A lot of people use this method but I really don't get how they're successful with it. Last summer I went up about 25-30lbs and now wear a size 16 pant at Old Navy (for years i've been stuck at a 14), but I still wear L-XL in tops/dresses and would still fit in size 14 at other stores or in other styles. But I've gained 25 lbs!! So, basically I could lose 25lbs and not even notice it? My body weight is distributed fairly evenly and I have a hard time knowing if I'm an Apple or just a Fat Hour Glass lol.
Not only that, but clothes stretch out over time!! And shrink when you throw 'em in the dryer!
So how do you truly gauge your weight if there are so many variables? I mean, if i lost 25lbs but didn't really change in clothing size, that's a big difference in actual weight that I wouldn't have known about!
I think measuring by clothing is for people who are closer to their ideal weight. Most clothes for plus sized women are made from fabric that can stretch and give and the styles tend to be loose fitting. My theory is that if you have a pair of denim skinny jeans made out of real denim and not the stretchy stuff you will be able to feel a few extra pounds.
I like to measure in a lot of different ways - lbs lost, percentage of original weight lost, inches lost, body fat percentage lost, size clothing. I lost like 50 lbs before I went from a size 16 to a 14, and that took me a year. I am still in a 14, but I have bought one pair of pants in a 12, after losing sligthtly less than 10 lbs. I need a lot of goals to shoot for in case some of them takes too long to reach.
I think using different metrics when it comes to weight becomes more and more important as you lose more weight. The number on the scale becomes less indicative of one's overall health when you are closer to goal.
Determining how clothes fit your frame is one way of measuring your body shape/mass. For me, it took me a long while to actually buy clothes that just don't hang on me.
Oh geez I know what you mean! I've been between 180-215 for the past several years and have never moved much in sizing. I'm always wearing anything between a 14-16.
The day I fit into a size 12 will be the first in over 20yrs. I can't even imagine it.
I don't understand how they do it either! I put on a dress this morning that I wore last year at 30 pounds heavier, and I don't think it fits any differently. Jeans are especially tough because of how they stretch out. If I only went by how my clothes fit, I wouldn't feel nearly as positive about how my weight loss has been going. That's why I mostly base it on the scale and measuring my waist/bust/etc.
However, there is the occasion that an item of clothing fits that hasn't in years and that is cause for celebration!
I think it depends on the clothes and the size. There is much less wiggle room closer to goal.
I started at a tight 20 when I was 275. I got down to a snuggish, but not TIGHT 8 at 165 pounds (though needed a 12 in dresses for the boobies).
In the end, it took less than 10 pounds to go from a 10 to an 8 and I "think" it was impossible for me to go lower than an 8 without a tummy tuck.
When I regained over the past year, I immediately got out of the 8s and 10s. I was at a 12 for a minute, but the 14s (some of them) spanned 25 pounds. It was only when my 14s were getting tight and I went to the store to get SOMETHING and realized that even some 16s were snug that I had gained more than I thought. Those 14s probably have a 30 pound range in them whereas the 8s and 10s had a ten pound range - same brand and cut of pants, by the way.
So... I could go by pant size at close to ideal weight to know if I were staying on track or not within 10 pounds. Especially the 8s as I would have to be thin and fit to stay in those jeans... at 165, I couldn't gain 5 pounds to stay in them.
When people do that, they do it with select items - Halle Berry uses this method and tries on her high school jeans every so often. So dresses and pants might now show anything unless you gain a good deal of weight, but jeans - the kind that don't really stretch can be a good gauge.
It seems that the manufacturers differ so much as well. I have a range of sizes and it makes no sense at all. Some small size are loose and some larger sizes are tight or good fit. Even at Old Navy I vary within 3 sizes depending on the cut and probably the day. So I can only go by fit. As long as it's a downward trend I am happy with that.
Last edited by Sassyblonde; 05-01-2014 at 11:52 AM.
I was at 12/14 forever. Weight kept coming off but the clothing looked the same. I remember from the last loss, between size 2 and 4, I think the range was 7 pounds whereas between 12 and 10 was 20-25 pounds.
I used this method when I was first losing weight---and still do to some extent (notice my ticker). I know that sizes variety and that there is vanity sizing, etc., but I based my size on what I wear in MOST cases. So, in most cases, I consistently can pick up a size 6 from almost any designer and wear it. Some designers' size 6 is a tighter fit than others, but it's still size 6.
However, the last couple of months, I had started to notice that my clothes felt the slightest bit snugger than usual, so I forced myself to step on the scale (though I hate doing that), and I discovered that I've gained 5 lbs. I know the reason for it (extra bites, licks, and tastes that I have no way of counting). I immediately put a stop to it and am back on track.
So, I use clothing size, but when I sense that I've gained, I will go to the scale so that I am faced with the numbers and cannot ignore the reality of weight gain (which is, admittedly, easier to do when going by clothing size).
I was at 12/14 forever. Weight kept coming off but the clothing looked the same. I remember from the last loss, between size 2 and 4, I think the range was 7 pounds whereas between 12 and 10 was 20-25 pounds.
This is so true. I've always said that at a certain point in the weight loss process, I seem to jump quickly from a size 12 to a size 8 within almost no time.
Don't lose hope. I lost 25 pounds and my clothes felt the exact same way. Then, I lost 5 more pounds and those "go to" jeans that every girl has were too loose. So, I went to my closet to try on the clothes I'd been dreading trying to squeeze into again. Those "too tight" clothes fell off me. Literally. I couldn't walk in them without them falling down. I have no pants, other than two pair of sweatpants. It's a good feeling to have no clothes. LOL.
Last edited by WeightGoingDown; 05-01-2014 at 07:50 PM.
Using clothing sizes(and measurements) is what keeps me sane now that I'm so close to goal. I'm very active and exercise a lot and have for the majority of my weight loss journey and the scale doesn't always give an honest measurement for me. In the past year I've only lost 10-12lbs but have lots tons of inches and got down to a solid size 4. As I get closer to goal I'm relying more and more on clothing, pictures, and measurements and for the entire month of April I took a scale break and lost inches but just checked and am still the same on the scale
Measuring by Clothing Size - I don't get it
