This is kinda long & Ive never gone through a loss like this....I'm sorry if these questions or concerns seem kinda flighty. I was going to post this in the tall girls thread but I need opinions also from those whose bodies morphed or are shrinking down in ways they never saw it coming...

Quick background: 2-1/4 years ago I was 150 in a size 10...I wasn't "firm & tight" like a gym rat....but not jiggly either. I'm 5'9-1/2.

Now that Im losing...my body is morphing down much differently than I ever expected...or couldve predicted.

I fit perfectly now in a size 18 bottom & 16/18 top at 250!?! I was not in a 18 at 250 when I was heading up to 308! Inches are falling off me quicker than weight is going down. By careful measurement & mathematics on my body & by size 14's I have in my closet & by general charts online for 14's (no specific brand)...I have approximately 10-11" off my hips before I will fit into a 14. My waist is not thick...my stomach bottom hangie doodle is firming up...pulling up & no longer hanging like a big ole sad lip...its just a bulge basically...barely considered a hangie doodle anymore...the elasticity has me very surprised...

In between a 20 to 18 (in loss)...there was only a 10lb difference....& many inches lost. I figured that when I get back down to 160..(eventually 150)...that I would just be back in a size 10 again. When I was gaining...I was in a 14 at 195#. But my body is not exactly showing me that this may be the case again. I am 2 sizes up from 14 now...doing cardio like a mad chicken 5 days a week & have been doing weights (I didnt do weights when I was 150#)....is it possible that I could actually hit a 14 in the range of 220ish?

This is where my brain is all twisted up...because when I was a size 10..I tried my hardest to get into size 7/8 & failed. I just figured my bone structure wouldn't allow for it & size 10 was the best it was ever going to get for me & that my frame wouldnt allow for it (Im a med-lg frame)....

Maybe I'm a bit off here...I may be??......am I possibly looking at an 11 by 200?...A size 8 possibly by the time I hit around 160#???? What do you think I should expect as possibilities??

The #s VS sizes are not matching up in my head...or rather..not making sense. Daily I feel myself shrinking...trying to adjust my mindset here. Im not a sizing pro...hoping that someone here who knows more about this could help with guesstimate in what they think could happen? I'd appreciate it so much.

Fat's weird stuff. For example, my shoulders never seemed "fat"--you'd think shoulder width would be a function of your skeleton, and maybe some muscle. I have added a lot of muscle and lost a lot of fat, and I have lost I don't even know how many inches across my shoulders: my old short sleeve shirts are 3/4 sleeve now. Wrists are the same way--I didn't think my wrist was fat, I didn't think it could be fat, but I've lost over an inch off of it. So your hips and other bone structure may be different than you think.

Furthermore, don't underestimate how much denser muscle is than fat. I weigh 40 pounds more than my grandmother, but standing side-by-side we look about the same. She just has no muscle at all.

And, finally, sizes vary. When were you a 10? If it was more than ten years ago, it was probably an inch or two wider than today.

It is so weird, agreed...yet so very interesting. Very trippy about your shoulders too, so you've experienced this exact thing. Hm!

I was a size 10... 2-1/4 years ago.

I suppose that with using weights..I'm not familiar with how much more I will lean out as opposed to when I never used them. I only did cardio before the gain. I used to be so scared that weights would make me bulky..I was scared of looking bigger like a man. Since..I've learned this isnt the case & bulking up only happens to few women (when not trying to). I read somewhere that the average amount of weight of muscle gained is an average of 1-2lbs a month when doing moderate weights, is that about right? I've taken into consideration that some muscle gain is sticking as it builds (I can tell you that my muscle strength a couple years ago was not the best since I never specifically worked them...they'd probably be considered "mushy")....

So based on your experience & your new "3/4" sleeve shirt ...I have many surprises coming at me. More change....uhggg, I hate surprises. lol ....I always like to know somewhat whats coming. Double uhhhg.

If I end up being 210 in a size 11....Im still going to feel like Im big as a house. A 12 when gaining didnt feel so bad because the numbers were lower. =\

I'm going through the same thing i just posted about this the other day .. its so weird that im still in the 280s but all my clothes are fitting differently and i was able to buy stuff from old navy when before at 280 their clothes were all to small .. it definitely messes w/ your head though i was a 22/24 now i can fit into some 18/20 like a bathing suit that didn't fit me last year at 280 fits me this year and its an 18/20 .. SOOOOO confusing!!

I think you've found your problem, right here: The uncertainty of this whole process! We want to know what will happen, chart it out, map it, predict it, plan it, control it...but...it doesn't actually work like that.

For a while I would spend time trying to figure out what size I'd be, and when. But size is pretty unpredictable, and influenced by SO many factors. Now, I don't even have a clothing-size goal in mind; I have a bodyfat percentage goal in mind, and somewhat of a scale weight goal, and somewhat of a physical measurements goal. Basically, I want to be happy with the look and fitness of my body. What clothing size I am or even what weight I am don't really matter in that context.

Oh my gosh, I missed your post on this...welcome to the Twilight Zone! lol

That is really weird! So by what I'm grasping here so far...the muscle you're building is obviously affecting as you're trimming out. But hey...an 18 is an 18 & definitely feels better than a 22 & 24. Not that I am complaining about an 18 as you know....it's just now replaced with the heavy mind screw!!! We're going to have to do something fun like have a "race" to a 14...I'm very interested to see what your pounds say when you get in it. Stay in touch!!

Ha! Exactly!!....I just figured it was mapped out the way back down as it was up. Joke is on me! I haven't considered too that in just a bit over 2 years...my body chemistry has gone through some changes & it's experiencing a whole new way...a better way...I'm pushing it more now than I can honestly say I ever have in my life. Without having considered this...makes me feel pretty der duh der right now!

I'd love to be an 8. Given the path Ive been dealt here...I believe you're right...I may have to chuck out the numbers game as a goal. After all, I can turn out to be a very lean 165, still be an 8 maybe...and just bluff & tell everyone I'm 135lbs! roflmao

((No one would know even if they wanted to see my license to prove it...lol...FL doesn't put weight on our drivers licenses. I'd just have to avoid the "guess my weight" game at carnivals! ))

I have exactly the same issue! I seem to weigh much more than I should for my jeans size. For what it's worth, I'm 5' 5.5" and I weighed 226 about a week and a half ago, (I only weigh every so often, don't have a scale in my home or I'd give you the accurate weight as of today) I have 41 inch hips, and wear a size 14.