We hear often about sizing here on 3FC, and indeed that is one of the ways that we (I, at least) measure our progress. Right now, I would count myself on the the low end of 16 or the high end of 14. Those sizes are from my storage bins as I've worked my way back through sizes; I did this journey once before, 7 years ago, when I got to 170 and then quit. (Dummy.)

Styles were different - they were higher-waisted - and sizes were a bit smaller. So, if I'm wearing a 14-16 in my closet, I found that I'm wearing a 10-12 at the store (using Levis as my metric) when I'm shopping. I was amazed at how much sizes have grown.

Okay, we've all read or written about vanity sizing, right? So far, so good - sizes are bigger than they used to be. But it finally dawned on me, for real, that I wasn't "cheating" in wearing the size 12 jeans, because the jeans are styled so very differently. Mid-rise Levis don't have to deal with my thick-ish waist and very much flatter my much-nicer thighs, hips, and backside.

My old jeans might fit in the waist (finally), but they bag out everywhere else. Well duh! On the size charts, all my measurements put me right on the line between 12 and 14 except my waist, which is always a size or more larger.

You will probably laugh, but I finally get it about shopping for clothes that flatter your figure as opposed to shopping for clothes that fit.

For a woman with a PhD, I can be remarkably slow sometimes.

<---Feels remarkably slow as well. This is one of those things you know, but don't think about. This does not bode well for me though...I hate trying on clothes!

Yeah, it's never been my favorite activity either, but it gets more fun with time and progress. It might have been my shopaphobia that kept me from really "getting" it about size and fit.

Uh yeah....I still don't get it! Nope...I don't think I ever will.

Wow though! What a mental boost that has to be! I know you've been complaining lately about not fitting into these smaller sizes other 3FC's are in with similar stats. Well, that explains it!! LOL!

And don't tell me my 10's are an old 14! LOL! And yet, I know they are. Depends on far back you go though. I'd venture to say my current 10's are about a 2000's 12's. See, there's just no "getting it". I just want to be the size I was when I got married. In 1998 I was a size 10, whatever that equates to today.

It still feels a little bit like cheating, and I totally felt like an impostor looking for 10s and 12s in the Misses section of the store, but you're right about the boost! It's pretty startling mentally to go from a size 16 to a size 12 in 30 seconds or less.

I think the vanity sizing change is only about a size, maybe? I'm not sure, and probably not to be trusted since all my mental metrics are out of whack!