Dress size conundrum

[KristenVSG2014 1,872]

Update - I had already started and am continuing intense weight training and though my weight has stayed the same I have lost inches (that is how I am measuring my loss now, not the scale)

I am impatient!! I want to be at my goal right now.

I remember feeling that way. I wanted to fast forward a year! It will happen. Just hang in there!

P.S. I'm 5'7, HW 290 wore a 24, CW 163 wear a 10. I'm quite muscular and evenly distributed.

[psychprof 141]

I'm 240 and wear a 14 in some things (old navy, New York) and a 16 in others (Ann Taylor, banana republic). I can't wear anything from some places (JCrew).

I read somewhere that ten lbs roughly corresponds to a pant size up to 14. Above that it's more. Combined with what others have noted (there isn't generally any standardization across the industry) I would imagine it's just too difficult to compare.

Also, my body shape has changed over the years. For women who've had children I imagine this is especially true (I have not).

I have to believe that if you just keep focusing on doing the work (good diet, Water, exercise) it will come.

Speaking of exercise, if you're doing a good deal of it you're probably building a lot of muscle, which could interfere with your pants. When I do a lot of squats and lunges I always go up a size (thanks, quads).

[WLSResources/ClothingExch 3,444]

I'm 240 and wear a 14 in some things (old navy, New York) and a 16 in others (Ann Taylor, banana republic). I can't wear anything from some places (JCrew).

Lack of standardized labeling is one thing, but criminality in labeling is another. Let's parse this: We're fat and, therefore, we're stupid? How insulting do manufacturers have to be before they're satisfied? To attach 14 and 16 labels for a woman who weighs 240 is beyond the beyond. (I'm squawking about them, not you, @psychprof.) Around 40 years ago when I weighed 160-170ish, most of my things (dresses, shirts, pants, et al.) from most manufacturers were marked as 16's.

[psychprof 141]

Meh. Numbers are numbers. The pants I wear would be the same width whether they were made in 1970 or 2016. The size is just a meaningless symbol.

Women's bodies are so radically different too. I have a very hourglass shape, so maybe my 240 is really different from someone else's 240. I carry about 30 of that just in the boobs. And, I'm relatively muscular (at least I think I am under all this body fat!).

[NewSetOfCurves 1,553]

I'm afraid I lost too much muscle and not fat.

I think you hit the nail-on-the-head with that statement. You lose a lot of muscle mass within the first few months of this surgery. That is one of the reasons that Protein intake is so important. Muscle mass is very dense and it takes up very little space; versus its counter part, fat, that takes up a lot of space.

Here recently, I have been trying very hard to add on mass to make up for the little bit of skin that I have flapping around in my arms. I finally managed to add an 15 pounds. Despite my weight gain, I remained the EXACT same size. Why? Because my fat content went down and I added on muscle mass.

Look don't sweat this. You're still a newbie with your sleeve. Continue educating yourself and retraining yourself to eat correctly; fueling your body with the right foods and the right amount of Protein. You are not going to learn this or get there overnight. That is why most doctors tell their patients to take the FIRST YEAR to reteach and relearn how to eat. Also, take this time to formulate a habit of exercise. Incorporate some weight training in there. It is very hard for women to gain muscle, so learning to lift heavy could be something you could do to help gain that prized muscle mass. The great thing about muscle: the more you have, the more you lose. Your body burns more calories working to maintain its muscle mass, than it does trying to maintain fat. So, the muscle you have, the more calories you burn.

Okay, side-tracked conversation is now over.

Good luck to you. And remember, with a little bit of education and a routine of healthy eating and exercise, YOU WILL GET THERE!!!

[NewSetOfCurves 1,553]

[desertgirl_74 114]

I went shopping in my closet this morning...pulled out a bunch of clothes I wore when I was 15lbs less than I am right now.

Even though I weighed less then, these clothes now fit completely different. Everything is too big between my shoulders and chest. I workout 6 days a week. I do cardio and weight training. So even though I am still heavier than I was at that time my body is different now. I'm sure this is because of the exercise.

[Steph Anie 72]

I'm your height and have never been able to wear a 12/14 at 200ish.....I am 181 right now and there are some 18s I still can't wear and 16s just aren't there yet...

[kdelrosso 124]

Clothes are made so differently these days. Try not to let it discourage you. Make sure you are trying on different styles from different companies.

[altteach 8]

I heard every 25 pounds is a size.

[Inner Surfer Girl 12,015]

I heard every 25 pounds is a size.

That isn't necessarily true, especially for larger sizes.

[jess9395 5,449]

Yeah and smaller too. Only about a 10lb difference between 0/2/4/6 oh my experience, but it's probably a good rule of thumb esp for sizes 6/8/10/12 (again in my experience) and more like 40 for 14/16/18 and maybe even more above that and in the W sizes--again that was my experience.

Also varies by brand of course!

[Vad1988 27]

My stats are very close to yours. We started at about the same weight and are only an inch difference in height. I am now 191 lbs and wear a size 16 and could probably squeeze in a 14. Your at the point where 10-15 lbs is going to make a huge difference! As we get older we carry our weight differently. I have always carried my weight in my belly but that's where it tends to go as we age.

[naturegirl 320]

I started my journey in July at 5'4", 268#, size 20/22. This week I weighed in at 179# , sizing varied from 11/12-13/14 pants depending on the cut and size m/l tops.

The last time I was this weight I was a 14/16 XL/XXL. Sizes vary tremendously! Recently Opened a box from childhood to find my favorite pairs of jeans from high school, size 13 wide leg and 11 carpenter style. Just barely button able, legs roomy. Ready to send those mid90s jeans to goodwill.

I remember in the early weeks I kept comparing my sizing in the past to weight, nothing was the same. In fact it still isn't and that's ok. At 232# I was still an 18/20 when previously I was a 16. For me 4 pregnancies, activity levels, lifestyle, and she all play a factor. Change will happen you just have to be patient and give it time. Plus styles/cuts change overtime so you might surprise yourself trying on other brands/styles.