2.5 stone lost but not gone down dress sizes?

[NotPerfectlyAdverage]

I don't understand this. My skinny jeans make me look like McHammer they are so baggy, they look like Hareem pants! I started at size 20 and and still wearing that size. But my old size 18 or 16 jeans still do not fit me?

Where is a good place to try lots of different styles of jeans on? I need new jeans but I I want to try on high rise, my old Levis and gap ones are low waist and I think that's half the problem - my bum is still too big. But how can I still be a size 20? I'm wondering if I was actually bigger than size 20? I haven't seen my sister in months and I want a new outfit for afternoon tea in London. I'm not looking to replace my entire wardrobe

I thought that too. Could not understand it, until a friend very nicely told me I was not the size I thought I was but much bigger and my clothes used to look too tight on me.
i only actually dropped a dress size when I lost 3 stone. But it was as if my body then changed shape and I dropped another dress size within a couple of months with only losing 3/4 lbs.
Congratulations on the losses. It’s been completely life changing for me

I always said I was an 18. Probably was bigger than that but I only bought stretchy stuff. Took me ages to get into a size 16 jeans. Jeans are the most unforgiving size wise.

You might not have noticed how stretched your previous clothes were. Depending on what their made from
and how old they area they may go back to their original shape and continue to fit you or they may stay misshapen and hang off you. I had a bit of a wake up moment when I realised how different the pattern looked on a pair of leggings now they weren’t at full stretch! I had one pair of jeans that I re-bought (on Vinted) in the same size but, as they were unworn, they fitted me rather than hung off me

Agree with other posters on a number of factors - I wear a size 16, but the truth is that I can't wear any old size 16. it depends hugely on brand, style and fabric (although as a rule, going up to an 18 in things that don't fit in 16 don't look right either). In my case, it's my tummy. So a very high rise jean in a 16 is okay, but if I wear a lower rise jean in a size 16 it wont' do up, but the 18 will do up but look awful eevrywhere else. I often think the best thing about losing weight will be being able to wear almost anything in a specific size - I don't even care that much if it's still size 16!

Also, older styles from when you were much slimmer were probably sized differently and/or styled for an entirely different body shape. I would get youself down to a store and try on size 18s

If you're going to afternoon tea and you are still losing weight, I'd look at a dress. Something that's not too fitted that you can continue to wear as you get slimmer.

I've slimmed down to a size 12/14 from 16/18 but still wearing size 16 M&S magic shaping jeans. They are now slightly loose / boyfriend style rather than being very tight and stretchy but I do want to see the back of that 16 label!

How old are your size 18 & 16 jeans? I think sizing has changed in the last 10 or so years. After reaching target, I tried on a size 8 jacket that I last wore in 2014 and it measures and fits as a current day size 6.

They are possibly about 9 years old as I wore them when dd was a baby. She is 11 now! Also they are proper thick denim jeans. I don't think they have any lyrca I them. I can't imagine them ever fitting again. I can do them up but they are bulging everywhere!

Keep at it and they will fit! I have a pair of 501s from the 90’s that I wore pre-kids (I am ancient) and never thought I would be able to wear them again - only kept them as a nostalgic reminder of my carefree youth. Thanks to MJ and lifting heavy (for me ) weights, I am wearing them today.

Look forward to a future update with you rocking your size 16s!

i Lost 4.5 stone to get from size 20 to 18 - someone on here told me kindly that I probably wanted a size 20 and they were right. My tops were baggy and floaty affairs and I wore leggings/strech jeggings so I was probably more a 22-24.

A year later I am wearing a 14, but like a pp still 16 in M&S jeans!

Could not understand it, until a friend very nicely told me I was not the size I thought I was but much bigger and my clothes used to look too tight on me.

same, plus I had been wearing the same jeans while gaining weight, so they were all stretched out.

Good news is though that sizes will change a lot faster when you get closer to your goal. Even just a few pounds will make a huge difference.

Yeah we all do that, op, you know logically the next size down from your super baggy size 18s isn’t a 16, so it’s likely you were a 22 or a 20. Try 18s, they may fit you now. Don’t worry it will come off, I used to think I was a 16, I think I was really a 20.

Do you exercise?

Because exercise is the best thing to help with shrink your size faster than just reducing the number on the scale.

It's annoying but you will get there. I've lost over 60lb and am still in size 16, same as I was at the start, although I was on the edge of 18 then and am on the edge of 14 now. It wasn't just about wearing stretchy things or old things, some of it is to do with the type of fat you're losing and some of it is the variation in sizing. I found I went from a mens L to M far quicker than going down in women's sizes and I'm even in an S t-shirt of some mens brands. But still can't quite get into a 14 comfortably. Your body shape will change and you will absolutely get there.

I'm not a big fan of M&S but have found their jeans decent and in fact it's the only brand I have been able to fit into a 14 in one specific pair of jeans. Their Sienna range of jeans are decently waisted.

I went into M&S today and could get into both the size 16 jeans I tried on but neither was a case of fitting me well. I possibly could do with another inch off or two. I think I feel fatter now than I did when I weighed a stone more! Just looking at myself in the mirror in the changing room is a depressing eye opener. I really don't look any different.

I do exercise. I go brisk walking in the hills a few times a week. I think I have lost some muscle tone as swimming feels more hard than it used too

when losing weight, it's very important to avoid losing muscle as much as possible. For this, you need to weight train, walking is not enough.

I've lost three stone...some of my clothes are slightly looser but I'm still wearing them. I have had to throw out some stuff...but loads is still wearable. Id say at the most I've gone down one dress size which doesn't seem like much considering three stone feels like a lot of weight. I suspect I was actually a bigger dress size at my heaviest than I wanted to admit to and was just squeezing myself into size 16s rather than buying an 18

Jeans are the hardest things to buy at the besst of times. So the fact that the 16s fit is actually a great sign. Now you have to find 16s that SUIT you. which is a whole different challenge! I can wear M&S jeans now, but there was a period where not a single pair ever fitted me properly. During that time period, I found Next jeans, on the other hand, were always great and looked really good on me. So you might want to try a few different brands. On that note, Next do really nice lifting/scultping high waisted jeans that, if you can get the right size (can be tricky) look great!

As your body is changing, you may also really need to rethink your style overall. I would also look for some regular trousers - try different styles and fabrics - and possibly a dress or two. Those might make you feel a lot better.