How long before you start to lose dress sizes?

hikuinezumi · October 2016

I've lost just under 30 lbs so far (I'm 5'3) my usual size is slightly looser but I would have hoped to have dropped a size by now. How much did you have to lose before you had to start buying smaller clothes?

rainbowbow · October 2016

a lot more than expected.

I'm 5'3.5 (that half inch counts for something!) and i had to lose 25 pounds to go from a size 6 to a size 3. Even then it depends on the brand, the cut, the style, etc.

I wear between a size 00 to a 3 depending on where i'm shopping. There is less of a difference between sizes the smaller you are though, so that's important to note.

edit; ps it also depends on where you gain and lose fat. i'm a pear so it takes much longer to lose extra fat off my butt and thighs than anywhere else.

hikuinezumi · October 2016

My fiance has noticed I've lost from my face and I definitely have more of a waist. I'm UK size 20 which is huge (and embarrassing but we're here so who cares). I must be losing from strange places lol. All I've done is found happiness, I'm not comfort eating anymore, I have an active job - I used to work in a callcentre, and I have more space to move (and clean) at home. I'm losing about 6lbs a week!

But the loss isn't manifesting in sizes yet. I kinda hoped each stone I lost would translate into about a dress size but I'm two stone down nearly and while 22s fall off, my 20s are only loose and 18s are tight. In UK sizes, the differences are about 2 inches on the hips at my size. I'd have to study my sewing patterns to really work it out though (I'm really lucky that I can sew my own clothes so I don't have to go shopping when I do eventually start losing sizes). I think it does go down to about an inch difference at 8-10 but I doubt I'll ever get there - I have a pretty big frame for such a short woman

Grammytryingtogetfit · October 2016

Wow 6 pounds a week is a lot!!!!! I have lost 15 pounds so far, have went from XXL tops to Large, some mediums:) Jeans from 12 to 10. I typically don't wear dresses, but I'm sure I have went down there too. I think it's different for everybody, not all of us lose weight the same. Just keep logging, you will notice. Congratulations on finding the happiness from being a healthier fitter person!!!!

elisa123gal · October 2016

dress sizes are tricky..because the cut of the dress could keep you in a larger size depending on your body shape. ..say if it zips up the back and has a scoop neckline A large busted woman would have to get a larger dress size to make that work.

hikuinezumi · October 2016

I'm fat around the hips, bum and tummy. I generally take top sizes one lower than bottoms.

courtneyfabulous · October 2016

6 pounds a week is really fast... are you sure you're not under eating? Are you getting enough protein? Do you exercise?

I'm 5'4 and I'm in America so the sizing is different but when I lost 30 pounds I went from a size 14/16 (pretty large) to a size 6/4 (average/thin). But you want to be focused on losing body fat not just smaller dress sizes.

You might want to try making sure you're getting at least 100 grams of protein a day, do some weight lifting a few times a week, and some hiit cardio a few times a week. Weight lifting sessions should be about 45 minutes to an hour. Hiit cardio should be about 20 to 35 minutes. This should help you retain muscle, lose fat, and get a better body shape that is probably what you are looking for.

Great job so far, 30 pounds is a lot!!
Wow!! Really great progress

hikuinezumi · October 2016

I don't think it's that I'm undereating, it's more that I've stopped eating sweets and started moving around a lot more. My job is on my feet rather than sitting down now and I'm cleaning a 3 bedroom house and clearing a huge garden in my spare time. I'm a lot more active than I used to be. I'm not really trying, my life has done a 180 in the past couple of months.

Nachise · October 2016

I'm 5'3 3/4". I've gone from a snug size 16W to almost a 12, depending on the cut. I'm a pear, too, so losing the weight on the lower half of my body has taken some time. I've been at this for four years, hit a ton of plateaus, had to get over some head games, but during this period, I've lost almost 63 pounds. I'm a senior, so the weight has been more stubborn at times, but I'm in it to win it.

Cbestinme · October 2016

I haven't lost as much as you yet, I don't think, but it's possible my pants size has changed slightly. I can wear my largest size, it hangs loser and just tried on a size down today and it seems comfy. From reading responses above there's so much variation it can be hard to tell what could happen to our own bodies. For example someone went from a size 14/16 to a 4/6 with a 30 pound weight loss? That sounds amazing! On my body, I couldn't imagine changing sizes so drastically. Has your own body changed drastically over the years? Did you gain weight and change many sizes?

simonecrane1994 · January 2017

Im 5ft 3.5ish and size 20 too! Having the same issue!! 29lbs down and still the same size, not even noticing much of a difference in my clothes but my bf says he can see the difference in my face like you say. Maybe we are just expecting too much too soon.
Let me know if since this post you have dropped a size and if so how much loss you had when that happened

Good Luck!!

duddysdad · January 2017

Not a woman, but for some perspective I started at 340 pounds wearing a 44" waist and a 3xl shirt, which was tight. When I got down to about 260, I was still wearing the same size clothes. However, from around 260 to 220 I went from a 44" waist to a 34", and a 3XL shirt to a 1x. Going from 220 to 180 I went from an XL shirt to a large, and a 34" waist to a loose 32".

midpath · January 2017

I started at 275 and I wore large shirts and size 18 pants. At my lowest (I gained over the holidays) I was 165 and I wore medium shirts and size 12 pants. It doesn't budge much lol.

To add, I'm 5'10 so I probably carry my weight a little differently.

szkodzt · January 2017

It took me much longer than I expected to drop that first size - around 30 lbs. However, the smaller you get the faster they start dropping. I think larger clothes just have more stretch and in my case I started out tight in my larger sizes (which is when I realized I should probably start losing weight!)

JenHuedy · January 2017

Here's how it broke down for me:

Sizes 16 to 14 & 14 to 12 US: 30 pounds each size
Size 12 to 10: 20 pounds
Size 10 to 8: 10 pounds
Size 8 to 6: 5 pounds (with weight training)

Think of the weight like the layers of paper towel on the roll. When the roll is still large, it takes more sheets to go around the roll. As the roll gets smaller, it takes fewer sheets to go all the way around. When you are larger, it takes more pounds of fat to add that extra inch all the way around. But as you get smaller, the amount of fat it takes to add in inch is smaller.

merbear787 · January 2017

I didn't start to go down in dress and pant sizes until I started lifting weights. :-)

Ready2Rock206 · January 2017

50 and even then I probably had no business being in a smaller size but I just refused to wear the bigger size anymore!

estherdragonbat · January 2017

I was told at a plus-size store that in general (and of course, may vary by style/designer/etc) every 10 to 15 1lbs was another dress size. I can say that a 25-lb loss has made a dress go from "I can zip it up but I look like a sausage in a casing" to "another couple of pounds and I may need to get this taken in!"

jelleigh · January 2017

Im 5'8" and when I was lighter, a 5-10 lb loss was one or two sides different. Now Ive just lost 25 lbs and I think i *may* have dropped a size. Maybe. I think it just depends on where you hold your weight and the difference in the larger sizes. The good news is that as you lose more, it may change quicker !

alexp44 · January 2017

I'm starting again this year and I really hear you about working in a call centre. It ruined my weight loss as I didn't realise just how many calories being active in my previous job gave me (I could eat over 2000 a day and still be dropping 2lb a week!)
If it helps the I'm now around the 240 mark 5'4" and also floating around UK size 20.
Last time when I lost weight I made it to a tight 12 somewhere near 160lbs but I noticed I changed clothes sizes the quickest between 200 and 170lbs. I'm hoping as I'm floating at this size I can drop down a size pretty quickly but I'm not expecting anything else until I've lost a lot more after that.
Like you my face seems to loose it 1st (and my chest) but my hips take ages to budge (and even when I was down at 160 I struggled wearing higher boots as my calves refuse to go under 16" lol)

spilledmilk · January 2017

The bigger you are, the more weight you need to lose to go down sizes. I know this because I work in the fashion industry, specifically the fit side of it. For example waist grading:
between 18 and 20 the waist grade is 4" between sizes
between 4 and 6 the waist grade is 1" between sizes

Anyways, my point is don't get discouraged if you don't go down sizes right away. It's not your fault, it's the fashion industry's fault

dragon_girl26 · January 2017

I started at 241 lbs, 5'6", roughly size 20.
Took about 10 lbs to hit a size 18.
Another 20 to hit size 16.
Another 20 or so to fit into 14s.
From there, it was about 10 lbs per size. I'm now 165lbs and a size 8/10 (more 8 than 10).

charlieandcarol · January 2017

I am an apple shape and I have found I have 'threshold" weights. I lose weight from my butt and legs but my waist stays the same, then I drop below a certain weight and my waist suddenly shrinks. So I spend ages stuck in one size and then drop a size quickly. My top half is always at least one size bigger than my bottom half.

microwoman999 · January 2017

They say about 10lbs is one size. But it also depends on where you loose

fbchick51 · January 2017

JenHuedy wrote: »

Here's how it broke down for me:

Sizes 16 to 14 & 14 to 12 US: 30 pounds each size
Size 12 to 10: 20 pounds
Size 10 to 8: 10 pounds
Size 8 to 6: 5 pounds (with weight training)

Think of the weight like the layers of paper towel on the roll. When the roll is still large, it takes more sheets to go around the roll. As the roll gets smaller, it takes fewer sheets to go all the way around. When you are larger, it takes more pounds of fat to add that extra inch all the way around. But as you get smaller, the amount of fat it takes to add in inch is smaller.

My experience has been similar in the past

fitoverfortymom · January 2017

I was 256 when I started and a comfortable (not tight fitting) 22w). I dropped down comfortably into a 20w fairly quickly after the first 2 weeks of the big weight losses (like 17lbs or so).

Then I stayed at 20w for another six weeks before sliding into 18w. I am still wearing most of my 18w pants another 2 months later, but could probably fit int a 16w (per the one pair of 16w pants I have that fit this past weekend). However, I'm trying to milk it until I can fit into 14w to save some $ on pants. Most of my tops I haven't replaced and they are 18-22w sizes and are really starting to look huge on me. I don't want to invest $$$ in tops that I will only wear for a very short amount of time, so waiting until spring/summer for a shopping trip.

All in all, there's a 50lb weight loss between when I started and now and almost 4 sizes in there.

I figure another 20lbs or so and I'll be out of the plus size section altogether and can start wearing the top end of the misses department (at least I hope so OMG that will be so exciting!!!).

How long before you start to lose dress sizes?

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