hips and pants size

katznkt
katznkt Posts: 320 Member
edited November 12 in Health and Weight Loss
When I was in high school, I honestly thought that my... womanly... Hips would prevent me from wearing jeans smaller than an 8. Now, I'm losing weight I'm starting to think that isn't true. I do have Hips... broader now that I have had kids, but I think that if I lost enough they could fit in any size I wanted.

What is the truth? Will big hips prevent smaller pants, or is that a load of bull that would be changed if the person lost enough weight? Or is there a cap, but it is just smaller than I thought?
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Replies

  • seattle_hd
    seattle_hd Posts: 23 Member
    I bet it depends on the brand and how high/low your pants are but I bet you could get into smaller.

    I think about that with my bra size… I feel like I don't have much fat to lose around my chest (gravity is working to keep all my fat on my lower half, lol) so I often wonder if I'll ever be able to go below 36 bra size - even though my cup size keeps getting smaller. My H doesn't think I will, because my ribs are wide.
  • cafeaulait7
    cafeaulait7 Posts: 2,459 Member
    Bones and muscle will definitely prevent some hips from getting into some pants. I got sick and lost down to a hideous BMI (in the mid-80 lbs at 5'6") and even with my muscle loss I couldn't fit in some pants my more petite friends wore. I had impossibly little fat, so that really taught me a lot about frame sizes and how they affect things. (I gained my muscle and everything back fine once they found my diagnosis, btw).
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    Well the 6s from then are probably 2s now, so you got to keep that in mind.

    I fit in some 6s, probably some 4s too, but I can't imagine ever wearing 2s. Unless it's the super low cut jeans or something.
  • lisalsd1
    lisalsd1 Posts: 1,519 Member
    I was (at the smallest) an 8 pre-babies; and now at a 4 post two babies.
  • cllmetatrsld
    cllmetatrsld Posts: 58 Member
    I have large hips and even when I was at my skinniest in high school at 135 5'6" the smallest size I could wear was a 10 and the legs were loose.
  • tmauck4472
    tmauck4472 Posts: 1,785 Member
    My family would commit me to a mental hospital if I ever talked about getting into a size 8. They are happy with me being in a size 16. I am not though and will continue to lose till I get where I want to be. I hope you make it to the size you want. It's so awesome to meet goals.
  • mamma_nee
    mamma_nee Posts: 809 Member
    Years ago when i was getting married I was wearing a size 13 and I ordered my wedding dress in a size 8 . When my older sister heard this she kept telling me that I would never get into that dress because I was big boned .. yadda yadda … well sure enough when I tried that dress on a month prior to my wedding it fit perfectly . My sister bit her words !! but but your not smaller than me LOL She was wearing a size 10 at the time . She says well maybe the dress runs big ! LOL Nooooooo most wedding gown usually run small! I actual had her take off her skirt so I could show her that it was falling off on me . She just kept seeing me fatter for some reason . Could be my height .. I am only 5` 1`` and she is 5` 3``


    Yes I think you will fit into smaller sizes !
  • I am ridiculously shapely and even when I was somewhere around 190 pounds, I still wore size 16 pants. I somehow don't see myself going below a 10, maybe an 8 depending on the brand, even at my goal weight. It's a curse - I really despise having wide hips.
  • bridgew24
    bridgew24 Posts: 143 Member
    Yes you can surely get into smaller than an 8.. But I personally have a wide ribcage, and similar to you with wide hips, weight loss helps to a degree but you've got to admit your limit at some point! I know I'll never fit into size 1 tops while the rest of me can do so easily. It's just the way we're made! (I'm talking in American sizing as I'm unsure which sizes you're working with!)
  • tigerblue
    tigerblue Posts: 1,526 Member
    Well the 6s from then are probably 2s now, so you got to keep that in mind.

    I fit in some 6s, probably some 4s too, but I can't imagine ever wearing 2s. Unless it's the super low cut jeans or something.

    Ahhh size inflation! 30 years ago I weighed 105 lbs and wore size 8. Now I weigh 125 lbs and wear a size 4. Yes, I am in better shape now with more lean muscle mass, but the sizes definitely changed!

    So, OP, don't worry about sizes. Find some jeans that you love, and that love you, and go for it!

    Here is another sizing mystery--I have a pair of Banana Republic slacks that I love, that fit PERFECTLY. They are a size 4. So I thought I would go online and see what else they have, since I love these so much. After looking, I went to the size chart. According to the size chart, I should be wearing a size 8 with my measurements. So why do my size 4's fit perfectly??
  • twixlepennie
    twixlepennie Posts: 1,074 Member
    I had always thought I was big 'hipped'. I started in a size 14 jeans and I'm now in maintenance, wearing size 2s. I've also had three kids. So for me, it was all in my head :smile:
  • Trechechus
    Trechechus Posts: 2,819 Member
    At 5'3" and 128 pounds, I still wear a size 8-10 pants. I actually really hate the lower half of my body, but I guess it's just something I"m going to have to learn to deal with.
  • acogg
    acogg Posts: 1,870 Member
    If it helps, my hips are 34" and I wear a size six.
  • cathylopez1975
    cathylopez1975 Posts: 191 Member
    As a teen and young adult, I wore 14 in pants at 135-140 lbs. 3 children and 30+years later, I am 146 lbs and buy size 10s. I get my jeans at Old Navy. I wear size 8 in their Sweetheart cut. So it seems, you should be able to get into single digit pants if you try different cuts.

    By the way, 88 lbs ago I wore size 22W pants. I NEVER thought I would wear single digit pants :)
  • Boogage
    Boogage Posts: 739 Member
    I think most people could probably fit into single number trousers. Even now I've lost the weight and am 5 sizes down I still believe I'm big boned and my hips are wide (especially after 5 babies) but I'm able to wear UK size 8 jeans which I think is a US 6? I fit in some UK 6's but I'm quite happy wearing 8's and don't think I'd look good if I lost more weight.

    It doesn't really matter what size trousers you fit into as long as you feel happy and are healthy.
  • LINIA
    LINIA Posts: 1,159 Member
    You can decide if you want to be a 2 or 4 or 6 ---- it is nice being a lean, mean fat-burning machine. Don't limit yourself by thinking " i can't" ???????????? good luck!
  • cafeaulait7
    cafeaulait7 Posts: 2,459 Member
    You can decide if you want to be a 2 or 4 or 6 ---- it is nice being a lean, mean fat-burning machine. Don't limit yourself by thinking " i can't" ???????????? good luck!

    That is a strange thing to say, imho. Can we also decide to wear children's sizes?

    I'm just trying to caution some folks. My ribcage itself doesn't fit into a 2, nor do my hipbones. There may be some vanity size somewhere that changes that, but the actual measure of my (quite visible) ribcage is 36+ inches around. There's no going lower than that (except for a bit of skin and minimal muscle) without bone surgery!
  • MoreBean13
    MoreBean13 Posts: 8,701 Member
    You can decide if you want to be a 2 or 4 or 6 ---- it is nice being a lean, mean fat-burning machine. Don't limit yourself by thinking " i can't" ???????????? good luck!

    :huh:
  • MoreBean13
    MoreBean13 Posts: 8,701 Member
    When I was in high school, I honestly thought that my... womanly... Hips would prevent me from wearing jeans smaller than an 8. Now, I'm losing weight I'm starting to think that isn't true. I do have Hips... broader now that I have had kids, but I think that if I lost enough they could fit in any size I wanted.

    What is the truth? Will big hips prevent smaller pants, or is that a load of bull that would be changed if the person lost enough weight? Or is there a cap, but it is just smaller than I thought?

    Curvy cut pants might help you get in to a smaller size if your hips are limiting it. Really though, the size on the pants doesn't matter- looking awesome in the pants is what matters, and that's what you have control over in reshaping your body. If you don't love your hips, you can build your glutes and have an awesome bedonkadonk to balance your hips, whatever size they are.
  • Gwen_B
    Gwen_B Posts: 1,018 Member
    I used to think that too. I was always a 9/10 and now I'm a 6. I am 5"8" with big hips, but because of my hips, I look unhealthy and too skinny to be this small. My goal is to get back to an 8, I looked healthier.
  • bkw61
    bkw61 Posts: 29 Member
    My mom and I were having this conversation today... after I went shopping for new jeans. I didnt find what I wanted, but i did try on 6s and even one pair of 4s! OMG I never thought id see that number.(I have a flat butt, so need flap pockets and mid-rise.)

    When I got married, 33 years ago, I weighed roughly 132 and looked heavier than I do now, at 140. I wore boys jeans back then, so not sure of my size. My mom actually said she thought I was in better shape now. That could be true, I work out now and never did back then. Still I think sizes have changed and also have run into the size charts not matching the sizes online.

    Looks like I will be out jean shopping again!
  • albayin
    albayin Posts: 2,524 Member
    I have never been able to lose a big amount of weight and now with all the squats, deadlifts, I have bubble butt, so I don't know what's the smallest jeans I can fit into...my pant size has been consistent for years~
  • redheadmommy
    redheadmommy Posts: 908 Member
    It all depends While pregnancy itself may widens the hips somewhat , many women have c-sections and they hips do not go through the same widening trauma as women with vaginal birth. So having kids may or may not widens the jib much.

    Also it varies by height, built and shape plus pants style. Women with apple shape may wear much smaller size jeans than pear/hourglass shape women especially if it is low-rise jeans.

    I always had hourglass figure with wide hips and narrow waist, and my babies just increased this difference. I have a 0.65 waist/hip ratio and boyish cut jeans look ridiculous on me. If I can pull those style jeans over hip, the waisline is humongous. Only curvy style jeans fit properly regardless of the size.
  • carinamone
    carinamone Posts: 1 Member
    I know this thread is old but I will contribute anyway. I am blessed with being both heavily muscled (and now a nice added layer of fat that I am working on losing) and with very wide hips. I was 9% body fat in high school at 5 ft 1 and 136 (I was a freak of an athlete)....yet still wore size 12 because of both my wide hips (that pushed out a 9 lb + baby) and an EXTREMELY big/muscular booty. All those exercises that helped other girls tone their butts....made nine bigger and perkier. So now I lift heavy to lose weight 😁
  • VUA21
    VUA21 Posts: 2,072 Member
    katznkt wrote: »
    When I was in high school, I honestly thought that my... womanly... Hips would prevent me from wearing jeans smaller than an 8. Now, I'm losing weight I'm starting to think that isn't true. I do have Hips... broader now that I have had kids, but I think that if I lost enough they could fit in any size I wanted.

    What is the truth? Will big hips prevent smaller pants, or is that a load of bull that would be changed if the person lost enough weight? Or is there a cap, but it is just smaller than I thought?

    I have a stereotypical Latina build. Ittty bitty waist, big bug & thighs. I just dropped into a size 6 jeans (29 in Levi's 501's - 100% cotton, so no stretch!). You can probably fit into any size you wanted within reason. Those of us with wider hips, a larger backside, may bottom out at a size 4 and still have a healthy body. Mind you, because we are wider in hips... We generally wear two completely different sizes on top and bottom. I wear a juniors small (size 2) on top, and 6 on bottom.

    Don't focus so much on size, but on body fat. I know I will probably never drop lower than a 6 because I do enjoy lifting and squats do build the butt. Also, at 5'7" pant length are becoming an issue for me, I don't get it, do clothing designers think we shrink in height when we lose weight????
  • FoxAndOpal
    FoxAndOpal Posts: 14 Member
    Ugh. I feel you.

    I’m 5’6” and started at 275lbs, wearing a size 18 jeans. When I got down to 200lbs I was in a size 16. I’m at 175 now and I wear a size 14. My goal weight is 130lbs so I do still have a ways to go, but it feels impossible that I’ll ever get into a 2 or 4. But I also know that the amount of pounds lost between needing to change sizes is smaller the smaller you are. So a 2 —> 4 may be 10lbs while an 18 —> 16 was 75lbs for me. Or so I’ve heard. It’s mythos to me as I’ve never worn a 2 or 4. 🙂
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  • dhiammarath
    dhiammarath Posts: 834 Member
    Clothes... are crazy. Not all bodies fit into all clothes. I wear pretty small bottoms (4/6) and I still have about 20kg to go to my goal weight, though only 10kg to healthy BMI! I have no idea what size I'll be. But I'm still a medium in tops because I have not lost where I want to lose. ;)
  • whitpauly
    whitpauly Posts: 1,483 Member
    I have large hips and even when I was at my skinniest in high school at 135 5'6" the smallest size I could wear was a 10 and the legs were loose.

    This is me exactly now,cannot get lower than a 10 st 5'6 135
  • funjen1972
    funjen1972 Posts: 949 Member
    I am 5'6.5". Weigh 140lbs. I usually wear a 4 pant, sometimes a 2 or 6, depending on sizing. My hips measure 37".

    Tops can range from xs to medium, depending on fit. I'm busty with a 39" chest (not rib cage) so it all depends on the cut.
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