weight loss and suit size

ddonicht · Oct 16, 2011

Recently I have made it a point to lose some weight. So I started being more strict about what I was eating and increased my workouts to be longer and include some weight lifting. I've lost 10-15 pounds thus far but have another 20 pounds to go.

I'd noticed that some of my suit jackets were fitting a bit loose so I took a couple of them over to my tailor yesterday for alterations. While pinning them up we found that it is not only around the middle that needed to be taken in but also the shoulders. It appears that I have actually gone down from a 42S to a 40S. Has anyone else had this issue too? Do you think if I drop the other 20 pounds I might end up at a 38S? I don't want to spend a bunch of money altering jackets or buying new ones to find that I'm at a new size again.

brokentelephone · Oct 16, 2011

I am a 42R and about 195 pounds which fits perfectly. When I was lighter by 20 pounds I wore a 40R, and believe when I weighed 30 pounds lighter I was still a 40 so I wouldn't worry too much about losing shoulder size more than you already have. That said, the waist will obviously keep going down a lot.

Master-Classter · Oct 16, 2011

As Tom Jones would say... it's not unusual.

were your 42's sort of big in the chest and shoulders to begin with?

tone76 · Oct 16, 2011

That happens a lot. I lost about 30lbs and went from a 44L to a 42L. With the suits in question, I got the shoulders altered. Thankfully, the shoulders turned out quite well.

If I had more funds at the time, I would have just disposed of the 44Ls and replaced them with 42Ls. Mainly because shoulders are such a touchy area and it doesn't take much to ruin them (and therefore ruin an entire jacket).

lenahan · Oct 16, 2011

first off, congratulations on your weightless. And sorry about the effect on your wardrobe. It is the fear that that will happen to me, and my incessant love of food and drink, that prevents me from doing the same. I would recommend trying the alterations on an item of clothing that you could not wear without the alteration--i.e. you have nothing to lose if it goes wrong. If it goes well, do it on the rest of your wardrobe. If not, buy anew, and sell of your old stuff to defray cost.

Digmenow · Oct 16, 2011

Since I arrived at sf this past March, teh manorexia has taken me from 42S to 38S. My hat size continues to spiral downward as well.

wj4 · Oct 16, 2011

ddonicht said:
Recently I have made it a point to lose some weight. So I started being more strict about what I was eating and increased my workouts to be longer and include some weight lifting. I've lost 10-15 pounds thus far but have another 20 pounds to go.
I'd noticed that some of my suit jackets were fitting a bit loose so I took a couple of them over to my tailor yesterday for alterations. While pinning them up we found that it is not only around the middle that needed to be taken in but also the shoulders. It appears that I have actually gone down from a 42S to a 40S. Has anyone else had this issue too? Do you think if I drop the other 20 pounds I might end up at a 38S? I don't want to spend a bunch of money altering jackets or buying new ones to find that I'm at a new size again.

I would put your health above any article of clothing, regardless of the price. If you can be healthier going down 20 lbs and sustain it...I would do it in a heart beat.

About 3 years ago, I went down from 220 lbs to about 145 lbs, and now I'm been stable at about 155 lbs. In addition to clothes fitting me looser, I also went down .5 size in my shoes. I had to start my wardrobe completely new, and it was worth it to be healthier.

ddonicht · Oct 16, 2011

Yes, but Tom Jones would also say "sex bomb" and "black Betty". Neither of which are appropriate in this case.

I agree completely that it is better to replace the wardrobe and have the extra weight off. I was just wondering if I should hold off doing alterations until I lost the rest but that doesn't sound like it will be too much of an issue at least with the shoulders. It is a given that the waist will continue to drop although I doubt I'll ever get back to the 27" waist I had when my wife and I first started dating. The 42's weren't that big but they weren't tight either. I checked using some shirts that I'd had made (mybestcustomshirt.com) and while the points of the shoulders used to be right on, they also hang down now. I guess I'm just surprised that losing this amount of weight has made such a difference in my shoulders.

eHaberdasher · Oct 17, 2011

bkstone said:
Congratulations on your weight loss, and yes you can expect the size to drop.

+1.

The questions to consider are:

1. How quickly did it take to drop the 10-15 lbs?
2. Do you anticipate dropping another 20 lbs at the same rate?
3. How often do you wear your suits?
4. Is your tailor competent enough to take in the shoulders, and how much would he charge for each suit (presumably you would also have to have the pants taken in a bit as well). In general this can get quite expensive, and therefore may be best to purchase a few suits based on how they fit you NOW, which leads to...
5. How attached are you to these suits - were they very expensive or do they carry sentimental value?

Also keep in mind, if you decide to have your current suits altered down to a 40S, after dropping another 20 lbs it is highly likely they canNOT be re-cut properly to a 38S.

dks202 · Oct 17, 2011

In my case I went from 46L to 44L. Jacket and pants had to be altered but not a lot.

Even better was my Alden shell LHS that was so tight I couldn't stand it for more than a few minutes. Now it is a perfect fit!!

bellyhungry · Jun 7, 2012

I dropped 30 lbs since February (mostly through better eating habit) and went from 42S to 40S and possibly even 39/38 for the more traditional cut. pants size have gone down 3-4 depending on the cut and makes.

It is certainly difficult to gauge what sizes of suits, shirts and pants to replace the old ones with when you don't know when your weight will stabalize. I bought two blazers recently by sizing down to 40S but still find the flap to be wider than I'd like, especially if paired with slim-fitting pants.

The positive is that I am not going the other direction.

RDiaz · Jun 7, 2012

I'm having a similar issue. I've dropped 132 pounds (and still losing), and my drop has always been kinda consistent between 2 and 4. I started with size 58S jackets and 56 pants, and right now I buy 40S jackets and 38 pants. I guess that's because I don't work out (I do exercise, but no weight lifting), and I lose both fat and muscle mass. My shoulders have also become quite narrow and what fits my chest is usually wide at the shoulders. It's a mess.

You say you're working out so if you keep that routine you will probably manage to lose fat where it's needed, without going down another full size (sizes are usually measured by chest circumference).

minervau · Jun 7, 2012

I think it's normal to lose some shoulder width if you're trimming fact from your arms and not replacing it with muscle.

Harper · Jun 7, 2012

I've gone the other way. I injured my foot running last September so I'm doing much less cardio but continued lifting weights and I've gone from a 40 to a 42 without the cardio to keep me lean. I know I can let out the sides to gain a little extra room but the problem lies with the shoulders. I have a lot of suits that measure 18-18.25 inches across the back and I now need a minimum of 18.5 inches (18.75 seems ideal) to maintain a proper fit. I've actually just started running on a treadmill again and can't wait to hit the road (I hate doing cardio indoors) but I need to temper my mileage so I'm not sure I will ever get back to my old weight/body shape.

doughboysc · Jun 7, 2012

Recently I've lost 33 lbs. My highest weight years ago was 367 lbs. I'm not 334 lbs. My neck size went from 19.5" to 18", Chest from 60" to 54" or 56", Waist from 60" to 58", and Sleeve Length from 35" to 34". I've been counting the calories so I don't want to go over it and sleep more you dig!

The last suit I got in late 2009 was 62 Portly Regular (actually I'm over 5'11, I'm 6'1.5" and suppose to wear a Long), 60" waist. It's from Palm Beach (now merged with Hart Schaffner and Marx/Austin Reed/Hickey Freeman/Sansabelt brands). Here's a picture when I was about 367 lbs wearing that exact suit.

weight loss and suit size

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