OK....I am trying to figure out why for example some people at 168-165 pounds wear a size 16 & some wear a 10....I am not understanding how this is possible. Can someone explain?

Kyemom, probably it's height.

I'm 153lb and 5'9" and am a solid 12. There's a few (and far between) 10'
s that I can wear comfortably.

Did I inspire this thread? I was just posting about my size.

I don't know the answer to that, but I have often wondered it. I have a cousin that has always been bigger than me (in my opinion) and I always get shocked to hear that she is in a smaller size than me. I don't get it. My first thought when it comes to myself and my cousin is that we have different body types. I have what my mom calls "birthing hips" . My cousin has more of squared hips and larger top end.

Then, you have to take into consideration the different makers of clothes. You also have to consider how people like their clothes to fit. I have a tendency to want mine loose. But, some people don't care at all to pour themselves into things, lay on the floor and suck in their guts!

My sister and I are close to the same height (I'm 5' 3" and she's an inch taller) and weight close to the same amount. I'm about 137 and she is about 5 pounds less. But I mostly wear size 8 and she mostly wears a 10. I think a lot of it is that my stomach is flatter from working my abs in exercise class. I still have a long way to go before it is close to flat but it may never be after having had a c-section with my son!

It can also make a big difference how the clothing is sized. I have two pair of work pants that are 8 and are very loose on me and then have some size 8 shorts that are tight.

DJett- yes it was you!!! I just get so confused by this subject. I am 166 (size 10) and my best friend is 135, and she is only 1 size smaller than I am (size 8). I do not like my clothes to be tight, but I don't like them baggy either, unless they are sweats...I just like them to be comfortable. I have a very hourglass figure, so everything is always too big in the waist. As far as brands go, I do not wear a certian brand, I shop all over....shhhh, DH believes I don't shop much...lol...Anyway, just wondering.

I think some of it is height and some of it is the clothing manufacturer. I know in higher end clothing (Jones NY, Lauren) I take a smaller size than in dept. store labels. I have some Lauren pants that are 12's that are loose, and some Worthington pants that are 12s and just fit.

When I first started on here at 157 lbs, I was a size 16. Now I'm around 140 (I haven't weighed myself in awhile) and I'm an 8. I'm only 5'3, though, and when I lose weight, it all comes off my hips, butt, thighs, and stomach. I think it just depends on where you keep your weight at, where you lose it at, and how tall you are.

It's the difference between a pound of fat and a pound of muscle. A muscular 150 pound woman can wear a smaller size than a 150 pound "normal" woman. This info is from Meg and Mel who are exercising MODs.
Here's a demo which I'm sure we've all seen before. I may print it and post on my fridge!

It is strange, at my highest weight-197 pounds-I was wearing a tight 16. I'm now around 160 and wear a 10-12 and I'm 5' tall. I do believe it is the muscles vs fat thing. I've always been very muscular-just had a lot of fat covering them up

I remember being in high school....being 144 lbs & wearing a size 4 or 6 depending on the clothes. I knew I had a lot of muscle, but that picture really cleared up a lot for me. Thanks Ruth

I always wondered this as well. Im now down to 127 but i wear a size 9 People think im lying but thats the size i wear! And i work out about 7 times a week so i dont think its that i have alot of fat!!!

I just had to reply to this one in 1979 when I weighed 115 I could squeeze into a juniors size 7. In 2005 at 144 pounds i wear a junior size 3 depending on the brand.
what happened was a little thing called vanity sizing. We women never say I have a 28 inch waist or I weight 144 pounds but we will say I wear a size 3. Heck In the old days I would have had to weigh 86-88 pounds to get in a size 3. Forget buying small large or medium. I have a friend who can tell you she is a large woman and has been large for years but her clothing sizes keep getting smaller even as she gets larger. In ten years all women will be a size 1

They didn't make a size three when I was a kid. I remember being 102 lbs 32-22-32 and needing a dress for 4H. I got a size nine.

Don't get me started on vanity sizing! Please, that's the main reason I got so fat...I kept telling myself that I wasn't fat, I could still wear the same size clothes. Even as the scale went progressively up. When I was younger late 70's early 80's, I went on a strange starvation diet that consited mostly of fiber and bananas and managed to get down to 120-and I could squeeze into a size 10 just barely. You know breathing is so over-rated when you are young.

It wasn't until I started sewing from patterns that I figured there might be some problems, because with a sewing pattern I was between size 22-24. Even now, I'm 14-16 on a sewing pattern.



The clothing manufacturers should stick with standard sizing and not try to boost their sales by making us tubbies feel better about our weight. Let us confront the realities of too many cheesecakes and late night snacking.

bowing and gracefully falling off my soapbox.

Sarah

Everyone is built different, so the weight/size thing can sound crazy. Some of you aren't saying how tall you are and that is a big factor. I'm 5'7" weigh 165 and can wear 12 or 10's.....