It has taken me a year and a half and -84lb to come down from a size 24 (us) to a size 18 (us). I am interested in finding out if this is pretty standard or if I am just a slow looser...as I think I am.

How long has it taken for you?

Does anyone know what weight figure (ie 18lb) relates to a new dress size or is it different for everybody.. I am trying to work out how long it will take me now to get to a size 12.

:funscale:

Oh baggy clothes are rarely flattering. You feel like you're hiding your fat but you arent.

I have a girlfriend who whilst not obese is plump. And she always insisted on wearing skin tight lycra Tshirts even while she was nursing, and had big nursing pads on, lol. YOu could see everything. She had rolls on her tummy and big arms and she looked atrocious most of the time and of course we'd all bitch about her behind her back, as girls do. Anyway one night she turned up to girls night in this kaftan thing (when kimono tops and the like made a bit of a comeback 3 or so years ago). I didnt recognise her, she looked like a huge obese person in this flowing garment. Since that time, I have always been braver with clothes choices and avoided big tops to hide under.

Now of course, after a year of being banded, I can pretty much wear anything I want so I dont need to hide.

No one who weighs 185 pounds should wear a 14,

What size should they wear then? I am 186 lbs and wear 10's and 12's. I think size depends a lot on your height also.

We are all so different when it comes to sizes. I told this " story " on another thread but I think it is appropriate here.

I have a friend who wears a size 8. She looks chubby and her rolls really show through her clothes. Don't get me wrong, she looks good and I am envious.

However, I also have a friend that wears a 10/12 and looks fantastic. She looks slim and lean and everything is where it should be.

So, I guess it shouldn't matter what the scale says or what the size on the tag says. Believe me, I know thats harder said than done.

I just got back from Kohls a little bit ago. I tried on several pair of pants. Some size 18's weren't even close to buttoning and other styles/brands zipped up, no problem. Go figure!

I like baggy clothes and believe that they look the best on me. This is because, thin or fat, I have never had anything near an hourglass figure. I've always been more of a tube. I have always had a thick waist, broad shoulders and comparatively small breasts and hips. When I gain weight I gain this evenly over my torso. I look like a love seat with slim arms and legs. This is also why I still take big sizes even though I now weigh 179. I've still got that thick waist and broad shoulders. What a drag!

Now, one of my best friends is also fat but she is built entirely differently from me. She has big breasts, an actual waist, and rounded hips. She looks like a fertility figure and she looks fabulous in fitted clothes whereas I look like a cowboy in drag. And my jeans are always baggy in the butt, hips, and thighs.... But big boxy tops look good on me.

I've really enjoyed reading this thread although I have felt a little envious of all you folk who can wear normo sizes and yet who are roughly in the same ball park weight wise as I am.

hey i am a seamstress at the 20 thur 18 mark there is one inch per size as you get to the 14 make. or maybe the 12 mark there is 1/4 inch so be happy 84 pounds is awesome go try on a variety of close and see how amazing it is. i have lost to my goal as of this week yey!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

i went from 20 to a 8 in 10 months. doctor says i still could weigh less but i am happy. i did not buy new clothes till now. my friends were shocked yesterday. when i had a lilttle tight short dress on. i cant believe this is me.

Donna - that is so interesting, thank you so much for posting that. I have always wondered why I wasn't going down sizes like my smaller friends who were losing.

Thanks again!

Geez........I don't know if I have gone down a dress size or two. But I can tell you that I've gone down 4 inches in trouser size! I've got a long way to go but it's sure encouraging when I have to buy a new pair of jeans! Y'all keep up the good work! And when I do meet my overall weight goal, I promise I'll try on a dress just for y'all!!!! LOL.

The sizes are dropping so much faster for me now, in the smaller sizes, then they were before. It took FOREVER for me to get to an 18. I think I was 210 pounds and still an 18. But now it's like every 10-15 pounds I drop a size. I went from a 16 to a 14 in one month, and now the 14's are getting pretty loose. I'll probably be a 12 in mid-January.

So... my point is that in the beginning, even for awhile, your size doesn't seem to change a ton. People don't even notice the weight loss sometimes, too. But when you get down there, things change rapidly. My face shape changed from round to heart-shaped in like 2 months. People don't recognize me... people I know well but haven't seen for awhile. It will happen for you, just keep on it!