Just remember that the most important factor in any garment is fit. I recommend you start with one suit or jacket / pants combination and when it is completed go over the results with the tailor so that the second commission is even better. Consider reverse pleats on the natural waist so as to allow the fabric the ability to accommodate sitting and to hang properly when standing. Pants resting on the hip simply exaggerate one's stomach. While you are nowhere near his size, google images of Jackie Gleason and see how well his girth is accommodated by properly made clothing. There is also at least one image of his waiting on a set in character with no pleat pants and you will see the negative difference.

If you change your name to spendthemoney with a good tailor it will be more than worth it.

 

Mr. Alan has made the best advice, as one would expect, but it may also be said, that with good muscle mass and height of 5'11", 36--38" are not that unreasonable. A suit or a jacket and trousers are very slimming and will show ones person to good advantage, even when worn in a more casual and unorthodox manner. So, with a blazer one may wear a polo shirt or wool polo shirt sans tie with lighter-coloured trousers and more casual shoes or boots as suits your purpose. Which is not to say that you may not also put other more casual shirts into play. From the casualness you describe, one may have a great amount of latitude. Do not forget sweaters beneath jackets and with or without other shirts and tie or none are all possible.
There are many shorter men who have also struggled with their fluctuating weight and appearance. Taller men as well. The classical styles of business dress are very forgiving of these challenges. They were established for gentlemen who were very able to consume large quantities of rich foods and similar amounts of beer, wine, and spirits without any thought about how many hours of exercise they really should have undertaken to offset their excesses. They just did as they pleased and let their employees worry about ensuring their presentation was appropriate on the day. One recalls that one US president required assistance to pry him out of his bathtub, and no one ever said that he was not well-dressed on the day.
Not that this is an ideal, but one should appreciate that menswear of the classisal manner is worth your time because it enables your excellence to shine through any physical limitations or challenges. One cannot imagine why one would entirely abandon it.
But do as you wish and be well,
rudy

 

Why do you feel uncomfortable in what you wear? Is it because it strains around the waist area? Or because you don't think it looks good?

If you wear a jacket, you can wear braces with your trousers, I recommend it if you have girth. Belts are an evil if your build is not 'normal' or athletic.

Alan and Rudy are most correct in all.

Getting everything tailored at once is generally not a good idea. Much better to start with one suit in navy or charcoal and go from there. If it turns out good after some alterations then order slacks, odd jackets etc. Also, perhaps, a dress shirt if you do not already get them with a perfect fit.

 

I'm not going to tell you what you should buy, but your list doesn't look too bad. There are also a lot of threads on fitting larger men. Try the words: big, large, heavy, to do a search and I think you will find some that offer specific advice as to style and fit.

But what I am going to suggest is that you consider revising your view of yourself. We're all God's children and are as we've been made, and some of us are not, never were and never will be average. Some of us are skinny, some heavy, some tall and some short. Dressing well begins with self-acceptance. (Heck, doesn't everything?) And self-understanding. Doing the best with what you've got. You don't look like the guys in the fashion ads, you never will and you don't want to!

When I was about your age I was about 5'10" 220, also with a 38" waist, and ran a sub 5 minute mile.

 

I will prefer wearing my dad a stretchable one that suits him the way it fits it showed up that his becoming more sexier

 

I'm not going to tell you what you should buy, but your list doesn't look too bad. There are also a lot of threads on fitting larger men. Try the words: big, large, heavy, to do a search and I think you will find some that offer specific advice as to style and fit.

But what I am going to suggest is that you consider revising your view of yourself. We're all God's children and are as we've been made, and some of us are not, never were and never will be average. Some of us are skinny, some heavy, some tall and some short. Dressing well begins with self-acceptance. (Heck, doesn't everything?) And self-understanding. Doing the best with what you've got. You don't look like the guys in the fashion ads, you never will and you don't want to!

When I was about your age I was about 5'10" 220, also with a 38" waist, and ran a sub 5 minute mile.

This is an insightful post that I hope the OP will read and believe. If he has accepted his size and shape, the best plan is to buy clothes to fit, not to disguise.

 

+1 for Flanderian's post.

godan, if the clothes of a gentleman of ample carriage fit, they do disguise, to a degree. Clothes will never make an endomorph into an ectomorph, but they absolutely can provide the illusion of having dropped 5% of your weight (~10lbs).

Really well-cut trousers that permit a straight, vertical fall of the creases (front and back) without showing any signs of strain do the most good. For many large men, that means a high waist and pleats.

A jacket that gives a touch of extra breadth to the shoulder and the illusion of a waist also helps a lot. Keep in mind that, when the shape of the suit jacket as we know it today was taking shape more than 100 years ago, this was the image of a vigorous, healthy, adult male:

(And he was vigorous, and incredibly active, and athletic. He would be diagnosed as obese today, but he was a champion of daily exercise, and practiced as he preached. Of course, what was then thought a healthy breakfast wasn't exactly a bowl of Special K.)

The tailored jacket has endured for more than a century precisely because it flatters almost all body types. You don't have to wear a suit and tie to prefer a tailored jacket - perhaps in the form of a sport coat - to a windbreaker. Unless you're actually going to be rolling around in the mud, or taking cuts in a baseball batting cage, a tailored jacket can be chosen to suit almost any social setting.

 

If you're interested in he reasons why you're overweight you should look at the following:

https://www.amazon.com/Why-We-Get-Fat-Vintage/dp/0307474259/ref=ntt_at_ep_dpt_1https://www.amazon.com/Good-Calories-Bad-Controversial-Science/dp/1400033462/ref=ntt_at_ep_dpt_2
At the beginning of this year I was at 230 pounds. I'm now at 206. Not due to any silly new years resolution, because I've turned into a gym rat, or because I'm starving myself (I eat plenty), but because I stumbled upon Gary Taubes' "Why We Get Fat: And What to Do About It," which is the first link above. The second link is to his more lengthy and technical explanation of these issues, which is what I'm reading now.

Long story short, most obesity is a product of chemistry rather than physics. We hear so much about calories in vs calories out and that isn't even half the story. Calories in the form of simple carbohydrates make our insulin levels spike, which in turn makes our fat cells gobble up those calories and store them. Persistently high insulin levels create a condition called insulin resistance in which our muscles and other such tissues ignore insulin, but our fat cells don't, which makes the problem even worse. Reduce or eliminate the foods that cause this effect (high insulin) and the process will slowly reverse itself. Cardiovascular exercise is good because it helps to reduce insulin resistance in the muscles you exercise with, not because of the calories you burn while doing it, which are negligible.

Starvation diets don't work. What does work are diets with NO simple carbs, and very limited complex carbs. No sugar, no flour, no starch, no high fructose corn syrup. Eat meat, some cheese, and green leafy vegetables.

Since obesity and diabetes are so closely linked, it should come as no surprise that this is also an effective means of dealing with Type II diabetes:

https://www.diabetes-warrior.net/about-me-and-diabetes/

 

Hey Everyone,

Thanks for the comments, super helpful. I just normally feel uncomfortable with what I wear as pants are always shifting around when I get up/sit down, shirts are either too tight or too loose and overall just too casual. It is very hard to buy off the rack.

RM_Bantista - I am probably a little larger than you think. Although I wear 36-38 pants etc, my actual waist is 43-44" at its largest point. I just wear my pants on my hips and it "seems" natural to me. I would say a good chunk of my excess weight is in my stomach. Although as I said I do have more than average muscle mass, especially in upper legs, chest/arms. The bottom half of my stomach is larger than my chest.

LeeReynolds - Thanks for the insightful post. I know I need to lose weight, mostly for looks although also health although I am a pretty healthy dude. I go for runs 1-2 times a week, gym 1-2 times a week and vegetarian, brown rice, lots of homemade fruit/veggie juices/smoothies. My problem is I just like food and lunches/dinners out etc add on the calories, even if they are by and large healthier than normal. Late night snacking etc. I totally agree with the physcology part and I should spend more time reading up on it. My weight has fluctuated my entire life from 190 - 260. I have been stable at 225-230 for a few years, hence why I want a new wardrobe.

The biggest thing I am unsure of is the whole hips versus natural waist. To me, it seems funny/uncomfortable looking to wear my pants at my natural waist, especially with jeans, but even trousers and a dress shirt no tie. I could see myself doing this in a suit or if I am wearing a sports jacket, but I should be wearing them that high all the time? I remember when I was a kid I would snicker at people that wore their pants high. I am still a young dude......

Maybe I could pull off a suspenders look based on my size. I am open to that.

 

MDM, having jeans as your reference point for where/how trousers should fit is the root of the problem. Because of the way they are cut, jeans worn on the waist not only look ridiculous, they will tend to give you a fearsome wedgie. If you're riding a horse or wearing a wide, stiff leather gunbelt with your Colt Peacemaker on it, trousers on the hips work fine. Those are the conditions for which jeans were originally designed. They are, however, an objectively lousy design for sitting in an office or participating in civilized society. Despite all of this, they have become ubiquitous, and have distorted people's expectations of where their trousers should sit.

Put your jeans experience out of your mind. It has no bearing on how your tailored trousers should fit.

 

vegetarian, brown rice, lots of homemade fruit/veggie juices/smoothies.

That is why you're fat.

In India, obesity rates are much higher among the Hindu vegetarians than among the other groups, precisely because their diet is high in carbohydrates rather than fat.

Brown rice is marginally better than white rice, but it is still almost pure starch. It's slower to digest than white rice, and retains a few nutrients that white rice loses from being milled, and has some indigestible fiber - which helps you poop more. But from a weight-loss standpoint it is to be avoided.

Fruit based products have lots of fructose, which your liver converts to triglycerides that then go straight to your fat cells. Just because something is "natural" doesn't mean it is good for you. Hemlock is 100% natural.

As for veggies, the dark green variety are good, but many others are high in starch, and not just the obvious ones like potatoes. Carrots and squash, just to name two. Corn isn't a vegetable, but a grain, high in both starch and fructose.

Bread is the worst, and it doesn't matter if it is "whole grain" or not. White bread is worse than wheat, but once again it is a matter of degree, not kind.

I like food too. When I go out I stick to meat and avoid everything else. I also tend to bring my own lunch to work. At home I eat chicken, beef, pork, salmon, and other such meats. I eat broccoli and spinach. I also snack on cheese sticks. I avoid everything that has any sugar or starch in it. I eat when I'm hungry and don't eat when I'm not. I don't count calories or worry about the time of day when I'm eating. I tend to walk about 4 miles a day, but this was something I was doing already.

Six weeks on I'm almost 25 pounds lighter and have dropped from a 40 inch waist to a 36. As for how high your pants should ride, I just put them on and wear them. I buy stuff off the rack and I have to assume that when they are pulled up to the point where my butt fits into them, then they're at the right height. Tailored clothing is undoubtedly different, as someone has already mentioned.

Something else you should avoid is artificial sweeteners. Not because they're unnatural or anything like that, but because sweet tasting foods make your insulin levels spike. Just tasting something sweet does this. Because these sweeteners don't have the calories your body primes itself to process when you taste them, you end up storing more of the calories you do eat as fat, which then leaves your body with fewer calories to work with for the purposes of just running itself. This in turn causes you to become hungry again sooner and you just end up eating more.

The epidemic of obesity in America started about 30 years ago when a long standing debate among researchers on the relationship between dietary fat and heart disease was "settled" through politics rather than conclusive evidence. Fat began to be promoted both as the cause of heart disease and the cause of obesity. People were told to replace fat with carbohydrates, which we did. Processed food makers replaced fat with sugar. High fructose corn syrup (which gets converted into triglycerides by your liver) arrived on the scene and by 1984 was ubiquitous.

Today our levels of obesity have never been higher. Type II diabetes is also higher than ever. Meanwhile we're told to eat more of the very stuff that makes us fat and causes the insulin resistance that eventually develops into diabetes. Pure insanity.

 

Hey Everyone,
...The biggest thing I am unsure of is the whole hips versus natural waist. To me, it seems funny/uncomfortable looking to wear my pants at my natural waist, especially with jeans, but even trousers and a dress shirt no tie. I could see myself doing this in a suit or if I am wearing a sports jacket, but I should be wearing them that high all the time? I remember when I was a kid I would snicker at people that wore their pants high. I am still a young dude......

Maybe I could pull off a suspenders look based on my size. I am open to that.

Yes, you should wear your pants below the ribcage and above the hips, and braces are an excellent way to do so with extreme comfort. Jeans also used to be cut to sit at the actual natural waist rather than just above, at, or just below the hips, which are modern modifications of the older style. It was also much more common in the past to wear denim overalls which have a different suspension system, more like braces. They seem to have mostly disappeared, but were a staple item in most households not long ago. Even with jeans brace buttons may be installed and the trousers cut to fit your person. One is always looking for the old stuff that was made to sit at the natural waist. They are more comfortable than you may think even with a belt. Never been a fan of the braces with clips nor braces with a belt (which one does sometimes see among the older population). Jeans with brace buttons on the outside, rather than inside the pant waist can be very stylish. Prefer buttons inside for dressier trousers, personally, and best without belt loops. (No one sees my belt or braces in any case as my custom is to wear a jacket or coat of some kind at all times in public.) I'm not typical in that choice, however.
One does not disagree with some of the dietary physiology information brought to this thread, but one has to begin from where we are at any given moment and take action according to our preferences.
Good fortune to you and regards to all our contributors,
rudy

 

Your measurements don't really make you a 'fat guy' as you say. I'm a couple of inches taller than you but have the same weight and waist measurements. I don't know....maybe I am fat and don't know it!

 

Hey Everyone,

Thanks for the comments, super helpful. I just normally feel uncomfortable with what I wear as pants are always shifting around when I get up/sit down, shirts are either too tight or too loose and overall just too casual. It is very hard to buy off the rack.

RM_Bantista - I am probably a little larger than you think. Although I wear 36-38 pants etc, my actual waist is 43-44" at its largest point. I just wear my pants on my hips and it "seems" natural to me. I would say a good chunk of my excess weight is in my stomach. Although as I said I do have more than average muscle mass, especially in upper legs, chest/arms. The bottom half of my stomach is larger than my chest.

LeeReynolds - Thanks for the insightful post. I know I need to lose weight, mostly for looks although also health although I am a pretty healthy dude. I go for runs 1-2 times a week, gym 1-2 times a week and vegetarian, brown rice, lots of homemade fruit/veggie juices/smoothies. My problem is I just like food and lunches/dinners out etc add on the calories, even if they are by and large healthier than normal. Late night snacking etc. I totally agree with the physcology part and I should spend more time reading up on it. My weight has fluctuated my entire life from 190 - 260. I have been stable at 225-230 for a few years, hence why I want a new wardrobe.

The biggest thing I am unsure of is the whole hips versus natural waist. To me, it seems funny/uncomfortable looking to wear my pants at my natural waist, especially with jeans, but even trousers and a dress shirt no tie. I could see myself doing this in a suit or if I am wearing a sports jacket, but I should be wearing them that high all the time? I remember when I was a kid I would snicker at people that wore their pants high. I am still a young dude......

Maybe I could pull off a suspenders look based on my size. I am open to that.

We're about the same height and weight. Sure, I could probably lose about 10-20 pounds, no one has called me "fat" since middle school.
It's important that your clothes fit. I'm a fairly average size but still have to have nearly everything tailored to fit properly. I buy size 40 pants and sometimes take them down to 39. Sometimes I buy size 38 pants and take them out about one inch. That one inch makes a big difference.
I also have a big neck so I have to buy larger shirts that are sometimes too billowy. I have those taken in.
Of course, everyone looks better when they are not overweight at all. If you think you're overweight, underweight or at the ideal weight, the best thing to do is to make sure that everything fits properly. You'll look good and feel comfortable.

 

When I was about your age I was about 5'10" 220, also with a 38" waist, and ran a sub 5 minute mile.

Right.

 

Thanks everyone, I am still reading the forum. Don't think my lack of posting means I am not still around. Just nothing to add. Enjoying all of the comments being added.

SUPER helpful.

 

LeeReynolds,

Your understanding of nutrition is dangerously incomplete. Your advice is a ticket to heart disease and death.

 

My little brother lives in Victoria, and works a few blocks away from the ocean. His office is extremely casual, and when he "dresses up" it's a tie, a motocross jacket and khakis. I had lunch with him at the Bengal Lounge and although I was wearing a suit, we didn't get any flak from the staff about his appearance. I guess when tourists are your bread and butter, you don't sweat it when a 25yo wants to wear a leather jacket.

If I could make a suggestion? Switch from technical fabrics to cotton and wool. For one, some technical fabrics smell terrible after being worn multiple times. If you start transitioning into cotton shirts and poly/wool trousers, you'll be amazed that they're not as high maintenance as you'd think.

It basically costs nothing more than what you're spending to dress "nice". That North Face or Columbia golf shirt or fleece will cost more than a decent suit if you check discount shops.

If I could indicate three items I wear in Victoria? 1. Trench coat. 2. Wool tropical weight trousers and 3. Decent rubber soled shoes.

The most important thing to remember is that you're trying to dress better. This forum can help, but so can slowly working away from jeans and a casual shirt, and instead wearing some of the more "traditional" items of dress.

Tom