With the more weight you gained, did you let yourself go?
I was just curious if your standard uniform outside of work was sweatpants, t-shirts, and tennis shoes?
The more weight I gained, the lazier I did get about my appearance. I can't wait to break free of the casual comfortable clothes and wear more stylish clothes without refiancing a home to pay for them, not speaking of haute couture either.
Did you find yourself taking better care of yourself with more weight that you lost? I do know the less I weigh the more I zip around and it is easier to do so many things. I thought it was fun giving myself pedis and manis plus all the other fun stuff...taking a bath, lingering in there was fun, shaving my legs was fun...at my heaviest, I was so tired all the time...I was anemic too.
What is your favorite outfit that you love to wear or feel beautiful in? This is more than about vanity; it is about celebrating and valuing yourself to do the work to really take care and honor yourself.
Any comments or thoughts on this?
Last edited by better health3; 08-01-2009 at 11:17 AM.
Absolutely! when i'm at my heaviest weight it's hard for me to even want to shower because I feel so lazy all the time! (of course I still shower though) but nothing fits me well so i only wear pants with elastic waistbands, my face just seems to absorb any makeup i wear, sneakers are the only shoes that done hurt my feet. it's awful!
my favorite outfit is a gorgeous long maxi dress (blue and white swirl pattern) it's a halter and ties behind my neck. it's such a flowy skirt that it hides most of my body!
Well I took decent care of my body but my clothes were essentially nightshirts, because I never left the house (and was constantly breastfeeding/pregnant). But now that I am not nursing and losing weight I do tend to dress better at home, though the decision to be less frumpy wasn't because of weight loss.
My favorite outfit is honestly a nice top and jeans, but that's just my style.
I was pretty much a fashion nightmare from birth, I think. Was the tattered pants, sweatshirt, and unbrushed hair kind of girl. Drove my social butterfly of a mother crazy. Getting obese wasn't much of a change; since I'd always dressed sloppy, it didn't matter what my clothes looked like, only that they fit.
But now that I'm getting thinner, I'm eyeing up nice clothes and, god forbid, dresses. And even shoes. I only own 4 pairs of shoes, and 3 of them are costume boots, so this is quite the shock. It's a case of wanting what you couldn't have, I suppose. It's driving me batty that I've stalled out for a month at slightly over size 18... so close to being able to buy from "normal" stores!
But the real clothing success story for me is my belov'ed coat. Long fake suede in beige with fake fur on the inside, oh so soft. I bought it when I was 18, and haven't been able to fit into it for a few years now. And now, it fits! Doesn't close, but who cares! I can put it on again!
At my biggest I definitely got frumpy with the clothes. Not that I stopped caring about fashion but I stoped feeling okay in form fitting clothes. So I wore everything too big and it just made me look worse. Now I'm back to fitted clothes. I'm a firm believer that tight and fitted are not the same thing and loose clothes don't make you look any skinnier!
Oh and I went waaay overboard with the dresses this summer. I love them! I bought about 8 new dresses.. and a couple skirts... and God knows what else. I have a little shopping problem which is going to explode when I can fit into normal stores. But damn I'm going to look good
My style definitely has changed. I too am feelin' good in a cute top and jeans, but I also have enjoyed my first jean mini skirts ever. White, denim you name it. ~100 loss from my body really changed my confidence level and my will to "primp" longer in the mornings.
I'd have to say no, maybe because I've always BEEN chunky, even as a teen? I always loved clothes and makeup and nice jewellery, so I was all over that! And I loved (and still love) yummy stuff for the bath, toe nails painted (it was harder to do at 320 lbs but i still did it), never left/leave the house without some lipgloss LOL I found that the heavier I got the more care I took with my clothes - I thought FAT is one thing, but FAT and SLOPPY is a disaster!!
No, I actually started using nicer makeup and better hair products and refusing to allow the world to see me as a stereotype of the disheveled fat girl. I don't buy milk in Louboutins or anything, but for pretty much everything but the grocery store I try to look okay (for the grocery store all bets are off!). The more femininity I lost as my body got more out of control, the more I tried to compensate.
Yup. Definitely frump girl. Mostly jeans, a t-shirt, and a zip up hoodie. The baggier the better. I still need layers and long sleeves to feel remotely comfortable in public, which makes summers nearly unbearable. And if the harpy at the grocery checkout counter asks me one more time, "Aren't you hot in that?!" I'm going to rip her head off. My discomfort is my business!
I desperately want to wear pretty clothes like dresses and skirts (i.e. dress like a girl rather than a unisex blob) and not torture myself with multiple layers in the heat. But I am so uncomfortable in my own skin that I just can't yet. Skirts and dresses hang on me funny because of my body shape. They just accentuate my worst traits.
When I had lost all my weight about 8 years ago, I did wear pretty clothes. I felt better about my body. Now, not so much. But hopefully, one day again. I do put on some makeup and keep up on my hair, but aside from that, I'm pretty low-maintenance these days.
When I was at my heaviest about 4 years ago I worked in an animal hospital so I wore scrubs all day at work and I found I also wore them around the house too because they were so comfortable, I didn't care if they got dirty and they pretty much hid my figure. I still took care of myself otherwise but the fashion definitely left a little to be desired!
Now, 50 lbs. lighter I care a lot more about my clothing choices, I love shopping for new clothes that are cute and stylish. I'm still a casual girl at heart though and my favorite outfit includes my best pair of jeans, a cute top and sandals! The great thing about it though is that it can be as casual or as dressy as I want depending on whether or not I choose my dark jeans with strappy heels and a dressy top or if I put on flipflops and a t-shirt instead.
I've always been heavy! As I grew up and especially when I went to college( I went to an all-girls high school) I got better at straightening/de-frizzing my hair, putting on makeup, etc. I've been pretty lucky in that I have clear skin though. Definitely frumpy all throughout middle and elementary school.
In short, yes, now that I'm losing weight, I'm paying more attention to how I look.
I'd have to put myself in something of the lame fashionista category. I don't have much of an inner sense of pulling outfits together. Now that shopping for clothes is much less painful, I'm enjoying buying cuter things, and wearing nicer jewelry, I recently started doing my nails (I painted my nails all the time when I was a teenager and in my 20s, then stopped). It's funny, I've noticed that people treat me differently when I dress nicer, they're friendlier and more social with me. Maybe I have more confidence too.
I've worn my hair the same way for years, I'm working up the courage to try a local salon and get a new do.
I'd like to get some snazzier shoes. I'd say most of the time it's sneakers for me, ha.
I bought a pink vest sweater this spring, and a white blouse and black slacks with flared legs that I like how I look in, one of my favorite outfits. I have a yellow blouse that I think is flattering too (funny aside, I saw the same blouse on a victim/body in an episode of that show Castle with Nathan Fillion! ha)
Hmmmm. THere were times I wore baggy clothes, but I have always been kind of on the stylist side. I always thought it was important to dress like you thought you looked like a million bucks. I used to have just awful self esteem, but dressing well, and 'faking it' made it all very real for me and now I have awesome self esteem weight issues or not.
But we all have the dreaded 'fat day' ...or for most of us here...'fatTER day...' :P
When I was young I was not overweight, just average weight with curves (thanks mom!) and I was the kind of girl who often wore dresses to school because I loved to look good. All my friends thought I was a little off but I didn't care. I never left the house without full make-up. Get the idea?
I went through different stages of what was fashionable age each major age change but I only let myself go after I had kids. 3 in 3 years--yep, planned --each and every one of them!
At the birth of my last child child I was pretty much were I am now. It wasn't that I felt too fat to look nice I just figured there was no point in dressing nicely because I had children who were just going to poop, pee or puke on me so why bother? That's when the sweat pants phase occurred. I had them in every color, matching tops and bottoms, cute tennis shoes. But no make-up and very short unstyled hair--sort of a man's cut.
One day, in kindness my husband asked me to dress better when I left the house. He was so sweet about it I wasn't even offended. It did take me awhile to figure out what worked for me and what stores to go to but I would say that my sense of style just gets better and better.
So, having given that lengthy diatribe...no, I did not let myself go because I weighed more. I regained that girly-girly and I have made an effort to get my hair done on a regular basis, trying to stay trendy with a cut that works for me and my unruly hair. I love to get pedis and mani's. I shop at inexpensive places like Ross (dress for less!) TJMaxx and Marshall's. I find great clothes there as well as shoes (when I find shoes in wide width I stock up!). I am blessed to live near a large city where I have many options so dressing nicely doesn't cost me an arm and a leg.
Today is my 23rd wedding anniversary. I am wearing a black cocktail dress that was on clearance at Ross for 6.99--no that is not a typo. I will be wearing some sparkly kitten heel shoes that I got on clearance for $7.99. I am going to look HOT for my hubby tonight for around $15.00. He's already seen me in the dress when I tried it on for him when I first got it. His eyes lit up!
I'm having FUN tonight!
I leave you with this thought. Dress the best you can for where you are Now (I think I got that from Stacey and Clinton from the TLC show WHAT NOT TO WEAR). You don't need alot and you don't need to spend alot. Get that hair colored and or cut. Treat yourself to a manicure or pedicure. We are NOT second class citizens. We deserve to look and feel our best!
With the more weight you gained, did you let yourself go?
