Warning

[geminigirl]

I went shopping yesterday. The plan was to pay a couple of store credit card bills, since I'd forgotten to buy stamps and get a birthday gift for my niece and possibly pick up a couple of skirts.



See? You clicked. Now you can read....

I've lost a bunch of weight. And the shape of my body has changed...some places it's come off faster than others. Some not. Formerly slinky clothes are no longer quite as slinky, and some don't slink at all. What this really means is that I need to replace things in my wardrobe. A lot of things. Being on a VERY tight budget, I do this slowly, with coupons and sales and a very little bit at a time. And there were big coupons and good sales this weekend. I bought six pairs of jeans a few months ago...they're already big in the waist. Not in the hips. No. Those don't seem to want to shrink much at all. If they did, I'd be wearing several sizes smaller.

I tried on two dresses. The larger size gaped at the top...there was far too much room. The smaller size, I could have worn. But I wasn't sure I wanted to...I'm still not comfortable with myself.

I noticed this weekend that my tits looked bigger to me. They haven't grown at all...they haven't shrunk with the rest of me either. But if they look HUGE to me, what must they look like to someone else?

I bought three skirts...all of them are getting returned. Because nothing quite fits right. If it fits right in the hips, the waist is huge. If it fits right in the waist the hips don't fit.


I have a few pairs of chinos that are too big to wear to work...and a few pairs that are okay, but should probably be replaced. I dread shopping for new pants because nothing quite fits right. At some point I'll have to...there's only so long I can get away with wearing what I do have.

Buying clothes has become even more difficult than before. And there's nothing I can do about it at the moment.

People at work have noticed that I look different. This is nice. But I also don't feel at home anymore.

I haven't worn my favorite suit in two years. It's too big. I'm afraid to get it altered.

I'm frustrated and annoyed with the whole thing. I want to look good in my clothes again, but I also want to be comfortable and feel at home. And I don't.

Comments

[trinker.livejournal.com]

I share your pain. Including the budget thing. As an additional frisson, I went through the beginning of this while I was on the road. If I'd been at home, I'd have tried going back through the "skinny clothes", but all I had with me were "current favorites"! Ironically, when I went back to the ex-residence to pick up some of my older clothes, I'd blown right past the "this'll fit me if I just lose a little" stash. It was difficult not knowing what size bras or underwear to buy. Going into stores and not knowing which size to look through, not being able to eye a garment and know whether it was worth trying on...

It was sort of crazymaking to be going between "pleased to be in better and better shape" and "annoyed that the clothes that were bought two weeks ago are already getting to be too big". I prefer buying nice quality wardrobe basics that last, but when one's size is changing rapidly, that's really not possible!

Now that the summer's brief paradise of interesting physical activity (I hate hate hate what I call "hamstercizing", and other boring ways to exercise) and cheap wholesome food (prepared by someone else!) is out of reach, I'm struggling to find ways of incorporating those things into my current life. Spending too much time sitting, again.

[katishna.livejournal.com]

I feel your pain, although in a somewhat different direction. I'm a big girl, I normally wear a 18/20 (at lane bryant at least, it's usually bigger elsewhere). So I get pregnant and thanks to bloating I'm already gaining waist size. I went to try to find pregger pants, and there is ONE store in town that carries plus-size maternity, and they obviously assume that every large woman is a beach ball with HUGE boobs and wants to look not like a beached whale but a beached *pregnant* whale. I have hips dammit, nice ones, I'm not just big one round lump of fat and I'd like something to fit me like I am, not like they want me to be.

Okay enough rant. For a more helpful comment, I noticed today that men's dress pants are built with something like 2+ inches on every major seam to allow for alterations. If you're not set on women's clothes (goodness knows most of my button-down shirts are men's) then it might be an idea. And it's all standard so a 36 is a 36 is a 36. I love it.

[geminigirl]

That's a great suggestion about mens pants instead of womens. Unfortunately, even that much room would quite possibly not be enough. I'm seriously between three and four sizes different between waist and hips, so women's clothes, when I can find ones that fit actually are cut better.

Good luck with the pregnancy thing. Mode did something a few years back about who did plus-sized pregnancy clothes...I know they don't exist anymore but you might be able to find the story somewhere.