I kind of made a silent commitment to myself to not buy new clothes until it is absolutely necessary. Well....what has been happening to my black slacks has necessitated a purchase of ONE pair of black slacks. The waist is definitely loose on all of them but nothing a string won't correct, but the main issue has been the sagging and dragging pant leg cuffs. My shoes are getting caught on the hems, the hems are coming undone, and with the recent rains, they are getting very dirty and tearing from the dragging. I believe the reason they are dragging way more is not because I shrunk three or so inches!! Ha ha ha ha!!! It is because the surface area around my belly, waist, and booty has gone down some and the pants fall a little bit more straight down. So....off to the big lady specialty store I go. A goal one day would be to shop at regular stores again. The little things......sigh. As I was shopping, I picked up a pair one size lower than the traditional size 32 I wear and a couple more sizes. Into the fitting room I go with size 30, 28 and I picked up a 26 to see how close I was to being able to fit into them....just curious. OH MY GOSH!!!! The size 26 was loose!!!! I went, no RAN to try on the 24 and they fit perfectly!!!!!!! WHAT WAS GOING ON!!??!!?? I am still very heavy and I can't believe a size 24 would fit......so I thought it was just the style of pant and I had to grab a different style for further proof and AGAIN I WAS SHOCKED!!!! Size 24 fit! My next thought was to ask the sales lady did Avenue (the name of the clothing store) change the way they size their pants to make women feel better???? I am suspicious. In the fitting room, right then and there I had a moment. I have worn pants that stretch at the waist, jeans that are baggy and stretch all over to feel comfortable and to hide all the bumps. I know that many people who gain and/or lose a great deal of weight use their clothes as a measure and I could definitely see and feel my clothes getting looser but I just never realized the impact of being able to fit into such a smaller pant size would have on me. I am actually thinking about buying one pair of jeans that are size 14 and see each month how much more I can squeeze into them. Ha ha ha!! Why not?! We'll see.
Pictured: size 32 slack compare to size 24.
I still shop at Avenue. I'm out of their pants, but still have a long way to go on top. Someday, I hope to even up the difference by getting into a 12 top. It's a long way off, and I love this story you've written. I too have many shirts that are smaller and I try them on every month, and as I am more and more likely to be able to wear them, it does feel good. Don't buy 14, buy 20's ... it's the right way keep you focused and feeling like you are getting there.
ReplyDeleteI have started personal training and group training, and group classes ... and trying to find time and energy to walk as well - but actually, I hate the cold weather too much to go outside and walk in it.
Keep it up Tracy. You are happier, healthier, and starting to really be excited about this process. It only gets better