At what point of weight loss does your clothing size begin going down?
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Perriwen
Posts: 32 Member
I'm about 15 pounds, going on 20 down. And yet, far as I can tell, none of my clothes are feeling even the slightest bit looser. I've seen all the displays showing 'this is what 5/10/15 pounds of fat looks like', so...15 pounds feels like it should be a lot of fat and at least some off the waist...
Does anyone know how this works?
Does anyone know how this works?
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Replies
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It varies a lot, depending on your starting size, height, weight distribution, body shape... there is no universal answer. I went down a size after 10lbs, but we may be completely different shapes and sizes.5
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It depends. The bigger one is the less 20 pounds makes a noticeable size difference. Someone going from 175 to 155 is going to notice a size difference more than someone going from 245 to 225. Also, muscle fitness makes a difference too. Someone going from 160 to 140 who has also worked on muscle building is going to see a more dramatic difference than another with similar weight loss but no muscle building workouts.
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I think a lot of people lose weight in their mid-sections last so sometimes the waist line is the last place you start noticing it. Someone one described weight loss as a sponge drying out: it starts at the edges first and the middle is the last to go. That's exactly how it is for me. I will start to notice it in my face, hands, arms and legs, with my torso/belly being the last. So you may notice your rings are loser, hats are loser, even your shoes feel bigger, but the pants still the same.
Last time out I lost about 40+ pounds and didn't start having issues with my pants until about 20+ pounds down.
Just keep after it! One day you'll wake up and you'll realize your pants don't fit, but in a good way!
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I asked a similar question awhile back. I was down 13 pounds and no difference. I am now down 24 pounds and I have gone from an 18 that was tight to a 14 pant. My tops are XL but my XXL are too big now. I am losing weight pretty slowly (by choice) and I feel like it has taken time for my body to catch up with my weight loss if that makes sense.6
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Idk. I noticed within a week. First was bras🤦♀️ Within a month my pants and shirts were all at least a size too big.
Wow. I had to go back several years to see how my progress went. I was about 10lbs down my first month!2 -
the larger you are, the longer it takes. plus size clothing is made to be generous and cover a larger weight span.
when I was over 300 pounds ..... it probably wasn't until 270 that I started to notice a difference. from there, about every 20 pounds until I was around 200. From there to 150 about every 10 pounds. never got below that so can't comment from that point on LOL9 -
Depends on what you weigh. A 10% weight loss is pretty significant, in my experience. I dropped a pants/underwear size when I did it.1
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Now much did you start at? I wear a large when I was a fat me and a large at a buff me. That was 40lbs ago.I'm about 15 pounds, going on 20 down. And yet, far as I can tell, none of my clothes are feeling even the slightest bit looser. I've seen all the displays showing 'this is what 5/10/15 pounds of fat looks like', so...15 pounds feels like it should be a lot of fat and at least some off the waist...
Does anyone know how this works?
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
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I think it depends on the individual and where they carry their weight. For example with me, I started at 187 and am now at 155 (want to lose ~10 more lbs). But, most of my initial fat loss seemed to come off my butt and thighs, so it didn't really affect how my clothes fit as much. Like, the knees might be a little baggier, but the waist fit the same. It really wasn't until I was down to around 157-160 that I really started to notice a change in how the waistband on my pants was fitting. But once it did start to happen, I seemed to go from "these pants are now more comfortable to button" to "these pants are annoyingly loose" pretty quickly.5
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Individual.. I think it would depend how much you have to lose. For me it is 10 pounds.. down a size. For someone who had a lot of weight to lose 10 pounds would not result in a size change.. could take 20.1
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I’m going to come from a different perspective; your wardrobe, not your weight. You didn’t give Ht/wt, so it’s hard to go off of that as others have provided the insight there. 10lbs for one person, may be 30lbs for another.
However, in the last 12-18 months I put on around 30lbs and never bought new clothes to accommodate that weight gain. It wasn’t until close to Christmas that I finally bought a new pair of jeans (2-3 sizes larger than others I had). This was because the knees finally went out on most of my jeans (3+ years old). I don’t like shopping, and I definitely don’t like shopping for larger sizes, so my jeans and other clothes became very “broken in.” Because most of my clothes are super old or from second hand store, it’s hard to go off size. What used to be a snug 4, could easily fit like a loose 6. Also, most have at least some “stretch” to them. I think clothes become a place of “denial” for weight gain. I’ve done it, watched friends do it, and see people in the public do it. We continue “fitting” into clothes that don’t necessarily fit, so we first fit back into ill-fitting clothes, then start seeing sizes shift.
I’m a female, who started with 30lbs to lose (down 7), so this could be far from helpful. I used to think about the clothing question, but had to put it into perspective for myself. I’d imagine I’m not the only one in this boat, so just thought I’d throw it out there. I’d hate to see anyone feel defeated in their self improvement because of their clothes! Just keep chugging along!9 -
I will share with you from my own weight loss experience plus working for WW for 12 years. That last size you are wearing before choosing to loose weight, is likely pushed to its limit and is not the size you would by if you were forced to by properly fitting item. But who does that? For example, the jeans I am currently wearing, I bought at 138 lb (were bought a little tight as I did not like that weight - Oct 2019), I then gained 15 lbs and still shoved myself into them (quite painful - sept 2020). I love how they fit now, and I am 127 (Feb 2021).8
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I'm about 13 pounds down, my thighs are slimming down and my upper arms and neck. I still wearing a UK 14 on the bottom. (pear shaped so tops vary but I think I'm a 12).
However, before I started losing weight the 14 jeans were getting tight sitting down so I may not have been wearing the right size in the first place! I'd love to be a 10 again like I was til I turned 25 but we will see🤷1 -
I actually lost a pant size this spring/summer by losing about 8-9 lbs, going from a 10 to an 8 at 5'8. The 10's I guess fit, but are big. I lost weight slowly, though, and continued to strength train with progressive overload, so hopefully gained some muscle and shrunk some fat cells, too.1
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Right now my pants range from size 12 to 8 and they all fit! It is really more important to take monthly measurements than go by clothing. Clothing varies by design, cut and style. Take your measurements and go by the size chart. You will be amazed at the parts of your body that lose weight first. Once, the only change I saw was 3 inches off each thigh and nowhere else.
Just keep going. You’re doing fine.2 -
I’m going to come from a different perspective; your wardrobe, not your weight. You didn’t give Ht/wt, so it’s hard to go off of that as others have provided the insight there. 10lbs for one person, may be 30lbs for another.
However, in the last 12-18 months I put on around 30lbs and never bought new clothes to accommodate that weight gain. It wasn’t until close to Christmas that I finally bought a new pair of jeans (2-3 sizes larger than others I had). This was because the knees finally went out on most of my jeans (3+ years old). I don’t like shopping, and I definitely don’t like shopping for larger sizes, so my jeans and other clothes became very “broken in.” Because most of my clothes are super old or from second hand store, it’s hard to go off size. What used to be a snug 4, could easily fit like a loose 6. Also, most have at least some “stretch” to them. I think clothes become a place of “denial” for weight gain. I’ve done it, watched friends do it, and see people in the public do it. We continue “fitting” into clothes that don’t necessarily fit, so we first fit back into ill-fitting clothes, then start seeing sizes shift.
I’m a female, who started with 30lbs to lose (down 7), so this could be far from helpful. I used to think about the clothing question, but had to put it into perspective for myself. I’d imagine I’m not the only one in this boat, so just thought I’d throw it out there. I’d hate to see anyone feel defeated in their self improvement because of their clothes! Just keep chugging along!
your point is interesting. I've noticed on some of the before and after photos on the success forum. A person will have on the same clothes they were poured into in the before photo...which fits perfectly normal in the after.. and they will have lost a significant amount of weight.. I just can't believe they squeezed all that weight into a too small of size.1 -
It varies so much --even depending on what clothes! For example, I've lost 44 lbs, and I have two pairs of pants that are LITERALLY falling off of me, but another pair that are looser around the legs but the waist doesn't seem much smaller. My boobs are so big that even with a goodly amount of poundage gone, my sweaters and shirts don't fit that much differently around top, but at least they don't cling to my butt like they used to0
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elisa123gal wrote: »I’m going to come from a different perspective; your wardrobe, not your weight. You didn’t give Ht/wt, so it’s hard to go off of that as others have provided the insight there. 10lbs for one person, may be 30lbs for another.
However, in the last 12-18 months I put on around 30lbs and never bought new clothes to accommodate that weight gain. It wasn’t until close to Christmas that I finally bought a new pair of jeans (2-3 sizes larger than others I had). This was because the knees finally went out on most of my jeans (3+ years old). I don’t like shopping, and I definitely don’t like shopping for larger sizes, so my jeans and other clothes became very “broken in.” Because most of my clothes are super old or from second hand store, it’s hard to go off size. What used to be a snug 4, could easily fit like a loose 6. Also, most have at least some “stretch” to them. I think clothes become a place of “denial” for weight gain. I’ve done it, watched friends do it, and see people in the public do it. We continue “fitting” into clothes that don’t necessarily fit, so we first fit back into ill-fitting clothes, then start seeing sizes shift.
I’m a female, who started with 30lbs to lose (down 7), so this could be far from helpful. I used to think about the clothing question, but had to put it into perspective for myself. I’d imagine I’m not the only one in this boat, so just thought I’d throw it out there. I’d hate to see anyone feel defeated in their self improvement because of their clothes! Just keep chugging along!
your point is interesting. I've noticed on some of the before and after photos on the success forum. A person will have on the same clothes they were poured into in the before photo...which fits perfectly normal in the after.. and they will have lost a significant amount of weight.. I just can't believe they squeezed all that weight into a too small of size.
Those before/after photos are amazing, it shows quite the transformation when someone fits so nicely into something they squeezed into before.
I just think clothes become such a psychological aspect of weight gain/weight loss. Many of us continue to squeeze into ill-fitting clothes as denial to weight gain- if I can still fit in the same size, I haven’t gained that much, right?! Then we start chasing a size smaller during weight loss and feel defeated when the next size down doesn’t fit after a decent loss. (I’ve done it multiple times!!) I’ve just had to be really honest with myself and focus more on what feels good or getting back in those old jeans that I love instead of a smaller size. I also let go of clothes defining my weight loss or worth. I quit chasing an ideal size a few years ago when I was trying on jeans and 2-3 different styles, same size, same store fit so differently, then go to a different store and it was the same thing. One “size” can vary so significantly that I’ve just learned to focus on feeling good about myself and buy what is comfortable without paying too much attention to the size.1 -
I lost about 10 pounds (160s - 150s) and my size didn't go down. But, different brands vary a lot and I realised I was picking the smaller tops (in the same size) from my wardrobe. Looking back at pictures I realised my clothes were too tight before, not fitting me well. Could it be something similar for you?
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Hmmmmm... For me right now My indicator is the steering wheel. 4 weeks ago I was pinned behind the wheel, with wheel all the way forward and tilted up, and the seat all the way back and lowered. I would get in, and often times my shirt would ride up my belly to my chest. I would have to exert some effort to pull down the front of my shirt to force it by the wheel back to where it should be. Turning the wheel took some effort, while I would try to suck in my gut and use two hands forcibly on the wheel. Just 4 weeks later the wheel now turns almost freely, I'm at the point where any day now I may have a millimeter of clearance. lol
So yes if my Car can be considered something I wear, It's sort of like clothes? lol... I don't weigh myself right now as I'm not apt to go to a transport company to burrow there industrial scales, So I can't really put a number on it. But this is one of the first clear markers for me. And I'm good with it.4
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