This belt has a VERY CHEAP ELASTICITY. I have found that most GOOD QUALITY rubber bands stretch up to two inches. This belt has significantly more stretch as the tape measure shows when I tighten it a bit. I could easily stretch it more, but I've tried to approximate the tension I use when actually tightening the belt around my waist. Normally I would give it one star but I felt it deserved two stars because I thought the three color combination was very attractive. If you use it for "look" and not for "function" (shrug your pants), you'll probably be satisfied. As for sizes. I would definitely order a smaller size than what you usually buy due to the over stretching. Apparently I sent it back and got a full refund with no problems.