Are You Happy With Your Size?

[-Sanguine-]

I'm not sure what size I am.. it differs with every store. But I just bought a pair of jeans that were size 26 in the waist, I do believe.. and at another store I wear size 5. I'm happy with my size. I'd just like to be more toned.

[sophie274]

I'm sort of reconciled with the way I look right now - I know why I weigh what I do, and for the past few months I've just had more important things to do than focus on the way I look. Ideally I would like to lose a little weight though, and am about to start doing so.

[capbit]

I'm satisfied with my size, but could stand to gain some weight actually. My usual suit size is 36S which are a pain in the ass to shop for.

[elizabeth2008]

I am not happy with my weight at all, but I am successfully doing something about it at least (I lost four pounds last month).

[Jd1983]

I'm not happy with my size. I'm not fat by any means, but I want to lose weight for me. So far I'm working on it - I still splurge once in awhile with chocolate etc, but I'm much better than before.

[greywolf]

Are we going by pant sizes? I range from a 2 to a 6 depending on brand, time of year, stress level, etc.

[_Asti_]

Overall, yes.

My problem lies in the fact that I am both short & skinny.

I rarely find pants that fit me, and I can fit into kids clothes.

I don't complain because I do have a great body, it just can be frustrating finding nothing that fits.

[shes2smart]

it just can be frustrating finding nothing that fits.

 

It doesn't matter what size you are. If you are female, there's an almost 100% chance you will have difficulty finding off-the-rack clothing that:

 

fits properly

looks good

is affordable

 

There isn't much in the way of standardization in women's clothing sizes. It varies widely by brand/manufacturer. The type of store you shop in also makes a difference.

 

I normally shop the "marts" - KMart, WalMart, Meijer (Mart), etc., cause I'm cheap...er, frugal. Every once in a while, I'll venture into a more upscale place, and the clothes are bigger.

 

Oh sure, the tags still say "size 16" and the cheap place's 16 fits fine while the nicer store's 16 is too big.

 

Apparently, if you're spending more money, the ego boost is part of what you pay for.

 

It's easier if you sew. Sewing patterns go by actual body measurements.

[anggrace]

I've gained 10 pounds this year but i still consider myself very healthy. Thats what really matters in my opinion. I just wish I had more jeans that fit I can't exactly afford to go on a shopping spree.

[greywolf]

It doesn't matter what size you are. If you are female, there's an almost 100% chance you will have difficulty finding off-the-rack clothing that:

 

fits properly

looks good

is affordable

 

There isn't much in the way of standardization in women's clothing sizes. It varies widely by brand/manufacturer. The type of store you shop in also makes a difference.

 

I normally shop the "marts" - KMart, WalMart, Meijer (Mart), etc., cause I'm cheap...er, frugal. Every once in a while, I'll venture into a more upscale place, and the clothes are bigger.

 

Oh sure, the tags still say "size 16" and the cheap place's 16 fits fine while the nicer store's 16 is too big.

 

Apparently, if you're spending more money, the ego boost is part of what you pay for.

 

It's easier if you sew. Sewing patterns go by actual body measurements.

 

I wish I could shop at target and walmart. I can get shirts and stuff there, but when it comes to pants, all their sizes are too big for me.

[SayWhen]

I am not happy with my size. I have been recovering from bulimia for two years and I think about my body very frequently. I am currently a size 4 and I constantly think about losing weight but I am at the point where I have convinced myself that if I cannot do it healthfully then I will not do it at all because I have too much to lose at this point in my life if I fall back into being as sick as I was. For the record, I was once 89lbs and am now 125 so I feel huge...but I guess I may just be getting used to it.

[capbit]

If you can't find anything that fits you well without buying high end clothes, than a tailor will work wonders for you. Buy something off the rack and take it in. With a good tailor, they can make a cheap $200 suit fit like a dream and flabby jeans contour to your body. It's really not all that expensive.

[Lonewing]

I need to gain another ten pounds these next couple of weeks. It will be good for me once Basic Training starts!

[cocopuff]

Ladies, we have to be careful of how much stock we place in our weight. In some circumstances, actual weight can be irrelevant. For example, a 160 pound female that had no developed muscle might look somewhat chunky. The less active she became, the more 'fat' she would appear to be as her body ballooned out from her lack of muscle control.

 

On the other hand, if that same woman weighing 160 pounds had a body consisting of carefully developed muscle for example, she would have a very slim frame, slim hard thighs and a flat and very well-defined stomach. The size of her clothes would also be reflected by the slim and toned shape of her body. Slim tight body, slim tight clothes... yet both women in my examples above weigh 160 pounds.

 

The reason for this is that muscle weighs a lot more than fat. 160 pounds of muscle is much more dense and subsequently smaller in size than 160 pounds of fat. Putting this more into perspective, 160 pounds of fat is much less dense and subsequently larger in size than 160 pounds of muscle.

 

In my two examples above, the woman who appears to be fat would literally be more than twice the size of the woman who has a body consisting of lean muscle mass, yet both women are the same weight.

 

To further illustrate my point, let's look at popcorn. A cup full of whole unroasted kernel popcorn weighs for arguments sake, 1 pound. Yet, when that popcorn is roasted and becomes 'popped', it's size quadruples to it's original size of when it was but a wee kernel of corn. Yet, it's actual weight has not changed.

 

That cup full of kernels now fully popped, now requires a large salad bowl to contain itself, yet the total volume within the bowl still weighs 1 pound. Fat and muscle react the same way. It takes a very large volume of fat to produce 1 pound, whereas 1 pound of muscle consists of a much smaller volume, thereby requiring a much smaller container (body).

 

So, rather than focusing on losing 10 or 20 pounds, you first have to ask yourself what it is that you are trying to accomplish. Are you trying to lose weight for the sake of appeasing your ego when you step onto the scales, or are you trying to fit into a size 4 or smaller?

[Lonewing]

Whatever your ego might think, there is simply no way you're going to get that size 6 hip into those size 4 pants.

 

It's a simple matter of fundamental physics....It CAN'T BE DONE!

 

Unless you shave off a little bone, i suppose...ugh

[JeckyllNHyde]

 

It's easier if you sew. Sewing patterns go by actual body measurements.

 

Ooohh.. I've been able to alter my flared jeans into skinny ones lately but I don't dare to try and sew clothes from scratch.

Sometimes you can find things so cheap, I ask myself if it's even worth it to go thru all the trouble of hand sewing (which can take hrs) and buying the fabric, etc.. risking that it doesn't come out right. (Doesn't count for expert sewers of course).

 

You're right though that upscale places do seem to have bigger sizes.

[shes2smart]

Ooohh.. I've been able to alter my flared jeans into skinny ones lately but I don't dare to try and sew clothes from scratch.

Sometimes you can find things so cheap, I ask myself if it's even worth it to go thru all the trouble of hand sewing (which can take hrs) and buying the fabric, etc.. risking that it doesn't come out right. (Doesn't count for expert sewers of course).

 

You're right though that upscale places do seem to have bigger sizes.

 

I took 12 weeks (one 2-hour class per week) of sewing classes about (cringe) 20 years ago. A 6 week basic course and a 6 week intermediate course. Since then (and with a lot of trial & error) I've learned enough to make clothing, home items (fitted futon cover, machine-sewn quilts, window treatments, etc.). I own a cheap, basic sewing machine.

 

At the time I thought the $80 I spent on those two courses was a lot. Over 20 years, it saved me that multiple times over.

 

Sewing clothing....just like shopping for clothing...can be inexpensive or expensive.

 

The most important thing learning to sew did for me was give me options - I wasn't limited by what was available in the stores and at the mercy of what clothing manufacturers wanted to make for larger women. I've never been the polyester muu-muu type.

[cocopuff]

 

Whatever your ego might think, there is simply no way you're going to get that size 6 hip into those size 4 pants.

 

It's a simple matter of fundamental physics....It CAN'T BE DONE!

 

Unless you shave off a little bone, i suppose...ugh

 

 

Gee, isn't it amazing how a female oriented thread can suddenly attract male experts on the female anatomy who actually believe that the size of a woman's skeletal frame is equal to the size of the body mass that it supports.

 

Good luck passing basic training by the way!

[knightingale]

This may seem like a stupid question, but what size do you go by to determine your size? To clear that rather confusing question up...

 

I wear a size 4 in dresses and some jeans.

 

But, I also wear a size 8/9 in most jeans--though they are that big to fit my hips, but sag at my waist if they go that high (and they usually do). I have a small waist, big hips/ass, basically.

 

So...Do we go by dress size? Jean size? Some combination of the two?

[vertigoxo]

Well, I'm going by jean sizes. I'm a 7 in jean size.

[Lonewing]

Gee, isn't it amazing how a female oriented thread can suddenly attract male experts on the female anatomy who actually believe that the size of a woman's skeletal frame is equal to the size of the body mass that it supports.

 

Good luck passing basic training by the way!

 

Thanks for the luck, I'm going to be having a LOT of fun getting my rear kicked for 8.5 weeks!!! it will be like being with my ex again, only I know the DIs actually mean what they say!

 

But anyhow, I'm just making a statment about simple physics, and even if you could lose a whole lotta body mass, if you have a frame tat at the lowest fits in a size 6, you're not everygoing to stuff it in a size four. I cannot wear 28" waist jeens - they hurt. 26", and they don't come close. My hip bone fits a 30," that's waht it gets! My rib cage is roughly 38", if I didn't have my muscles. But since I have some body mass, My chest is [was?] between 40 and 44." The point is, I will never fit in a 36" jacket!!

 

everything, I believe, should be done in moderation - and that includes your clothing size. If you're working all day to fit in a sizze too small, maybe it's time to take a step back and learn to appreciate your natural self a little more. Don't go off the deep end on the other side, of cours,e but jsut find where that happy medium is. Sure you'd like to fit in the 4 [emotional reasons?] but your body is a 6...so wear the six and feel better [physcially] and feel good [emotionally] about yourself!!

 

This may seem like a stupid question, but what size do you go by to determine your size? To clear that rather confusing question up...

 

I wear a size 4 in dresses and some jeans.

 

But, I also wear a size 8/9 in most jeans--though they are that big to fit my hips, but sag at my waist if they go that high (and they usually do). I have a small waist, big hips/ass, basically.

 

So...Do we go by dress size? Jean size? Some combination of the two?

 

You go by the size that FITS!!!

 

...sheesh....

 

If you want to make it simple, there's a three number combination. That's all you need. xx-xx-xx. Safe opens every time...uh oh, safe is full of bees!!!!

[knightingale]

 

 

 

You go by the size that FITS!!!

 

...sheesh....

 

If you want to make it simple, there's a three number combination. That's all you need. xx-xx-xx. Safe opens every time...uh oh, safe is full of bees!!!!

 

I'm asking what answer applies when asked what size I am. Everyone is always saying, "I went from a size ___ to a size ____!" A size ___ according to what!? My waist is 27 (some days a 26) my hips are 39-- 36-27-39 is my "combination". I fit a size 4 dress, and depending on the jean brand I fit anywhere from a 4-9! So WHAT IS MY SIZE?

[Lonewing]

I'm asking what answer applies when asked what size I am. Everyone is always saying, "I went from a size ___ to a size ____!" A size ___ according to what!? My waist is 27 (some days a 26) my hips are 39-- 36-27-39 is my "combination". I fit a size 4 dress, and depending on the jean brand I fit anywhere from a 4-9! So WHAT IS MY SIZE?

 

Your size is YOU!!

 

 

 

If anybody asks you what your size is, tell them "Happy."

 

If they press further, just smile.

[knightingale]

Haha, okay. Thank you! I was just wanting to answer this poll like everyone else, and I have always been curious.

 

I suppose I am happy with my size, I just want to tone up more. I'm fine with my overall shape.

[greywolf]

Your size is YOU!!

 

 

 

If anybody asks you what your size is, tell them "Happy."

 

If they press further, just smile.

 

Where can I find these size happy jeans?