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Weight loss chat

A space to talk openly about weight loss journeys and challenges. Mumsnet hasn't checked the qualifications of anyone posting here. You may wish to speak to a medical professional before starting any diet.

Original poster

2 inches all over

85 replies

ABugWife · 07/07/2023 21:16

My wedding dress has come in and it's about 2 inches too small all over, so 2 at the bust, 2 at hips and 2 at the waist.

I have 9 weeks till first fitting and 17 till the wedding.

How realistic is it to achieve this? 2 inches each place sounds like it shouldn't be too difficult?

OP posts:
L1R876 · 07/07/2023 22:11

Up the exercise and cut down on the sugar, carbs etc. maybe just healthier eating and exercise will have it fitting!

Dashel · 07/07/2023 22:30

I would have thought your current size would have an impact and the bigger you are the easier it would be to loose. I am 10st 2 and I would struggle.

Can your dress be let out if needed?

I would come up with a cunning plan to start dieting and exercising but look into a fallback dress if that fails.

I would start now and not do cheat meals etc as I think this could be a difficult target.

Original poster
ABugWife · 08/07/2023 07:20

I'm currently 8st 12 and size 8.

The dress is also size 8 but a size 8 from 2015 which is much smaller than a size 8 from today Blush

I do exercise regularly already but think I will add in some extra walking in the mornings, a couple f extra cardio sessions (I currently focus on weight training) and clean up my diet. I eat all kinds of crap currently.

Will know in Sept if it can be let out. The dress is second hand so not sure.

OP posts:
Dashel · 08/07/2023 08:10

I think if I was you I would speak to the person doing the alterations now and if there was no option to let it out,I would start looking for another dress.

Sorry but two inches is a lot.

Original poster
ABugWife · 08/07/2023 09:39

Is it really a lot Blush I thought oh it's just two inches should be easy enough.

I do have another dress, I bought one initially and then changed my mind so there is a back up. I really really love the new dress though and want to make it work.

OP posts:
L1R876 · 08/07/2023 09:48

ABugWife · 08/07/2023 09:39

Is it really a lot Blush I thought oh it's just two inches should be easy enough.

I do have another dress, I bought one initially and then changed my mind so there is a back up. I really really love the new dress though and want to make it work.

Put the effort in and commit to getting slimmer!!

If you want it enough, you will achieve it!!

liondreams · 08/07/2023 09:50

do a bit of intermittent fasting e.g. OMAD or something similar. No milk in coffee through the day.

Bitterballen · 08/07/2023 09:50

As someone who recently had this with a bridesmaid dress and had to do a last minute rush order for a new dress, my strong advice would be that this isn't realistic. If you were a size 18 then yes.
But you need to go from a UK size 8 to a UK size 4 to drop 2 inches. That's not going to happen in 17 weeks (if it's even possible with your bone structure!)
Get a seamstress to advise you ASAP, don't wait ti September to find out if it can be let out.

Katrinawaves · 08/07/2023 09:57

You are already very slender if you are a size 8. I wouldn’t compromise my health to fit into a dress, even a wedding dress. Even if you did succeed in losing 2 inches all over, you may find that you look awful at that weight - your face may be gaunt and you might just look painfully thin and ill overall. I’d either alter the dress or go with the back up

MotherOfCatBoy · 08/07/2023 10:00

At nearly 8.5 stone you are already slim. Also, you won’t necessarily drop the weight evenly around your body - hips might go first and waist later, and boobs might not change at all!
So I agree with pp to get it altered or find another one now. It’s too small and starving yourself is not healthy.

Original poster
ABugWife · 08/07/2023 10:42

Seems I better speak to the seamstress sooner rather than later.

Is 2 inches really taking it to a size 4?!

The dress says 8 and the measurements on the website are;

Bust 88cm waist 72cm and hips 90cm

I am currently bust 92 waist 77cm and hips 97cm

I think the shape of the dress would forgive the hips as long as I can get my bust and waist down.

What is OMAD?

OP posts:
L1R876 · 08/07/2023 10:51

ABugWife · 08/07/2023 10:42

Seems I better speak to the seamstress sooner rather than later.

Is 2 inches really taking it to a size 4?!

The dress says 8 and the measurements on the website are;

Bust 88cm waist 72cm and hips 90cm

I am currently bust 92 waist 77cm and hips 97cm

I think the shape of the dress would forgive the hips as long as I can get my bust and waist down.

What is OMAD?

If you think you can lose 2 inches from your bust, hips and waist, then don't worry.

OMAD is one meal a day. You fast for 23 hours and eat the one meal at a set time.

So you would say eat at 1pm in the afternoon and then don't eat until 1pm the following day. You would have to be really strict and stick to just water, black tea/coffee throughout the rest of the day. Otherwise, it will interfere with the fasting.

I reckon you probably just need to cut out some carbs, sugar and do some more exercise.

Fluffypuppy1 · 08/07/2023 10:58

It sounds like you only need to lose a few centimetres not inches?

I can recommend The Harcombe Diet. Someone mentioned it on another thread a while ago. It’s not extreme, really easy, and doesn’t involve any fasting/calorie counting. I’ve been following it for a few weeks, and am losing a steady quarter of an inch off both my waist and hips every week. I was almost a size 14 when I started, and am now a size 10, and can even fit some size 8’s.

fruitbrewhaha · 08/07/2023 11:05

How tall are you op. I’m a similar weight to you at 5’2”. When I’m about 8 stone and 4 I’m two inches smaller I’d say. I’ve got a lovely pair of navy hot pants to prove it.

badluckorbadvibes · 08/07/2023 11:11

I'm currently 8st 12 and size 8.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with that and to try and lose 2 inches all over in an effort to fit into a second hand dress is verging on dangerous, if not physically then certainly mentally.

Can you not just buy a dress that fits?

L1R876 · 08/07/2023 11:13

badluckorbadvibes · 08/07/2023 11:11

I'm currently 8st 12 and size 8.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with that and to try and lose 2 inches all over in an effort to fit into a second hand dress is verging on dangerous, if not physically then certainly mentally.

Can you not just buy a dress that fits?

But sometimes toning up or even exercising that bit more, can result in inch loss. So the OP may even weigh the same, but be leaner?!?

badluckorbadvibes · 08/07/2023 11:14

@L1R876

But sometimes toning up or even exercising that bit more, can result in inch loss. So the OP may even weigh the same, but be leaner?!?

The post is in weight loss chat. I would assume from that the idea is indeed to lose weight.

Original poster
ABugWife · 08/07/2023 11:17

There is no way I could do one meal a day, I would pass out in the gym.

I am also 5ft 2, I think if I could lose 7lbs I could get into it.

I will look at the harcombe diet.

Seems I was unrealistic to think that cutting out snacks and increasing cardio would do the trick though. I wouldn't want to be in too much of a deficit because my hard earned glutes would disappear.

OP posts:
L1R876 · 08/07/2023 11:18

@ABugWife do what you think will work for you!

Good luck and let us know if you succeed!

Original poster
ABugWife · 08/07/2023 11:19

The scale weight doesn't bother me, it's just a number, I just want to be able to zip up this beautiful dress.

I assumed weight loss would be the place to post because inches and pounds do tend to go together to an extent.

OP posts:
L1R876 · 08/07/2023 11:19

@ABugWife just out of interest, did the dress fit before? Or has it always been too small?

timegoingtooquickly · 08/07/2023 11:27

Missing the point completely but this really shows vanity sizing. You'd have had to have had a 24 inch waist to even be a size 10 back in the 60s (that's 61 cm).

Hope you find a solution!!

Bitterballen · 08/07/2023 11:27

Is 2 inches really taking it to a size 4?!

The dress says 8 and the measurements on the website are;

Bust 88cm waist 72cm and hips 90cm

I am currently bust 92 waist 77cm and hips 97cm

You said you had 2 inches to lose and were currently a size 8 - there's an inch between sizes roughly so to drop two you'd need to go to a size 4 starting at an 8.

However if these are your measurements you're actually more like a 10-12 (not that it matters!) - either way you're very slim and as PP said be wary of what losing weight does to your face when your starting point is low already.

https://www.asos.com/discover/size-charts/women/dresses/

Losing 4cm all over is a very different proposition if you're starting from the position of being overweight, which OP isn't!

Original poster
ABugWife · 08/07/2023 11:40

I mostly shop at ASOS and all of my clothes are a size 6 - 8, I assume vanity sizing at its finest.

The point about my face is actually a very good one though as I do get gaunt in the cheeks.

I measured yesterday after I had eaten lactose so hopefully when that clears out of my system I will have a little head start. (I'm lactose intolerant).

I've ordered a tape measure to keep track so will keep the thread updated.

I've only just bought the dress.

OP posts:
timegoingtooquickly · 08/07/2023 11:42

Also wedding dresses are notorious at being smaller (well I suppose that may have changed but when I got married you rarely got into your dress size).

I'm a size 6 in next. Absolutely ridiculous, I'm 5'7 and weigh nearly 10 stone. In old money that would probably be at least a 14 if not 16 🤷🏼‍♀️. It's bonkers