Weight and Clothing Size

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  • slbbw
    slbbw Posts: 329 Member
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    Size has little to do with weight within specific ranges. I am currently wearing a 2/4 but am 145lbs and 5'5. Some of it may have to do with brand and cut. I have muscular things and not all pants fit me well. I wear anywhere from a 2-8 depending on brand. I have exceedingly narrow hips compared to the rest of my body. It makes finding certain types of clothes very challenging, but it also means I can wear smaller pants. I think I would personally trade my small pants size for some semblance of a waist. The difference between my waist and hip bone where my pants sit is like 2".

    I diatribe to say, that what you find frustrating, on your end others who you seem to think are in the "better" camp may find it equally frustrating. Mentally I have had to get over weight 20-30lbs more than friends that are the same size as me, its just the way my body is shaped and there is no use fighting it.
  • collectingblues
    collectingblues Posts: 2,541 Member
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    Duck_Puddle wrote: »
    Body shape matters but so does clothing cut. Mid rise, low rise, high rise, ultra rise, modern cut, classic, skinny, boyfriend, and whatever other random words being used as labels. Honestly-what does boyfriend cut even mean?

    I go look for pants in some magic combo of rise/cut/shape/material/size that actually fit my body shape. I might wear 3 or 4 different sizes (of the same brand) because of varying cuts/styles.

    I pick which one looks best to me.

    I have clothes in a size 2 to size 20 that all fit.

    Not to threadjack... I have no idea what it *means*, but boyfriend/girlfriend cuts are the best fitting ones I've found for my body shape -- they fit not-super-tight-not-super-loose through the waist and hips, but are more relaxed in the thighs, so they work well with my running/lifting quads and hamstrings.
  • whmscll
    whmscll Posts: 2,254 Member
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    I agree that clothing brand sizing varies., and that it is subject to vanity sizing. I just bought a size 2 in Macy’s store brand skinny leg pants but a size 8 in Levi’s jeans. And I fit anywhere from size 4-8 in dresses depending on brand and style. I am 122 pounds and 5’ 4.5”.
  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,013 Member
    edited August 2019
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    Worrying about what size you wear is an exercise in futility. It depends on where you carry your weight, your bone structure, what brand, what type of cut, how fitted or loose you like to wear your clothes, what time of day it is. Heck, I have had to buy different sizes of the same pants in different colors as they fit differently for some reason. I currently fit well in clothes that are small or medium, sizes 6-12.

    Being bothered by a numbering system that is not in any way standardized is a waste of time and energy, and it's concerning that you are wondering if losing more weight would get you into a lower size. You are already underweight, and there is no standardized clothing size that means you are the right weight.
  • bekahlou75
    bekahlou75 Posts: 304 Member
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    whmscll wrote: »
    I agree that clothing brand sizing varies., and that it is subject to vanity sizing. I just bought a size 2 in Macy’s store brand skinny leg pants but a size 8 in Levi’s jeans. And I fit anywhere from size 4-8 in dresses depending on brand and style. I am 122 pounds and 5’ 4.5”.

    I am 5.4" and weigh 155, and wear sizes 6-12. It's great to be on here and see how everyone is so different.
  • ritzvin
    ritzvin Posts: 2,860 Member
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    zylkm4 wrote: »
    I hope it is ok to ask this as it really bothers me. I am a female weighing between 110-113 lbs at 5' 5.5". I have been this weight range for about five years, and before that was very underweight for six years.

    I wear a size 4 in pants and jeans. My body is very tiny towards the top, in chest and arm area, but I carry more weight in thighs, butt, low abdomen. I could wear a child's top and have almost no breasts. I have friends who weigh as much as 30 to 40 lbs more than I do who wear a size 2 or less in pants. Almost everyone who is my weight wears smaller size pants than I do.

    I am moderately active with dance, ballet, cycling, lifting weights and calisthenics, hiking, canoeing etc. I workout about an hour and 20 minutes per day five days per week on average. I do however have an 8 hour a day desk job.

    Why do I need a larger size pant than others who weigh a lot more than me? Is it due to body fat or is it bone structure? Though I am 47, I am also in surgical menopause since age 33, but even before that, when my normal weight was around 120 as an adult, I wore size 6-8. I was under 100 lbs before I could fit into a size 0. When I would lose more body fat, I would lose it everywhere and would look skeletal on top, so I am not sure that I could reduce fat in just lower area.

    I am just curious if anyone else experiences this? Is it normal to vary so much in size of pants for people of the same weight?


    I have a similar build. My excess weight goes to my thighs, but it is also muscle and my build. I'm at least 4 sizes up from my waist, and I've never found pants that actually fit correctly (always tight around the thighs, but clown pants around the waist) - I always wear skirts or dresses. I'm a dancer, cyclist, hiker, runner. I've come to very much appreciate (and be proud of) my strong thighs.
  • ritzvin
    ritzvin Posts: 2,860 Member
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    HoneyBadger155 wrote: »
    If I ever want to feel bad about my size, I just need to try on some European/Italian-brand/made clothes LOL.

    haha. or clothing that is dual marked for Eur/US. I have cycling shorts with the following tag..

    Eur L
    USA M
  • Courtscan2
    Courtscan2 Posts: 498 Member
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    Oh the joys of the many various body types. My lower half is always larger than my top half. Sometimes by a lot, sometimes by a little, depending on the make of the clothes. Doesn't matter how much I gain or lose, it's just my shape. I prefer to think of it as "mermaid" shaped. I just buy whatever fits and I feel good in, and don't think or worry about the size, as life's too short to get hung up on things that don't matter and that I can't change.
  • Pamela_Sue
    Pamela_Sue Posts: 563 Member
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    OP, I understand your point. In high school I was a size 11 and my older sister was a size 5. Because of our clothing size differences I always felt like a moose compared to her and my friends. But in reality I had a great figure, and standing next to them, I didn't actually look any larger. Back then we just didn't understand that people have different body types and frame sizes. It was all about the clothing number, or the number on the scale. It took me many years to come to peace with that.
  • Cahgetsfit
    Cahgetsfit Posts: 1,912 Member
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    clothing sizes are bizarre. Don't compare yourself to other people. Body structures etc, all are different - as people above have already said.

    I used to be a consistent size 8 (back in the pre-baby days). Then after baby and getting fat I got up to 14 ish. Now, I can fit into a size 6 bottoms (these are all Australian sizes BTW, which are different to US sizes - 8 was the smallest size until they brought in size 6). My top however, is more like a 10-12 and not due to my boobies but due to my back and arms. I weigh more now than I did pre-baby but I fit smaller bottoms.

  • RunsWithBees
    RunsWithBees Posts: 1,508 Member
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    Clothing sizes are just about meaningless, I’ve been maintaining my goal weight for almost 6 years now and I wear clothes that are labeled anywhere from XS - XL. I just go by how they fit rather than what some manufacturer decided to put on the label. I usually cut out the labels from my clothes anyway so what’s it matter? :D:D:D
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 32,170 Member
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    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    deannalfisher wrote: »
    men have it sooo easy when it comes to clothes shopping - waist and length - yes, i know women have hips as well - but you would think it could be done...

    did with shirts - collar size and sleeve length; add boob circumfrence and voila

    You'd think...

    Finding pants that fit me right is a PITA for my waist size...particularly the fashionable "slim cut" pants. Most guys don't have much of an *kitten* it seems...I have a round, protruding bubble *kitten*...partly genetic and partly from cycling, lifting, etc. I also have stocky legs (thighs in particular). It seems like men's pants are cut only for the waist size and don't take into account much else.

    I usually have to opt for the less fashionable relaxed fit, baggier jeans and/or stretchy materials to get my *kitten* in my pants.

    Y'know, this I understand. I empathize, even: I have the shoulders of a linebacker, and big arms, but the rest of me is narrow. So, if a top - even a stretchy knit one - has sleeves, I need at least a medium, and sometimes a large, once in a while even an extra large. If the very same brand of top is sleeveless, I can wear a small to extra small.

    People who can wear a particular size on top, and a particular size on the bottom - even if those are different sizes, even if the numbers vary from one manufacturer to another - I think they're lucky.

    Who cares what the number is, per se? Jeez.

    I admit, it bugs me a little that my ring finger is a size 10 (even at BMI 19; goes up to 13-14 when I'm obese!): It's really, really hard to find women's rings in a size 10 (let alone 13-14). :lol:
  • Pamela_Sue
    Pamela_Sue Posts: 563 Member
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    AnnPT77 wrote: »
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    deannalfisher wrote: »
    men have it sooo easy when it comes to clothes shopping - waist and length - yes, i know women have hips as well - but you would think it could be done...

    did with shirts - collar size and sleeve length; add boob circumfrence and voila

    I admit, it bugs me a little that my ring finger is a size 10 (even at BMI 19; goes up to 13-14 when I'm obese!): It's really, really hard to find women's rings in a size 10 (let alone 13-14). :lol:

    @AnnPT77, I also have very large fingers. Even when I am at a good weight I wear a size 9 1/2 to a 10. I hesitate to recommend a website on here, but QVC has great jewelry. Over the last several years, they have made a real effort to offer sizes 10 and even 11, probably due to the growing size of Americans. My favorites are their jewelry from Italy and Israel. Very well made. The sterling silver is reasonable, but gold is sure expensive nowadays.
  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,464 Member
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    The size label doesn't really matter because different brands cut and size their clothes differently. I have several different sizes in my closet, which all fit, and when I buy cycling clothes I always have go up 1-2 sizes. It's more annoying than anything. Unlike my husband who can buy the same size in any brand, any style, and it fits correctly.
    As to why your friends wear smaller size than you sometimes, it can be due to bone structure, fat, styling, brands, and how truthful they're being about stating their size. :D
  • PKM0515
    PKM0515 Posts: 2,937 Member
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    pjshawley wrote: »
    AnnPT77 wrote: »
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    deannalfisher wrote: »
    men have it sooo easy when it comes to clothes shopping - waist and length - yes, i know women have hips as well - but you would think it could be done...

    did with shirts - collar size and sleeve length; add boob circumfrence and voila

    I admit, it bugs me a little that my ring finger is a size 10 (even at BMI 19; goes up to 13-14 when I'm obese!): It's really, really hard to find women's rings in a size 10 (let alone 13-14). :lol:

    @AnnPT77, I also have very large fingers. Even when I am at a good weight I wear a size 9 1/2 to a 10. I hesitate to recommend a website on here, but QVC has great jewelry. Over the last several years, they have made a real effort to offer sizes 10 and even 11, probably due to the growing size of Americans. My favorites are their jewelry from Italy and Israel. Very well made. The sterling silver is reasonable, but gold is sure expensive nowadays.

    QVC has very nice jewelry! I've been watching for about 23 years, and I think they have always offered the larger ring sizes. They usually have a larger (8") bracelet size as well. 😃
  • Hannahwalksfar
    Hannahwalksfar Posts: 572 Member
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    That is difficult. If you can please see a therapist. Big hugs

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