No, these are not photos of my derriere, nor is that my house (though I do rather like the built-ins). These photos were in an e-mail I received from aBritish website devoted to intuitive eating.
Please don't roll your eyes and get all huffy thinking that I'm going to try to convince you for the nth time that intuitive eating is where it's at. Keep reading.
These are clearly "before and after" pictures, right? Wrong! You see before you the same woman in the same room (did I mention how much I love built-ins?) and taken the SAME DAY!
The difference is that in photo #1, she's wearing pants (that's trousers, for my British readers) that are two sizes too big and in the second, she's wearing pants that fit.
One of the things that goes out the window when we start gaining weight or find ourselves at a weight that we really don't like, is nice, well-fitting clothing. Pants get baggy, t-shirts get bigger, and let's not even talk about a flattering haircut or a touch of lipstick. I myself am not a big fan of make-up, but I realized before I started out on my journey to a NewMe that I was no longer happy with the way I looked and I was not going to do anything to make myself look nicer (like wearing that dab of lipstick or putting on a nice pair of earrings). It just didn't seem worth it.
As soon as I lost a few pounds all of this changed. I ran out and bought a beautiful pair of small wale corduroys and felt like a million dollars. OK, I should have waited a bit longer because now those cords look a tad baggy, but it was worth it. I was wearing something that was nice and well-fitting for a change.
Like many of you, I have wardrobes for all sizes and I probably should get rid of a lot of those clothes (especially that late 80s black suit with big shoulders and yellow trim--it really did look nice when I bought it, believe me). But I am glad that I've kept some things like the black jeans I discovered yesterday afternoon, going through an overflowing drawer of pants and shorts. I didn't recognize these jeans, couldn't for the life of me remember where they came from, but I tried them on and they fit very comfortably. Then I remembered: these were the jeans that I was busting out of last December. The jeans that I felt so ashamed about because they were not particularly small but I still couldn't get into them anymore. I'm glad I kept those jeans. On the other hand, I will have to get rid of the lovely black jeans I bought to replace too-small pair #1, because those jeans now make me look like picture #1 above.
So what's my long-winded message? Feel nice about yourself, no matter what weight you're at right now. Don't wait to reach the magic number to look good. Treat yourself nicely now by wearing well-fitting clothes. Your self-esteem will thank you for it.
My pet peeve is sleeve length. When we're heavy we tend to buy the size that fits our middle. That often results in sleeves that are too long. How often do you see a woman in a suit jacket with sleeves down to her knuckles? My solution has been to buy jacket and sweaters in 3/4 sleeves. If it doesn't come in 3/4 sleeves, I'm off to the tailor.
ReplyDeleteI agree (as I walk around in a shirt six sizes to big)...
ReplyDeleteIt's hard to see yourself as smaller though. I look at things now that i am fifty pounds down, and my mind hasn't caught up with my body. On the upside, I did pluck my eyebrows and do my nails...progress ;oP
So true! For me the bagggier the better! I would like to see a picture like that of a truly overweight person to see if the difference is THAT dramatic!
ReplyDeleteI really think that properly tailored clothing is a must, no matter what one's size. I think you have to take even more care to have properly fitting clothing when you're overweight, but the same applies to shrimps like me who aren't even 5' tall!
ReplyDeleteI am guilty of this, I haven't bought new clothes in a year, fortunately I have from 8-18, but there were some holes in there. I have few things that fit well, and if I get a job, I will shop, but until then, I'll wear what I have. I'm about 5 pounds higher than I need to be for most of what's left, but they fit now, just not always well.
ReplyDeleteHi,
ReplyDeleteI am back at blogging and you will see why I stopped for a while. As someone that was always plus size and then even super-plus size, I always wore clothe that fit. In a way, I was always good at finding stuff that fit. Now that I am pregnant, I am trying to re-use some of my larger clothe but, then again, being pregnant is not like being fat. So, I am really trying to find plus size maternity clothe but, it is not easy to find.
Ladies, fit is everything. A good hair cut can also save your life.
Oh, wow. Thats a huge difference. I better look in the mirror at my backside. I think I might need jeans that FIT!
ReplyDeleteGreat post and I couldn't agree more!! Buy what fits and work it! lol!! I also think intuitive eating is where it's at! ;) When I was losing weight I was SO excited to fit into my "skinny jeans", and now all my "skinny jeans" are too big and I have to give them all away! lol! Such is life, but now that i've got the body I want, I like to look good!
ReplyDeleteI have long believed that I need to make the most of myself at any weight... It can be hard to let go of old favorites in the closet though!
ReplyDeleteI just wanted to say that this post has stuck in my mind now for nearly two weeks. The pictures were so amazing. This post + a fellow blogger's recommended read, "Thin is the New Happy" really got me to go through my closet again! There were clothes I was keeping b/c they were new.... but they were too big and ill fitting. These pics were proof positive that we should reward ourselves with clothes that enhance the hard work we have done! Thanks for sharing it was fascinating !
ReplyDeleteWow, what a difference! I have to admit sometimes i just love wearing baggy clothes.
ReplyDeleteBut i am buying some new clothes slowly :)
I went out and bought my self a khaki shirt dress and this belt to cinch it at the waist. Let me tell ya, I loved the way I looked in that dress. So much so, I wanted to sleep in it. I can't wait to go out again so I can rock the dress with the belt. I agree about buying clothes that fit. It makes a world of difference.
ReplyDelete