If I'm 5.6, 15 stone - is it right that I wear a size 14/16?

[harryhausen]

I wasn't sure where to post this really. I'm curious as to what others musings are on this.

I'm just 5 ft 6, just under 15 stone. I'm currently looking at healthy eating, portion size. and doing C25k. I'm booked for a breast reduction for my huge, heavy boobs in November (34HH). The thing I'm slightly confused about is weight/clothes size. On MN often I here of people who weight 2-3 stones less than me who where the same clothes size. I'm normally a 14, 16 on top sometimes to allow for boobage. Sometimes I can fit a 12.

Seeing as I'm classed as dangerously obese this surprises me. I'm beginning to wonder if my boobs weigh a stone!

I know there's a big difference in clothes sizes but I find it all very strange.

I always think this is crazy too. I'm 5ft2, I'm currently around 10 & 1/2 stone, I was 12 at the beginning of the year - got down to around 9st11. I've been between a 10-16 this year, but my bottom half never smaller than a generous 12. I'm very hippy and have big thighs - will never change sadly

nope its not 'right' unless you only buy elasticated waists from evans and baggy tops i am currently squeezed into size 14 but i weigh 12 1/2 stone and am 5'9. is your weight really round your stomach but above your jeans line so trousers fit and tops fit too? apple shape i think that is? my boobs are G and i can only just fit into size 14. god knows how you manage a HH in size 14
where do you shop? i need to go there!

Sanfairyann, it's mainly a 16 I wear in a top. If dresses aren't buttoned down the front sometimes I can wear a 14. Obviously it all depends on the shop. Today I'm wearing skinny jeans from Gok Wan at Tu in a size 14. I have a slight muffin top with it but cover that with a swing cami. I'm not bursting out of it really. I can't fit anything on top from Oasis and I guess I never shop in places like Karen Millen or Zara. I do wear shirts from White Stuff in a size 14 though and they button up. I do have a lot tummy fat but I'm in proportion if that makes sense and I've become a lot more toned over the last month or so.

The only thing that I feel is hugely out of proportion is my norks, which may sound crazy to others with boobs a similar size or larger but they cause me huge physical discomfort, back ache, headaches and skin problems. My surgeon said they are very very heavy but I guess he hasn't actually weighed them

I'm 5'6 and 15 stone and wear 16-18 but I have huuuuge hips/thighs so 18s are big around the waist.

Have you tried the mn nork weighing method. There was a thread about it a while back. would be interesting to see if the before and the after +weight deduction are the same (ie how accurate the method is)

Hopefully that makes sense

5'5 here. 8.2stone, size 8. I wore size 12-14 at 9 months pregnant when 10stone. Not being rude but are you sure it's not vanity sizes? I def wouldn't have fitted same size if 5 stone more.

This topic has been done to death, the only conclusion you can draw is that people carry weight in a wide range of different ways, people's fat:muscle ratio varies hugely (a 10stone person with 20% body fat will look much slimmer than one with 36% body fat), dress sizes vary pretty significantly between shops and some fabric/types of clothes are more forgiving than others. You may well be wearing stretchy things with size 10 labels but if you've gained 3 stone since you started wearing them then chances are other size 10 items aren't going to fit. There's very little correlation between weight/dress size and tbh does it really matter?

No Sleepwhenidi it doesn't really matter, I was just curious.

I'm sure a lot of it is vanity sizing. It just makes me think that sizes should may be done away with altogether as there's no consistency anywhere.

Sorry if it's been done to death.

harry it doesn't matter if they have been done to death. If mumsnet was used only as a resource for past threads then it would collapse. So its good that people start new threads as things are always changing and new people want to contribute and find it interesting. Most people don't have a question and just look up old threads for the answer. What would be the point of mumsnet then. The same could be said for every single subject really. Diets, relationships, kids etc.

Very true about being done to death not being a reason not to post, I just thought I'd summarise all the points that invariably get made in one go

I am 5.6 OP and I weight 12 stone...well just under and I am a 14! I have small boobs and a pear shape...I could get into a 12 top if it were generous!

How does one work out their body fat % Sleep?

IM 5"5, weigh just under 15st, have huge knockers and wear a size 16. (on the large side of a 16 though)

The most accurate way is a bodpod mrsW, essentially a piece of medical equipment and very expensive. Next best is a trained person (often a personal trainer) using callipers at different points all over your body. Then there are scales that measure it (like the ones in Boots) but they can be horrendously inaccurate. There's also a 'US Navy' calculation based on various measurements but I'm not that convinced about this either, especially for women. If you are interested, find a friendly personal trainer and get them to do it.

Boobs are heavy so it could well be that

My friend had a reduction this year and she was a cup size smaller than me - she had 2.5lbs taken from each boob. It's intriguing.

I'm off to try and weigh my boobs!

these pictures give a useful picture guide and explanation/description, as do weight different body fat percentage these pictures

I'm 5'6 as well and a couple of pounds over 12st and a firm size 14, with fairly average norks (think I'm a 34C, possibly D - need to get measured again!) so it could be norkage - have you tried comparing your measurements - waist, hips etc - against 'average'?

I think more along inches than weights. I am 5'5 I weigh 11st 2. So about 1/2 a stone over weight. My measurements are 41bust, (33 under bust 32G bra) 32 waist and 39 hips.
I wear a 14 in bottoms and a 16 in tops. It all depends where you carry your weight.

Sorry, second link not working... this should

I'm 5"7.5, 12st12lbs and wear 16-18 or XL in shops wear they do that.

I'm 42% body fat and it's around my core.

There is vanity sizing in Sainsbury's! I can wear a size 12 in there. In vintage sizing terms I'm probably a size 20.

Interesting link SleepW. Looking at those pics if I'm honest, I'd say I was 40%.

IamnotDarling - I can't fit anything vintage (not that I've tried that much but wouldn't like to embarrass myself!) Which is a huge shame because I definitely go in and put and it's a look that would look good on me I think!

Even those pictures of bady fat % are hard to go by - I'd say I'm between the 35-40% pics but I have 42ish inch hips and 29inch waist. Such a difficult thing to go by!

I buy dresses from oasis, I'm a 12-14 everywhere really apart from Topshop. If you want vanity sizing go for h&m basics, the small is a 10-12 and some of it is big on me I love it!