The average woman will change dress sizes 31 times in her lifetime

There are certain times in every woman’s life when you know your clothes are going to feel that little big snug. Er, right now, for example. But did you realise that the average woman will change dress sizes a staggering 31 times during the course of her lifetime?

According to new research there are key periods in life where the female of the species is more likely to see some significant weight gain, including having children (baby weight), moving in with a partner (happy weight) and during the first few years of marriage (content weight?).

On the flipside women are will likely see some major size-drops pre-wedding (gotta fit in the dress weight loss), after losing a loved one (grief weight loss) and following a relationship split (the classic break-up weight loss).

Regular ‘blips’ are also likely to occur during Christmas (you mean consuming our body weight in chocolate, turkey and mince pies is gonna make us put on weight?), during the winter period in general (who wants to go to the gym when its cold?) and after holidays away (sangria is not your friend!)

And men don’t escape the weight merry go round either with the research revealing that men go up or down a clothes size on 24 occasions as an adult with a third crediting stress at work as the reason for the change.

The research of 1,000 women and 1,000 men was commissioned by Fits Me, a fit tool that helps shoppers to find their perfect size, which seems to be something we all seem to struggle with. According to the data six in 10 women said they aren’t happy with their clothes size – compared to 45 per cent of men who feel the same way.

Three quarters of females own garments that no longer fit them properly with around 16 ill-fitting items found in the average woman’s wardrobe.

While 61 per cent of males have kept hold of clothing that is either too big or too small for them – on average keeping hold of 14 items.

Half of respondents said they hang on to clothes that don’t fit because they want to get back into them one day and a fifth have a sentimental connection to the items.

The typical female is most happy with her clothes size aged 28 and men are most content at 29 years old.

In contrast, women are most dissatisfied with their proportions at 38 while males feel similarly aged 39.

A quarter of men and almost half of women have avoided going to clothes shops because they were concerned they wouldn’t find garments that fit as they would like.

Four in 10 respondents have been shopping for clothes only to find their size has gone up while just over a quarter have seen their size go down.

Maybe that’s why three quarters of females and almost half (44 per cent) of males said they worry about finding something that will fit well.

While around a quarter of men said they experience a drop in confidence when clothes shopping and two in five women said the same.

Stuart Simms, CEO at Fits Me said of the findings: “Getting clothes that fit can be very tricky at the best of times and changes in size aren’t necessarily due to life events.

“However the results show that it is perfectly normal to go up and down clothes size, regardless of gender.

“Ultimately whether your clothes size changes or not, the important thing is feeling confident in yourself – and getting the fit right is a key part of this.”

Do you notice your weight fluctuating at different periods in your life? Let us know @YahooStyleUK

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