I don't really expect anyone to answer this but this is just something that kinda of has me concerned. So, for christmas I received a pair of dress slacks in a size misses 4 and they fit perfect. I can wear a pair of misses 4 jeans by Lee perfect. I am fitting into size 4/6 blouses. And size small blouses. But I am still fat. No really....I'm not being hard on myself. I weigh (depending on everyday factors) anywhere between 136 and 138 and i still have plenty of fat on my belly and hips and thighs. My goal is to trim all that down and probably with that will be at least another 15 pounds. But my heavens. The way my clothes sizes are dropping, what size will i be if i lose all my fat and inches and drop down to at least 120 pounds???? Am I going to be a zero?? How hard will shopping be then??? I remember I had a hard time finding clothes to fit me when i was a size 16. I thought it was because i was so fat...but in reality, it's because so many women are actually about a size 14/16. But how many women wear zero's or 2's???? I'm actually thinking that if i get healthy and lose my body fat, I may not be able to afford to put clothes on my body that fit for fear of not being able to find size zero or 2 at the places I can afford to shop....namely Walmart!!!!!
Anyone else having this fear or problem???
I still can't believe that at 135-138 that I can actually fit into a size 4.
oops...getting ahead of myself....my lowest weight is really 136. Sorry...sometimes i have to stop myself from saying 146. Just can't really seem to wrap my mind around what i really weigh these days.
Last edited by lumifan4ever; 12-26-2007 at 05:25 PM.
Hey! Glad to see you are still here. I needed a few familiar faces.
I think you will find what you need where ever you need to shop. Everywhere I go I find tons of XS and size 2s and such because realistically how many people wear them? Just keep going and you will do whatever you have to do to get clothes that fit your body.
Oh, and I have to add, I wish I had that problem. LOL! My goal is 150 and it's still WAY over weight for me so I can see why you think you look "fat" at 136. Although the number has to feel so good.
Sorry if I rambled! I'm just so excited to be back at it.
Lumifan... you are not fat. Sorry. You're not. In my opinion.
Your BMI is NORMAL. You are not even overweight.
If you are still thinking you're fat, perhaps you need a reality check!
You probably do still have fat deposits on your body, but it is normal for women to have fat here and there. Also, the places where fat goes changes with age, to some extent, and you may never be completely rid of the fat deposits you have, which you may not have had when you were in your teens or twenties.
Gosh, I realize that it may seem important to you right now, but I hope this is the worst problem you ever have to worry about! I'd say, if you want to lose more, that's fine--but worry about clothing sizes when you get there. OK?
I'm sure you are not fat or even close to being fat. Women are supposed to carry some fat on their hips and thighs and sometimes even a little around the belly.
You know I think I know what you are talking about. I am getting into a size 6. Not all size 6, some 8 still. I am also close to a normal BMI. So, to the outside world, I am getting really close to "skinny". But under the close, droopy rolls of fat. On my belly, my thighs and even my butt. In clothes I look skinny, out of them... flabby. It is not just loose skin, still fat. The only thing that helps is to think that I still can lose and that the skin can still change for over a year after I reach goal. Also that building more muscle will help the look. Jelly
lumifan, you are most certainly NOT fat young lady.
I hear you on the clothing though. It's kinda crazy how they're sizing things these days, the vanity sizing and all. I'm also wearing teeny, tiny sizes. I don't get it. I wear mostly 2's some 4's and every now and then - a zero. And XS's. It IS hard finding clothing that small. I have almost, but not quite, as hard a time finding clothing now as I did when I was 287 lbs. But it IS most definitely difficult. I often shop at the junior stores. The clothing there runs much smaller. The only problem is, is that lots of the clothing is too youthful. But I do find stuff there occassionally.
Hey, I figure this should be the worst problem.
And a big hearty WELCOME BACK to Lynseylikes2lose. I recognize your avatar. I see you changed your name. I'm glad you're back. How've you been? PLEASE stick around this time. Okay?
1) You're definitely not fat by numbers alone!
2) The extra deposits may be just some areas that need "tightening up" -- I know, awful expression, but I'll hope you know what I mean!
3) My mom wears xs/2 and she finds TONS of clothes so I wouldn't worry -- all of the major catalogs sell xs and size 2 as well as the major department stores (macy's, saks, etc.) -- I would think average sizes are harder to find just because they sell out more quickly so I wouldn't worry too much
4) It's awesome that you've lost so much and are so much healthier now!!!! (come to think of it, that should've been number one!)
We're similiar stats...though I don't know where you predominately carry your weight or whether you're an apple or pear.
Personally I carry my weight on the bottom end. I have big hips, tiny waist and slender upper body...I'm a size smaller up top than down below and have always been that way lol.
I currently weigh between 134 and 138 pounds (who knows after Christmas :P) and I am 36" in the hips and 24" in the waist.
In Australian sizes I am 8/10 on bottom and an 8 on top. I believe thats about a 4-6 in American sizes.
When I was 110 pounds I was a Aussie 6 or US 2 - my hips bones wouldn't shrink (how dare they not! :P) so it didn't matter how much weight I dropped I never went below a certain size. My bones just wouldn't allow it!
Instead of focusing on what number you see on the scale perhaps you just need to tone up a little? Some more strength training or resistance training goes a looooong way.
My daughter is about your goal size, 5' 6" and 120 pounds. She is finally wearing a clothes size that is easier to find - a 3 or XS. For the past 4 years she has been too tall and the wrong shape for girl's clothes, and a 0-1 in Juniors.
You can find the small junior sizes. Penneys, Belks (Florida only?), 5-7-9 and Bealls carry small Juniors and are reasonably priced. There are also trendy mall stores with big prices who carry the small sizes. I would occasionally see a 2 in Wal-Mart but it was usually shaped wrong and styled wrong for her.
I found the stores that carried the sizes I was looking for by stopping in lots of stores and asking. I also asked people I knew who I thought either they or their child was about the same size as my daughter. "You always dress so nicely, would you mind sharing with me where you shop?" can be a nice complement and get you a lot of information.
There is a woman at work who wears a 2. She has a wonderful somewhat trendy wardrobe and only buys clothes when they are on deep discount. She seems to have an easy time finding 2's on the sale rack because there isn't as much competition for the small sizes.
Another option: I worked with a woman who was always very nicely dressed in classic styles. She was tall, 5' 10", thin, small size, had worked as the executive assistant to the President of a very large company (at least 50,000 employees), and bought all of her work clothing at consignment shops. Many folks are selling their smaller sizes that no longer fit. If you can find shops in upscale neighborhoods, they're selling last season's clothes.
Deep in the Maintainers Forum there are threads about shopping (usually seasonal) that have lots of good tips. Which stores have small sizes, which stores have good sales racks, where somebody hit a gold mine ...
I think you just have a distorted body immage. When you are over weight, and then lose weight, you often have problems seeing yourself as a thin person. You may need to tone up, that's a different problem. Finding clothing that fits shouldn't be a problem. All the "better" stores have small sizes. Yeah, they're expensive, but they have good sales. Also, TJ MAX or another discount place might be worth looking at.
It's easy to start dieting and lose weight, and then not know when to stop. Fear of regaining is a major issue. Give yourself a chance to get used to this "new" body.
Jellybelly....you do know what i am going thru. I'm glad to hear of someone else who knows what i mean. I feel like i look really slim and good in most of my clothes but in a bathing suit or naked...i don't feel so good. My butt is droopy and flabby, I got some back fat still hanging out back there, my thighs still meet each other at the tops, my belly sticks out instead of at least being flat or straight...matter of fact when i measure my belly, i have two...at a top belly and a lower belly....i have this line that goes around my mid-waist that sort of divides the two bellies from each other...once i hit goal i'll have to post the pic so you can see what i mean.
Lynsey....welcome back. Thanks for the encouragement. I'm sure I can find something in my size once i get to goal and figure out what my size is. Guess I'll just have to actually take a day out for myself and go shopping. ~~~what a terrible thing for a girl to have to do....hahahaha~~~. I have to admit...I do much prefer having a harder time trying to find small clothes to fit me than big clothes to fit me. I know i am very blessed to have lost the weight i have lost. To actually have had the willpower and determination to see this weightloss thing through. I am very blessed.
Jay....you know i always value your opinion. Thank you. I am thinking that I may need to go to a plastic surgeon and maybe have him look at my body and tell me what is fat that i can get rid of, what can be toned up and what I may need to have removed. My gyn said that my belly will never be flat thanks to my 3 kids. I'm sure i could benefit from a tummy tuck but i definately don't want to go down that road until I am sure that I am free of the un-needed fat i may have and have toned up as much as i can. I want to be able to look as good as i can on my own before i pay someone thousands of dollars to make me look good.
Thanks redlight for the congrats. I am sooo proud of being in a 4. I can't remember really the last time i was this small.
Readyforchange....I think you are probably very right. I need to tone up. I really think there may be some fat left on my belly and hips and thighs but I am also sure i need to do more strength training. I am so ready for my income tax return because i am going to hire a personal trainer for at least 2 months just to get me started on toning up.
Lyria....unfortunately...I was an apple. I definately carry my weight around my middle. That's the area I really need to work on. I need to tone up those inner thighs, I need to work out that butt of mine to see if i can get a little "lift" to it, and some how i need to shrink that mid-section some. When I take pics in my bathing suit...even standing straight for the camera, I can see where my belly curves out instead of being flat or even curved inward.
The Slim Me....I can definately understand what you are saying about distorted body image. I am still getting used to the idea that when i walk by a mirror or window, that my silohette is actually slim and normal looking. As for the not knowing when to stop losing weight....sometimes i think i want to stop where i am but then again, I want to lose a few more pounds just because i'd like to have a little cushion for if i accidentely put on a couple pounds in the future. I don't want to be too close to 140 that it would be easy to go over it again. That's why i guess i really want to get into the 120...but also because i want to be thin IN a bathing suit and not just clothes. But i am trying to not let the number on the scale rule my weightloss efforts. But until i start really strength training to tone up, i don't know what else is going to make my butt, hips, thighs and belly smaller other than losing weight.
I thank you all so much for your inputs. Lots of good ideas and support and compliments. Thank you.
I just have to add... women's bellies are not supposed to be flat or concave. That is a media myth! Even if a woman is a professional athlete and in really top physical, muscular condition, there is always some abdominal fat around the navel. A simple search for photos will show this.
Lumifan, if and when you decide to talk to the plastic surgeon, see if you can get him or her to guarantee that your belly will be flat after surgery. It would be a shame to spend all that money and still be unsatisfied... Also, keep in mind that any surgeon is going to come up with a surgical solution. It's what they do.
Lumifan, I'm wondering whether you do any resistance training (that is, weights, weight machines, etc.) Also, do you know what your body fat percentage is?
I just have to add... women's bellies are not supposed to be flat or concave. That is a media myth! Even if a woman is a professional athlete and in really top physical, muscular condition, there is always some abdominal fat around the navel. A simple search for photos will show this.
What size will I end up being???
