I usually have the opposite problem. The straps are too short, even at the longest extension.
And it must be where I’m shopping because I have a helluva time frinding 38DD that doesn’t dig in around my ribs. Must remember to try a 40D next time I go shopping. Maybe I’ll check out Cat’s Pyjamas.
I should say that that is what I measured at last time I got that done, and sometimes it is right (notably not the time I bought several of the same style, size and colour of bra and one I can’t wear, one is reasonable and the other perfect.) But the 40D I overflow and 40DD I try on I drop out of the bottom…
Yeah, note to self go get measured again asap.
Pet peeve: I often buy in multiples (bras, shirts, jeans, etc), but if each item purports to be the same style, size, and brand, why do they all fit differently? Three bras, same brand, style, etc, and two have straps that refuse to stay up no matter how much I shorten them.
FWIW, the “fat lady store” bras - in Lane Bryant - are actually great (and great-looking bras). I still wear this one for every day wear even though I don’t wear their clothes any longer:
http://lanebryant.charmingshoppes.com/pagebuilder/lane_bryant_product_page?item=6017883&pagesize=3
Best underwire bra I’ve ever worn. They only show it in basic colors, but I know they offer it in assorted prints year-round.
And I like this one if you need a convertible bra - it does great in strapless mode:
http://lanebryant.charmingshoppes.com/pagebuilder/lane_bryant_product_page?item=8209918&pagesize=3
If the “fat lady” thing bothers you, you could cut out the tags. They really are excellent bras.
VCNJ~
I have big boobs right now–DDs–because I’m trying to lose some weight, and all my bras are terrible. 
I have the feeling I’d be a C or maybe a B-cup if I got to my target weight, though. Love for smaller boobies, anyone?
I’m in the same place you are. DD’s are just too big. When I slim down, I’m a C. For me, that’s just perfect.
They’re really fantastic. And when I asked for my size the woman looked at me and said “Of course! Right here!” and pulled out an entire DRAWER of bras in my size to choose from. I swear to god I almost kissed her. There was no stare of disbelief. She didn’t stare at my chest as if trying to figure out how such an abomination of nature could exist, etc. It was like going to Safeway and asking if they sold oranges.
I would recommend getting refitted though - it’s really hard to measure yourself, even with a bra sizer. I have one from Jockey for her but it only goes up to a D measurement, so I was a bit stumped after that point.
Something I’ve discovered - try a good quality consignment shop, if they sell that sort of thing. Hey, now, before you get squicked out by it… I work in a consignment shop that sells maternity and baby clothes/needs, and we often get in nursing bras that still have the tags on them - what a treasure trove of larger sized bras! I know they are nursing bras, but shite, no one has to know that. I’ve gotten some very pretty ones that aren’t obviously nursing bras - my husband has no idea unless I show him (and that only makes him think they are “convenient” - for him. Perv). I have one that you can tell if you actually saw it, because it has a couple of very small hooks above the cup, but damn, is that thing ever comfortable, and while it’s not the prettiest thing (it’s just a standard beige, though there is a teeny little pearl with a bow on it in the centre… hee), it’s the toughest bra I own. That thing keeps everything where it belongs.
And the sizes in maternity bras! I’ve been buying 38DDs at regular stores, but I’ve tried out Es and what seems to be called DDD - holy cow! What comfort! Nothing ever strays or pops out at just the wrong moment! I can run, I can bend over, I can hail a cab and not fall out of my bra! Awesome. I have a co-worker who has monstrous boobs, she’s closer to an F (and she, too, looks chunky when she’s really not - the boobs are just all over the place) and she has had similar luck. Our smaller co-workers can’t understand why we get so excited when a larger lady, looking like she was recently evacuated, comes in with a bag full of bras with the tags on them, sighing, “They’re just not my size anymore.” It’s like Christmas.
The best part? Well, they’re consignment. We sell the standard ones for about $4. I bought a really fancy one a couple weeks ago… for $9. All new with the tags still on ‘em. Woohoo! Check me out, holding back my swangin’ udders!
But seriously, look into consignment shops, especially if they carry that type of stuff. Granted, I have one at my beck and call (plus 20% employee discount!), so it makes it easier, but damn, if you can find one around, go hunt for bargains!
I was planning to. Last time I got sized was a couple years back and lately I seem to be losing weight again (or people are vanity sizing their clothes more) and since it’s been taking me more time to try on different bras to find one I can stand it would cut down on that time.
Lately I only wear a ‘proper’ bra when I go out. At work I can wear t-shirts so I’ve been sticking to sports bras, but I want some sexy stuff that fits.
See? The band measurement changes when you lose weight, thereby making the band/boob ratio different and bingo-bango, a new cup size!
Nope. Being a “fat Lady” myself, it doesn’t bother me. I’ve just never found a bra in LB or Avenue which fit. I don’t particularly care what they look like, since they go under my clothes and the only person who sees them (usually) is my boyfriend. Since he’d rather I wasn’t wearing it anyway, it doesn’t matter what it looks like.
I just prefer the bras at Frederick’s. I’ve always had good luck. They last a long time, as long as I don’t put them in the dryer and they usually have the style I like on sale.
I think I have an easier time shopping for bras since my back and cup are fairly well matched. One bra I just bought was a 38F and the other was a 40DD. They both fit perfectly (except the shoulder straps).
I suspect that my thin boobs will still be at least a DD, assuming I ever become “thin”. So, I fully expect shopping to suck if and when I ever lose the rest of the weight.
I like your logic, except the band size didn’t change. The last place I lose weight is my back so even when I lost 40lbs, I was still wearing the 38/40. The only problem is that I used to be a 38DD or 40D. Now I’m a 38F or 40DD.
I just don’t get it.
Love duly noted, darling.
snerk Anastaseon. “Swangin’ udders”, indeed.
cite?
I really should go in for a fitting. I wear a 36C now, but I’m sure that’s wrong.
The really annoying thing is that this past weekend my period started. And for the first time, my breasts ached. Annoying as hell. I’ve never actually hated my breasts, but it was close this weekend. And the worst part is, I like to sleep on my stomach - man, was that uncomfortable!
Susan
My shoulder straps are always too long, too, so I just cut them and sew them back together shorter. (I overlap the cut ends and sew them reeeeeal good, so we don’t have a blow-out someday.
)
The one conclusion I get from this thread (other than reinforcement of how glad I am to pee standing up) is that Intelligent Design is clearly bunk. Either that, or The Creator is a Robert Crumb fan with no sense of biomechanical limitations.
Stranger
Wait - you needed this thread to prove that to you?
I had a similar problem. I’d always been big (probably a 34D or 34DD in high school/college) but then after I hit 27 or so my breasts just got huuuuuge. I gained some weight, yes, but by the time I had my reduction, I was a 38DDD. Now, they would not have gone down with weight loss because they removed 10 lbs of breast tissue! I felt like I’d accidentally been exposed to some freakish gamma rays somewhere and instead of turning me into The Hulk, they just made my boobs get bigger and bigger and bigger… If I’d stayed a 34, I’d have been a 34F.
On a side note, it always cracks me up to read Letters to Penthouse describing a woman as being “40DD”. Uh, guys, that means that woman is FAT, not just jugalicious… :rolleyes:
Are you old enough that you’ve had a mammogram? My mom said that in her 30s she went from a B to a DD but because she has fibrocystic disease rather than because of her (now long-ago) babies or much to do with weight gain.
Love for the big-breasted bombshells!
I feel your pain. I am a… well, as of six months ago, I was a 40 DDD but I’ve since lost 50 or so lbs, so I’m not sure anymore. I hate underwire bras so I usually end up wearing sports bras. Body Zen bras are the BEST! I’ve long since given up on Victoria’s secret… ever tried to find a STRAPLESS bra in this size? It’s a nightmare. I am one of the fortunate ones who does not have any back pain–I guess I have a strong back!
Can someone please explain to me how bra size changes when weight drops? Wouldn’t proportion remain same?
For all the griping I do about clothing size, I have to admit I don’t think I’d want my body any other way. My big breasts seem perfect proportionally to my hips. I’m a strong girl; I can handle it! I wonder if it’s the reason I’m so good at heavy lifting…?