45 lbs lost - only one pant size??

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tanyoshka
tanyoshka Posts: 50 Member
in Motivation and Support
I've been thinking about this for a while, but I've been reading a lot of posts today that touched this topic and now it's driving me crazy! I'm 6 feet no inches tall, and started my journey at 245 lbs. At that point I was wearing a size 16 (I've never worn anything bigger than that, though my 16's were starting to feel pretty uncomfortable). In the first year, I lost 45 lbs, and was comfortably wearing a size 14. I get that everyone's body type is different, but holy moly. I would think that by losing 20% of my entire body mass would get me a little more than a single pant size. I'm reasonably proportionate, so it's not like I carry all my weight in one place. Does anyone have a similar experience to share for encouragement's sake? Is it because I have a large frame (7 inch wrists, that's large, right?) so "skinny" on me is going to be a size 8? Argh... sorry for the vent, but I've been reading "I lost 30 pounds and went from a size 14 to a size 2!" all day and am feeling a little defeated.

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  • welovetea
    welovetea Posts: 18
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    Even when I weighed 140 to 150 pounds, I was still a size 10/12, so based on my own experience, I think looks can be deceiving. I carry weight on top, yet I'm well balanced (same measurements on chest and hips). You can really see it in my waist measurements, which dramatically increased 10 inches when I gained 40 to 50 pounds as a result of a couple emotionally painful years. So I'm technically an "apple" body shape, but it's not obvious to someone who never knew me at a lower weight because my chest and hips are still larger than my waist. Maybe that's not too different from you?
  • jenabugg
    jenabugg Posts: 51 Member
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    Is it possible that your "uncomfortable" size 16 clothes were stretched to an 18? So perhaps you really went from a size 18ish to a size 14?

    I have always heard the rule that 20 pounds = 1 pant size.
  • hmdiaz76
    hmdiaz76 Posts: 10 Member
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    I'm 5'10" and have worn a size 12 pretty much my entire adult life. However, I've worn those size 12 pants during times I weighed anywhere from 165-190 pounds. At 165, they're pretty loose and I can wear some size 10 pants. At 190, I'm fooling myself that they still fit and they give me a huge muffin top! Maybe it'll help if you take some pictures and measurements because you'll see not only 45 pounds and a size smaller, but maybe a better fit at the waist and smaller inches. Good luck!
  • meshashesha2012
    meshashesha2012 Posts: 8,326 Member
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    sounds about right.. you lost 2 sizes .. just because you could squeeze into the 14s doesnt mean that's the size you should have been wearing.

    ETA: i pressed send to soon.. with larger sizes (above size 10) there's more difference between the sizes. sometimes by as much as 2" on smaller sizes the difference between sizes is pretty much kept to 1"... ahh vanity sizing
  • lishie_rebooted
    lishie_rebooted Posts: 2,973 Member
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    You very well could have been wearing the wrong size to begin with.

    Also depending how old the size 16s were, they may not be a size 16 in today's vanity sizing.

    In one day, in one store, in one hour, I can go from a size 2 to a size 6 back down to a 4, back up to an 8. It all depends on the cut of the pants.
  • emilypink573
    emilypink573 Posts: 132 Member
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    I was squeezing into 14s, i probably was a 16 and ive lost about 40lbs and im now a comfortable 12 so maybe you were wearing the wrong size.
  • Alice_in_VVonderland
    Alice_in_VVonderland Posts: 67 Member
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    It's been a decade, but if I recall correctly...

    I'm 5'5" and when I weighed 130 -135 pounds I was anywhere between size 8 -12.

    Also, I was wearing really old stretched out size 16 jeans right up until I needed a 20 - 22.

    Please don't use clothing sizes to guide your weight loss, or govern your feels. Use real measurements, which are consistent.
  • AyaRowan
    AyaRowan Posts: 80 Member
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    As clothing size increases, the difference in the amount of fabric used to make those clothes increases. Larger size clothes usually have an inch and a half or sometimes even two (for larger clothes) in between their sizes. (In other words you would have to lose an inch and a half around your waist to go down a size) Also remember that fat has more give than muscle. You can squeeze it into a pair of pants better than those who have mostly muscle that's too toned to smoosh much. So you may have had more squeezed into those 16's than you thought, it was just held in and compressed.

    For smaller size clothing, there's less of a difference. The difference between them goes down to a inch or sometimes less for the smallest sizes. So you would have to lose an inch for each size.

    I dealt with this too. I had lost 50lb and the pants that I had at 303lb still fit (though with a belt). My shirts were horribly oversized but the pants were just a bit loose. As it is now, I'm down 78lb and I still wear a 22 (down from a tight 26 at 303lb) with a belt. Could probably fit into a 20 but lack the funds for a new pair at the moment. Anyway at the time I felt so discouraged because I had lost an impressive amount of weight but I still couldn't buy smaller sizes yet. It sucked!

    So just remember:
    - Don't judge your progress by the numbers on your clothes, just focus on being healthier and try to get your mind off comparing your progress to that of others especially those who started out/ended up near their goal weight. You'll get there in time, look at it as an inspiration not a direct comparison.
    - Not all brands sizes are the same. Try to stick with one brand and line if possible to tell whether you went down in sizes. Lots of women's brands run small.
    - There is such a thing as "skinny fat." Lots of people get down to their goal weight and discover they still can't fit into clothes as small as they wanted because their body composition is fatty rather than toned muscle. They then have to tone up, and if you look up pictures it's amazing the difference can be. In some only the difference of a few pounds meant a couple sizes down after toning and tightening.
  • MMarvelous
    MMarvelous Posts: 1,067 Member
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    It is important to take your MEASUREMENTS! This is the only true way to determine the number of INCHES you have lose. I will loose my stomach first but my thighs and butt remain the same to me unless I measure them. Don't get discouraged. Just use a different method to monitor your SUCCESS! Good luck.
  • tanyoshka
    tanyoshka Posts: 50 Member
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    Thank you, everyone. I'm feeling much more encouraged about where I'm at right now. It sounds like I'll be searching for youtube videos about how to properly take my own measurements.
  • deliacm
    deliacm Posts: 66 Member
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    I know how discouraging this can be. I've now lost 66 pounds and JUST got to the point that I needed to go down in sizes. I still wear 4x shirts and I get upset that they still "fit". Eventually, I'll get there... but it's definitely hard now.
  • Quasita
    Quasita Posts: 1,530 Member
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    I've lost 77lbs, but still wear many of the same clothes. Most "plus sized" clothing is made with spandex woven in to make it stretchier than others. Even jeans with button/zip flies usually have a small percentage of elastic woven in. Heavy people have a tendency of wearing clothes that are technically too small, because we often refuse to buy bigger clothes because it means accepting where we've gone. Since we gain slowly sometimes, our clothes expand with us.

    I fully accept that I was squeezing into some clothes that were at least a size too small, but since I was at a size 36 at the time, I could not easily find things that were bigger without spending a ton of money. I still wear almost all the same clothing but have lost a good 10 inches at least from my waist.

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