[da fat n da furious]

Budda Belly, seriously she (co worker) doesn't see her self as big,,,has she gained her weight recently? Weight gain/loss is such a mental thing. Soem people who have lost still see them selves as big and vice versa.
took me years to realize I wasn't a size 8 anymore..I was a 16!

I was a 270 lbs and a size 24,,did alot of weight training and lost 67 lbs. I went down to a size 14,,,
Ive gained all the weight back and more,,,and am a size 20 I worked in a plus size womans clothing store. And let me tell you the agony of those change rooms...so many of those woman had sizing issues.
Couple of you mentioned hour glass and wearing shirts a bit bigger and dealing with the middle being bulky...find a seamstress to fix that. We had one on call who we sent our clients over so she could make the clothes fit better.

[sh3l5]

I am 168 pounds down from 196, I am still the same size!

[Sassy8877]

I noticed that it depends on what type of exercise training I am doing. Right now at this weight I am in a comfy size 12, at just a few pounds less (like 10) I was in a size 10, but at the time I was running a 5K about twice a week. That made the difference in how my jeans fit, now I am swimming and doing pilates to see if I can get back to there. I will let you know how it goes. Oh and speaking of body shape, I always say I have barrell body, nothing cute like pear or apple, but barrell LOL

Just as long as you are moving towards healthy it is a GOOD thing

Oh I forgot to mention I am 5'6" and a full body picture is in my profile. At the time of that picture I was about 175 and in a 10/11 clothing size.

[lumifan4ever]

Originally Posted by SmartButt

I'm 5'6" and 175, and size 14s can be tight on me in different brands. I carry most of my weight in my gut (apple shape) so thats pretty much why, I think.

On a side note: I *hate* being around a size 14. It's the worst because nothing in the "regular" stores fits as its too small and they skip right to 16 and up in the plus-size stores so I can't wear anything from those or I'm swimming in it.

smartbutt, i hear where you are coming from. i am the same way. i carry just as much weight in my abs as i do in my hips. there is only a couple inches difference. i am fitting back into my 16's comfortably but i can "fit" into my old 14's. they are way to tight in the waist to wear anywhere, but at least i can fit into them and get them zipped up and buttoned. i too am 5'6 and weight 178. I can't wait to get back into my 14's comfortably. but i have to lose in the belly first and not the hips. according the chadwicks catalog, i am a 16 in the top, 1 16w in the hips and get this.....1 22W in the waist!!!!! can you believe that???!!!