How to have a great sports bra...while losing weight?

February 9, 2020 3:09 PM

I have biggish boobs. I am exercising in ways that require a sports bra. But I am losing weight and my boobs are changing size regularly. How do I keep up without spending a fortune? Bonus difficulty inside.

Bonus difficulty #1: right on the border transitioning from plus sizes to straight sizes.

Bonus difficulty #2: My boobs are aged, post-menopausal, saggy, and whatever the opposite of dense is. All parts of them, from the highest tissue to the lowest, is, um, "loose" under all circumstances. Everything wants to jiggle. I don't want it to jiggle.

Bonus difficulty #3: I need a bra that can handle high-impact exercise. I'm not running but I'm doing quite a lot of jumping and energetic movement. I need the girls to be solidly still during all this.

I've lost about 45 pounds and have a good way to go. I'm (happily) engaged in an exercise plan that's working for me and making me happy. But since I'm not that close to my goal yet, I need to figure out some transitional strategies to carry me through a significant amount of time with a significant amount of upcoming body changes.

I have happily worn well-fitting Enell full-coverage bras in the past. I actually love the style and it has worked for me. But they're expensive, and I'm in a state of constant shrinking right now (both boobs and band-size area).

I don't think there's such a thing as a cheap, effective, high-impact sports bra. But maybe there is? If not, what have the legions of people with boobs before me done?

posted by anonymous to Clothing, Beauty, & Fashion (20 answers total)

Title 9 Sports is my go-to as a large cup-size runner--I just have not found cheap sports bras to be effective. There are some adjustable sports bras out there. I wonder if something like this Adjustable Sports Bra at the smallest band size you can possibly wear right now might last you awhile as things change. Here's another 2 in 1 Adjustable Sports Bra. Here's another, if you can do underwire (I don't know if underwire would be better or worse for your situation): Big House Underwire. And one more: Squad Adjustable Sports Bra.
posted by hydropsyche at 3:28 PM on February 9, 2020 [1 favorite]

If I don't have a decent sportsbra for some reason, I sometimes find that wearing two regular bras, one on top of the other, does just as well for high impact. Maybe a cheap sportsbra in a new size, on top of a regular bra (or vice versa), would work?

You can also get bands that you wear over your bra to hold your boobs down and give more support, so maybe try buying cheaper sports bras as you shrink and wearing them with one of these to provide more support? Here's an example - I think there are other brands - I've not tried one myself so can't vouch for it personally.
posted by penguin pie at 3:31 PM on February 9, 2020 [2 favorites]

Depends on how biggish your boobs are, esp. in relation to band size, but maybe try a compression bra that comes in a smaller range of sizes rather than an encapsulation bra? This one worked for me for a while before I decided I wanted underwire and encapsulation.
posted by charmedimsure at 3:34 PM on February 9, 2020 [2 favorites]

I bought sports bras from the Salvation Army and Goodwill when this happened to me. Lots of workout clothes, too. I use a little bleach, like 2 tablespoons per load, hot water wash and then they were basically like like my own.
posted by waving at 3:48 PM on February 9, 2020 [2 favorites]

If you want an awesome compression bra, The Frog Bra is it.
posted by hydropsyche at 3:56 PM on February 9, 2020

I’m always seeing ads for the shefit bra which is supposed to be really adjustable ( I.e for nursing moms who can vary a lot within a day) might be worth checking out
posted by genmonster at 4:26 PM on February 9, 2020 [2 favorites]

Oof, do I feel this problem! I’m about a 32F, for context, and Poshmark and eBay are my go-tos. Filter for NWT/NWOT (new with or without tags) if you prefer — I do, because I worry that something pre-worn won’t have been cared for. Then figure out what brands and models you prefer, and search regularly.
posted by chesty_a_arthur at 4:30 PM on February 9, 2020

I think an adjustable sports bra might work well. I love the Moving Comfort Juno sports bra because I can loosen it up after exercising - it seems like it would work well for changing sizes too. You can’t see it in the photo but the shoulder straps are easy to adjust via Velcro, and you can really crank it down if you want.
posted by bananacabana at 4:48 PM on February 9, 2020 [3 favorites]

I love this amazon sports bra -- goes to 42E and is $24 (not quite cheap, but way less than high-end sports bras!) and works as well or better than any of the fancier ones I've tried. I also have the juno one linked above--it was great at first but stretched out fast (~10 wears).

Also, yes, a normal bra under a slightly too big sports bra can help stretch out its useful life.
posted by snaw at 5:39 PM on February 9, 2020

For high-impact exercise, two bras are a must for me, and in fact it's more or less the only thing that makes exercise even possible. I think it might be especially helpful for this situation because I find with two bras, a perfect fit is a little less key than with a single bra, and instead it's more about mixing and matching functionality.

I go for a mid-range underwire sports bra in my real size under a cheap no-wire sports bra in the smallest size I can squeeze into. The former for support and separation, the latter for compression. (I don't think this would probably be the healthiest thing to wear for long periods but for 45 minutes every other day I think it's probably OK). I can't pinpoint exactly why, but my gut tells me if my boobs started shrinking my sports bra situation would last me a lot longer than my everyday bras.
posted by lampoil at 5:45 PM on February 9, 2020

I haven’t tried this myself, but I immediately thought of Shefit when I read your post. The founder of Shefit pretty much addressed your problem when she pitched on Shark Tank (which is how I heard about it). Might something like this be what you’re looking for?
posted by saltypup at 7:23 PM on February 9, 2020 [1 favorite]

by far the best sports bra I've found for high impact + big boobs = this one. And it's $22! It's miles better than the moving comfort ones I've tried (boob loaf! ugh!) and a third of the price. Just get a new one when you go down a size.
posted by fingersandtoes at 7:45 PM on February 9, 2020

if you're moving through them quickly size-wise then why even bother getting new ones? get a used one on ebay whenever you need to size down, sell your old ones on ebay to benefit someone else's weight loss progress, everyone is happy and all boobs requiring containment are contained. .
posted by poffin boffin at 9:44 PM on February 9, 2020

I love my Shefit bras! They are so adjustable and they are the only bras that work for my post-baby boobs.
posted by chaiminda at 3:39 AM on February 10, 2020

I am a big advocate for the wired Panache sports bras. They also let you rehook it in the back into a racerback model, which gives extra support during high impact activities, and gives you some margin as your weight shifts.
Yes, it is a bit more pricey, but I have yet to find another sports bra that gives as much support, and doesn't just smoosh my boobs.

The other thing to try is the double layering method. Wear an old bra underneath a non wired sportsbra. In the past, that has also worked for me.

There is a boob band you can wear over the top of your sports bra if you are getting a lot of upward bounce. I know people who like it for running.
posted by troytroy at 6:06 AM on February 10, 2020

I have big boobs and an Enell sports bra. It's awesome...but I bought it when I was slimmer.

Being a total cheap-o, I kludged together a solution. I have a few bra extenders so I used one of them on the bottom two hooks of the Enell bra, to fit my wider ribcage. Then, when hooking the rest of the bra, I skip 1-2 hooks about the extender (creating a triangle where the bra comes back together) and am able to hook the rest over my boobs. It works great and I've been able to go down a hook in the extender with no problems.

So, I'm not saying "go out and buy a too-small bra". But, if you happen to have one or come across one at a good price, this is a way to make it fit a larger ribcage.
posted by Gray Duck at 8:34 AM on February 10, 2020

If price is the only problem, you can find Enell factory seconds for half price on Ebay. I bought some, and don't even notice the tiny flaws.
posted by all the light we cannot see at 11:02 AM on February 10, 2020

Freya Women's Sonic Spacer Sports Bra, available on Amazon ~$37 - is comfortable, and keeps everything locked in during high-impact activity. Good luck!
posted by shw at 2:28 AM on February 11, 2020

Try the Hellrassiere High Impact Work Bra from Duluth. $40, comfortable enough to wear as a daily bra, adjustable straps that might help as you lose weight.
posted by The corpse in the library at 4:41 PM on February 11, 2020

Mod note: From the OP:

Because of the power of internet shopping, I was able to quickly try pretty much everything you guys suggested that came in my size. The clear winner, by a landslide, was the Shefit (Shefit.com), which several people suggested. I had never heard of it before, but it is AMAZING, and the multiple ways it can be adjusted means I will be indeed be able to wear it for quite a while as I change size. I highly recommend it to anyone who falls into these categories: gaining/losing weight/breast size; nursing; exercising with larger breasts; exercising while fat.

Bonus: for all of the bras I tried, I carefully measured myself and checked their size charts. Shefit, even before I adjusted it, came the closest to matching actual garment to their size chart.

Thank you!

posted by restless_nomad (staff) at 2:37 PM on February 17, 2020