I went from a size 22 + to a size 12 (10 in some jeans) losing over 90 lbs. And i'm pretty much at my goal size or i would be if i could spot reduce on my tummy and inner thighs (also where my loose skin is) but i keep thinking what's wrong with me that i've never been size 4, 6, or 8 that everyone else seems to be getting into. i'm 5'6" average size, not petite or huge "boned"..maybe i just have wide hips or something? i'm pretty balanced all over as far as shape is concerned. I was this size or a size 11 in Juniors when i was teen/early 20's and a normal weight.

No, nothing wrong with it at all. I was a 12 (sometimes a 10) in pants pre-pregnancy and looked quite healthy and normal. Now I was still overweight for my height but it was a perfectly attractive size.

For my frame, even big as it is, I could still stand to lose at least 20 pounds while building more muscle, too (hence why I moved my goal down to 130 shortly before hitting my original), but whatever you're comfortable maintaining is the best target and focusing on strength training or just hanging out there and seeing if you want to make that your permanent "happy size" is great.

There is nothing morally reprehensible with not being obsessed with single digits. It is unusual, as many women want to go as thin as they can stand and then some, but I'd argue the more aberrant mindset is theirs and not yours. Being content with a higher size than many women is fine - your body, your preferences on appearance!

I was a size 12 for many years and was perfectly happy to be there. There's nothing wrong with being content where you are at.

There's nothing wrong with being any size YOU'RE comfortable with. Whether size 12 or size 6 or size 22 is your comfort zone - it's no one's business but your own.

And "everyone else" is not fitting into a 4, 6, or 8. In fact those sizes are in the minority (the average in the USA is a size 14).

Some women lie about their size, or at least "exagerate," in that they claim the smallest size they can stuff themselves into, or the smallest size in their closet. If they have a size 6 piece of clothing that fits (even if it's a poncho) they claim the size 6, even though everything else in their closet is a size 10.

Besides which it doesn't matter what "everyone else" does, it matters what you're choosing for yourself and why.

If you want to lose more, because you think there's a benefit for you in doing so, great - but if you want to lose more to be what "everyone else" or even a single person you envy is, then you're never going to be happy, because there's always going to be someone who takes it even further.

If you want to try to reach a smaller size, for any reason, as long as it doesn't put you into a weight range your doctor disapproves of, Go for it, but not because there's anything wrong with having a goal that isn't identical to everyone else's (besides which it isn't everyone else's goal. It isn't even the majority's goal. Not everyone wants to be a size 4 or even a size 12).

Congrats on the weight loss.

If you're comfortable and happy, then what's the problem? You have to do what's right for YOU. If you're happiest and can maintain a size 12, then go for it!

Just because "everyone else" wants to get smaller doesn't mean you have to. Like Kaplods mentioned, the average size for a US woman is a 14, so you're around average anyway.

The beauty about this is that if you want to go lower, you can. If you don't, you don't have to. It's entirely up to you.


...there's also always the possibility that if you stay the same size but the sizes change that you'll be a "smaller size" at some point anyway.

You should be constantly congratulating yourself on your weight loss, way to go!!!! Also, there is NOTHING wrong with a size 12. When I was a 12, I was so happy with my body and loved how many different clothes I could wear! I wanted my stomach to be flatter and my thighs to be smaller, but overall I love being a 12 because that is the perfect size for me. I have never been smaller as an adult, and if I end up in a smaller size than a 12 great! If not, I would be perfectly happy at 12, you still have curves and you look dang good!

I am pondering this as well. I have been loosing for over a year now and am thinking about settling into a comfortable 10- tight 8 . I am in a 12 now in most brands that I shop. I think that I have another 15 pounds to go. On the one hand it will be the thinnest I have been as an adult, on the other hand, it is still slightly overweight. But I think I want to stop there, maintain for a year, work on fitness and see where I want to go after that.

My problem is that I fear a super super low cal deficit and not sure if I can maintain that long term and I am not Supergirl at the gym. I want to stop for a while and be comfortable. It seems the girls here are mostly aiming for healthy weight BMI, so people do not talk much about a higher weight goal. My feeling is that some weight loss is better than no weight loss. If you can maintain it, that is a good thing.

I think that 5'6" and size 12 is great!!! Don't allow your perception to be skewed by what you perceive others are striving for. Perceptions aren't reality, and numbers in isolation are meaningless.


What's important is that you are happy, you can maintain, and you have improved your health tremendously.

I really think women's clothing sizes are meaningless. I tried on 2 pairs of the exact same jeans (same style, same brand) - one fit, the other did not. Another style, the 8 was too tight and the 6 fit. The next style, the 10 was too tight. Honestly, if you look good at a certain size and you can enjoy life without completely dedicating every free minute to maintaining that size, then that's probably a good place to be, right?

Do you ever wonder - why do we all want to be the same size? It's like some weird contest to take up the least space on Earth. 8) I have big muscly legs from hiking - I will probably never be a size 4 or 6 again. But it's so worth it for the payoff of the views from the tops of mountains!

I think as others have mentioned, that a size 10-12 is a perfect size. I aim to be in a 10 comfortably which is where I was at in high school. I think a lot of it depends on your bone structure as well. I see small boned girls in a size 6 which is fine, but some people aren't built to get into the smaller sizes. As long as your healthy and fit, that should be all that matters.

Congrats on your big weight loss!

Congrats on the weight loss. Size 12 is perfectly fine if you feel thats the right size for you and its healthy for you. size 0-8 seems to be the iconic sizes the media talks about but what size suits you really depends on your build and muscles. I just recently fit into size 12 myself and as you can see from my ticker, im still very obese, so size 12 would not work for me, I'm just lucky enough to have a hourglass shape and muscular build so I fit into smaller sizes at much higher weights than most people. Where as someone else could be toned and healthy as possible at a size 12 and others could be a size 14, a size 10, a size 16, a size 8, it just varies from body to body. So don't be hung up on that its a higher size than the media centric ones. If its right for your body, its right for you.

If (when?!) I get to a 12, I will be so darn excited that all the dancing might help me get down to a 10!!!

I just finally got down to a 22 and I am excited. Can't imagine how good you feel at 12!

If you feel good and look good in a 12, I say go for it and celebrate it!

There is absolutely nothing wrong with wearing any given clothing size as long as you're happy and able to do the things you want to do.

Thank you everyone for the replies!

Luckily i'm not fixated on numbers at all. i could really care less if i was a size 4, 6 or 8. i guess i'm just wondering why my size and weight that is good for me is pretty much a 12 although i imagine if i lost the extra skin on my tummy (not possible) i could probably do size 10 (but like everyone said, manufacturers sizes vary alot between brands) because i don't necessarily see myself with wide hips or huge boned but then again i'm not a small person. Also i start "wondering" when i see the awesome success stories here and the person is usually one of those sizes (4, 6, or 8). i probably can get around to posting a pic but aside from wishing i could spot reduce in a few areas, i am not overweight anymore--but not super lean either, i'm bony in some places and still have fat in others especially where i have loose skin (inner thighs, around the navel area unfortunately) .

Just wondering also aloud when i started this thread if anyone else looked good and was an acceptable weight at a size 12....

Right now i just want to keep up the moderate eating, eating healthy and especially trying to get fit. i noticed that i've lost some inches without losing weight as i've tried to work out more. I'm 50 and climbing out of a 17 yr long bout with CFS/Fibro so i'm not able to exercise as intensely as a "normal" person but i do pretty darn well in comparison to where i was a year ago!

i guess i'll just focus more on that and not wondering why if i'm near goal that i'm also not falling into those single digits like just about everyone else

hopefully this works, new at posting pics, this is a size 12 on me, want to still lose an inch around the belly button where some of my loose skin is: