One of the joys of having lost weight is that I can buy new clothes (or used from consignment shops – my favorite ’cause I get to buy stuff cheap that other guys have gotten too big for!) It’s nice not to have to wear sweatpants etc.
I ordered some T shirts the other day from Amazon. I ordered L (large). However, I’m swimming in them. I’d need medium. I think they do this to make people not realize they’ve gained weight, or to make them feel good when they buy a size L that used to be XL or even XXL. But in European clothes, I’m usually an XL (6’2″ 205 lbs, down from peak 337 lbs).
Another problem I have is that generally shirts or jackets that fit me in the neck and shoulders are WAY too big in waist, to accommodate today’s American man. It’s funny, because if I buy the supposedly same size (chest) in European clothes, the waist may be tight. This summer I was in the Netherlands (tallest people in the world; everyone rides bikes) and many stores did not have my size (XXL for them). So, go figure – L is too big here, I’m XXL there!
I put my faith in the mirror; the tape measure; and the scale. NOT the clothing size!
Ferry Bldg, San Francisco
You are right, I use to work in a clothing factory many years ago. We made garments for high end and low end stores, If you want to know your true size try on a garment in a low end store. Same garment different labels a size 12 in a high end store was a 14 in a low end store.