to expect keep fit clothes to come in BIG sizes?

[punter]

I am looking at you Sweaty Betty - your XL translates according to your website as a size 16 which is the average UK women's size. As you have a sale on I ordered 3 different styles, they arrived this morning and looked like they had shrunk in the wash when I tried stuff on.
Surely people who want to get fit should be able to get clothes that are comfortable and fit for purpose (that came out as a pun sorry.
Suppose I shall have to try dreaded M&S ....

I'm so glad you started this thread. Bought some SB cycling shorts last year in a size L and couldn't get into them - had to exchange them for an XL - and I'm a 12 (Or was before Christmas-oops). I felt like a total misfit, if you'll excuse the pun.

They were talking about this on womens hour on radio 4 on boxing day.
They spoke to a owner/designer of an larger ladies clothes brand.

I'm sure a google will bring it up.

YANBU. The Sweaty Betty "Large" trousers I ordered wouldn't pull up past my arse. I'm a size 12/14.

I thought I'd ordered up a size so that they were roomy/comfy.

What SaucyJack said.

YANBU to think you should be able to buy large fitness wear - but you can buy it.

Just not in a designer label like Sweaty Betty who can afford to charge what they like and target who they like.

It's just the same as being able to buy normal clothes up to a size 22 but going somewhere with a label like Superdry or (presumably) higher end and finding that a L is a size 12.

You can get good running tops from too fat to run. I second gap and mens tops from sports direct. It is really hard to find nice fitness clothes above a size 16. The fat girls guide to running has a campaign about it.

Stick insects? Would you like to be called the equivalent? Thought not.

But yes there really should be larger sizes available in fitness clothing, I tend to wear sainsburys too though.

Agree regarding the stick insect comment. Nice. H&M do nice work out gear - not sure of the size they go up to but also agree re TK Maxx. I'm a 10 - 12 in places like Zara, Whistles, Top Shop etc and can fit into Sweaty Betty medium no problem.

I'm a size 24 and its a bitch to find work out wear. Let's not mention sports bras in a size 44e.

Simply be is probably the only place that would fit me but I don't want to pay £30-£40 for work out stuff.

When I was in my teens a size 18 I remember looking in Sports direct and being shocked that they didn't have my size.

Surely there's a market there for bigger people who wanna lose weight but can't afford sky high prices.

Thanks for the Fat Lad at the Back recommendation, CMOTDibbler. It's great, will be budgeting for a jersey and leggings over the next few months.

I get clothes from www.decathlon.com Although the biggest size they do is a L, which translates as a 14 I and a substantial 16 and they fit me.

A few years ago I looked at Sweaty Betty hoping to find something for me - size 16, obviously with a view to getting smaller but hoping to find some nice gear in which to do it - and I realised that nothing they had would look good on me. Even with the Nike stuff they had, they didn't stock anything above an L - even though Nike do at least an XL in their ranges.

Then I did a mean thing - I went on their About Us page and found they had photos of their top people - the finance director at the time and one of their buyers were quite obviously in the oversize range, so I targetted them and asked them how they feel about not being able to get into their own clothes and then told them that was how I felt too!

I got a really anodyne, poxy reply. I didn't expect a U-turn, but I think they're pretty pathetic and far too expensive anyway. Previous poster is right - they don't want to sully their brand with us big people. Even the actual fat cats at the top of the company couldn't give a flying one.

However, I notice now that their 'People' photos are all in self-conciously sporty/hard-arse poses. Not an ounce of fat.

I wonder where they keep the photos of the poor workers above a size 12?

Then, I wonder why am I continually surprised that commerce and hypocrisy go hand in hand? Get real Poppy, I say to myself.

Larger exercise gear is a pain.

I'm an 18-20. It really annoys me that I struggle to get good stuff to fit.

The concept that you can be overweight and exercise doesn!5 seem to factor.

There are some good suggestions up the page but the pricier brands are missing a trick, I think.

Actually, I would love the opportunity to ever be a "stick insect" ever again, But it doesn't look like happening anytime soon. I used to be one before having children.

It's no better or worse than some of the terms used to deride larger people.

Here's a link www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b04vjh7r to the WH programme on plus-size sportswear.

I wonder if Sweaty Betty have changed over the years then, because about 10 years ago when I bought some stuff from them it was all high waisted supportive stuff that you could wear if you were a bit wobbly in the middle.

[googles Sweaty Betty]

Ah yes, see what you mean.

YANBU.

It seems to me that if you want to lose weight you can't win. If you sit on the sofa and eat cake you're lazy and no wonder you're fat. If you go out for a run snarky teenage boys make rude comments and the salesmen in sports shops look askance when you want to buy running gear. It's not just Sweaty Betty wanting to be aspirational (well maybe Sweatshop and the like don't want bigger people in their shops - stupid, money is money and it doesn't matter who spends it in your stores).

People should be encouraged to get fit and lose weight/maintain a healthy weight, not be ridiculed for it.

That said, I've never had a bad experience in a sports shop but I'm a size 8/10.

Skiwear is the same, I'm not absolutely huge, an average 14/16 with a bit of a spare tyre round the middle but perfectly able to get on a pair of skis- I was recently directed to the men's section...where I didn't even fit a small man's size but medium. Of course the proportions were all wrong and the coat then too long if I wanted to do it up (duh, need to keep warm!)

Perhaps I should ski down the mountain in a black plastic sack with a duvet stuffed inside it!

When I first wanted to loose weight 2 years ago I was a size 18, and although they had larger sizes in the local Sports Shops - all their tops were short & tight fitting - not ideal if you are embarrassed about the size of your tum & bum!

So I bought leggings & a couple of loose long tshirts (from Dorothy Perkins I think). That was perfect.

Now I'm down to size 12-14 and still wear leggings. But I also wear a long vest top (so my bum is still covered) with a shorter fitted top over it.

I found getting a 'cheapish' large enough supportive enough sports bra to be a problem too. I found one in M&S which is a 36F & very supportive.

I think that Sports clothing manufacturers assume everyone wants to show off their figure; but generally you don't if you are at the start of your weight loss attempt.

Size xs-s in Sweaty Betty here. I would say they are true to size, but its sports clothing so meant to be form fitting and reasonably tight. A medium (12) is absolutely huge on me. Maybe you are bigger than a size 16 OP? There are many other makes of sports clothing as suggested above which do bigger sizes. Even at a xs-s, I try to go into a shop to try on clothes first to check the fit before ordering them online.

And what is a stick insect? Its perfectly possible to be a smaller size and not skeletal, particularly if you are muscular.

Yanbu!
I'm a size 14 at the moment, 5'8 and not massive but have some wobble. I do not want this on display.
It's seemingly impossible to find any baggy workout clothes. I detest Lycra.
I've taken to wearing jogging bottoms and an old tshirt instead which works fine in all honesty, sometimes I wear normal leggings too, but there is a bit of chub rub between my thighs!

This pisses me off no end. I wear Capri style leggings to the gym and can only really buy them on eBay. In jeans, dresses etc I'm a reliable size 14. But in most fitness ranges I'm too big for their biggest size ie large or extra large.

So I wear boring black capris despite being willing and able to spend four times as much money on something nicer. And to the people saying TK Maxx, yes that's fine if you want to work out in tshirts and jogging bottoms but I don't. I want to wear what most women wear in gym classes ie leggings and a vest. It really is utter rubbish and makes you feel like a second class citizen.

One good place for cheap vest tops that cover your bum is H&M. My sister is only size 10 but she wears them all the time to do running (she doesn't need to cover up anything but she gets embarrassed).

Oh do bore off Chandler. I'm a size 14 and I cannot wear Sweaty Betty clothing. There's form fitting and there's strangulation.

Big ladies (and gents) bike wear