Shoe question Part 1: For women who've lost upwards of 20 lbs - YouLookFab Forum

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Shoe question Part 1: For women who've lost upwards of 20 lbs

Mochi

Veteran

Hi, lovely YLF women. After getting a bunch of wardrobe staples recently, I'm thinking of holding off on most clothes buying while I try and go down 20-30 lbs, but in the meantime I need shoes desperately, and I want at least a few nice ones.

I have heard that losing a lot of weight can bring your shoe size down. Has this happened to anyone, and to what degree? Obviously I'm not talking about boots with smaller calves; I mean only the feet getting smaller.

And if you did lose a substantial amount of weight, and had previously not felt comfortable in heels, did that improve as well? Even a 2-3" heel would be worth reporting on! (That's about all I can handle.)

Thank you!

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23 replies

Latest reply was from CocoLion

Joy

Veteran

I lost about 35-40 pounds and toward the end find that most of my shoes fit better 1/2 size smaller. I just added drug store inserts into most of my shoes that were too big and they fit. I don't wear many heels above 2 inches so can't really answer that question except that I am wearing some heel more often now than flats. I hadn't related it to weight loss except that some pants were too long when not taken up by body weight and needed a bit of heel.

Anonymous

I went down a size... I lost around 50 pounds... it was not that my foot was shorter, it wasn't as wide, I had been purchasing shoes too long to compensate for the width..

Anonymous

I lost 36 pounds several years ago, and my feet stayed the same size. My sisters (neither of whom have had children) keep asking me if my feet have "grown" a half size like theirs have, but my feet have stayed the same through pregnancy, weight gain and weight loss.

SW Ann

Veteran

I lost 150 pounds--my shoe length didn't change, but I'd really stretched out my shoes, and they started falling off about 50 # in.....I agree, an insert would probably take care of it. Obviously, I had to buy new shoes in the time it took to lose that amount. I was reasonably comfortable in heels, and still am. However, my feet hurt less now than then (I've had my weight off since 1987....many pair of shoes since that time!!)

Mochi

Veteran

Wow...thank you, everyone and congrats (amazing, SW Ann!). I feel so much pressure on the balls of my feet when I try and wear heels, which I never wore as a habit at any weight, so I'm not sure that weight loss would mitigate this or not--heels may just not work for me at all. But I am curious as to others' experiences.

Suz

(website)

Veteran

Wow...excuse me a minute while I take in what SW Ann shared...150 pounds!! Congratulations. That is remarkable!

And Joy, looking at you, I would have imagined that you were always your slender self! In your photos you look like someone who is "naturally" slim. (Whatever that means...and boy, do I know how deceiving that whole idea is!) Anyway, you look great, so congrats.

Claire...twins again...I lost 36 lbs, too!

Also, like Claire, my shoe size stayed the same.

Mochi, I vote for team low heel (as in one inch to 2.5 inches). I have never been able to wear ballet flats because I have narrow heels and high arches so the shoes do not stay on my feet. But I've never liked wearing high heels, either, because I'm a big walker and they're just not terribly practical for someone who spends hours on her feet.

Also, at my higher weight, I found walking on narrow heels terribly precarious. My balance is not the best.

Since losing weight I find that on those occasions when I do wear heels I am much more comfortable in them and feel more stable, even on narrow heels. I don't know if that is a function of weight loss or of all the exercise I have done.

It does make sense that the heavier you are relative to your foot size, the more pressure the balls of your feet would have to bear in heels. So losing some weight might offer some relief. Insoles and buying extremely well-fitting shoes also helps.

JayS

Veteran

After losing nearly 70 lbs. my shoe size is a half-size smaller. As others have mentioned, I think it's more width than length.
As for heels, I never wore heels when I was heavier. I wear them often now. Along with the weight loss, I think exercising probably helped me to feel comfortable in heels. My legs are much stronger.
You might look at shoe inserts to help with the pressure on your feet. Also, explore different brands and types of heels. They vary a lot. I find Tsubos to be extremely comfortable. Good luck!

Mochi

Veteran

That is good to know, Suz (and congrats to you, too. What an accomplishment!). I agree on the low heel. And on stacked heels in general--I think they're better proportioned for me anyway. And I love to walk long distances, so there will have to be a compromise between "high" heel style and comfort.

shipskitty

Veteran

Pregnancy (both weight and fluid) stretched my feet and I bought some new shoes for the width a few months months after birth but now 11 months down the track I've recently been shoe shopping again and was stumped to find my feet now fit a half size or more smaller...so as the rest of the weight came off I seem to have lost the extra width.

Innersole inserts do seem to be enough though to make most of the shoes I bought at the start of the year wearable (as someone else mentioned above) so you will probably be able to get more wear out of them by putting inserts into them if they start to get loose.

chewyspaghetti

Veteran

I lost 70 pounds, and I went down about a shoe size in length and two widths. But I also think that it's worth having a good pair of shoes that fit you now- don't hold off. I also could tolerate higher heels at a lower weight.

velvetychocolate

Veteran

I've lost weight (a hundred or so pounds so far), and went down half a shoe size, but wanted to say that what SW Ann suggests is so true - my old shoes were stretched out. Also, I didn't go down half a size in all brands, just some brands fit better in a 7.5 rather than my usual size 8. I did have to replace *all* of my shoes over time though - due to the stretching as per SW Ann's post. My shoes became loose - but it's not so much length as it was just generally stretching out the shoes I'd been wearing (maybe width?).

Heels? To be honest I couldn't really wear them until I lost some weight. Nowadays, find them a lot more manageable than I did in the past. Generally, I prefer not to go above about 2.5". Oh, and before weight loss, I didn't have any tall boots either - that was another nice bonus, being able to fit into boots again.

About the heels? I was so, so pleased to wear some 2" heels out one morning - ended up doing a bunch of unplanned running around - on my feet for several hours, and the heels were just fine. It was amazing to me to be all over town in heels and find them ....comfortable. I couldn't believe it.

I can do the narrower heels, but not for walking all over town. Those are for special occasions, and yes, they are also much more 'do-able' now that I've lost some weight. Just that narrow heels in general aren't ever going to be serious walking shoes for me.

Mochi

Veteran

Wow and congrats again, velvetychocolate!

Kari

Veteran

I have... gained and lost more than that amount of weight over the past few years. My shoe size did not change, but my calf size has.

My mom said that she grew one shoe size with each pregnancy and her feet never went back to the same size, even though she lost the weight quickly.

MsMary

Veteran

I lost about 55 pounds and by the time I was finished every single one of my shoes, even the ones that started out snug, were falling off my feet. I ended up going down a size to my pre-pregnancy (25 years ago!) shoe size, which I never thought I'd see again.

Michelle

(website)

Veteran

I've dealt with major weight losses and gains before, and it takes more than 20 or 30 pounds to alter the shoe size, in my experience. That said, shoe size absolutely does change when significant weight loss occurs...I just find it would need to be upwards of 50 pounds in order to become an issue.
Best of luck with your weight loss goals! I'm in the midst of the same process and will send all the good vibes I can spare.

soobee

Veteran

I wish I could add my weight loss success, unfortunately mine has steadily crept up, and I'm sure my feet have also increased in size, although they don't look it. I have health issues which make it difficult to exercise like I did in my youth to control my weight. How on earth did you ladies have so much success? And, well done, by the way!

Andrea B.

I've lost a substantial amount of weight and found that my shoe size dropped by half.

Irene

Veteran

Depends on your feet, really. Mine are really really really bony. There's never been much fat on them, but after losing around 20 pounds there's just no meat. No meat, no cushion for high-heels, more pain. But as I said, depends on your bone structure. My hands are just like my feet, long and skinny, and so are my hips -they protruded, even at my almost overweight point-. They didn't become shorter though. I guess if you do have meaty feet, once you lose weight they will become slimmer.

citygirldc

(website)

Veteran

I lost half a shoe size.

Joy

Veteran

Suz, I always have been naturally thin even eating anything I wanted. The weight came on gradually during menopause (age 40-60) and I also blame elastic waists and loose clothing. A low carb diet and commitment to 45 minutes a day of exercise did it for me. I'm never hungry but eat about 15 carbs of snacks that include protein between meals of 30-45 carbs.

cheryle (Dianthus)

(website)

Veteran

I am like Airin. I refer to my hands and feet as prehensile. Long and bony. I could reach a full octave on the piano when I was 12. I lost close to 30 lbs before I got pregnant and don't recall my shoe size changing. In recent years, my weight has gone up and down about 20 lbs and I haven't noticed a big difference in my shoes. I do find when I first start a weight loss program, I usually don't retain as much fluid and that impact my shoes but I have purchased shoes one day that feel loose and that are too snug the next day. I find far more size variation in my feet as a result of my diet than my weight.

Congratulations to all of you who have lost and maintained your loss. It is not easy to do and takes a lot of determination and willpower. I hope that each and every one of you is proud of the accomplishment.

Aziraphale

Veteran

I gained at least 40 lbs with my first pregnancy, and my feet didn't change even a tiny bit. I've got bony hands and feet, and I don't think the fat likes to go there! BUT I have a number of friends whose feet did puff right up, necessitating bigger shoes. This may not be the best example, though, because a lot of that puffiness would have been due to water retention. Also, pregnant women often find their feet grow a size permanently -- I think the ligaments under the arch stretch out a little and never go back, even after they've lost all the baby weight.

As far as normal, non-pregnancy weight loss, I don't imagine it would affect your feet much unless the weight loss is extreme (50+), but I wouldn't bet my house on it. It probably depends on the person.

CocoLion

(website)

Veteran

I have gone from a size 5.5 to a 6.5 since I was a teen. I was super skinny then, 92 lbs. as compared to 117 now standing at 5'4". So yes, 25 lbs have made a difference in my shoe size. I have no desire to be at a super skinny weight anymore, it is not flattering at my age.

I believe an intense daily yoga routine also widened my feet some 10 years ago. And living in a warm climate wearing flip flops and Birkinstocks. I work on my feet now, and I contribute some foot spreading to that as well.