Bras after Massive Weight Loss
Replies
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def. recommend a professional bra fitting and to be honest i would avoid JCPenney's/Macy's - they only carry a limited range of sizes and you may need beyond that - i use a place in DC called troussaeu that carries everythign from 28-46 bands and AA to KK cups - so you can legitimately find a bra that fits - plan on a good fitting taking upwards of an hour and be ok with being in just a bra in front of the sales person/lady0
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I used to be a 54DD. Last time I got a fitting I was a 38dd. Depending on my weight I am a 36-38DD. I really refuse to buy expensive bras. I am not really impressed with the fit of any of them. Luckily my sister is in the same size range and buys nice bras. She donates to me and I just use what she gives me. I like the padded bras, but I don't much care most times.0
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why refuse to buy a good bra - good bras aren't cheap but they are worth their weight in gold - once I finally got into a bra that fit properly - my back and neck issues went away (i went from a 36C - because that is what victoria secret told me i wore; to a 32FF/G)5
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Professional bra fitting. Seriously life-changing.6
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Go to google and search for a professional bra fitter in your area. There is a specialty store near my house that I used when I first started looking as I had no idea about sizing, fit, or brands. Evidently it was started by women who had breast cancer and were now lopsided or left with scars and had very unusual fitting needs. When I went there, it was super helpful. Now that I know what size I need, I order from the sales on Amazon.
There is help online. Search up https://www.reddit.com/r/ABraThatFits/ and read their beginner's guide (on the right side on a PC). You can also post there; the nice ladies have tons of helpful suggestions. The beginner's guide also has a tutorial on how to take your own measurements and a little calculator that spits out a size. If you do not have a professional bra fitting store near you, Nordstrom trains their fitters and they have a good selection of unusual sizes in store (and more online) but beware that oddly sized bras get expensive quickly.2 -
deannalfisher wrote: »def. recommend a professional bra fitting and to be honest i would avoid JCPenney's/Macy's - they only carry a limited range of sizes and you may need beyond that - i use a place in DC called troussaeu that carries everythign from 28-46 bands and AA to KK cups - so you can legitimately find a bra that fits - plan on a good fitting taking upwards of an hour and be ok with being in just a bra in front of the sales person/lady
I’m in Georgia, looked up “bra fitting near me” and it’s what I found. I don’t have a lot of money to spend on this.0 -
ExistingFish wrote: »heikeeberwein9208 wrote: »heikeeberwein9208 wrote: »I was a 34H at my heaviest and now down to 30FF
Check out the Facebook group Boob or Bust for best bra fitting. They also have an online calculator: https://booborbust.com/
Unfortunately, it’s suggesting a DD, and I’ve already seen by trying things on that even a C cup is massively too big. I seem to be in some weird twilight zone where Bs are too tiny and Cs are as vast as the sea.
Apparently JC Penney does bra fitting. I’ll give them a try and see what they say.
The trick to a good fitting bra is really to find your band size first and it might be smaller than you’d think. Have you tried Boob or bust measuring? What size does it suggest?
Yes, as I said above, it’s suggesting a 34 DD. That said, when trying on bras yesterday I did not try bending over to get all the tissue in the cup, I was standing up and trying to arrange it “by hand”. Will try the bending over today when I go.
Yes, if you have tissue spill out the armpits and the bottom of the cups, your cup is too small.
If it's spilling out the bottom of the cups, your band is too big if it allows this. Try at 32 DD or DDD.
I'd also suggest https://www.reddit.com/r/ABraThatFits/. They have a good calculator on there.
I just wanted to second this. I just re-measured myself for bra shopping this weekend. Before I lost some weight I was a 36 D or 34DD.
With all the breast tissue I lost I thought for sure I dropped both a cup and a band size. Some of my existing D bras were way too big in the cups. But, I foolishley bought some 36 C's without trying them on. (Kmart was going out of business, and fitting rooms weren't available). And I have that armpit flab in almost all of them.
This weekend, I actually measured myself to find I should be a 34 D or 32DD. Lo and behold I tried on bra's and D cups eliminated the armpit flab. Anyhoo, What I'm trying to say, is you'd be suprised at what might fit. But the size is just a general guide. Unfortunatly, even if they are all the same size, no two bra's will fit the same. Even if they are the same cut. My suggestion would be to grab the size you think you are after measurements. Then, grab one up a band size, and down a cup size and, grab one down a band size, and up a cup size. SO you would if you measured out at 34DD grab that, a 36D, and a 32DDD. I was told at my last professional measurement (at a Victoria's Secret FWIW) that those are your "sister sizes".
For types of bras to look for? Try Demi's and Balconetts, or tshirt bras. They seem to gather the girls up without having as much space in the top and front as full coverage bras. This is a problem I run into as well. They're either spilling over the sides, or they settle into the bottom with a bunch of room on top. I do not have much mass "on top" to fill up the whole bra. They are mostly on the bottom and sides. Edit- Oh yeah, and pushup bra's! They tend to have less fabric up top, and the padding on the bottom. One of my go to's as well.
Also, I have had good luck with the Haine's wire-free bra's. They don't have cup sizes, but come in small, med, large, etc. They seem to have a bit of stretch to them, and seem to corral the side boob for me without having to deal with jabbing underwires.Sometimes there's a tiny pit of puckering on the top, but nothing that is noticible under a shirt. Good luck! I hope you find some good fitting bra's soon! Bra shopping sucks!5 -
deannalfisher wrote: »def. recommend a professional bra fitting and to be honest i would avoid JCPenney's/Macy's - they only carry a limited range of sizes and you may need beyond that - i use a place in DC called troussaeu that carries everythign from 28-46 bands and AA to KK cups - so you can legitimately find a bra that fits - plan on a good fitting taking upwards of an hour and be ok with being in just a bra in front of the sales person/lady
I’m in Georgia, looked up “bra fitting near me” and it’s what I found. I don’t have a lot of money to spend on this.
i found this place that may be near you- i used lingerie fitting and then the location in your profile - Necessities By Sherrie
you don't need to spend a lot of money but one or two REALLY good bras will last a while (I normally go in once a year for new years - only buy 1-2 but wear them for everything) - they cost me between $50 and $75 each1 -
I get the feeling that very few people posting really get what you're talking about. I'm 50 and down 125 lbs and yes, it's a problem, and no, bra fitting will not help because zero bras are made for people with loose skin from weight loss. There is no magic size which will work and no bras are made - balconette, plunge, or otherwise - which are made to support armpits and droopy tube socks and make them look good. There are simply not enough people with this problem to support products being made to fix it.
BUT! you may be able to find individual bras which sort of work. Weirdly enough my favorite at the moment is a convertible strapless. Since the band is broad and tight in order to hold from the bottom, my boobs don't slip down in it, and it has fairly high sides which cover my armpits. I think it's something inexpensive like a Maidenform but since I cut the tags off I can't give specifics. There are also some Bali and Maidenforms which are made with high sides for loose skin coverage. A full coverage molded cup will give your breast the right shape.
The right technique putting on a bra helps. I actually put on the bra, then pull down on my armpit skin and slide it downwards out from the bra, then lift my breasts into place. That eliminates most of the armpit issues.6 -
ExistingFish wrote: »Cutemesoon wrote: »OMG. I had the biggest problem finding bras even when I was 245 lbs! I was a 38H & stores didn't sell my size. Heck, Lane Bryant didn't even sell my size until the last 2-3 yrs before I lost weight. Now, i'm a 28 H.
I didn't even know that size existed. I went to a lingerie store and got measured. I thought that losing weight would allow me to shop at target or walmart for bras. Boy was I wrong. I still have to pay lots of money for bras & I still can't find my size in stores. I have found a few online retailers such as bare essentials but it's still expensive & it's still hard to find my size. The saddest part is that my bust doesn't even look like the size i'm in. 
So my advice is to go to a store to get fitted, note the size & maker of each bra you try on, then go online & try to find similar bras. Good luck!
I was a 32JJ (UK sizing, 32N US sizing!) when I was overweight. I thought losing weight would allow me to shop at regular stores.
Nope, I'm down to a 28 band. Can't shop at regular stores either. I'm a 28FF/G (UK sizing), which is so much closer to "normal"...but still can't find it anywhere!
That’s because regular stores don’t cater for regular sizes. Their band/cup ratio is way off1 -
Crafty_camper123 wrote: »ExistingFish wrote: »heikeeberwein9208 wrote: »heikeeberwein9208 wrote: »I was a 34H at my heaviest and now down to 30FF
Check out the Facebook group Boob or Bust for best bra fitting. They also have an online calculator: https://booborbust.com/
Unfortunately, it’s suggesting a DD, and I’ve already seen by trying things on that even a C cup is massively too big. I seem to be in some weird twilight zone where Bs are too tiny and Cs are as vast as the sea.
Apparently JC Penney does bra fitting. I’ll give them a try and see what they say.
The trick to a good fitting bra is really to find your band size first and it might be smaller than you’d think. Have you tried Boob or bust measuring? What size does it suggest?
Yes, as I said above, it’s suggesting a 34 DD. That said, when trying on bras yesterday I did not try bending over to get all the tissue in the cup, I was standing up and trying to arrange it “by hand”. Will try the bending over today when I go.
Yes, if you have tissue spill out the armpits and the bottom of the cups, your cup is too small.
If it's spilling out the bottom of the cups, your band is too big if it allows this. Try at 32 DD or DDD.
I'd also suggest https://www.reddit.com/r/ABraThatFits/. They have a good calculator on there.
I just wanted to second this. I just re-measured myself for bra shopping this weekend. Before I lost some weight I was a 36 D or 34DD.
With all the breast tissue I lost I thought for sure I dropped both a cup and a band size. Some of my existing D bras were way too big in the cups. But, I foolishley bought some 36 C's without trying them on. (Kmart was going out of business, and fitting rooms weren't available). And I have that armpit flab in almost all of them.
This weekend, I actually measured myself to find I should be a 34 D or 32DD. Lo and behold I tried on bra's and D cups eliminated the armpit flab. Anyhoo, What I'm trying to say, is you'd be suprised at what might fit. But the size is just a general guide. Unfortunatly, even if they are all the same size, no two bra's will fit the same. Even if they are the same cut. My suggestion would be to grab the size you think you are after measurements. Then, grab one up a band size, and down a cup size and, grab one down a band size, and up a cup size. SO you would if you measured out at 34DD grab that, a 36D, and a 32DDD. I was told at my last professional measurement (at a Victoria's Secret FWIW) that those are your "sister sizes".
For types of bras to look for? Try Demi's and Balconetts, or tshirt bras. They seem to gather the girls up without having as much space in the top and front as full coverage bras. This is a problem I run into as well. They're either spilling over the sides, or they settle into the bottom with a bunch of room on top. I do not have much mass "on top" to fill up the whole bra. They are mostly on the bottom and sides. Edit- Oh yeah, and pushup bra's! They tend to have less fabric up top, and the padding on the bottom. One of my go to's as well.
Also, I have had good luck with the Haine's wire-free bra's. They don't have cup sizes, but come in small, med, large, etc. They seem to have a bit of stretch to them, and seem to corral the side boob for me without having to deal with jabbing underwires.Sometimes there's a tiny pit of puckering on the top, but nothing that is noticible under a shirt. Good luck! I hope you find some good fitting bra's soon! Bra shopping sucks!
Yeah, this is why the bras that I have currently (44Ds) have lasted as long as they have -- they're foam cups, so though the cups are too big, the foam holds its shape well enough that it's not usually apparent how big they are on me. I've honestly been tempted just to take in the bands, shorten the straps (I've adjusted as much as I can short of sewing), and start stuffing them with socks! LOL!2 -
rheddmobile wrote: »I get the feeling that very few people posting really get what you're talking about. I'm 50 and down 125 lbs and yes, it's a problem, and no, bra fitting will not help because zero bras are made for people with loose skin from weight loss. There is no magic size which will work and no bras are made - balconette, plunge, or otherwise - which are made to support armpits and droopy tube socks and make them look good. There are simply not enough people with this problem to support products being made to fix it.
BUT! you may be able to find individual bras which sort of work. Weirdly enough my favorite at the moment is a convertible strapless. Since the band is broad and tight in order to hold from the bottom, my boobs don't slip down in it, and it has fairly high sides which cover my armpits. I think it's something inexpensive like a Maidenform but since I cut the tags off I can't give specifics. There are also some Bali and Maidenforms which are made with high sides for loose skin coverage. A full coverage molded cup will give your breast the right shape.
The right technique putting on a bra helps. I actually put on the bra, then pull down on my armpit skin and slide it downwards out from the bra, then lift my breasts into place. That eliminates most of the armpit issues.
Yeah, I really suspect you're right that they just don't make bras for situations like ours, but I will try what you suggest. The side stuff is really my biggest concern, because the cups being too big I can always just get foam-formed bras where the emptiness won't show as much and/or pad them out a bit as necessary. But the skin on the side there's not much I can do with except try and find bras that will adequately smooth that out or at least not accentuate it.0 -
@sgriska You just jogged my memory. I've seen this bra running around that could be worth trying. Maybe it will help smooth the skin on the sides you're talking about? I've seen it at Kohl's Penneys, and Macy's. Just another thing to add to your arsenal of things to try next time you bra shop?
Warners No Side Effects Full Coverage Bra
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Crafty_camper123 wrote: »@sgriska You just jogged my memory. I've seen this bra running around that could be worth trying. Maybe it will help smooth the skin on the sides you're talking about? I've seen it at Kohl's Penneys, and Macy's. Just another thing to add to your arsenal of things to try next time you bra shop?
Warners No Side Effects Full Coverage Bra
Ahh!! This is the brand I was going to suggest! I’ve gone from a 42H to a 32B and things just aren’t the same. Most bras tend to dig in under the armpits creating a flow over effect I just don’t want. This bra fits well and has a little extra give under the arms allowing that extra to not bulge over. Seriously, I only have these bras and sports bras now. I love them. They have padded versions and molded cup versions.4 -
Ah, Penney’s has them in stock! I’ll definitely check them out!0
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Crafty_camper123 wrote: »@sgriska You just jogged my memory. I've seen this bra running around that could be worth trying. Maybe it will help smooth the skin on the sides you're talking about? I've seen it at Kohl's Penneys, and Macy's. Just another thing to add to your arsenal of things to try next time you bra shop?
Warners No Side Effects Full Coverage Bra
This is basically the same design as the Bali ones I have - tried the Warner's and the fit wasn't quite right for me, but they are very similar otherwise. I ended up in a slightly different size than my measurements suggested after trying a variety of different cups and bands - if you can, try everything close to your size on, sometimes going down a band and up a cup or the reverse works.2 -
rheddmobile wrote: »Crafty_camper123 wrote: »@sgriska You just jogged my memory. I've seen this bra running around that could be worth trying. Maybe it will help smooth the skin on the sides you're talking about? I've seen it at Kohl's Penneys, and Macy's. Just another thing to add to your arsenal of things to try next time you bra shop?
Warners No Side Effects Full Coverage Bra
This is basically the same design as the Bali ones I have - tried the Warner's and the fit wasn't quite right for me, but they are very similar otherwise. I ended up in a slightly different size than my measurements suggested after trying a variety of different cups and bands - if you can, try everything close to your size on, sometimes going down a band and up a cup or the reverse works.
I find the same thing. It feels like I have to try on 20 different combos of band/cup size in each style to find the magic number. The person who has to restock them all probably hates me...1 -
the best bra fitting I did, I did myself by following the instructions on wiki how to. lol. I'm a 38 D and never would have known. I've been wearing the wrong size for years.0
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+1 for a professional fitting.0
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Professional fitting definitely does not mean the sort of service offered in shops, though. I was wearing entirely the wrong size of bras for years after I tried Evans's 'bra fitting' service and was told I was a 50D.
I was actually a 42F.
This is going to be particularly true in the case of people whose boobs have deflated due to weight loss; they're no longer the shape that all the guides out there are based on.5
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