What do you think is the ideal clothing size for women?

[Mrs. Readsalot]

This poll is motivated by the fact that I am losing weight. I am down 20 pounds and would like to lose 10-15 more. I started at 165 and am 5'5". When I started I was a size 14(L.L. Bean 16) Now I am a size 10(except of course LL Bean size 12) For me ideal would be comfortable in a size 8, and I may have to give up liking L L Bean (LOL) Why do I want to be a size 8; 1. I don't want to completely give up my curves 2. A single digit sound so nice 3. Mainly I want to be healthy and at an 8 I carry good muscle tone and can maintain it. So what do you think is the idea size? Yes I know this can vary from women to women but I am curious about the Hive's thought on this weighty issue.

[Diana in OR]

I can only speak for myself. I am 5'6". I am comfortable in a size 12, which is a couple sizes smaller than my current. I wouldn't mind being a size 10, but probably wouldn't starve myself to get there. Oh, and at my height, I am a size 12 when I am around 160lb.

[Danestress]

I'm 5'5" and for myself, I like a size 2 or 4. I'm small boned, and have no real books to speak of, and I am lazy as all get out and hardly work out ever. So for me, anything over 115 is just flab. Not that I am 115. I have the flab right now:)

 

For most women at 5 foot 5 inches, though, I would say that 6 is probably a good size and 8 is probably fine too. My friends who are my height but heavier look great - they just have a more athletic or curvy look.

[Mrs Mungo]

I was a size two even after my frist two kids were born. I was a 4-6 for a long time even after my youngest was born (until I started having thyroid issues). However, I'm only 5'1". Height makes a huge difference in this.

[Phred]

If I were in Iraq my answer would be different than if I were in Beverly Hills.

 

Or if my wife were looking over my shoulder.

 

So I take the fifth. :001_smile:

[Happy]

I'm 5'5 and about 163 (down from a high of 175) and still losing. I'd be thrilled to be a twelve again. A ten would be nice, but as another poster said, I'm not going to starve or torture myself to be there.

 

Although I don't do Jenny Craig, I love the Valerie commercials where she says she is a size ACTIVE.

 

A size active and healthy is what I want to be. Slowly but surely, I'm getting back there.

[Crissy]

I can't put a number on it. I think a woman's health is so much more important that the size of her clothing.

 

I want the *right numbers* when it comes to my blood pressure, cholesterol, triglycerides, and the number of times my husband says he loves me (big hips and all).

 

:D

[H.S. Burrow]

This poll is motivated by the fact that I am losing weight. I am down 20 pounds and would like to lose 10-15 more. I started at 165 and am 5'5". When I started I was a size 14(L.L. Bean 16) Now I am a size 10(except of course LL Bean size 12) For me ideal would be comfortable in a size 8, and I may have to get up liking L L Bean (LOL) So what do you think is the idea size. Yes I know this can vary from women to women but I am curious about the Hive's thought on this weighty issue.

 

I voted for 14-16 based on the new clothes I just purchased for DD who will be 14, is 5'8" (and growing!) and weighs around 165. She is very muscular & athletic. Her waist is around 29". Her new Levi's capris are 10 & 12 from the misses/ladies dept...they are 2 different styles.

I think that some of the sizes have gotten smaller over the last few years. I think in some styles/brands that today's 10 is really an 8 from several years back. I have some size 10 shorts from pre-kids that are too small for DD.

That said, I know some mom's who *are* size 2!!! After having 3 or more kids!

[chickenpatty]

For my frame, whenever I get smaller than an 8/10, people starting inquiring about my health. I have more of an athletic/curvy type build, though.

[PeterPan]

Wow, at size 8 I look emmaciated, and I'm your same height! Your ideal body weight depends on your frame size. You need to google for how to measure it. There are different ways, like measure your wrist diameter, etc. It's very easy to be unrealistic about things like this. Your body fat helps balance your hormones, and the men seem to like us a bit on the "big" size, at least with our books, anyway. ;)

[Mrs. Readsalot]

If I were in Iraq my answer would be different than if I were in Beverly Hills.

 

Or if my wife were looking over my shoulder.

 

So I take the fifth. :001_smile:

No fair! Oh course my dh would probably take the fifth too. At least, if he wants me to fix his dinner.

[Parrothead]

It really depends on the person's height. Someone 5 feet tall would look pretty big in a size 12. Someone almost 6 feet tall would look fine in a 12.

 

With your stated height I picked 10 for the poll. But really anthing between a 6 and 10 would be just fine.

[JudoMom]

If I were in Iraq my answer would be different than if I were in Beverly Hills.

 

Or if my wife were looking over my shoulder.

 

So I take the fifth. :001_smile:

 

:lol: Smart man. Phred does know when to take the 5th!

[Prairie~Phlox]

I am 33y.o. 5'6" and weight about 137 lbs. wear a size 10. I think that's about right, I would like to be skinnier, but I look around me and see so many people that are bigger than me, so I am thankful that I have good metabolism. I do try and eat healthy, sweets are a downfall and I do walk almost everyday anywhere from 1-4 miles.

 

I've pretty much maintained, I've been this size for the past 10 years or so, I think when I first when to college, I was about an 8. My mom is shorter than me and has probably 50 pounds on me easily.

[Plucky]

I can't put a number on it. I think a woman's health is so much more important that the size of her clothing.

 

I want the *right numbers* when it comes to my blood pressure, cholesterol, triglycerides, and the number of times my husband says he loves me (big hips and all).

 

:D

 

My thoughts exactly.

[Barb_]

I was a size two even after my frist two kids were born. I was a 4-6 for a long time even after my youngest was born (until I started having thyroid issues). However, I'm only 5'1". Height makes a huge difference in this.

 

:iagree:

 

For me, size 4 is ideal. But I'm 5-3 and look my best between 115 and 120. More than that and I start to feel lumpy, less than that and my face begins to look too skinny and 'hard'. My 18yo daughter however, who is 5-6 or 7, looks best in a size 6 but will likely look great in an 8 when she ages. I agree height has a lot to do with it and there is really no ideal size.

[percytruffle]

You couldn't have said it better, Crissy.

[GailV]

I agree with the height/bone structure argument. My MIL would look awful at my size -- she's very tall and big boned. And I would look bloated at her size since I'm very petite and small boned.

 

I was just reading an interesting series of articles today on the evolution of clothing sizes over at Fashion Incubator. The author was pointing out that as people have changed in size, clothing sizes have changed. That's one of the reasons that a place like LL Bean might have different sizes that someplace else -- they're catering to a different crowd.

 

So maybe it's a matter of finding the manufacturer that uses a number you like....

[Barb_]

I am 33y.o. 5'6" and weight about 137 lbs. wear a size 10. I think that's about right, I would like to be skinnier, but I look around me and see so many people that are bigger than me, so I am thankful that I have good metabolism. I do try and eat healthy, sweets are a downfall and I do walk almost everyday anywhere from 1-4 miles.

 

I've pretty much maintained, I've been this size for the past 10 years or so, I think when I first when to college, I was about an 8. My mom is shorter than me and has probably 50 pounds on me easily.

 

Interesting. I posted above that my daughter wears a 6 and she's about 140. But she's top heavy and curvy with a flat tummy and smaller thighs because, well, she's 18. Sigh. So I'd like to amend my "height has a lot to do with it" to include "shape and age also have a lot to do with it."

 

Barb

[Cheryl in NM]

I'm 5'1" and I'm comfortable and feel healthy at 135# and in a size 10. My hips spread during pregnancy and didn't go back and the books didn't go down either so I need a bigger size to accomodate them. Now, before baby at 25 yo I was a solid 6 at 105#, but I did look undernourished (thought I looked good then, but to look at the pics now can you say anorexia?) Of course, right now I'm WAY over and am in a size 14 solid. I've lost 4# in the last week, though. I'm hoping to stay on track and get back down to my healthy weight by next summer.

[LauraGB]

I voted 8. I'm 5'4" and fluctuate between size 6 and 8. Currently, at size 6, I look too "skinny" and I don't love it. At size 8, I think there is just a healthier, somewhat curvier, more "womanly" feel to it (but, these days the curves are not where they are supposed to be! LOL). But, like another poster said, I don't get nearly enough exercise, so its all flab rather than tone or muscle.

 

I guess, in the end, what ever size fits a healthy bod is the right size :).

[nakitty]

It depends on the person....I don't think there is a 'one size fits all' answer to this question. But, for ME....I would say 12/14..

[3lilreds in NC]

I don't think it's fair to ask about an ideal size for every woman, because as so many have posted, sizes look very different on a 5'0" woman than a 6'0" woman.

 

When I was in high school, running cross country and track, I was a size 10. I *think* I may have worn a size 8 dress for prom after I had mono for the spring during my junior year. I should probably be a size 12 about now - I'm 5'7". I am nowhere near that, but that would be my ideal, I think.

[Only me]

I am 5 ft. 6 inches. Up until the last year I've always been a size 8. I've gained a few pounds and now 8's are too tight but 10's are too big. I've always been considered slender and sometimes underweight. Right now I'm about average. If I were to be skinny enough to be a size 6 I would be way underweight. Even when I was 112 pounds and toned I was a size 8. I don't look healthy unless I am at least 125 pounds and now that I'm in my 40's I think that 130 is more reasonable. On the other hand I have a friend who could fit into a size 6 when she was 140 pounds. She is only 5-3 or 5-4 though.

[LauraGB]

Marilyn Monroe was a size 14 and I don't think I'd complain too loudly if I looked like her, either.

[Jenny in Atl]

I can't put a number on it. I think a woman's health is so much more important that the size of her clothing.

 

I want the *right numbers* when it comes to my blood pressure, cholesterol, triglycerides, and the number of times my husband says he loves me (big hips and all).

 

:D

 

 

Size matters not... it's how healthy (body mass/fat ratio). I know some size 1s who are very unhealthy.

[PrairieAir]

I said 6, but I was thinking someone more my height and build except with more of a chest. :blushing: Ideal for me is closer to a 4 because the only time I am ever "curvier" is when I'm nursing and that's just not going to happen again. I'm 5' 3 3/4" tall, small boned, flat chested, and currently about 125-130 lbs. I would like to possibly lose 5-10 lbs due to where I'm carrying that extra weight or at least tone all those places that have gone jiggly. I am not very good about controlling my eating habits, though, so I don't know that I will ever go on a diet for the sake of losing weight alone. I'm also not very motivated to exercise. My current workout plan is to do at least two hours a day of yard work and take walks--things I need to do anyway and like doing. I don't obsess about these things though. There's so much more to life than how I look.

 

For someone your height and from your description, I'd say an 8 is just right.

 

My mom is 5' 8" and weighed 115 lbs when my brother and I were very young. She looks almost skeletal in those old photos. Later she weighed about 135 and was still a little too thin. I'd guess she would look good at about a size 10 or even 12. So much depends on not only height but build.

 

SIL used to be 5'4", 110 lbs, and a 34B. She got a little "enhancement" and moved up to a D cup and has found that she gained weight in more areas than she expected. She looks good, but it bothers her that she has added weight all around and now wears a larger size in jeans. If she was the same size everywhere else that she was before the surgery, I think she'd look a little funny. I think it's natural for the body to balance out, even if you've done something that isn't natural to get part of your figure.

 

Does that make sense? Well, anyway, I know what I'm saying;) I just don't think you can have set rules for what the best size for a woman is. There are too many variables.

[lynn]

I have big bones, comes with being German I guess. I am 5'6" I'd linger 155-160 and pretty much a 10 or size 8 curvy at Ann Taylor Loft gotta love that store. My goal by years end to be 150-155 and work on staying in that range. That is pretty much what I am comfortable with even though it's still over the 145 "perfect" weight for my height according the charts (who came up those anyways).

[Quiver0f10]

I have no idea because my weight has gone up and up over the years. I was a size 8/10 before my first pregnancy, but I was only 20 at the time. Sizes have changed so much in the last 20 years that I don't know what size I really am. I am wearing 14's now, but they are getting too big and I really need to buy more soon. I am 5'7 and down to 162! I am hoping to avoid shopping for another 10 pounds.

[elegantlion]

I think it depends on body type and bone structure. I'm 5'4" and when i weighed 147 (some time ago) I could wear a 6 top, 8 bottom. I'm losing again and my goal is between a 10/12. I look anorexic if I am less than 140, but I'm big boned, and muscular (although the muscle is covered with too much flab at the moment. :glare:)

 

My SILs however would be considered obese at a 10 or 12. They are small boned and one is a 2, the other fairly close to that.

 

I try not to obsess about clothing size, but instead focus on getting healthy. But I think for me a 10top 12 bottom would be ideal.

[elegantlion]

I have big bones, comes with being German I guess. I am 5'6" I'd linger 155-160 and pretty much a 10 or size 8 curvy at Ann Taylor Loft gotta love that store. My goal by years end to be 150-155 and work on staying in that range. That is pretty much what I am comfortable with even though it's still over the 145 "perfect" weight for my height according the charts (who came up those anyways).

 

So I can blame my German heritage for the big bones? :coolgleamA: My mother is long and elegant looking, I inherited my dad's bone structure, what's up with that?

[Pongo]

I have a small build, I am 5'4" and at 120 lbs size 6 if good for me. I have a friend that's the same height, she has a larger frame and would look horrible at 120lbs. she is 145 and looks perfect.

[Greta]

I don't really know about clothing size since that seems to vary so much by brand and style. But I think that this method of calculating "ideal" weight isn't too far off base (at least not as far off as those useless BMI charts), because the ideal that it gives for me is close to the weight at which I look and feel my best. Since I am 5'9" and have a thin frame, this method says I should weigh about 130 pounds. I have weighed significantly less (118) and though I didn't mind it, my friends and family were always on my case about being too skinny. Now I weigh more (138) and I feel bloated and flabby and just yucky. When I weigh about 125-130, I wear a size 4, and I feel great. I'd really like to get back to that. But that's another story. Anyway, here's the calculation (for women):

 

Start with 100 pounds, and add 5 more pounds for every inch in height above 5 feet.

 

For a medium frame, this is your number. For a small frame, subtract 10%. For a large frame, add 10%. To determine your frame size, measure the circumference of your wrist. Then check the chart below:

 

 

• height under 5'2"
  • small = wrist size less than 5.5"
    
  • medium = wrist size 5.5" to 5.75"
    
  • large = wrist size over 5.75"

   

  [*]height 5'2" to 5' 5"

  • small = wrist size less than 6"
    
  • medium = wrist size 6" to 6.25"
    
  • large = wrist size over 6.25"

   

  [*]height over 5' 5"

  • small = wrist size less than 6.25"
    
  • medium = wrist size 6.25" to 6.5"
    
  • large = wrist size over 6.5"

   

 

Of course, I think this should be viewed more as a guideline than an "ideal" because there's lots of individual variation beyond just height and rough frame size. Using myself as the example, I wouldn't mind my current weight one bit if the extra fat had gone to my booKs instead of my tummy! Some women are very fortunate that extra body fat goes to all the right places on them and they look fantastic. I am not one of those women. I'll never be that curvy feminine ideal. :sad: So since "thin" is the best thing I can have going for me, I'd like to get back to looking and feeling thin.

[Foofy Coffee Lover]

This definitely depends on the individual. I USED to think only a size 5... :D Three kids later and a 7 or 8 is just fine for my frame! I know people who wear larger or smaller sizes that look and feel great. I agree with the healthy numbers approach...

[Dayle in Guatemala]

I think the ideal clothing size is whatever fits a woman when she feels good, is healthy, and happy. That is different for each woman.

 

I will never be a size 8. That's just the facts! But, I would love to get to a 12 or 14. Right now I'm well above that, but, I'm happy, feeling better all the time, and working out to get really healthy! Some women will fit that criteria at a 2. Each person is different. That's what makes life so good and interesting!:D

[Colleen]

As others have said, this is a tough one because it will vary based on height, frame size, and even brand and style of clothing. In light of the fact that the average American women is right around 5' 4", though, I am surprised how many people are voting for an ideal size of 10 and beyond. A woman of average height and medium frame will ideally weigh around 130 pounds, which I guesstimate to be a size 6 or 8. Since I am medium framed, stand 5'6", and weigh roughly 120-125, I'd say size 4 is my ideal. I selected size 6 in the poll, though, because I wasn't voting in terms of just my own ideal.

 

As an aside, here's a snippet of a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:

 

"The report, Mean Body Weight, Height, and Body Mass Index (BMI) 1960-2002: United States, shows that the average height of a man aged 20-74 years increased from just over 5'8" in 1960 to 5'9½" in 2002, while the average height of a woman the same age increased from slightly over 5'3" 1960 to 5'4" in 2002.

 

"Meanwhile, the average weight for men aged 20-74 years rose dramatically from 166.3 pounds in 1960 to 191 pounds in 2002, while the average weight for women the same age increased from 140.2 pounds in 1960 to 164.3 pounds in 2002."

[Nestof3]

I think so much of it depends on bone structure. I am a petite sort of person, so a size 4 or 6 is ideal for me (I wear a size 6 right now, 5 feet 3.5 inches, 122 pounds). I have friends who look amazingly skinnier than I am and wear a size 8. Also, overall fitness plays a role in how a person looks. A toned size 8 looks better to me than a jiggly size 4. Does that make sense?

[Scarlett]

I don't really know about clothing size since that seems to vary so much by brand and style. But I think that this method of calculating "ideal" weight isn't too far off base (at least not as far off as those useless BMI charts), because the ideal that it gives for me is close to the weight at which I look and feel my best. Since I am 5'9" and have a thin frame, this method says I should weigh about 130 pounds. I have weighed significantly less (118) and though I didn't mind it, my friends and family were always on my case about being too skinny. Now I weigh more (138) and I feel bloated and flabby and just yucky. When I weigh about 125-130, I wear a size 4, and I feel great. I'd really like to get back to that. But that's another story. Anyway, here's the calculation (for women):

 

Start with 100 pounds, and add 5 more pounds for every inch in height above 5 feet.

 

For a medium frame, this is your number. For a small frame, subtract 10%. For a large frame, add 10%. To determine your frame size, measure the circumference of your wrist. Then check the chart below:

 

 

• height under 5'2"
  • small = wrist size less than 5.5"

  • medium = wrist size 5.5" to 5.75"

  • large = wrist size over 5.75"

   

  [*]height 5'2" to 5' 5"

  • small = wrist size less than 6"

  • medium = wrist size 6" to 6.25"

  • large = wrist size over 6.25"

   

  [*]height over 5' 5"

  • small = wrist size less than 6.25"

  • medium = wrist size 6.25" to 6.5"

  • large = wrist size over 6.5"

   

 

Of course, I think this should be viewed more as a guideline than an "ideal" because there's lots of individual variation beyond just height and rough frame size. Using myself as the example, I wouldn't mind my current weight one bit if the extra fat had gone to my booKs instead of my tummy! Some women are very fortunate that extra body fat goes to all the right places on them and they look fantastic. I am not one of those women. I'll never be that curvy feminine ideal. :sad: So since "thin" is the best thing I can have going for me, I'd like to get back to looking and feeling thin.

 

Interesting. I feel great around 125 and I'm right on the border between 5'5 and 5'6 AND right on the border between small and medium frame. If I call myself 5'6 with a small frame this method would put me at 117 which might be a tad slim for me. I like 122. Haven't seen it in a while, but I like it.

 

I have the same issue with the curves...my curves don't look attractive...just fat! So thin is the best I can hope for. I am at 140 right now and my goal is 127 which I got to last fall....oh and 127 I am a size 6 in almost all clothes.

[Marie in Oh]

Anything less than I am since I am entering my last trimester.

 

I am medium framed, 5'5" and my ideal weight is about 130. That puts me at a comfortable size 6, but I have to work (read, run about 20 miles a week) to stay there.

 

I can eat comfortably and exercise less and stay between 135 and 140 and wear an 8 which I think at pushing 40 is reasonable.

 

The top of my heathy BMI is 149 and that is a size 10 and too high for me.

 

I put size 8 in the poll, but I think it is a different number for everyone.

[Miss Peregrine]

Definitely agree it is based on height/bone structure, etc. I am only 5'1" and my ideal is 4 though I still wear 6 most of the time.

[PrairieAir]

Wow, GretaLynne, I'd say that method nails it pretty well for me. I'm right on target with the weight I'd like to be. You may also have to take into consideration that muscle weighs more than fat and that may move the numbers slightly. Not that that's what's going on with my extra few pounds;)

[Diana in OR]

For my frame, whenever I get smaller than an 8/10, people starting inquiring about my health. I have more of an athletic/curvy type build, though.

 

I get this if I am smaller than a 12. I think I have medium sized bones, but I have a curvier shape and build muscle tone fairly easily.

[Bess]

:iagree:

 

For me, size 4 is ideal. But I'm 5-3 and look my best between 115 and 120. More than that and I start to feel lumpy, less than that and my face begins to look too skinny and 'hard'.

 

 

This is exactly me too! I'm 5'3" and 115 is just right. Size 4 is the best for me. Anything more and I'm feeling a bit puffy and thick. I also have a smaller frame, so that could have something to do with it too.

[Mx5]

This poll is motivated by the fact that I am losing weight. I am down 20 pounds and would like to lose 10-15 more. I started at 165 and am 5'5". When I started I was a size 14(L.L. Bean 16) Now I am a size 10(except of course LL Bean size 12) For me ideal would be comfortable in a size 8, and I may have to give up liking L L Bean (LOL) Why do I want to be a size 8; 1. I don't want to completely give up my curves 2. A single digit sound so nice 3. Mainly I want to be healthy and at an 8 I carry good muscle tone and can maintain it. So what do you think is the idea size? Yes I know this can vary from women to women but I am curious about the Hive's thought on this weighty issue.

 

 

Sizes are different between clothing manufacturers. I showed my teen daughter this one time. She is tiny - her regular jeans were size 1. She was upset when she had to go up a size, to a 3. But her 1's still fit, and the 3's were of a different brand. I talked to her a lot about how comparing sizes over different manufacturers is like comparing apples to oranges.

 

It gets me so mad that a little thing like a tag size can really mess up my day or week or month.

 

Even Stacy & Clinton on What Not to Wear get going on this thing. It's not size, it's how the clothing fits, right? We can know this in our heads but it still bothers us, doesn't it.

[Mrs. Readsalot]

I am also of German ancestry and have the big boned issue. I got to thinking about this because ot "the charts" My honest goal is to be healthy. It seems to be difficult to determine what healthy is. Do you go by weight charts, BMI table, what size you wear... it's enough to make your head spin. One thing I know for sure and that is before I lost the weight I was waking up with sore ankles everyday. Now no ankle pain. So I know my body is appreciating that I have lost 20 pounds. I will admit it is a bit of a vanity thing or maybe a challenge thing to fit into a size 8 again. Although I don't plan on over doing it trying to accomplish that.

[5Youngs]

If I were in Iraq my answer would be different than if I were in Beverly Hills.

 

Or if my wife were looking over my shoulder.

 

So I take the fifth. :001_smile:

 

Okay, I just choked on my tea~

Thanks for the laugh and your honesty, you smart man!

 

Seriously, everyone has their "natural healthy weight".

You know, where you are active throughout the day and eat healthy, natural foods?

It is different for every person, their body shape, etc.

I'm 5'7'' and mine is a size 8-10.

If I really restrict my eating, or go vegetarian and exercise 45+min daily, I'll drop 1 size but lose all my curves.

Not really noticeable or worth my time.

The only time I've been smaller is when I was running 5-6 miles a day and ate nearly nothing.

I haven't the time or interest in that anymore.

Instead, I can do yoga 20 minutes, bowflex 5x weekly to tone and walk around the neighborhood or bike for 5 miles to get fresh air and cardio.

I feel alive!

Dawanna

[Jami]

I am also of German ancestry and have the big boned issue. I got to thinking about this because ot "the charts" My honest goal is to be healthy. It seems to be difficult to determine what healthy is. Do you go by weight charts, BMI table, what size you wear... it's enough to make your head spin. One thing I know for sure and that is before I lost the weight I was waking up with sore ankles everyday. Now no ankle pain. So I know my body is appreciating that I have lost 20 pounds. I will admit it is a bit of a vanity thing or maybe a challenge thing to fit into a size 8 again. Although I don't plan on over doing it trying to accomplish that.

 

As to determining what healthy is...charts can be useful, to an extent. I think BMI is more useful than just height/weight charts, because it takes into account where fat is stored (waist to hip ratio). Level of fitness and mobility is important. For women, bone density and muscle mass is particularly important as we age. It's hard to measure accurately, but I like knowing my body fat % within a general range, because I'm larger-framed and muscular, so the weight charts just aren't that helpful for me. If you're particularly concerned about being a smaller size, then weight loss that preserves muscle but burns fat is key. You can be lighter on the scale and still fluffy, or the scale can stay the same and you can shrink a size or two if you retain muscle while losing fat.

[Elaine]

I agree with the others who said it depends on height. I myself am 5'4 and am most comfortable in a 4 or 6, anything larger and, for me, I feel "fat." I am not saying that a person who wears an 8 or higher is fat.:001_smile: It has a lot to do with my frame. I have short legs and so when I put on 2-3 pounds, it really makes a difference in the way that my clothes fit.

 

I don't worry about it too much. :001_smile:

[Plaid Dad]

I know this poll isn't addressed to me and I haven't read any of the other responses, but:

 

The ideal clothing size for a woman is the size that fits her comfortably.

 

I would never try to discourage a woman from losing weight for her health or because it makes her feel better. But I would also not want to see her struggle needlessly because of some "ideal" image that has nothing to do with the reality of her body.

 

OK, I'm done now.

[Mom to Aly]

I'm 5'6 & 1/2", and people have always thought I was 5'9", I think because I stand very straight while most people don't. When I got married, 18 years ago, I was a small size 5, and, looking back, I looked basically anorexic, but, at the time, I was living in Paris, France, and I remember going into a sweater shop and a the clerk telling me I couldn't try anything on, I would stretch out all of her sweaters (and I wore a 34B bra, on the tightest hook--wouldn't give up that 34B!!!).

 

I have recently gone from a 3x & 4x, to a 0x or 1x in shorts and pants, and a 1x or 2x in shirts (I've lost 59 lbs and counting!), so anything smaller than that looks great to me! I remember seeing size 10 as I first started gained weight (death of a child, horrible marriage, break up of horrible marriage, etc, major food for years and years) and thinking, my God, if I ever get that big, I won't be able to move! Now I have friends who are a size 14, and I think they are so thin!!!

 

I am still a blob, I know it, but I feel so much better, so much healthier, I can't believe the diff! I ruptured two discs in my back a year and a half ago, & I've gone from not being able to walk down a grocery aisle, to being able to walk my huge dog, pulling the whole time, nearly two miles at a time! I can get down on the floor to play with my child! It is a whole new world!

 

So, I have a long way still to go--and I'd like to lose at least 60 more pounds, ideally, 80-100. But, at this point, I just want to get to a healthy, comfortable weight, get my diabetes under control, and not feel ashamed of the way I look--and, surprisingly, at least to me, I am getting close to the last part now :).