Size 20 is like size 9....

.............in shoes!!! I have determined that size 20 is like the size 9 of shoes. My theory is that there are more women who are size 20 than any other size out there and that is why you cannot find that size on the racks. Same with the size 9 shoes - they go first. That was my thought when I went shopping for pants yesterday. I've shrunk out of even my "skinny" pants (that's a laugh!) so I had to get a few new pair to wear. Well, here is what I found: 20 women fit me pretty good but is just a tad too comfortable. 18 misses does not fit 18 women FITS. Holy cow - whodathunk? First, I find it incredible that a size 18, same brand, same style and same store could fit so differently. The same exact pair of 18's I tried from the Misses dept were smaller than the 18's from the womens. Go figure! Second - whodathunk *I* would be into a size 18? I haven't seen that size in pants since I was about 18-20 years old! Yikes! I know the sizes nowdays are larger than they were 10+ years ago, but still...the thought of being out of the 20's is thrilling! So I came home with about 4 pairs of 18's and can wear them all. There were plenty of 18's I couldn't wear too, but this was great! Dina

Hi Dina -- I have a pair of size 22 jeans that I can wear just fine -- but most of the time I'm in 24's still. But I LOVE the fact that anything in a 22 is fitting me *woohoo*....I can very much relate to you! This is sooo much fun. Lissa

Hi Dina, There is a definite difference in Womens & Misses sizes, even when they are both 18's or 20's AND ... if you are shopping someplace like Walmart, the prices for identical pants just in Women's vs Misses can be as much as 2 to 3 dollars different as well. A while back I bought 3 pairs of pants at Walmart on spec ... same brand, same size (16 womens), same style, just 3 different colors. Well, when I could finally fit into them, I fit at different times, they didn't all fit at first. I was excited recently to buy a pair of 'cheap' jeans (the $9.72 kind) at Walmart in the misses department. I had taken a pair of 18 petite to the dressing room just to see how close they were to fitting me. Of course, once they fit, I just HAD to buy them. Now if I could just make my legs longer so that petites fit I would be in great shape. Here I am fitting into some misses 18's and I still have 22WP jeans that I can't button. Go figure!!! Mo

I can relate too. I think someone took all the pants from 16 and up and hid them. My size is ranging from 16 to 18 as well. My thrill this weekend was going shopping with my neice. She is taller and weighs more but we are both in size 16 right now. After we got home since we bought different name brands, we tried on each others clothes. We have never ever done that before. The pants I bought need to be hemmed. Now we are trying to figure out how to hem them for me to wear for a little while until I have to give them to her and she has to take out the hem without causing a ring to appear where they were hemmed. It gets even better, I can now borrow her new clothes for a trip I will be making in a few weeks.

It gets even better. 14's are hard to find (that's what I found out Friday when I went shopping with my mom to get a dress fr the Bariatric Gala I attended on Saturday with Va and Lori). I knew 16 was too big, so I thought I would get a 14 (and was thrilled) Couldn't find a thing. My mom started handing me 12's (saying I might as well try). It must have been a God thing that there were no 14's cause I would have never in a million years thought to try a 12...FIT...every one I tried on (save for one that was just too tight in the bust -- I'm rather well endowed). Then my sister gave me some of her outgrown clothes to wear too (she's going up the scale and I'm coming down). Everyone is doing so well. I sure never dreamed that in 6 months I would no longer be able to shop in a plus size store!!! Whitney

D, I can totally relate. First, I have the fight the urge to buy any "skinny" clothes I can wedge my #$^ into. (My strategy all along has been to go as small as I can bear so that I get more use out of them.) I was in such a fever about some pants on the clearance rack at Macy's ($49 pants for $8!!) that I bought 2 pairs of 14s and a 12 (hey, for $8....). I threw them in the wash on cold, pulled them out to see if they were line or tumble dry. They were dry, all right. DRY CLEAN! No wonder they were marked down to $8!! My luck. Happily, I hung them and they were able to withstand being ironed (at least once.) So learn from me - don't let "skinny clothes fever" steer you into dry clean clothes! Jen First time as an adult in size 12 pants!

I have changed from size 24 to 10 and some 8's fit but have not bought that size yet money is tight......but have you all noticed that now the jeans by levi are stretch...... so that makes for a smaller size.....and thats me if the smaller size fits wear it.....lol So if I get a pair thats not stretch then its a bigger size of course.......but I like the kind of hip huggers that are stretch makes me feel better I am high waisted and that makes it hard to buy pants.......belley to big still.......anyway just wanted to share..........shopping is so much fun....even if I don't have the money I still try them on to see what size is next and 8 is next for me when I get some money ! Have a wonderful day..... Donna

Hi Dina, I'm not there yet even though we are pretty much the same weight... im so bottom heavy but i am in a 22 right now...yeah size differences are very aggravating at times. Im in a 22 as all my 26's are way too big... one day I went and tried on this adorable skirt and it was a 26 and I couldnt get it past my thighs!!! I panicked... then i tried on the other 22 skirts and they fit great and so it just goes to show that sometimes they size things wrong... that 26 was more like an 18. It was really strange. I am just trying to stay away from stores right now... although I need some more skirts and a pair of jeans at least cuz the 26s are way to big! Cant wait till im in the teens!!! that will be awesome! Best wishes! Elizabeth M -92lbs

Dina, I have lost 115 pounds was in size 32-34 now down to I dont even know....I had some smaller clothes in closet but even those now I swim in. But I hate going shopping and when I went in last ime to shop in second hand store, cause I refuse to pay the outrageous prices for clothes that I might only wear a month or two, I couldnt wear any of the 26 so I just decided to pin up what I have and get by with those a little longer....I am not sure why my size is not going down like everyone elses.....maybe I just hate to wear tight clothes so I wont wear those that do fit I dont really know. I wear long shirts to cover all my pins in my pants and the shirts now are too baggy too. But I have a who cares attitude, at least I am losing, about the way my clothes fit. Jody W.

I am wearing 18's too! I can't believe it! We are going to be so hot by next summer!!!