Its taken me about a year to lose 20 pounds. When I started at 165, I was a total couch potato. Then I did 5 weeks of Slim in 6 and went down to about 158. I got lazy and didn't exercise or watch what I was eating, but I went from 158 to around 153 doing nothing. I started eating better a couple months later and moved from 153 to 149. On January 1st I weighed 149, and have been exercising and eating better and am now down to 145.

However, I am still a size 13 pant and the same size shirt. I do have measurements and the only places I lost was about an .5 inch on my arms and a tiny bit off each thigh. Since restarting in January, I have been able to at least do up a size 11 pant. I notice that on this site, woman who weigh 150-160 are like a size 6-8. I know this is because of muscle, but its still depressing to know I am 145, and a size 13 with a ton of chub. 3 years ago I weighed 150 and was a size 9 to a size 11.

Do you think I should be focusing equally on strength and cardio, or focusing more on one and less on the other?. You think 20 pounds when starting at 165 would have made a huge difference.

Hmm. I don't know. I've lost 27lbs at 4'9" and it's only been about a 1.5 size difference.

just wait for it, you'll drop. it's also about muscle mass, i wear about a size 8- but i literally dropped from a 14, to an 8 in one shopping trip. how? no clue.

i do suggest more muscle toning if you are more worried about size then numbers.

unfortunately im the opposite, i want lower numbers on the scale, not smaller pant sizes =(

My favorite pair of jeans has just about had it so I'm going to have to buy buy another pair soon. I'm trying to hold out for warmer weather since I always wear two pairs of pants in the winter. I don't want to buy pants for spring/summer with another lay underneath because then they would just be too big. I was also hoping that would give me time to lose a few more pounds and be 2 sizes down.

I started out wearing tight 14's (I couldn't bring myself to buy a 16). Now, at about 30lbs lost, I'm able to wear some 10s, most 12s and get this STILL wearing my 14s. I don't know how old you are, but I'm finding that as I get older, the same body weight does not mean I can wear the same size as I did when I weighed the same 5-7 years ago.

We also have to consider our body shapes and composition when it comes to sizes.

To answer your question, cardio will drop lbs and strength training will build muscle. If you are at a weight right now that you are happy with, I would stick with strength training. Otherwise, I would stick with cardio (or even a little of both with the focus on cardio) until you hit your goal.

I am right there with you. I've lost 40 pounds and can still wear the same pants I wore 40 pounds ago. Granted, they're looser on me and look nicer, but it's still the same pants.

I get discouraged as well. I have five skirts that I wore right after my divorce in 2005 that I desperately want to wear for my upcoming trip to Mexico. They're my motivation skirts. My solace is that when I began, the largest skirt lacked about 8 inches even touching at the waistband. Last week, I could get it zipped. It's still not wearable, but I was thrilled.

We will get there. It's frustrating, but it helps me to know that others are dealing with this frustration as well.

I'll admit, I'm one of those wearing a small size and still in the 160's (mostly 6's but I fit into my first size 4 pant this week). I've been doing weight training for almost a year now (lifting HEAVY), I've been consistently doing cardio for over 1.5 years also. Add to that that I have a large frame and I carry weight in places that seem to help me go down a size (my butt vs. hips and my bust vs. waist) and I think that's probably why I'm in smaller sizes.

Have you seen this blog? The lady's weight stayed at 155lbs but the before and after pictures are quite dramatic! Go weight lifting! I've had pretty much the same experience and have noticed some major changes between me prelifting and post lifting.

I lost nearly 50 pounds before I moved down a single size. I think that was in part because the clothes I was wearing at my highest weight were tight but I hadn't moved into the next higher size (and I think that's pretty typical that we hold off buying bigger clothes ).

I'm currently at 130 pounds and I wear a size 12 (although I can fit into some of my 10s). Makes me think I'm going to have to re-evaluate my goal weight once I get there.

I agree it's a mixture of things.

First of all, if your clothes were TIGHT and now, they are comfy or even loose, then you HAVE lost sizes. You were just squeezing yourself into sizes that didn't fit in the first place.

Typically a size (especially in the lower numbers) are one size for 10 lbs. If you start out a 'tight' 10 and lose 15 lbs, then you were actually probably a true 12 and the 10lbs plus 5, just puts you in a loose 10, not quite in the next size down yet.

So, I think you can confidently say you have dropped at least one size.

Same holds true for larger sizes being intended to be more 'universal'. I am not big and I wear a man's size 2x shirt to exercise in all the time. No, it's doesn't 'fit' but I do it, and am comfy in it. Larger clothes are more like that. Smaller sizes tend to be more form fitted and size specific.

Also, if you are muscular it makes a HUGE difference. Lifting does not make you lose weight but it sure as heck makes you look better in the weight you've lost and you do lose inches. You need to build muscle to drop inches and that will certainly put you in smaller sizes.

I 2nd the weight training comments! I haven't lost any weight since I started lifting but the composition of my body is totally different.

The lowest weight I ever was in my life was 122 and I wore a size 9. I see these people who are a 5-6 at 140 lbs but I think it really depends on your height and how you carry your weight. Right now I have lost around 30 lbs and are pretty much wearing the same clothes, they are just a lot looser. I still can't fasten the one size smaller pants since my weight is in my waist. Don't compare yourself to other people. Everyone is different. You have lost weight and the size difference will come in time.

I lost over 50 pounds before I could get into my old jeans that were a size smaller than what I had been wearing. I can still comfortably wear my larger jeans as well - they're a little loose in the waist but not so much that they look bad on me.

Like so many others have said - just depends on your body.

I didn't go down in size even after losing over 20 lbs but when I started weight training is when I started shrinking.

I did about 15 minutes of running for cardio to get my heart rate up and then would lift heavy. I suggest getting New Rules of Lifting for Women. There is a 6 week work out plan in the book and it gives meal ideas and a lot of good info.

I'm glad to read this and see that this happens to other people. It took forever before I started to feel a difference in my clothes. Now at 54 pounds lost everything is starting to look/feel way to big all of a sudden but I'm not sure what size I'll be when I finally go shopping for new clothes (hoping to make it to spring and start with new spring/summer clothes) but I'm afraid my pants may fall off first!