Diets & Weight Maintenance Support Group

Chat about how well your latest diet is -- or is not -- working. This group is a great place to find support and accountability as well as share success stories and valuable lessons with the community. From where to start to weekly weigh-ins, get help from others to reach your dieting and weight maintenance goals.

5,208 Members
11,416 Posts
0 Online
Personal Challenges
/ Diets & Weight Maintenance Support Group

Same clothing after losing 80 pounds!!

Lauren2
Lauren2
Hi,

I am just getting beyond frustrated and I don't even understand how it makes any sense. In the past year I have lost 80 pounds and I have barely changed sizes at all. I have only gone down one pants size, my bra size is still exactly the same and I am still wearing all of the same shirts and everything as before. They are a little baggier than they used to be, but nothing significant, and not enough for me to buy a size smaller. I don't get HOW THIS IS POSSIBLE. Like where the heck did the 80 pounds come from, because it appears that all the fat is still on me since I'm apparently still the same size? I have been eating healthy and working out, and while the scale is obviously telling me I am losing weight, my clothing is telling me a different story.

No one has even commented on my weight loss to me either, so I really don't think it is obvious to anyone. How on earth is it possible to lose 80 pounds and barely go down a size or make any difference on my body? It is so demotivating and I just don't understand it.
lorrieonline
lorrieonline
There are a lot of people in the same boat with not noticing where the loss is visible. Hang in there! I found a thread online about the very same thing: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/239141-losing-weight-but-looking-the-same


I've just posted an article on motivation that may help. It's over in the Weekly Weigh-In thread: http://www.dailystrength.org/c/Diets_Weight_Maintenance/forum/19330163-weekly-weighin-aug-1016-motivation/lastpage

Keep up the fantastic work as it is paying off and will be more evident to you. You've done an excellent job!
Community LeaderThePepperMan
ThePepperMan
I agree, it seems very odd that your weight loss is not showing. Lorie has posted a variety of ways to measure our weight loss. (She is the manager, a GREAT manager, of our weekly weigh in post!) Here are some that I recall from the past.

There is the obvious one of the number of the scale.

Another one, the one that did not work for you, is clothing size.

Measurements can really help out. Measure things like hips, waist, thighs, ankle, wrist, biceps etc. Track those numbers.

Fitness measurements can really help. How many stairs can you climb before feeling tired? This is a number that we like to see go up! How many leg lifts can you do, how long can you hold your arms out to your side?

Blood pressure is another great measurement.

Hang in there! It is a life long journey, for all of us.

But 80 pounds, WOW! That is AWESOME!!!!!

Gentle hugs
angeleyes92
angeleyes92
I've gained 15 pounds and my clothes still fit, even the smaller sizes so I don't get it either. doesn't make me motivated to lose weight when I'm not seeing a need to in my wardrobe. the scale tells me a different story though and that is what I need to listen to
Goldielocks5
Goldielocks5
I lost 30 and some of the pants are not much different. But when I look back at old pics, those clothes were so tight on me. When I put them on I have to wear a belt. So is it possible they were just tight? I know for me I was in denial and squeezed my way into things and when I couldn't button it I would use a big safety pin to give me that extra inch and some of it stretched out.
WorriedMom76
WorriedMom76
A couple of ideas. When I first lost some of my weight, and I at that time needed to lose about 50 pounds - it took 25 pounds for me to notice a difference in clothing size. I find now, that after 2 1/2 years of stress and eating I have gained that 25 back plus 20 more that SOME of my clothes from after the weight loss still fit me. Not comfortably but they do. I can only think that over gradual increases in weight the clothes kind of got stretched out of shape over the bigger body, so they can still fit me. It might be worth it to go to a decent store with quality clothes and buy one new pair of pants and a shirt. You might be surprised at the size. If you are still wearing the bigger clothes, people won't notice the difference too much either. Something that is comfortable but is a bit more fitted might surprise you. 80 pounds is fantastic! Even if you can't see it too much, your heart thanks you. That is what I am trying to convince myself of right now!
SparklesandShines
SparklesandShines
A lot of my extra weight is in bulges that don't make much of a difference in clothing size, like belly bulges and thigh bulges. I think this is true the more you have to lose. I'm not sure where you're starting, but if it's pretty high, then that's probably the reason. I've gained about 30 lbs in the last year and my size is about the same but I am bulgier. I weigh 237.6 as of today. Sigh...
Lauren2
Lauren2
Thank you so much for all of the replies. I am in university, and with school starting back up for me next week I have been hitting up the malls to try and get new clothing and I am still finding that in shirts a size smaller is too tight on my stomach but it is really lose on top around my chest and shoulders now, so I am in kind of an awkward state where nothing really fits because I seem to be between sizes, ugh! lol so I am mostly just wearing the same clothing I have been wearing since the beginning of my weight loss, but it is not falling off of me or anything like you would expect it to be. I am up to 86 pounds lost now and I am just so sad that it is not a dramatic difference in appearance. The only difference is that my skin is starting to sag and get loose, which sucks because I am only 25!
SparklesandShines
SparklesandShines
Saggy skin means you are losing fat so that's good. I lost about 90 lbs. a few years ago and didn't sag much at all. I was in my 30s or 40s and walked at least 3 miles a day and used lotion morning and night. I'd heard that the walking would help combat the saggy skin.
Anyway, great job!
melissa87
melissa87
I lost 90 lbs last year and gained almost 50 back after meeting my now ex-boyfriend. I got comfortable and he like to take me out to eat where I didn't make good choices. He was supportive and never, ever criticized my weight. Since breaking up 3 weeks ago, I'm down about 30lbs and have walked about 220 miles in the last 6 weeks. It helps my anxiety and is a good stress reliever for me. I still weigh 20lbs more than when I started seeing him last year on Labor Day but this Labor Day I tried on the shirt I wore on our first date (which was skin tight) and it fit! I recommend the walking...it will also help with your endurance and general fitness. It's hard to get started but there's a big hill in the town I live in that I walk up every day. It was a struggle at first but I power right up it now. :) Congratulations on 85lbs...that's an accomplishment!
Posts You May Be Interested In
  • lorrieonline

    Weekly Weigh-In (June 1) Fat Has Purpose

    Posted by: lorrieonline
    Last Reply: lorrieonline
    4
    Usually I get a daily influx of emails on health topics.  An article from Dr. Mercola really stood out recently though because it mentioned that fat cells have their own mitochondria. Not only was this the first I'd heard of this, he also mentioned that fat serves a purpose in our metabolism.  Another new factoid for me.  The bottom line for me was to appreciate that even our fat cells play a...
  • GreenEyes727

    I Called Out This Morning

    Posted by: GreenEyes727
    Last Reply: GreenEyes727
    5
    I just do not feel well and I really think that it's because I cried yesterday on my way to work about my Aunt who is in the hospital.  I don't think that we will have her much longer.  She is very frail.  Now she needs help eating.  So, this is the third time in a year that I felt this way after crying.  I think crying releases toxins into my body.  I also worked up a sweat at the gym...