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A-2's Can Inspire Weight Loss

CoopDog

Active Member
As, we all know, the A-2 was designed as a part of the uniform of an Army Air Corps flight crew during the Great Depression, before television, couch potatoes and junk food like Cheetos. IMHO the A-2 looks HORRIBLE when worn by a gentleman with a paunch. I have seen many wearer photos on this forum of zipped-up A-2's that just looked abominable (or should I say abdominable.) In my own case, I had some weight to shed. I was 6'0" 200lbs. I am down to 179 and shooting for 170 and am going to start doing sit-ups again. The A-2 is looking much better, but even so, they were designed for young men like my 15 year old, who is 6'0" and 145 lbs. But in any event, my A-2 has inspired me to watch my figure, and that's a good thing.
 

Officer Dibley

Well-Known Member
Many fat people wear lycra. Some find that pleasing to their eyes & some curse the inventor of lycra.

“Beauty” - whatever that means- is in the eye of the beholder. And we all have the freedom to wear what we think suits us, even if some others disagree.

Did you not wear your A-2 when you were “fat” ?? If not, why not ?

Be confident enough to wear what you want and screw what others think of you ! :cool:
 

mulceber

Moderator
Great that you’ve used your hobby as an excuse to take care of yourself. I’ll echo what was said above though that you should wear what you want. That’s what I loved once I hit my mid-20s - I stopped giving a rat’s ass what other people thought of how I dress and started wearing what I like.
 

CoopDog

Active Member
Did you not wear your A-2 when you were “fat” ?? If not, why not ?

I only recently got my first A-2. When I was heavier, I wore another leather jacket that was wider fitting. Just my own opinion, but I think A-2's are not for every body shape. Of course, I agree that we all have the freedom to wear what we please.

P.S. - Lizzo is horrible.
 

adfrost

Well-Known Member
A big part of the reason I came back to the forum after a decade of absence is that I finally lost enough weight to entertain wearing my size 48 M-422a. It really puts a damper on the hobby when you can’t even squeeze into the largest “normal” size most manufacturers will go. And in the case of the Asian manufacturers, where they max out at 44, even that isn’t an option. Not that I really even consider them anyway, at the ransom they’re charging. It also causes me to look askance at the oft-stated advice on here to “just buy an original; they cheaper and better anyway“ when you‘re larger than a size 44, and good luck finding an original, in good condition, in a larger size.

So while I won’t make any judgements on other members here, I can say that it’s a motivator for me to at the very least maintain, if not lose more, so the hobby can remain relevant to me.

PS: Skip the sit-ups; they’re terrible for the back. Stick to planks. Neither will get rid of belly fat though.
 

CoopDog

Active Member
And in the case of the Asian manufacturers, where they max out at 44, even that isn’t an option.

It's crazy that some manufacturers max out at 44. I usually wear a 46 in A-2's and I consider myself to be about an average size American Male at 6'0" and 180ish (o.k., maybe only a little bit bigger than avergage.)
 

busdrivermike

Well-Known Member
A big part of the reason I came back to the forum after a decade of absence is that I finally lost enough weight to entertain wearing my size 48 M-422a. It really puts a damper on the hobby when you can’t even squeeze into the largest “normal” size most manufacturers will go. And in the case of the Asian manufacturers, where they max out at 44, even that isn’t an option. Not that I really even consider them anyway, at the ransom they’re charging. It also causes me to look askance at the oft-stated advice on here to “just buy an original; they cheaper and better anyway“ when you‘re larger than a size 44, and good luck finding an original, in good condition, in a larger size.

So while I won’t make any judgements on other members here, I can say that it’s a motivator for me to at the very least maintain, if not lose more, so the hobby can remain relevant to me.

PS: Skip the sit-ups; they’re terrible for the back. Stick to planks. Neither will get rid of belly fat though.
Fully agree on the planks vs sit-ups, and making them moving planks if you can is even better
Like bear walking or lateral walking plank, those will get your heart going
 

Nnatalie

Well-Known Member
Interesting seeing how similar this discussion is to those that go on in women’s vintage communities. People feeling too fat for certain styles, difficulty of finding larger sized originals, etc. Goes to show that we’re all just human beings regardless of gender...

I’d say, wear what makes you feel good, and do what makes you feel good. Screw what other people think. If wearing an A-2 at a heavier weight makes you feel good, do it. If slimming down makes you feel better, do that. Your happiness is what matters, and I’m glad your jacket has helped motivate you to get to a happier place weight-wise.
 

adfrost

Well-Known Member
It's crazy that some manufacturers max out at 44. I usually wear a 46 in A-2's and I consider myself to be about an average size American Male at 6'0" and 180ish (o.k., maybe only a little bit bigger than avergage.)

Not so crazy when you consider they don’t really care about markets outside Asia, and the typical Asian is considerably shorter/skinnier than most of us. They‘re pretty much still WWII-sized. :D
 

mulceber

Moderator
Not so crazy when you consider they don’t really care about markets outside Asia, and the typical Asian is considerably shorter/skinnier than most of us. They‘re pretty much still WWII-sized. :D

Not many of us buy from them anymore anyway, due to the price, so they also have no reason to size their jackets to a western market.
 

busdrivermike

Well-Known Member
i Use my vintage schott motorcycle jacket and my Chicago police jacket
For the same reasons, 4 years ago I could would not have gotten my
Shoulders into them, I was a 54 but I’m about 80 lbs lighter now so I can now
Fit a 48-50 so I bought them as treats and reminders to myself.
 

MikeyB-17

Well-Known Member
Funny how this has come up. I sold my last A-2 because I didn't feel it suited my not exactly sylph-like shape. I missed it and bought one recently, am delighted to have another one but I am still aware that I need to lose some weight, so a better fitting A-2 is one of my motivations for doing so. Doing my best to avoid eating crap and trying to get more exercise. I also agree that you should wear what you like and knickers to those who don't like it, but also agree that just about anything with a waist knit looks better on a slimmer shape.
 

B-Man2

Well-Known Member
At the end of the day ...,, this is a hobby .... all be it a hobby that we wear. show off and discuss ... but, still it’s a hobby . You shouldn’t have to physically train for this particular hobby or have someone be embarrassed because they may be over weight, but like wearing and showing off their hobby .... Now mountain climbing.... that’s a whole different story.
;)
 

Edward

Well-Known Member
PS: Skip the sit-ups; they’re terrible for the back. Stick to planks. Neither will get rid of belly fat though.

Agreed. I do planks for core strength but to control the belly (which once you get you can rarely ever fully get rid of short of liposuction) running is what will do it, eating lean and running often burns calories all day even whilst sitting on the couch but it burns it off everywhere so you’ll end up looking rather gaunt. I lose it in the face first and people think I’m dying of something when actually I’m healthy and eating constantly lol! Running will burn muscle too so be sure to eat a lot of protein and do resistance work at the gym to maintain some muscle. I had a six pack exposed once for a few months 2 years ago but I was miserable...spaghetti lasagna and pizza will hide that horrendous six pack abs bullshit in just a few days lol! Fat cells shrink but snap back like a sponge to water!
 
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CBI

Well-Known Member
I think high waisted jackets do not look good on folks with tummies. The high waist just makes the mid section looks larger. This makes so many "vintage" style jackets not so good to wear for folks carrying some extra pounds. This is the case in period photos of heavier people wearing vintage styles IMO I don't think high those waisted pants helped either!

No tummy shaming here, to each his own and wear whatever.

I lost 22 pounds 2 summers ago and have kept the weight off I tired to loose more but then people started asking if I was feeling ok/been sick/etc.!

I HATE exercise so eating much less, little starch and walking 3 miles a day around the neighborhood.
 
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