NSV for me!!!
 

I don't enjoy shopping. Well, I enjoy the concept of shopping...but I hate that the 'cute' clothes don't come in plus size. I hate that the store I prefer to shop in don't even HAVE plus size section. Get skinny or GTFO.

So the past five years or so I have been shopping at Wal-mart, Target...cheap places with every size under the sun. Both because I wasn't going to like what looked halfway decent on me so why spend $$...and because buying clothes that fit made me feel like I was saying "yea, this is what size I am and plan to be." I stopped wearing pants and bought skirts with elastic bands. It helped me delude myself into thinking I wasn't as big. An XL isn't as insulting as an 18/20.

I stopped even going into the mall stores that I used to get my wardrobe from.

Last week I went to the mall, H&M had just opened and my supermodel skinny friend was all a-twitter with excitement about it. I was bummed, knowing nothing in the store would fit me.

EVERY SIZE 14 FIT LIKE A GLOVE. I got to try on four -Count them- FOUR gorgeous dresses. Spurred on by my unexpected success I ventured into several other stores I'd been avoiding for years. I got to try on clothing in each. I felt awesome. More importantly, I felt NORMAL. I felt like every other shopper in the store, picking something off the rack and going back to try it on instead of staring at a gorgeous top with longing and sadness, knowing the store didn't even carry a size I could fit. It was AWESOME.

I haven't really felt like I looked any different...I still feel huge and gross and all the terrible things we tell ourselves are true...but this was undeniable change. And it made my freaking week. The photos below are me near my highest weight of 200...and then me in a size 12 dress from the Limited. Last week.

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6207/...37d1ebbac1.jpg

You look great!! I love the dress!

YAY!!! I love that feeling :)

Congrats on your NSV-- I was just wondering when my first history would be :) thanks for the great story.... gives me something to look forward to!!

That's awesome! You look great and I love the dress :)

Congratulations! I know what you mean about shopping! I recently dropped a clothes size, so I feel amazing and have been buying clothes like a crazy person! Some of them are a bit snug, but I know they'll get looser! It's incredible when you lose weight and then you see a difference when you wear old sizes that used to be snug now feel loose. GO YOU!

CONGRATS!! :carrot:

I TOTALLY know what you mean! Clothes shopping is MUCH more fun now.

COngrats :):)

you look super ;) enjoy the feelings...

wooohoooo well done :)

Congrats!!!

what an adorable dress! you totally rock it :)

Way to go! I don't think H&M even offers a 14 here in Canada, AND I heard a sales girl in the store say that their sizes tend to run one small, so their 14 is more like a 12 in other stores. Be prepared to spend lots now that you are wearing the main range!!

Awesome! BTW, I can see a huge difference in your two pictures, you look great!

You look great! :)

Thanks so much ladies, seeing you all work so hard and shrink like mad has been/continues to be an awesome inspiration!

ahyessophie Really? I was not aware that H&M tended to run small. That kinda made my day. :)

runningfromfat: Aw, thank you! I don't tend to see much of a change in the photos (even though I was *squeezed* into that purple hoodie), so the clothing size really cheered me up. :)

lovely dress girlie!