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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

to expect keep fit clothes to come in BIG sizes?

241 replies

punter · 08/01/2015 17:33

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 ....

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5
ReallyBadParty · 09/01/2015 13:01

I am a size 14/16, quite strapping with large norks. Couldn't find anything nice in tk maxx or Sports Direct that would fitHmm

I got this running top from ProDirect sport online, along with a shirt sleeved one, and they are really nice, and if anything, a bit big. Very comfy.

BitOutOfPractice · 09/01/2015 13:07

I bet she would bonkers!

I'm a bit older than you and did my PB about 5 years ago. I've been laid up more often than not since then due to two very dodgy knees Confused

WiseKneeHair · 09/01/2015 13:29

Sallysparrow
Just wanted to say what a great post.

CallieG · 09/01/2015 13:35

I always found that fitness / training gear only ever came in sizes for women that were already fit and slim and they therefore did not need aforesaid fitness clothes. Even the chain stores like K-Mart and Big W only catered for the slightly plump & already almost fit. , I remember standing in the Bonds aisle of K-Mart a few months after having my first baby quietly crying into my handbag as it sat on top of the pram, My post pregnancy Jelly Belly had so far defied all attempts at shrinkage or at least becoming less wobbly, My Breasts that had always been firm 14 DDs (just wait, your boobs will shrink said everyone)they became 16 DDs while I was pregnant were now slightly droopy but very firmly full 16 Es. I had spent the previous hour looking for something, ANYTHING that did not resemble the sails of the Sydney Opera House crossed with a Straight Jacket that would comfortably contain my breasts full of milk and breast pads: the box said I would need one pair every day,( I did not know that would mean one Pair of BOXES every day) .where was I...Comfortably contain me so I could go for "Power Walks" along the lakefront in an effort to lose the inordinately large amount of weight I had put on while pregnant.(I truly had gone swimming everyday and had counted every damn calorie like the book said and I still gained 20kg ) Nix to finding anything that would contain the puppies , so if fished among the oceans of Lycra bike pants , leotards, yoga pants, dance pants & leggings and I could not find anything a thing that did not make my bum hips and belly look like a 20kg of thick butchers sausages in a 10 kg bag. I left the store feeling totally daggy and fat in my trackie daks and sloppy Joe ( Sweats or Track suit) to the uninitiated non Australians) wishing that someone ANYONE would design exercise clothes for those of us that actually need to exercise in a comfortable and attractive style so the ravages of pregnancy and breast feeding could be carefully done away with, without us all feeling like hiding under the bed and playing with the dust bunnies, which I can't do because my boobs are too big to allow me to slide under the bed. Confused

muminpractice · 09/01/2015 13:49

Wicked Monkey do excellent cycling gear up to 4XL and soon 6XL - some lovely pretty tops as well:

www.facebook.com/pages/Wicked-Monkey-Cycle-Wear-Limited

SinglePringle · 09/01/2015 13:59

CallieG eh?! Women who are slim don't need fitness clothing?! Maybe they are slim because they work out? I know that's the case for me. I maintain a size 10-12 because I actually need to exercise...

SoonToBeMrsB · 09/01/2015 14:12

I love Primark's running tights, I have three pairs of the capri ones and they serve me brilliantly, even when I'm thrashing around at bootcamp classes. Super cheap and long lasting.

MorrisZapp · 09/01/2015 14:12

I don't think that was the thrust of CallieGs post. Of course slim women need/ want exercise gear. As do the less slim.

SinglePringle · 09/01/2015 14:16

Not sure how one can misinterpret 'I only came across clothing for women who were already slim and fit and therefore did not need the aforesaid fitness clothes'

Unidentifieditem · 09/01/2015 14:23

To those bragging on here... I'm a size 8/10 I run 5km in 30mins. I'm not fast but I am slim. I'm just lucky.

Life isn't a race, life isn't a competition about who is thinnest, life is what we make the most of while we have it...be we large or small, wearing Lycra or linen. Anything a size 8 can have should be available to a size 28. Including fucking neon sweat wicking Lycra clothing.

PoppyField · 09/01/2015 14:24

Morris and BitOutofPractice - thanks for chasing Chandler away from this thread. She was really getting on my fabulous 'pneumatic-unless-they-are-strapped-into-two-sports-bras' tits.

Unidentifieditem · 09/01/2015 14:26

Btw I choose other brands over sweaty Betty. nike running tights much better, as are there tops. The Betty ones kind of start to sag after a while.

ScotsWhaHae · 09/01/2015 14:32

Great post Sally, rings so true with me. I'm a size 20 and as I was heading for the gym for the first time in years I was so worried about my appearance.

Someone took my photo at the gym once. I didn't realise until I seen it on Facebook. My 14 year old nephew had 'liked' it, his friends big brother had posted it with the caption 'run fatty run'. It looked like it had been snap chatted to him. You couldn't see my face.

I was gutted. It confirmed everything I was worrying about. People do look, and judge and laugh.

FelixFelix · 09/01/2015 14:37

Oh Scots how awful Sad

ghostyslovesheep · 09/01/2015 14:39

I exercise because I have an inherited condition that means I will get angina - being fit helps slow it down

I am fat because I have 3 kids, am almost 45 and have a thyroid issue - I don't especially eat badly but I do like wine Wine which doesn't help

I also gave up smoking 4 years ago

Fitness is not about thinness - the two are not the same - I know lots of thin people who are drug dependant, alcoholic or malnurished! none of them jog

BitOutOfPractice · 09/01/2015 14:49

Oh no Scots. How awful. If it's any consolation I don't notice what anyone else is doing at the gym. I'm too busy sweating my arse off Grin

poppyfield I was beginning to think I was talking double Dutch because I was being constantly misconstrued!

punter · 09/01/2015 14:52

OP here. As often happens the thread has gone in different directions, but many have said what I wish I should have said in the first place, i.e. I am overweight, I want to lose weight through diet and exercise and I want to wear fitness stuff for the gym that fits and is suitable for bending, stretching, jogging etc.
I went on the SB website because they had massive sale reductions. I did not realise you had to be slimmer than average in the first place.
Thanks for all the links, will investigate.

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fruitpastille · 09/01/2015 14:59

I am doing my first park run tomorrow and will be pleased if I get under 40 mins! Hopefully all the 'proper' runners will try not to sneer...

I actually bought that karrimor vest in the sports direct sale the other day (less than fiver, bargain). I couldn't face the awful changing room so risked a size 14 (usually reliable 12) and it is v.v. snug...

Messtermind · 09/01/2015 15:07

Fabletics by Kate Hudson! Grin

ScotsWhaHae · 09/01/2015 15:13

The changing rooms in sports direct are horrendous. Our one has doors where you can see legs and head and are just at the corner of the shop, not separate.

TheChandler · 09/01/2015 15:29

PoppyField Morris and BitOutofPractice - thanks for chasing Chandler away from this thread. She was really getting on my fabulous 'pneumatic-unless-they-are-strapped-into-two-sports-bras' tits.

Sorry to break into your smug little clicque, but I went out training. I would support all women running, not just those who meet a certain size requirement or who fit into your little idea of who is nicest, and the notion that female runners who aren't part of your clicque aren't entitled to an opinion is laughable.

But I don't think you can expect brand manufacturers to perform a public service duty to produce all sizes when they make a profit out of a certain market. I don't think the problem is that sport clothing isn't available in all sizes, just a problem that anyone ordering clothes online can experience - they might not fit. That can happen to you whatever size you are. I am under the impression that Sweaty Betty size XL is a 14. XS is an 8, S is a 10, M is a 12 and L is a 14. I've found it quite true to size. But exactly the same thing could happen if you ordered a pair of jeans online.

tbh OP no-one really cares what you look like when you are training, its what you do that's more important. But if you want to be fast(er), then power to weight ratio and not getting injured due to wear and tear on joints has an effect eventually.

No-one is sneering, but get a grip. I see athletes far more talented than me, even Olympic standard, and they are far more humble than some posters on this thread. But they do genuinely run fast of course.

SqueezyCheeseWeasel · 09/01/2015 15:59

messtermind, the thing I don't like about that fabletics is that it's a subscription service, like those JustFab shoes and handbags. In fact, are they part of the same group given the business model and similar names?

SqueezyCheeseWeasel · 09/01/2015 16:00

Google says yes they are the same company.

PoppyField · 09/01/2015 16:06

I forget, is this thread in AIBU or AIBCH?

As in, Am I Being Completely Humourless?

Hey Chandler let's hope those endorphins kick in soon. xx

punter · 09/01/2015 16:15

Chandler, I don't think I ever said I cared what I looked like whilst at the gym or whatever. I just want suitable kit that fits.

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