How Long Does It Take to Lose a Pant Size? | Livestrong.com (2024)

How Long Does It Take to Lose a Pant Size? | Livestrong.com (1)

How long it takes to drop a pants size depends on factors like your starting weight and waist circumference.

Image Credit: coldsnowstorm/iStock/GettyImages

Some people measure their weight loss by how many pounds it takes to drop a jean size. And your rate of weight loss can potentially help gauge how long it will take to lose a pants size, too.

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Here's what you need to know about weight loss and its effects on body size to help you estimate a timeline for swapping out your clothing.

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How Many Pounds Is a Pant Size?

Unfortunately, no weight loss pant-size calculator is perfectly accurate, which is why there's no clear-cut answer for how much weight to lose to drop a pant size. That's because where you carry weight can depend on your genetics, body type and age, according to Penn Medicine.

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What's more, shedding pounds doesn't always immediately translate to a smaller pants size depending on what ratio of body weight you lose. For instance, if someone who weighs 350 pounds loses 10 pounds, they may still wear the same clothing. On the other hand, a 100-pound person who loses 10 pounds may have to get smaller pants.

Similarly, the type of weight you lose can also determine how shedding pounds affects your body size.

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For instance, muscle is denser than fat, according to the Cleveland Clinic. Losing fat may thus have a more significant effect on your overall body size than burning muscle (and besides, you want to preserve muscle to support strength and additional calorie burn, per the Cleveland Clinic).

So if you're wondering what weight is a size small or what's a size 10 jeans weight, it can vary from person to person.

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Instead, it appears that waist circumference is a more effective correlate to pants size than weight. According to a December 2020 study in ​Preventive Medicine Reports​, the bigger someone's waist circumference, the larger their pant size.

How Many Pounds to Drop a Shirt Size?

Just like there's no one number for how many pounds it takes to lose a pant size, there's no straightforward answer for how much weight loss is needed to lose a size in shirts.

That's because dropping a shirt size also depends on factors like your starting weight and body type.

How Long Does It Take to Drop a Pants Size?

Because clothing sizes don't always correlate to specific weights, there's no straightforward timeframe for how long it will take you to downsize pants.

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But in general, experts recommend losing weight at the safe and sustainable pace of 1 to 2 pounds per week, according to the Mayo Clinic. For some, this may translate to dropping a pant size in a matter of weeks; for others, it may take months.

That's because how much weight is required to drop a pant size — and, as a result, how long it takes — depends on factors like your starting weight, how much body fat you lose, waist circumference and body type.

Tip

If you're wondering how to lose weight to go down a pants size, creating a daily calorie deficit by following a nutritious diet and exercising regularly can help, per the Mayo Clinic.

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How Long Does It Take to Lose a Pant Size? | Livestrong.com (2024)

FAQs

How Long Does It Take to Lose a Pant Size? | Livestrong.com? ›

But in general, experts recommend losing weight at the safe and sustainable pace of 1 to 2 pounds per week, according to the Mayo Clinic. For some, this may translate to dropping a pant size in a matter of weeks; for others, it may take months.

How many pounds to go down a waist size? ›

How quickly will you lose weight? The volunteers reduced their waist sizes by an average of 1 inch for every 4lb (1.81kg) they lost. So if you lose 1lb (0.45kg) a week you could hope to reduce your waistline by an inch after four weeks.

How to lose pants size fast? ›

According to the Mayo Clinic, this means slimming down at a rate of 1 to 2 pounds per week. You can do this by creating a daily calorie deficit of 500 to 1,000 calories by eating fewer calories and/or exercising more (more on that below).

How many pounds does it take to drop a size? ›

'" If that helps motivate you, that's OK. The rule of thumb, Fernstrom says, is that losing 8 to 10 pounds translates to going down one size. Still, if you lose "up to 15 pounds, you may be OK in your old size," she says.

How many lbs is 1 inch off the waist? ›

Instead of stressing about the scale, measure your waist circumference and start tracking inches lost. So, how many pounds do you have to lose to drop an inch? About 8.

How much does 10 pounds take off your waist? ›

On average, it's estimated that losing 1 inch from your waistline is equivalent to losing about 5-10 pounds. Therefore, losing 2 inches from your waistline would be equivalent to losing approximately 10-20 pounds.

Can I lose 20 pounds in a month? ›

Losing 20 pounds in 1 month may be easier than 2 weeks, but it's still unrealistic for most people. Once again, it comes down to your TDEE and simple math. To lose 20 pounds in 1 month, you'd need to create an average deficit of 2,500 calories per day for 4 weeks.

Is a 10 pound weight loss noticeable? ›

A good rule of thumb is that people tend to notice your weight loss when you've lost around 10% of your starting weight, so if you started at 250lbs, people will start to notice when you've lost 25lbs. Naturally, the same amount of weight loss can look different on different people.

What size is a 170 lb woman? ›

Size Chart
SizeWeightHeight
Large170 - 190 lbs5'9" - 6'0"
Medium145 - 175 lbs5'8" - 6'0"
Small120 - 150 lbs5'4 - 5'9"
X-Large190 - 210 lbs5'10" - 6'2"
9 more rows

How many pounds is a size 14? ›

On average, a size 14 can weigh anywhere from 140-200 pounds.

What drink burns belly fat? ›

  • Mar 29, 2023. Detox drinks and juices to lose belly fat. ...
  • Beetroot juice. Whole beets are low in calories and high in fibre, which can support regularity, slow stomach emptying, and prolong satiety to support weight management. ...
  • Carrot juice. ...
  • Celery juice. ...
  • Cinnamon water. ...
  • Fennel water. ...
  • Ginger water. ...
  • Green vegetable juice.
Mar 29, 2023

What burns the most belly fat? ›

Doing aerobic exercise while eating a healthy diet is the best way to lose belly fat and overall body fat. This will help to create a calorie deficit (where you use more calories than you consume), which promotes fat loss over time.

What waist size is 135 pounds? ›

Jerry's
SizeWeightWaist
S90 - 105 lbs25 - 28 1/2"
M100 - 125 lbs28 - 31 1/2"
L120 - 135 lbs30 - 34 1/2"
XL135 - 160 lbs33 - 37 1/2"

How many waist sizes is 10 pounds? ›

On average, every 10 lbs of weight a person loses will equate to 1 pant size smaller. So, for example, if someone lost 25 pounds, they would likely drop 2 and a half sizes in pants.

Will my waist get smaller if I lose weight? ›

Changes in body weight significantly correlated with changes in waist circumference, changes in hip circumference, and changes in body fat percentage. A decrease in body weight of 3 kg corresponded to a 3.45 cm decrease in waist circumference in men and a 2.83 cm decrease in that in women.

How much weight do you lose to lose an inch off your waist? ›

Multiple regression tells us that on average, for every 8.5 pounds lost, people dropped an inch off their waist. (And for every 1.5 kilograms lost, people dropped a centimeter off their waist.) Every 10 pounds lost was accompanied by 1.18 inches of waistline reduction.

What size does a 200 pound woman wear? ›

Size Chart
SizeWeightHeight
Medium145 - 175 lbs5'8" - 6'0"
Small120 - 150 lbs5'4 - 5'9"
X-Large190 - 210 lbs5'10" - 6'2"
XX-Large210 - 235 lbs5'11" - 6'4"
9 more rows

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