# Am I losing weight or is the washing machine stretching out my clothes?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-losing-weight-or-is-the-washing-machine-stretching-out-my-clothes/476707>\
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion\
**Created:** [December 11, 2008, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-losing-weight-or-is-the-washing-machine-stretching-out-my-clothes/476707 "2008-12-11T13:20:39Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 8\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Tracy\_Lord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@Tracy\_Lord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tracy_Lord)\
**Post date:** [December 11, 2008, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-losing-weight-or-is-the-washing-machine-stretching-out-my-clothes/476707/1 "2008-12-11T13:20:39Z")

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And if it’s the latter, how do I stop it happening?

Seriously, I don’t think I’ve dropped any pounds, but in the last week I feel like I’ve been swimming in all my clothing.

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**Author:** ![Dunderman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecb155/32.png) [@Dunderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dunderman)\
**Post date:** [December 11, 2008, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-losing-weight-or-is-the-washing-machine-stretching-out-my-clothes/476707/2 "2008-12-11T13:24:02Z")

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Unless you have a closet transvestite husband, get some bathroom scales.

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**Author:** ![Hazle\_Weatherfield](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Hazle\_Weatherfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hazle_Weatherfield)\
**Post date:** [December 11, 2008, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-losing-weight-or-is-the-washing-machine-stretching-out-my-clothes/476707/3 "2008-12-11T18:01:08Z")

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If anything, laundered clothes (especially jeans and t-shirts) will shrink a bit.

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**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\
**Post date:** [December 11, 2008, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-losing-weight-or-is-the-washing-machine-stretching-out-my-clothes/476707/4 "2008-12-11T18:03:42Z")

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Have you been doing more walking than usual? Maybe you’re just toning up a bit, and that explains the loss of inches (not pounds).

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**Author:** ![teela\_brown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d9b06d/32.png) [@teela\_brown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teela_brown)\
**Post date:** [December 11, 2008, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-losing-weight-or-is-the-washing-machine-stretching-out-my-clothes/476707/5 "2008-12-11T18:12:14Z")

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Maybe you gained a few pounds at Thanksgiving, stretched out your clothes, and now that you’re back to your normal weight, the clothes feel big.

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**Author:** ![Moirai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/96bed5/32.png) [@Moirai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moirai)\
**Post date:** [December 11, 2008, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-losing-weight-or-is-the-washing-machine-stretching-out-my-clothes/476707/6 "2008-12-11T20:45:42Z")

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If you are talking about clothing with lycra or spandex, be aware that drying them in the dryer makes the stretchy stuff lose it’s resilience and become permanently stretched out and turning it all baggy.

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**Author:** ![Sonnenstrahl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/82dd89/32.png) [@Sonnenstrahl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sonnenstrahl)\
**Post date:** [December 11, 2008, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-losing-weight-or-is-the-washing-machine-stretching-out-my-clothes/476707/7 "2008-12-11T20:48:15Z")

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In similar circumstances, I would always choose to assume the former.

(If my clothes are too small, it’s the dryer shrinking them.)

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**Author:** ![Tracy\_Lord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@Tracy\_Lord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tracy_Lord)\
**Post date:** [December 12, 2008, 10:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-losing-weight-or-is-the-washing-machine-stretching-out-my-clothes/476707/8 "2008-12-12T10:36:52Z")

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> [@EJsGirl](#):
>
> If you are talking about clothing with lycra or spandex, be aware that drying them in the dryer makes the stretchy stuff lose it’s resilience and become permanently stretched out and turning it all baggy.

Aha! This may be it, or something like it. I’m wearing a knit top today that fits as usual. The tops I thought might have gotten bigger all have a lycra component – but I haven’t run them through the dryer in about a month. Would a warm washing cycle have the same effect?