Losing Weight but Not Size

I love this site and I spend so much time reading and looking.  So much good info.  I have a question, that bothers me from eariler weight loss ventures.  I lose the weight, but I don't lose the size. I know I am "muscular" as women go, but still,  I see where people go from 26 to sizes 12, 10, 8.  Once, four years ago, I lost 45 pounds with a personal trainer, six days in the gym and I only went from a 26 to a 22 and wouldn't budge after that;

I have lost a fair amount of weight.  I go to the gym no less than 3 times a week.  I walk, do treadmill, the bike, and recently started swimming.  I have only gone down from a 26 to a 24 in my jeans and other clothes.  But, I see others on here who seem to have just melted away in size and in a short time.   I try to stay uplifted in spirit through this transition but, It is soooo depressing.   I am secretly afraid that I am going to lose the weight and still look big.   I know everyone is different, but has anyone else had experience with this.  Please don't think I am overreacting, this is a real fear for me.  Thanks

I have the same fear. I am a pre-op but I have a larger bone structure.  I hope that over time things will start to melt off of you as well.  Keep up the great work.

Hugs, Tiffany

Hi, I am going thru the same thing.  I was told not to worry that my clothes would fit for s while and that I wouldnt notice big size changes fast until  later then the smaller sizes happen fast.  So I am patiently waiting.  We shall see how it goes.  Good Luck and keep us posted

Don't worry ladies, when the clothes sizes start changing...you won't be able to keep up. One day it fits, and the next day it doesn't!  I am down from a Size 22/24 to a size 12/14 I am 3 yrs post-op and still losing....trying to replenish my wardrobe little by little.

Hi how did you get your century club card? I would love to have one. Will you please help me?
Lynn

Hi. I am going thru the same thing also.  I have always been considered big boned.  HAHA.. I was a cheerleader in high school with muscular legs and that was when skinny was the thing, early eighties, I often heard I would be perfect if I would lose twenty pounds.  Funny thing is my doctor wants me to get between 130 and 140 which is my high school weight that people thought I was fat!!!! I worry constantly about it.  I have went down to my size 20 pants and I am not feeling I am losing fast enough like others. 
Good luck on your journey....I hope that u have someone to keep u sane.  My husband is my reality check, he always makes me see the brighter side of things. Somehow I look for the worst when it comes to myself.
Great job on your loss and your commitment to exercising.  I wish I could say I do the same but I don't.    So you have already made long term changes that are going to show your hard work when you have great muscle tone!!!!

hey - I just went down (1 month out) from a 20 to an 18.  But i think jeans are the worst measurement.  I am still only able to wear the 20's because the tummy hurts too much.  Try wearing other things like dress pants or skirts.  That is where I notice the difference.  I totally understand how you feel though.  I have lost a total of 24 lbs and have only gone down one size.  Not that I am complaining!  I cannot believe that since the 27th of October I have lost 24 lbs!  That is amazing and I feel better, even if my clothes do not.

Hugs,
Jeanne

I have also read that in the plus sizes they "allow" extra weight for us..so not until after size 16 will we see the big changes....
That said I am seeing the losses all over....My 18's are loose, can slip on a size 12 skirt, wearing Large shirts instead of 1-2x....my neck has lost its fatness....It will come off sweety :<)

I think this can have a number of components. One is, where do you carry your fat? Some people carry a lot more fat internally, like in their abdominal cavity, packed in around the organs, than they realize. I was one of those people. I had the dubious pleasure of getting pictures in "living color" of just how fat I was on the inside when I had a heart cath and lung imaging some years ago. It was really obvious that my heart and lungs were being crushed by this "internal" load of fat. (Talk about a hell of a motivator to move forward with WLS!!)  But most people don't have any reason to get to see the hard evidence of having this kind of fat deposits, so it doesn't make the profound impression on you/them that it did on me.

So, say you lose that "internal" fat first. That's not going to have nearly as much effect on your appearance as losing the "external" fat does. But it's sure going to transform your health :-).

Eventually the "external" fat is going to start dropping and then your appearance is going to change more.

A second reason this seems to go slowly at first is the way plus sizes are labeled. Notice how plus sizes are usually labeled for two sizes? You can have a BIG change in weight and still fit into the same plus size. You don't notice the differences until suddenly you put something on that you haven't worn for a month and it's falling off.

Furthermore, there's this weird phenomenon that makes us not see/feel the bagginess of our clothes a lot of times until they are either falling off or someone says, "Hey, that is two sizes too big you silly goose!" So, to counteract this mind game, have someone who knows fashion look at your clothes and advise you on the fit. And then BELIEVE THEM and go try on smaller sizes, even if your mind is shrieking that it can't possibly be true.

Once you get into "regular" sizes, you will discover that a much smaller change in weight equals a change in size. It's very freaky *g*. Differences in brands, in cut of clothing, etc. will also make a HUGE difference in how things fit in ways that you might not notice in the plus sizes.

You're just a few weeks out. Give it some time.

Are you keeping track of your measurements?

You'll see a picture sometimes on OH of someone "in" a size 10, but they look like an over-stuffed sausage, and clearly should be wearing at least a 12 or maybe a 14. The idea that clothing that can be pulled one inch from the body is now "huge" and has to be replaced accounts for an awful lot of miraculous size-dropping, I think.