight I want to be but I think I'd be happier at a comfortable 12 rather than a 10. I do worry that a 10 would be a nightmare to maintain but that said if a 10 fit I'd be delighted. I've just got a lovely black and white polka dot tankini in a 14 and I don't feel gross in it I'm going to get the same one in a 12 too and I hope to be wearing in in a couple of months.
  • babydiego87
    babydiego87 Posts: 905 Member
    go to primark
  • Delicate
    Delicate Posts: 625 Member
    Get to a standard size 12 if your body allows it (you're unlikely to have exactly the same measurements as the 'standard' but everyones different

    Then judge from there if you want to go smaller
  • easily123
    easily123 Posts: 5
    I say buy the 12. You may get there (to a size 12) and decide you want to go smaller, or you may get there and decide this is perfect. Either way you will have a nice bikini to wear and look and feel great it!

    I'm sort of having a similar delima. I'm trying to decide if I will still be a 14 by the end of the summer or if maybe I will have dropped to a 12. I don't wan to buy a bunch of UK swimsuits only to have them not fit come September!

    Thanks for your opinion :) what you said makes the most sense to me aswell, I'd just be annoyed if I got to fitting a size 12 bikini and then felt like I definitely wanted to get down to a size 10. Oh so have you found it takes a while to drop a dress size? Obviously I'd love to get down to a 12 ASAP but I don't want to end up with loose skin or anything like that.. Good luck with your bikini/swimsuit body though!
  • DawnieB1977
    DawnieB1977 Posts: 4,248 Member
    I'm a UK12 at 5'6 and 157lbs! I was the same size 10 years ago at 147lbs, only now I've had 2 kids and I do strength training.

    I'd like to be a 10 I think, and my goal is 145-150lbs, which puts me at about a BMI of 24 or just under. The dress I'm wearing in my profile pic is a size 10 from Miss Selfridge, but I am not really a size 10.

    I don't think you need to worry about sizes as such, just what you feel good in. Sizes vary from shop to shop anyway.

    As for bikinis, I got mine from Bravissimo. I was probably a size 14 when I got them, a small 14, and I looked fine. I bought them before I had kids though lol.
  • melaniecheeks
    melaniecheeks Posts: 6,349 Member
    Hmmm. Firstly, all size 12s (or 10s) are not the same - they'lll vary from make to make.

    Secondly, you dont know what your body shape will be when you get to that size - you might find that a halter style top, or a shorts-style bottoms are the most flattering. I'm not a big fan of buying ANY motivational clothing for exactly this reason.

    And thirdly, it really is a great feeling going out shopping for clothes once you've reached a certain point. I'd hesitate to say a certain size, or a certain number on the scale - just when you know you're small enough to need new clothes.

    But if you want to do it - go ahead! But I wouldnt worry unduly about what size to go for.
  • mixedlollies
    mixedlollies Posts: 58 Member
    My measurements are 34/27/34 and I'm a UK size 8 in most shops, so those specifications don't necessarily apply to everyone. As for whether it is possible for you to get to a size 8, it really depends on your height/build, but I was a size 14 six years ago so it can be done!
  • Izzwoz
    Izzwoz Posts: 348 Member
    To be honest, I don't think I would bother trying to figure ... check this link out:

    http://sizes.darkgreener.com/

    It shows how hugely different sizes are, depending on the shop. With this sort of variation, my motivation has become "a size smaller than I used to wear" (I have, for the first time in my life, just bought a pair of jeans size 12) - but even that is not the ultimate be all and end all, as I am sure sizes will have been adjusted over the years.

    Also, it would depend on where you lose your weight as you move on ... I lost a lot on my waist to start with, now it's coming off from the hips and chest (well, back) ... So very tricky to aim for a particular size, I think!
  • missferoux
    missferoux Posts: 118 Member
    Sizes are stupid.
    I was a size 16UK weighing 175lbs. Dropped to a 14 pretty quickly. I am now around 145lb (fluctuating between 142 - 146 as not concentrating due to upcoming wedding and can't afford to lose any!!)

    However, the point of my ramblings. I dropped from 12st7lbs to 10st2lbs. From Beginning of September to January/February.
    I bought:
    1 x Size 12 straight leg jeans - ASDA FIT PERFECT
    1 x Size 12 Straight leg jeans - New Look Too Small
    1 x Size 12 Skinny jeans - ASDA Too Small
    1 x Size 12 Miss Posh Flared Cords WAAAAYYYY TOO SMALL
    1 x Size 10 flared skater dress ASDA FIT PERFECT
    1 x Size 12 Flared skater dress PRIMARK FIT PERFECT
    1 x Size 12 Work Pants PRIMARK - FIT PERFECT

    So - some size 12s are perfect. a size 10 is perfect. some size 12s are a little tight. One size 12 doesn't even cover my *kitten*.

    Go figure! :explode:
  • mrsnecincy
    mrsnecincy Posts: 115 Member
    I get mine from Primark too. They fit fine and I wear them every day. Getting them in different sizes means I can mix and match them. I think I'll be in size 14 bottoms longer than tops for example. But I agree about shop sizes. Last time I measured my waist I was 31" yet I have a denim skirt in a 12 from M&S that fits fine but I'm still an XL in Mango and Zara so I don't think the ideal of picking something off a peg in one size and it'll fit is ever going to happen no matter how much I weigh. I'm never buying a 16 again tough that's for sure!
  • ms_leanne
    ms_leanne Posts: 523 Member
    I started at UK14-16 and am now a 12 and am continuing. I must admit if it was me, given hindsight, I would probably buy a size 12. I think it is going to take me a lot longer to get down from the 12 to a 10 because I'm closer to a healthy normal weight (although not there yet).

    P.S. Beware of H&M. I love their clothes but have a snug pair of size 16 jeans when I am a 12 in many other shops now. There is a discussion about how much their sizes vary.
  • dym123
    dym123 Posts: 1,670 Member
    My measurements haven't changed in months (38" hips/29" waist) yet I've gone from a size 16 to size 12 (US). Ignore the sizes and get whatever looks best on you.
  • LorinaLynn
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,247 Member
    Personally, I wouldn't buy anything with the intention of fitting into it later.

    My body has changed a lot, but not necessarily uniformly. I lost quite a bit off my belly and waist, but a lot less off my hips and thighs, then as I started strength training, my bum changed shape (thankfully!). I need to try on about 15 swimsuits to find ONE that fits my body the way I want it to fit, and that's with my body at goal. I couldn't have guessed what would have looked good on my body before I got there.
  • clareyoung80
    clareyoung80 Posts: 177 Member
    I'm 5'5" and from around 144lbs with a 29" waist I could fit into some size 10 clothes (Next and Dorothy Perkins jeans are my friends!). I have a size 10 Marks and Spensers bikini that I bought at the very start of my weight loss journey (when I was a size 16) to motivate me. It looks fine on me now, and I'm 140 lbs and 28.5" waist.

    I could quite comfortably lose more (which I'm doing - I have around a stone left to lose) and fit into a size 8.

    I'd say that, because it's a bikini, go and try some on in various stores. Bikini's are difficult to judge size wise - my size 10 bikini 'fit' me when I was a size 16 - I just had a large amount of flab rolling over the top of them! Now there is no roll-over. Some bikini's are adjustable too - I have a size 6 cheap-o Primark bikini and that 'fits' because you tie up the sides. It just doesn't cover very much of my *kitten*. The Marks and Spenser bikini though has always covered my *kitten*, just not contained my muffin top.

    So yeah, my long-winded conclusion would be it depends entirely on your individual body composition and where you're buying the bikini from.
  • jakkisr
    jakkisr Posts: 175 Member
    i just went into Debenhams to look for a new one .. the sales assistant told me they won't be getting much more swimwear in stock now as they are about to switch to the Autumn-wear range!!! And we've only just got summer!!!

    So, my advice would be go get one that complements you now in a 14 - they're stretchy, it won't be baggy if you drop to a 12 and it won't pinch too much if you don't lose a great deal before your hols! I don't think the *size* is anywhere near as important as getting a good fit.

    (and yes, I'm very much happier at a size 12, I think I look pretty good for my age - I'm certainly working on toning up a bit but really I'm just losing what appears to be called vanity pounds and doing it healthily :) )
  • __Di__
    __Di__ Posts: 1,659 Member
    i just went into Debenhams to look for a new one .. the sales assistant told me they won't be getting much more swimwear in stock now as they are about to switch to the Autumn-wear range!!! And we've only just got summer!!!

    So, my advice would be go get one that complements you now in a 14 - they're stretchy, it won't be baggy if you drop to a 12 and it won't pinch too much if you don't lose a great deal before your hols! I don't think the *size* is anywhere near as important as getting a good fit.

    (and yes, I'm very much happier at a size 12, I think I look pretty good for my age - I'm certainly working on toning up a bit but really I'm just losing what appears to be called vanity pounds and doing it healthily :) )

    Good God that is so annoying!!!!

    The stores getting in next season's clothes I mean. For crying out loud it is only JUST June and they are already getting stuff in for Autumn, really riles me every single year!

    It's like going to shoe shops to look for some summer sandals and finding they have all their winter boots on display!

Categories