[runningfromfat]

Originally Posted by berryblondeboys

I was looking at my ribcage and back this morning and I 'might' be able to lose another inch there, but probably not enough to go down to a 32" band size. 34s are very snug right now and because of the shape of my ribcage, the wires of the bra push hard against my lower ribs which tend to stand out a bit from the upper ribs.

And yes... I have a very large rib cage. I'm not at my ideal weight yet and my under bust measurement is 34". So HOW can most women need 32-36"?

This!

Ok, so I got my survey up and running!!! I'll post about it later but it basically just includes questions like what is your underbust, height, weight, frame size etc and would just take a minute. If you ladies could fill it out it would be great!

Right now (see here and here) there's a lot of women advocating for Playtex (on their facebook page and through emails) to remove a calculator online that tells women to add anywhere form 3-6" for their band size! It told me try 34DDD bras (absolutely insane as a 30H/28HH). So I'm hoping if I can some good results from the survey we could send that to companies to get them to change their fitting policies.

[sontaikle]

LOL wow. I don't have much hopes for a proper bra fitting now (but I'll still try) but thank you ladies for your input! Turns out I have to go to Manhattan next month to help my fiance out with something. While I'm there I plan to check out the bra shops!

Vex - thanks for the tip! I usually end work around 2 so I can probably get one of the daytime, weekday fitters

runningfromfat -I am so sorry to hear about your bad experiences I got scoffed at VS once too at my SW which turned me off from going there. I only went there recently because I NEEDED a bra or I was going to shoot someone, lol (and there was a sale so… )

I know I'm at goal, but I think I might be losing more inches due to lifting. I haven't lost weight, but I notice that my underbust got smaller. I don't know if that means some pounds are about to come off or what. So I guess I'll see

It's really strange how we're stuck in the 32 being the smallest size mindset. I'm thinking that more women are below 32 bands than we would be led to believe.

My ribcage is weird. I know that for a lot of women their underbust is equal to or close to their waist measurement, but my ribcage is very, very triangular. It's widest at my back (right around my bust) and then curves inward sharply, leaving me with a 25" waist. It's why I always need a TIGHT band and a good set of straps on my bras or my bra slides DOWN (or up. It changes from day to day).

And I'll be sure to go respond to your survey once I get home and can measure myself again

And LOL I did the Playtex thing and it put me at 36A!!!! Wow!

Daki - VS bras are just terrible, actually. I notice they stretch out fast. Not worth the money. I only bought one because I knew I wouldn't be able to wear it long regardless and it was on sale.

shanhat81 - yeah same thing happened to me. I lost 7" around my bust total but 10" around my ribcage, so I went up in cup sizes.

berryblondeboys - It's so weird! But what I also don't get is why the "smaller" band sizes in the stores (32, 34 bands) always have the smallest cups! Finding anything above a C or a D in those bands in a regular store is next to impossible. I remember when I was a 34D. I found ONE bra and luckily it fit.

[princessgina00]

Some of the more expensive bra brands (Prima Donna, Chantelle, Freya etc.) actually go down to 28 band sizes. And some of those 28's go up to a K cup. Check out biggerbras.com

[Daki]

Originally Posted by runningfromfat

Just curious, did you measure your underbust very tightly??? 40" sounds really large for your weight/height. Also, a lot of times bras with too big bands can appear to fit perfectly in store but after more wear the band starts to slide up.

Another question... is your central gore flat against your chest? Do the wires enclose all of your breast tissue on the sides?

Yep. Measured tightly, the center part is flat, and I don't have any breast tissue to shove in on the sides. My underbust was actually 41" (41-33.5-43) when I measured, but I have also lost about 12lbs and at least 2" from there since then. My back is ridiculously fatty, lol.

For what it's worth I've been paying attention to your posts on bras, measuring, and sizing and have poked around your blog on numerous occasions lol. I find all of your information extremely helpful and have incorporated your tips into how I measure myself and buy bras. So thanks a lot for all of your efforts! I know they helped me and I'm sure I'm not the only one

[runningfromfat]

Originally Posted by Daki

Yep. Measured tightly, the center part is flat, and I don't have any breast tissue to shove in on the sides. My underbust was actually 41" (41-33.5-43) when I measured, but I have also lost about 12lbs and at least 2" from there since then. My back is ridiculously fatty, lol.

For what it's worth I've been paying attention to your posts on bras, measuring, and sizing and have poked around your blog on numerous occasions lol. I find all of your information extremely helpful and have incorporated your tips into how I measure myself and buy bras. So thanks a lot for all of your efforts! I know they helped me and I'm sure I'm not the only one

Thanks! I actually really appreciate you pointing that out because it disproves my theory that most women close to or at a healthy BMI have a 34" underbust or under. Good to know!

I'm glad my blog has been helpful to you and it's really good to hear that you found some bras that fit.

[shanhat81]

This thread has actually been really informative, so thanks everyone!

I was also wondering about the 34" thing ... but man, I would prefer not to be a 28K.

[Steph7409]

I've been thinking a lot about bras and also checked out runningfromfat's blog. I just ordered a couple of cheap Bali bras on sale to try out a much smaller band size that I have now, using my underbust measurement of 35" (rounded up to 36). I completely guessed on the cup size, though, going with my usual D. It sounds like most of you have switched to smaller bands/bigger cups so I'm curious about how they'll fit.

Thanks for all the great advice!

[berryblondeboys]

I have good luck finding large size bras every few months at Off Saks outlet. I just picked up a 34f Chantelle bra for $15 the other day. They wanted $65 for that bra company at the local bra boutique. and it was a good fit.

[princessgina00]

Originally Posted by runningfromfat

Thanks! I actually really appreciate you pointing that out because it disproves my theory that most women close to or at a healthy BMI have a 34" underbust or under. Good to know!

I'm glad my blog has been helpful to you and it's really good to hear that you found some bras that fit.

Yeah, I'm nowhere near a healthy weight (35 pounds away), and my underbust measurement is 33". I guess it depends on your body shape. I'm an extreme pear shape, so I have a very small top and a huge bottom (that I love!). I've lost very few inches on my bust (about 8" bust and 6" underbust) compared to my waist (11") and my hips (11"). But, I also have very little back fat, so that's awesome.

Originally Posted by berryblondeboys

I have good luck finding large size bras every few months at Off Saks outlet. I just picked up a 34f Chantelle bra for $15 the other day. They wanted $65 for that bra company at the local bra boutique. and it was a good fit.

Oh, damn you, berryblondeboys. I so envy you. I wish I could get a Chantelle bra for $15. The cheapest Chantelle bra I've come across was about $50 on sale.

[sontaikle]

I was scouring around the internet and I managed to find a 30F Panache bra for $19 with free shipping. Let's hope it fits!

[dstalksalot]

I just lost about 4 inches off of my band size but I am hesitant to get my exact measurement because it is so tight.(went from a 42 to a 38 in about 3 months) has any one bought tight and tried bra extenders until they lose that extra half inch or so? Maybe I should take the leap and just get the 38. At an H cup I go through bras like mad anyway. They work hard.

[runningfromfat]

Originally Posted by dstalksalot

I just lost about 4 inches off of my band size but I am hesitant to get my exact measurement because it is so tight.(went from a 42 to a 38 in about 3 months) has any one bought tight and tried bra extenders until they lose that extra half inch or so? Maybe I should take the leap and just get the 38. At an H cup I go through bras like mad anyway. They work hard.

Yep! I've definitely done it. I've even done that with a sports bra (I really only needed the extender for about a week or two) so I was pretty happy with that.

[sontaikle]

So the bra came today (wow! fast!) and it fits like a glove! It was a steal for that price too. I'm very happy to have something that fits

Time to order more!

[runningfromfat]

Originally Posted by sontaikle

So the bra came today (wow! fast!) and it fits like a glove! It was a steal for that price too. I'm very happy to have something that fits

Time to order more!

I'm waiting on some bras that should come next week. Here's hoping at least one of them fits!

[sontaikle]

Originally Posted by runningfromfat

I'm waiting on some bras that should come next week. Here's hoping at least one of them fits!

Good luck!

I just ordered two more from figleaves.... I was way too excited to buy bras lol. I think I'm getting addicted!! Figleaves is fast too--they already shipped out!