Hi all,

I am still about 20 pounds away from my goal weight and it may be another couple of months before I reach it. However, I really want to buy new bras, but I am not sure if I should buy one now or when I reach goal. The bras I am currently wearing are 40H and fit me perfectly when they were bought five years and 76 pounds ago. Now the cups are very wrinkly and the band is nearly touching the back of my neck. I am also 6 inches smaller in my bust and 6 inches smaller in my underbust area (?). Moreover, my bust area is the slowest shrinking part of my body (I have lost 11 inches in my waist and 10 inches in my hips; I have also lost only 1.5" off my bust in the past 4 months compared to 3" off my waist and 3.5" off my hips in the same time period. I'm pear-shaped). My question is: Should I buy new bras now or should I wait until I reach my goal?

Although all signs point to me buying a new bra, I hesitate to buy one for a few reasons:

1. My bras are terribly expensive -- I love Prima Donna bras because they fit me very well (straps do not dig into my shoulder, breasts fill out cups nicely, middle part sits nice and flat on my breastplate...these bras lift and separate as they should). But, these bras also cost between $88 and $150 dollars. I'm a graduate student, so I cannot afford to continually replace my bras every time I may drop a size.

2. I do not have a special occasion that will need me to wear a well-fitting bra. Therefore, I can continue to wear my current ill-fitting bras for the foreseeable future without offending important people.

3. I am still losing weight, so my bra size now may not be my bra size later.

4. My bras are very expensive (see #1).

5. I have sort of an online shopping addiction, so I spend way too much on clothing as it is, some of which I may only wear once or twice. I do not want this addiction to extend to bras.

So, should I buy new bras now or wait? What have others done in the past? How often have you replaced your bras during your weight loss journey? I may just buy one bra once I hit my next milestone of 185 pounds (no longer obese!) and wait until the end of my journey to completely replace my bra wardrobe, including new sports bras, which are $80 for me (Enell, love them). This way, my breasts can look decent if a special occasion does come up in the near future, but not waste money on bras that will only fit me for a couple of months.

What are your thoughts? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Why not get sized and see if you can find a cheaper inbetween bra? Since you are a smaller size you might find some bras that are comfy and cheap.

I think buying one bra now is a good idea! I only have a couple in my rotation right now because I don't see the point in buying a bunch if they just won't fit later.. too expensive when the girls aren't super small. Congrats on your loss so far, though.. great work

Buy a few inexpensive ones. Now that you are a more mainstream size, you may be surprised at the fit of a department store brand. I don't know how you are managing with huge bras. I was 44c and am now 38d and am on my second set of replacements.

Yeah, so this is one of the most frustrating things EVER and I hear you. It's actually been so maddening for me that I mad a whole blog dedicated to the subject.

Anyway, for a long time I kept altering my bras to the point that I ended up creating the Frankenbra. Not something I'd necessarily recommend but, hey, you do what you got to do, right?

I finally got to the point where NONE of my bras were wearable and I was getting some serious back pain so I had to order them. I still haven't found my one true bra but part of the problem is it takes a long time for bras to get here (I live in Brazil) and then I always end up losing inches in the meantime!!!

That being said, I've had the most success with Ewa Michalak bras. Yes, you have to ship them from Poland but the price is amazing (I wear something like a 30H/HH at the moment and these definitely go up to the larger band sizes/cup sizes too) and the fit is spectacular. Seriously, most comfortable bras I ever tried. I actually bought a bra on sale there that was slightly too big in the cup and had some good luck taking it to a seamstress and had her bring it in.

You also really might want to try different brands because what worked for you as a 40H definitely might not work for you now (speaking from experience here).

I think it's good to try and at least have ONE bra in your size. Check out zulily and ideeli, they sometimes have flash sales with Panache (also goes to the larger cups sizes). Also, most online stores (if you want a list let me know) will have a decent returns policy and you can email them for sizing help. Also check out bratabase for bra suggestions according to your measurements.

You seem to be losing similarly to how I lost. I was losing inches like crazy on my back but not in my cups. Now my cup size has gone down somewhat with my last few pounds lost but definitely not as much as I'd like (I'd love to get into a G cup because many brands stop there).

BTW, what in the world are you doing for a sports bra??????

Wait... are you in NYC? There are definitely places locally that sell your size that you could try on in person and then look online to buy cheaper.

Gina - buy a new bra. You will have better posture. You will lose little aches and niggles. You will look a better shape. Your clothes will look better. Your self-confidence will shoot up. You'll feel encouraged to get on and lose those last pounds.

Seems like it might be a good idea to get one now, either try a less expensive one since you are smaller as has been said by others or just go for one of the ones you like best, whatever the cost. You are certainly worth it and deserve it. You should not have to feel uncomfortable in a bra that doesn't fit. You deserve to celebrate your great achievement. Woot! Congratulations!

I highly doubt my breasts have shrunk small enough to fit into any of the inexpensive commercial brands, which is unfortunate for my wallet. Do they even go beyond a DD cup? I may just get one bra now and save up until my final transformation is complete as others have suggested. runningfromfat, as for a sports bra, I am still wearing my too large Enell sports bras which work fine for me since I am not currently doing any cardio. Because of the huge (and painful) bouncing problem I have, I am strictly adhering to yoga and pilates and walking. And, yes, I am in NYC and there are plenty of boutiques that I can get measured at and buy bras. I'm going to return to Intimacy, where I got fitted last. They were wonderful. The girl didn't even measure me. I just took off my bra, she looked at my breasts, left and then returned with three perfectly fitting bras. Like magic! They are geniuses there. Breast geniuses.

You might want to try the Freya sports bra or Panache's new sports bra that is supposed to decrease bounce quite a bit. This blog is doing a review on sports bras for the larger cup sizes (personally, I'm thinking of buying one of the Freya sports bras soon). I started this journey at something like a 40K? (not sure actually) and have been running from the beginning. At first I wore a Shock Absorber +underwire bra afterwards. Eventually I bought an underwired running bra, which made a huge difference (even though the size was off ). Trust me with the right bra you CAN do lots of cardio even in the larger cup sizes.


I'm glad you found a boutique that works well for you! Definitely try and go back to the same fitter because if you found someone that works for you, you never want to let them go! I'd suggest trying to go back to the same lady, try on a bunch of bras in store (figure out your size in various brands) and then look online for something cheaper. There are A LOT of brands that go beyond DD (Ewa Michalak- my favorite, Freya, Fantasie, Curvy Kate, Panache etc). All those go up more to something like a K cup and I know there are a lot more in the G and under range (but I can't fit into that yet so I have no clue what all the brands are).

Now a good fitter should be able to tell you what brands work for you. I have narrow, longer breasts which means I need narrower wires with deeper cups so brands like Ewa Michalak, Freya and Fantasie work better for me. If you have fuller, wider breasts Curvy Kate and Panache might be better. Anyways, good luck!

It seems like you've suggested this in several threads.

Please remember that bra shops are businesses. If you're using their services, buy from them. If you can't afford even one of what they're selling, do the fitting work yourself.

Of course I know that. However, what I've typically done the past is buy one or two brsa in store to support the business and buy the rest online (IF I found one or two that I loved). However, I would not want a woman to feel pressured to buy a bra that she doesn't feel comfortable with/doesn't fit just because she's gotten fitted there. Trust me the can be some really unpleasant fitters out there who make you feel like a freak of nature when you have larger breasts. I've gone to bra stores in the past that have tried to put me into sizes that were very, very wrong because they want to sell you something.

Now, I know personally, I'd be much more likely to purchase a bra at a store that fits me correctly but it could be that a woman finds the right size at a store (or at least gets a better idea of her size there) but doesn't find the correct bra there, so I see nothing wrong with going online and purchasing something online afterwards. If the boutique is good enough and they have a large enough selections there products will sell themselves (and I'm sure the women will return too!) if not I wouldn't want a woman to feel the need to buy something she doesn't love.

I hear you, runningfromfat. Bras are like any other clothing. You try them on in the store first to see how they fit and what size is best for you. And you may buy a few pieces in the store because you love them so much, but, if you're like me, you do the majority of your shopping online because its easier and you can do it your underwear. Also, you may find better deals online. After my last fitting, I bought two bras in the store and have bought the rest of my bras (of the same brand) from websites because I'm too lazy and too busy to return to the store. And I would never suggest to anyone to do their own fittings. It's probably why 80% of women are currently wearing the wrong bra size.

I would definitely buy at least 1 new bra now. If you don't want to buy your expensive favorite right now, check out Lane Bryant. They stock up to DDD in the store, and up to H online. They can measure you in the store and ship to your house for free. I know, I just found out I went from a 42DDD to a 40F! And I measured out at a 38DDD, proof that you still should try the bras on.

I've been buying maybe one new bra every so often when I noticed mine aren't fitting right. When I was a 36D, I splurged and bought two since one of them I found at a dollar store and decided to take a chance I didn't really have the money for new bras when I was losing weight over the summer. I had just finished graduate school where I came off of student teaching (therefore not working much at all) and was still looking for a job. Still, I knew a good-fitting bra was important and would put that above buying new clothes.

I thought I could get away with my old ones for a long time, but there came a point where I realized I just wasn't getting the support I needed. The right fitting bra does wonders!! You may think you don't need them, but it's much more than just looking good. A well-fitting bra is good for your breasts and back. I also find that when I wear a well-fitting bra that my breasts look good even without a bra on. When I constantly wear an ill-fitting one, they don't.

I get very uncomfortable when my bras do not fit properly, so I know when it's time for a new one. It's really annoying to have to constantly readjust myself, and I don't have to do that with the bra I'm wearing now

Oh yes this. When measured I should not be able to wear a 34D (I should need a larger cup), but I found that the larger cups had too much room. My current 34D fits according to all guidelines and provides the support I need, regardless of the fact that my measurements put me in a different bra

I really think that part of the "saggy boob" issue with weight loss is from people not wearing bras that fit during their weight loss. The girls need support. And no article of clothing is going to look right on you if your bra doesnt' fit.