Hi everyone,

I got to my goal weight of 123 pound 3 days ago, which means I've lost 150 pounds over the last 4 1/2 years. I went from approximately a 46H to a very saggy 34D.

I've been on a frustrating search for new bras recently. I've gone to a fancy bra place where, out of the 25 or so $80 bras that were selected by an "expert" saleswoman, nothing was comfortable, supportive, and gave my breasts a shape I was happy with. I've also gone to department stores and places like Target and I still haven't come up with anything.

Part of why I'm posting this is just need to vent. I'm planning on doing some more bra shopping tomorrow and dreading it. It was easier to find a comfortable bra when I was morbidly obese!

Has anyone who has lost a lot of weight and has a lot of sagging/excess breast skin found a bra that is A) comfortable B) supportive and C) looks good under a t-shirt? Obviously what fits you may not necessarily fit me, but if anyone has any tips or suggestions for finding a bra after massive weight loss, I would greatly appreciate it.

Oh man, this is one thing that drives me nuts! I have yet to find a good supportive bra that is comfortable and I live in a country where they don't even sell bras in my cup size so any thing I get has to be shipped from abroad and then they kill me on custom fees!

I HEAR YOU on bra finding was easier when you were obese. Same here! Then I could wear something like a 38F and the cup size was just fine. However, where have I lost all my weight? From my underbust!!! So now I should be in something like a 32H (or even a bigger cup size) but my boobs haven't gotten much smaller at all. It's crazy, I actually ended up cutting off a lot of inches from the backs of some of my favorite bras from when I was in the 200's and the cup size is a perfect fit!

We're going to the states soon and I'm planning on trying out some of the specialty stores and just forking over a lot of money for a good bra (if I find one). I have a few different stores that I'll try and I'm hoping to find at least one style that works, if I do, I know I'll be buying a ton!!!!!

I'm down 110 lbs but still have a lot of weight to lose - I started out a 46/48 DD and am down to a 42D, so I am quite a bit bigger than you. I just got the best bra from Spanx.com - it's so good that I've actually posted about it here already. My friend who recommended it to me is much smaller than I am, though. It's a front enclosure bra and is amazing!!! So comfortable I can wear it to the gym, and looks great under anything. I ordered their underwear too and love them.

Hi im rosey and ive lost 100+#'s and had the same problem. try the ahh bra or the genie bra. i did and they are very comfortable. you can find them on line or e-bay.good luck rosey

I've never been that heavy, but I do have some experience with bra fitting.

1. Are you sure you're looking at the right size? 34D is kind of a catch-all size because bras that are both smaller in the band and bigger in the cup (32DD and so forth) are hard to find, and a lot of department stores (and Target, and VS, etc etc etc) do not carry them. So you get stuck in the closest reasonable approximation, which really does not work well.

2. Which bras/brands/styles have you tried, and what shape issues did you feel were being missed?

34D is the size that seems to fit best the most often. I was measured twice recently - once at a boutique-type lingerie place where I was told I was between a 34 D and DD (that place sold a wide range of sizes, too) and at Victoria's Secret where I was a 36D (but the band was way too big).

I've mainly been trying on t shirt style bras (full coverage, underwire, molded cup) because I wear a lot of t shirts and knits. I've tried 3 part underwire bras and all the ones I've put on have given my breasts a really strange shape, plus I can see the seams through the shirts I wear, so I've given up on that style. Anything demi cup or plunge looks terrible on me as well. I've tried a pretty wide range of brands - wacoal, chantelle, VS, playtex, calvin klein, natori, and probably a few more that I can't remember right now.

I think the issue is that my breasts don't have a lot of breast tissue anymore. They're sort of just wide flaps of skin. So with a lot of the bras I try, if the cup size is a D, there will be pinching and spill-over near the underwire part of the bra, but still lots of extra space at the top half of the cup. If I move up to a DD, the underwire feels more comfortable but there is WAY too much space in the cup. (Man, that was tricky to explain in writing! Hopefully you get the idea.)

Have you taken your measurements yourself? What is your underbust and bust size?

That sounds a little like mine. After a 70 lb. WL, then getting pregnant, nursing, and losing part of it (so far) again, mine are pretty flat. I ended up finding one at Target. What worked for me was a "pushup" style, but it was a foam molded cup with the pushup part toward the bottom. It was an underwire, and if you need support and shaping, that will be your best bet. I'm a 36D right now.

From what you describe, it sounds like you're also a D-- have you tried pushup styles to push them further to the top? Also, when you put your bras on, are you leaning forward and lifting the girls up higher into the cup? I lean all the way forward (as in my face is looking to the ground) and adjust them. It should at least stop the underboob spillout and get them situated better in the cup. It sounds like you'd also definitely need the foam type molded cup for shaping. It's better under T-shirts anyway. That's why I buy them.

Hey all,

Update: I found a bra that works for me! A couple, actually. One is a molded foam one. I also ventured into some styles that I don't normally try on and found one with a less structured cup that is very comfortable and ended up working for me. I probably tried on at least 80 bras at 4 different stores before I found two that fit. It seems like it might be a little harder for me to find something that works post-weight loss, at least there is something out there.

Thanks for your suggestions and help, everyone!

I have tried all kinds of bras; expensive ones, cheap ones, front-closure, back-closure, wide strap, narrow strap, underwire, wireless, etc. I have found that (for me) a somewhat larger chest size with a smaller cup works best, i.e. a 38C instead of a 36D. Also out of all the bras I have tried, I keep coming back to the same bra, it's the only one that fits me perfectly every time and they never wear out: The Playtex Everyday Basics #5222:


Recently they added a great bra to their 'Secrets' line: #4122. It fits exactly like the Everyday Basics bra but it has gel straps and a lace layer over the seamless cotton cup:



I am 44 years old and I have finally decided that these are the only bras I will ever buy again. Everything else is just a waste of my money.

I feel your pain... at age 43 and having lost lots of weight, I finally found 2 bras that I personally like.

Now, I like a lot of shape and lift... when a salesperson approaches me and asks what sort of bra I am looking for, I usually ask, "Got anything with hydraulics??"

With that thought in mind, I really like the Miraculous Bra from Victoria's Secret, and the Double Push Up from La Senza.

I like a little 'wow factor' (within reason), and find that these bras provide just enough...

I have about two bras that fit properly, and I've had a frustrating experience getting fitted for a bra. I got measured at a 40D or 40C, which honestly makes no sense because I HAVE so many 40D bras (I wore them before) and they do NOT fit. The band and the cups are too large. Even the 40C was not sufficient for me.

Bra fittings don't always help—especially after weight loss. We have unique needs. I find the molded bra cups work best (not necessarily padded, just molded) and give me a nice shape. Bras without molding do nothing for me, and padded bras just seem to look strange.

I found that 36D fits me nicely, but unfortunately I can't afford more of them right now.

hi, lane byrant's lingerie store - cirque? anyway, they have a new bra that is suppose to hide back fat but it does a great job on controlling the breasts too. very minimizing and i think this may work too for thin breasts. i am getting close to it now that i am 40.

I see you live in NY, is it anywhere neary NYC? If so try out Town Shop. To be blunt, I HIGHLY doubt you're a 40D (well, even a 36 I'm pretty suspicious of!). You're not that overweight anymore and a 36 band size means that your have pretty large ribs naturally. It can certainly happen but it's unlikely.

Go home and measure your underbust and your bust size. When you measure your bust size bend over so your body is parallel to the ground when you don't have a bra on and measure over your nipples. Ill-fitting bras can make your bust size much smaller than it actually is (at the moment due to weight loss I don't have a well-fitting bra and in my bras I measure 41", however, doing it this way I measure 44-45"!!!).

Your underbust is your band size and the difference between that and your bust is your cup size. Now depending on the shape of your boobs you can go up or down a size but that's the best place to start. MANY fitters add 4-5" and this VERY WRONG and an old, archaic rule back when bands were not stretchy. Now a days it just hurts lots of backs!

ETA: report back here with your size because I know some places that you can get larger cup sizes for cheaper. I'm in the process of finding new bras for myself because I keep shrinking out of the band sizes so everything is fresh in my mind.

I feel you on this one too! I Am a 34f and I had an amazing time at fredricks of hollywood! They have alot of bras for larger bust/smaller band size girls! the ONLY problem is that you need to try on EVERY STYLE before you buy. They all vary.. the cups and at the band length. Some I had to go up in band size or cup size to get a comfortable fit.

Don't be shy and talk to one of the sales lady.. they were more than happy to help me find the perfect bra. If something was too big/small they got me the next size.