How much weight did it take?

How much did you need to lose before you started to see a change in how your clothes fit? I have lost 13 pounds. I have been exercising and feel better. I may see a slight change in how my tops are fitting, but I have pants that I am hoping will fit soon. I am 5'6 and have at least 30 pounds left to lose if that makes a difference. Thanks for your help.

Replies

  • Lietchi
    Lietchi Posts: 6,841 Member
    I started noticing small changes around 8lbs down (I was aiming at a weight loss of around 60lbs). Mostly upper body, it took a while before I went down a size in my pants.
  • NovusDies
    NovusDies Posts: 8,940 Member
    40 pounds. I noticed weight loss in my feet and then upper chest first. Neither of these, because I am a man, have an immediate impact on clothing.

    I started with a VERY large amount to lose so it varies by amount to lose and genetics.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    I didn't go down a pant size until I had lost 30 of my 40 Lbs. At my heaviest, my pants were pretty tight and probably could have/should have been up a size anyway to be comfortable. Those same pants fit much better after I had lost about 20 Lbs. After I lost another 10 Lbs I was kind of on the bubble and in between sizes for what is generally standard for men's pants. I dropped a size and they were tight, but I could wear them...it was more comfortable than wearing the larger size that I had to keep hiking up...another 5 or so Lbs and they fit perfectly.

    It really depends on where you lose weight first...for many, the midsection is a first on, last off kind of thing, so it can take awhile to change pant sizes. I lose weight first in my extremities, and then my face, with my mid section coming off the slowest.
  • nanastaci2020
    nanastaci2020 Posts: 1,072 Member
    For me, I can weigh between about 130 and 148 and wear the same clothes. BUT at 148 my jeans are tight, its a little struggle to get them over the hips, zipped. Some where around 148-152 and I can't wear them.

    I'm 5'5" and aiming for 130ish (now 137) and want to be more toned/fit. So while I don't expect my clothes to get loose, they are now much more comfortable than 4 months ago when I was 148ish. That was when I 'got started again'. When the jeans became a bit of a problem.
  • briscogun
    briscogun Posts: 1,138 Member
    About 20 lbs lost my pants stopped fitting to the point I had to wear different sizes. My extremities started showing signs of weight loss, too. After the next 20 lbs lost I replaced my wardrobe and stored all my "fat clothes". But I only had about 40 lbs to lose which compared to other on here is not a big deal..,
  • 1poundatax
    1poundatax Posts: 231 Member
    Thanks everyone, I appreciate your input. I was surprised when I went to put a pair of pants on today that I would swear I wore last year and they were nowhere near fitting today. I definitely weigh less than a year ago. Maybe I ignored the fact that they didn't fit last year. Oh well- I know they will fit again at some point- that is a goal to work toward. Just makes me more aware of how out of control I got.
  • springlering62
    springlering62 Posts: 8,458 Member
    It was a pretty steady downsize for me, from XXL to XS. I lost about 75 of my pounds the first year, the other 15 the second. So every two or three months, clothes would get noticeably loose and droopy. Oddly enough, some of the biggest size difference came with that last fifteen.

    I really regret having wasted money on interim wardrobes, but I honestly could not fathom the idea I’d continue getting smaller. I keep thinking “surely this is it” and consequently buying clothes because everything bagged.

    Even at smaller size, and a couple years in, things shift. I don’t know how to explain it, but some days my belly seems huge and unsightly, other days the bulges are somewhere else. It can be a slow shift, too, as things still decide where gravity’s gonna take em. Even while my belly decides to bulge, the waistbands and seats on many of my newest leggings have been getting looser and looser until I’m afraid I’m going to drop a pair at some point.
  • nanastaci2020
    nanastaci2020 Posts: 1,072 Member
    When we are heavier, I think it is not unusual to wear clothes that do NOT fit well. Maybe its denial - I know for me having clothes fit is hard to ignore. And if that is so, then it will take longer before those same clothes are 'too big' as we may not notice that they're fitting 'better'.
  • nanastaci2020
    nanastaci2020 Posts: 1,072 Member
    True about the shift.

    Also since the weight does not come off proportionately all over, we end up a different shape. Like the brand/style of underwear you used to wear: buying it in a smaller size may not work. The smaller size may not fit 'right'. And it is kind of annoying since there is nothing you can do but trial and error on finding a new brand and style that does fit right!

    Even at smaller size, and a couple years in, things shift. I don’t know how to explain it, but some days my belly seems huge and unsightly, other days the bulges are somewhere else. It can be a slow shift, too, as things still decide where gravity’s gonna take em. Even while my belly decides to bulge, the waistbands and seats on many of my newest leggings have been getting looser and looser until I’m afraid I’m going to drop a pair at some point.

  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,463 Member
    My clothes felt a little looser after 10 lbs. it depends on your expectations too. Some people have idealistic expectations about what constitutes a meaningful change. Think about it this way...If you gained 13 lbs you’d probably notice even the slightest change I how your clothes fit. So when you lose those same pounds, there will also be slight changes in how your clothes fit. The changes going down can seem harder to notice because we may be rushing for something more dramatic. Our minds play tricks on us. But that doesn’t mean we’re not making progress in reality. Keep up the great work!
  • suzyjmcd2
    suzyjmcd2 Posts: 266 Member
    Somewhere between 10-15 pounds
  • StellaRose227
    StellaRose227 Posts: 43 Member
    I have my "weight loss belt." Essentially every 5 lbs I lose, it gets comfortable at one more slot smaller. Even when I can't see it, I know that I'm wearing it at the fourth slot instead of the third.
  • VeryKatie
    VeryKatie Posts: 5,961 Member
    It really depended on how much I was trying to squeeze into a particular item of clothing... the looser it was on me before the weight loss, the sooner I noticed the difference. The more stretchy the item, the harder it was to notice.
  • ahnuve
    ahnuve Posts: 4 Member
    I actually haven't lost more than five pounds, but my clothing size went down by one. I guess that means my body is reconstituting itself and I'm gaining more muscle? At least that's what I read online.
  • I lost in spurts. I started at a 24W, and went through 22W and 18W relatively fast, and then stayed in 16W for about four months. Just recently, suddenly those got too big and the 18/XL tops have started to fit a bit looser. So I'm now wearing a 16 regular (Or I will be once TOM is over and the bloating associated with that leaves) and 18/xl tops.

    I also lost a cup and band on bras, from a 40F/G to a 38DDD. And if the band on the 38s gets much looser I'll have to go down to a 36 band. I'm not thinking I'll shrink too much more upstairs, so to speak, but I'll probably have to keep adjusting the bands as I go downward. I take after my mom and grandma and we all are generously endowed even when smaller in waist and hips.

    One of my mini-goals has been to "look very different by Christmas", where I will see my ex. (No, no petty motivation at all there...) and I'm pretty sure I'll need new tops by then, and probably be in either a 14 or maybe a 12, depending on when the spurts of losing happen. I hate wearing baggy pants, so I tend to get into sizes at the top of their range and put up with maybe a little too tight for a while.
  • charmmeth
    charmmeth Posts: 936 Member
    edited October 2020
    I lost a bit under 30 lbs a few years ago and went down from a UK size 18/20 to a UK size 14/16. I then 'found' (=gained) those 30lbs again, but was still exercising, and still fitted into my 14/16 clothes even a the top (sort of - it was a struggle to do up the waistbands) at the top of the range. Lost 25lbs again now and coming into mainteance and those clothes are fitting comfortably again, and I am down to the tightest notch on my belt, which I only reached last time at below my current goal weight. I learned from this experience that what size clothes I wear is not only about weight. Most of my regained weight was on my midriff; last time my feet lost fat and my cup-size reduced, and my dental hygienest comments that my gums had lost fat; this time the frist two of those have not happened (due to the lockdown, I don't know about the third).
  • Noodlesprout
    Noodlesprout Posts: 15 Member
    edited October 2020
    b8cjq68lcfdm.jpeg
    60lb down and still wearing same size. I’m 6”1 woman. Desperate to see a difference but still not seeing it neither is anyone else :(
  • jjlbrick
    jjlbrick Posts: 238 Member
    I was 90 lbs overweight. It took about 10 lbs. as many others said the clothing I was wearing when I started this were becoming too tight. I think it was 20 lbs before I wore a smaller size comfortably
  • MadisonMolly2017
    MadisonMolly2017 Posts: 11,152 Member
    It was a pretty steady downsize for me, from XXL to XS. I lost about 75 of my pounds the first year, the other 15 the second. So every two or three months, clothes would get noticeably loose and droopy. Oddly enough, some of the biggest size difference came with that last fifteen.

    I really regret having wasted money on interim wardrobes, but I honestly could not fathom the idea I’d continue getting smaller. I keep thinking “surely this is it” and consequently buying clothes because everything bagged.

    Even at smaller size, and a couple years in, things shift. I don’t know how to explain it, but some days my belly seems huge and unsightly, other days the bulges are somewhere else. It can be a slow shift, too, as things still decide where gravity’s gonna take em. Even while my belly decides to bulge, the waistbands and seats on many of my newest leggings have been getting looser and looser until I’m afraid I’m going to drop a pair at some point.

    Hi @springlering62
    THANK YOU for your post!! It helped me SO much! I’m lighter than I’ve been since May 2019 (never went higher than 7lbs above this wt), yet everything seems to be shifting around despite tons of hiking.

    Now, I know just to accept it as the “nature of the beast.”

    Take Care,
    Maddie
  • xodreamariexo
    xodreamariexo Posts: 63 Member
    b8cjq68lcfdm.jpeg
    60lb down and still wearing same size. I’m 6”1 woman. Desperate to see a difference but still not seeing it neither is anyone else :(

    I see it! Definitely a flatter midsection
  • JAC581
    JAC581 Posts: 91 Member
    I've lost my first 10 lbs. and my slightly snug jeans are now quite baggy and falling down. I haven't noticed a change on top yet.
  • NovusDies
    NovusDies Posts: 8,940 Member
    My experience with downsizing clothes is similar to @AlexandraFindsHerself1971. It was not a pattern schedule. In fact, it was quite annoying. When the fat sucking vacuum travels to a new part of your body and it is an area that has a lot of influence on clothing sizes you can drop size 3 weeks after having just dropped a size. Then it travels to some other part of your body and you are in the same clothes for a few months.

    I dislike the expression that it is a good problem to have. It is definitely the sign of progress and an overall improvement but no matter how much you hit clearance and second hand it is money you spend on clothes that you will hopefully only wear briefly. I donated clothes that never got worn. I did a bunch of clothes shopping in December and January because I knew my size was more stable. I wanted some nice things to wear out. I used a couple of them before covid hit...
  • Exactly. Bras are an issue for me because I'm well endowed and not having proper support gives me headaches and neck and shoulder pain. And right now I'm waiting for a bra the next band size down, while I learn whether I get the cheaper alternative (Band and cup down to a 36DD) or the more expensive (band down, cup up to a 36F.) I'd prefer the cheaper, but I also know that I'm from a family of well endowed women and at a certain point I won't lose any more fat from there. I would prefer to lose some; as I get older, it will be easier on my back and shoulders to be a smaller cup size, but that's very much on the lap of the gods.
  • sarahbetherck
    sarahbetherck Posts: 270 Member
    It takes me a ton of weight to change sizes. My clothes fit differently, but to go down a full size usually takes me at least 25 lbs.
  • Jakiracki
    Jakiracki Posts: 62 Member
    I can tell just by looking at your elbow lol! seriously though! Biggggg difference, we are so much harder on ourselves then we realize. I have also lost 35lbs and i feel the same. The only difference I see is my wedding band is very lose and before i couldn't even take it off to get it inspected.