How consistent is your body form?

[Alan H]

In this poll, I'm asking how your body form changes over the span of several years.

For myself, I know that my chest measurement has grown from 44, five years ago to nearly 49 now. This is because I've been lifting weights and throwing a lot. However, even before that I was consistently (slowly) uh.....*cough*....expanding. At some point I'll probably shrink. This fact affects how willing I am to spend a lot of money on a custom or bespoke garment which in theory should last decades. While I absolutely agree with the fact that top quality costs top dollar and is worth it, I have to take into consideration that a jacket bought today may not fit me three years from now. It also affects how I make my kilts.

Some of you might remember that I made a kilt while I was sitting in the living room of my in-laws house, "being there" for Joan, while her mother lay on her deathbed in the bedroom. I used moms thread from her thread stash to make that kilt. I made it to fit spot-on, and it did. But that was two years ago, and now that kilt is about an inch too small.

But this is just me....Alan H.

How about you? Does your body form stay steady for years at a time, or do you change? How does that affect your kilt-purchasing or kilt-making choices?

[Inchessi]

Do to the nature of my work, I will fluctuate twenty-five pounds from winter to spring. During the winter, I will lift free weights, jog, and cut my food intake to one-third. I will still add the weight. I have a Leatherneck that I can not wear right now. I will be able to wear it around Christmas.

This has been one of the reasons I have not purchased a quality wool kilt. When do I measure myself? I guess I could get measured every three months, then use the average.

The good news, I can eat a half gallon of ice cream a night during the summer, everyone needs an addiction.

[YoungMan]

I usually fluctuate up and down, by what most people would consider not much. I've got a tall frame so increases and decreases in weight don't really show that much. Thanks to a Marine buddy of mine, I'd gotten into a daily pushup and pullup routine, plus a little better eating habit right after finishing my masters in December. Took me about a month to drop 20lbs (being unemployed gives you a lot of free time). Jeans and shorts I'd given up on fit again and maybe even a little loose. (I shed a single tear.)

I have noticed that since I started working though, the weight is slowly creeping back. I can't seem to squeeze in enough work outs to counteract sitting on my butt for 40 hours a week. It's depressing to fight a losing battle with your own body.

I may be switching jobs in July, and I've sworn to myself that when I move (new job is in a bigger city) that I'm going to start judo again. I miss the challenge, the competition, and definitely the burning calories faster than I could ever taken them in.

I've been saving to buy a new kilt this summer, but I'm hesitant. If I get it now, how long before I can't wear it? Maybe getting it at my in shape size will keep me motivated to stay that way. It's a lot of money to bet on your future waistband.

[ForresterModern]

In my life I have had three "medical events" spread over the last 25 years, each of which has been associated with medication related complications of weight gain for a year or two, then stabilization and or some weight loss, but never back to my previous "pre-event" weight. I graduated high school at 6'5" and 175 pounds, ballooned to 225 lbs due to medication side effectsover a two year period right around my 30th birthday. At around 40 another medical issue, a new medicine that slowed my heart rate to the point that I could not burn off fat, so another balloon from 220 to 255 lbs. Stable at 250 til 5 years ago (age 46), another new medicine that basically took away any sensation of feeling full at the end of a meal (lack of satiety so I just kept on eating) and I ballooned to 289.5 lbs (never broke 290). Off that med now but only able to drop back down to 270 or so and feeling very fat, with a newly found non-beer beer gut. Through each of these periods I went through the obvious size changes in pants waist and jacket sizes (30 waist to now 42 inches, jacket from a 40 long to a 50 extra long, shoes from a 12 to a 13+ sometimes), but for the past five years I have been pretty stable or losing a little bit at a time, with winters obviously worse than summers. My kilt size, however, over the last couple years has varied little, although the fit of each changes thoughout the year.

For any that care the medical issues that brought about the above series of catastrophic acute weight gain are either no longer a problem or are managed very well for the last five years, and I am for the most part healthy. My biggest problem now is finding time, with a demanding two year old in the house, to get out and get in some real quality exercise time on the bike, etc... Whoever said they keep you young was blowing smoke up our skirts, because my boy at the end of the day makes me feel more tired and old than I was ever imagining when we set out to have him. But I love him dearly and am doing my best to keep up with him. Hopefully he will be out of diapers long before I need to be in them.

jeff

[Zardoz]

I've only gained a few pounds in the last 20 years or so, but my "dimensions" have changed a bit, mostly my waist size! I'm blaming a gradual increase in gravity brought on by the huge accumulation of National Geographic magazines in the U.S.

[RB51]

I'm blaming a gradual increase in gravity brought on by the huge accumulation of National Geographic magazines in the U.S.

When I married 39 years ago I was about 145 lbs on a 6'2" frame, managed to balloon up to around 235, and because of a medical issue half a dozen years ago got down to 190, give or take a pound or two depending on the season (Christmas is always a killer). Recently took delivery of a bespoke kilt and that, as much as anything, will help keep me at this weight. It's all about choices, and I don't care to put myself back into the space where my health is going to be affected.

Laurie

[Whidbey78]

I'll never see 175 again, unless I lose a leg. Maybe I had some sort of late-onset second puberty. I'm not as muscular as I was a decade ago, but now I'm three inches wider across the shoulders, two at the chest, two at the waist, an inch longer around the arms and three inches larger at the neck, according to a tailor who has sold me all my suits for over fifteen years--and keeps records of measurements, I assume for ease in later orders.

I know nothing I bought a couple of years ago fits at all, except socks.

Even my head has gotten half a size bigger. No comments from the peanut gallery please.

Now I'm adding more mass through work and workouts, and thanks to my return to Uncle Sam's employ my legs are going to get huge again. 40 lbs of body armor, 80+ lb pack, rifle, ammo, and the medic of comm guy's gear(I always got stuck carrying someone else's gear too). Why the heck am I doing it AGAIN? Masochistic I guess.

I'm in your boat Alan. I can't justify spending big bucks on something that probably won't fit later. That's why I am finishing another 20 dollar X-Kilt tonight while I watch my cartoons. The next one will be Rev-K pleating though. Thanks for the guide...it's a wallet saver!

[Rex_Tremende]

Left to right: May 2006, weight uncertain; February 2009, about 245; June 2010, weighing in at 203.

Very few of my kilts fit me any more. My Auld Lang Syne kilt (center) was taken in not long after I acquired it.

Regards,
Rex.

[artificer]

Right before I joined this forum three months ago, I committed to losing 25+ lbs. A few years ago I'd re-injured a serious back injury sustained nearly 20 yrs ago (complete destruction of one disk, a cracked vert, and another disk majorly compromised). Before that point I'd maintained a fighting weight of 205-210lbs, with a very low BMI. I'm just over 6', with wrists @ 8". neck, calves and biceps @ 18", 43" chest. I sink like a stone in seawater, if that's any indicator.

After the injury, and due to my giving up technical scuba diving after the birth of my son (as well as my job- which kept me away for over .25 of a year and working a TON of hours) I slowly but steadily gained a VERY unnecessary 30 lbs.

Basically, I'd let myself go. I still had the arms and calves, but I'd gained a crap-ton of waist (gone from 34~35" to about 42") and was feeling terrible. Buying even a cheapy kilt was a promise I'd made to myself. When I stopped being a fat b@stard, I'd buy a kilt, which I'd always wanted. Lost the weight (and a bit more) through diet and getting back on my weight machine in the basement. Not only lost most of the fat, but lost weight even after adding back lots of muscle in the torso, which had greatly suffered after the re-injury (it's hard to do crunches when you can't move your spine )

I'm about 5lbs away from fitting perfectly into my tux which I bought for my best friends first wedding nearly 15 years ago.

It feels pretty good, although the first kilt I bought 2 months ago is nearly too big now (even after I re-tooled the straps with an extra hole).

I don't know exactly what to check, but I'm glad to see the back of my back-fat

[Tartan Tess]

Lookin good rex