I know I’ve been losing weight, partly from stress and partly from cutting down on alcohol. But my leather belt, which used to feel right when fastened at the third (middle) notch, now is a little loose at the fourth. Would a loss of 13 pounds, over a year be enough to make that happen? Or is my belt stretching?
For that matter, can jeans become permanently stretched, particularly if they have some built in stretch?
A belt can stretch, but only so much. I suppose 13 pounds can do that depending on your physique. One I lost about that much and took about 2" off my waist.
Of course, you could have lost that much girth. If the weight you lost came primarily from your abdomen, your love handles, your middle, then surely you can imagine that your belt will be looser. I can’t think of a reason that the belt would have stretched without some sort of pressure on it, but leather does stretch under some conditions. Doesn’t sound like your belt has had that experience, though. Can’t address questions about jeans except to say that I’ve had many pair that got baggy after a while. Mrs. **CC ** is at work in a women’s clothing boutique as I write, and if she were here, she could address that question. In her absence, my word will have to do. (That’s how my life runs in general, anyway).
I have two leather belts that have stretched over time. Both are pretty old, made in the 70s at latest. One, which is about two inches wide, I bought at a thrift store, but at the time of purchase it showed no signs of wear or stretching. After about a year’s worth of wear, it stretched out a bit between the 2nd, 3rd and 4th holes (where I buckle it at, my weight fluctuates a bit, and I wear my belts tighter or looser depending on how high my pants sit on my waist). The other belt is narrower, about an inch wide. It was actually my father’s belt, bought before I was born (I totally stole it from him, and I think that he still thinks he just lost it to this day, despite the fact that I wear it on a near daily basis). Anyway, it’s stretched in several places, esp. near the holes and at the sides. I’ve had it for long enough that it’s actually conformed itself perfectly to the shape of my hips. That, or me and my father have the same shape hips. Which is kind of disquieting, when you think about it. Anyway, yeah, they stretch.