Because of my training, my clothes are starting to no longer fit

[countrygurl32]

This is part vent, part practical. I imagine other women on this sub can relate.

I noticed recently when I bought some new workout pants, in the size I usually do, that they seemed tighter than they should be. I suppose my older workout pants must have slowly stretched with me by the time I decided to invest in some new ones.

Just something about it made me feel bad about myself.

At one point in my life, I was wearing size 0. As I started to work out more, my jeans went up to a size 2, but that felt fine because I just had a bigger butt (which is generally seen as attractive). Now in certain brands, based on measurements I just took, it seems like I might be between a size 8 and 10 (in pants, at least). I've gained about 20 lbs in the last several years, mostly in muscle around my butt/thighs.

It just feels bad to try to put on my clothes and have them not fit, to be too tight (not to mention, it hurts my wallet). Even though I'm supposed to be doing something good for my health. I signed up for personal training to fill in the gaps of my weaknesses that I don't always get from my yoga classes.

I saw a guy on YouTube talking about how he stopped lifting because he was getting too big to function the way he wanted to in yoga. Supposedly, when he stopped lifting, he eventually was able to become lithe enough to do all of those things again. Is that sort of thing true?

My goal was never to get deep into lifting. I just wanted to be stronger for my yoga practice. So while this question is inevitably tied to body image, I'm also asking from the practical perspective of,

1. Is it reasonable that I could be too heavy to do inversions and special balancing poses as efficiently?
2. Is it necessary to take protein, creatine, etc. after all of my workouts, yoga, running, and/or lifting (i.e., might there be a nutritional component to this)?
3. Are there certain lifting workouts that are most useful to yoga? (e.g., do I need to work on my deadlifts for yoga or does my trainer just like doing them?)

If it's relevant, I'm 28F and I've been lifting for 6 months or so. I'd say I'm intermediate in yoga; I can do standard poses with minimal struggle and certain advanced ones. But I want to get more advanced. If anything, my lower body is pretty strong, it's my upper body and back that need the most work.

 

[georgieporgy12]

@countrygurl32 I posted a question about “where do I find clothes? My office clothes don’t fit anymore” on bodyweightfitness subreddit two months ago.

Instead of stop lifting / gaining muscles, the general consensus there was: good job putting on muscles! Now get plus size clothes and take tailor classes to make them fit.

The key is to have shoulders and armpits (upper arms) comfortable/mobile. Everything else can be adjusted easily.

 

[dawn16]

@countrygurl32 OMG SAME. I’ve been struggling with this too! I’m more active and feel stronger than I ever have but I came across a photo of me from 2018 and I looked so much skinnier…granted my head also looked too big for my body LOL, but it sort of made me spiral into calorie counting and obsessing over my weight. Then one day I tried fasting/cutting calorie count and my body did NOT like it. Granted, I probably went overboard but I realized I’d much much rather be curvy and strong than thin and weak (not to say thin people can’t be strong). This is the form my body is happiest in and I’m going to embrace it.

My boyfriend also asked me if i was happy with what i ate and how my body felt and i said yes- it sort of surprised me and made me rethink why i was even trying to lose weight.

I also went through my closet and pulled out anything that didn’t make me feel good in it/was too tight.

I used to run in those typical Nike running shorts, but my thighs have been rubbing together and it became super annoying and distracting. It made me start to feel like I needed to slim down. So- I started wearing tight bicycle shorts instead when I run and I feel so much more comfortable and therefore, more confident, powerful, and sexy.

 

[osvaldo]

@countrygurl32 I'm going to speak to the subject header and the concerns about money and clothes not fitting...

I've had similar gains and size changes (went from about a 4 to a 10-12ish). Part of it is pandemic pounds (siiiigh I discovered mixology) and gains from the decreased activity from working from home, but also part of it is lifting and rowing more seriously, and getting some serious gains in my shoulders/delts, glutes and quads.

My attitude is this: It is NOT reasonable for me to expect that clothes that fit five years ago now fit. Like, sure, I spent a lot of money on them five years ago, but that doesn't mean that clothes and bodies can never ever change in the meantime. But that also doesn't mean I can't be sad about things that don't fit.

I'm starting to clear things out, BUT with some careful evaluation. If it's tight only in the bust/waist, it stays, because I am working on losing that weight, and those are areas where I didn't see lifting gains.

If it's tight on the shoulders, or won't even go past my thighs? That shit is out of here. My body shape CHANGED for the BETTER over the five years, and just because I could wear an XS button down in 2017/2018 doesn't mean I need to wear it now. Likewise, skinny jeans that won't go over my quads now? Fuck that. I'd rather have the strong quads and hamstrings.

I'm passing it along to friends who work in more business/professional settings than I do, since my workplace is more casual than business casual. And for things no one else is claiming or wants, I'm just donating it.

Life is too short to get pissed because I grew my shoulders and quads.