[coley144]

Hi

Hope you don't mind me posting here. I'm not a maintainer or anywhere near but I intend to be one day!

I wanted to ask you all as people who have done this - did you find you had problems with your self image as you lost weight? Its sounds silly but I am really finding it hard to decide what to wear! I am much more conscious of what I am wearing than at any time in my life.

The thing is that I put something on - look in the mirror - and generally end up changing, over and over again. I just can't decide what this new 'me' wears! And probably as soon as I do the new 'me' changes again as I lose more weight!

Is it just me feeling like this? If not does it settle down as the weight loss does?

Claire x

[MTHead]

I am not a maintainer, either, but I noticed that I tend to do the same thing (although I have not been actively losing for a few months). I have my regular "standby" 8 or so outfits for work, which I am very comfortable with, but on weekends, I am contstantly changing, trying to find something that looks better. I think that when I was heavier I just didn't care as much, but since I have lost some weight, I have a bit more pride in my appearance. Like, I kew I'd have an obvious tummy roll no matter what I wore, so I never felt compelled to try to camoflague it as much as I do now (even though it is much smaller). Weekends used to be sweat/yoga pants and a sweat or T-shirt, but now I am trying on like 4 or 5 tops to go with better fitting jeans. I am hoping that after I lose the remaining 30lbs. I will not put myself through this as much.

[Moo :)]

I do too, I've got to the stage now where I have to sort out what I'm wearing before I go to bed, if I don't I'll lie in bed fretting about it, then have to get up at silly o'clock in the morning to get dressed, change, change, change and then put back on what I first put on. So damn annoying!!

[Tani]

I spent a lot more time obsessively changing my outfits when I was heavy. I was always trying to disguise my size. Which in retrospec seems more than a little useless.

My only clothing neurosis now is that I pretty much only buy fitted clothing. If it doesn't show off my new shape it doesn't make the cut. I think I have this fear that if I wear something baggy people will think I've gained weight. Sad, I know, that I still worry about what people are thinking.

Self image wise, I think I'm settling in nicely to my maintenance weight. I'm starting to feel at home in my skin again. I'm not surprised by who I see looking back in the mirror.

[Heather]

I'm not maintaining yet either, but having lost 80 pounds I'm a lot less interested in wearing the babby clothes that make up most of my closet! I want to show off a little, even though I've got a long way to go!

When I weighted 80 pounds more I had many fewer clothing optiosn and nothing looked good anyway, so it didn't pay to care...

[coley144]

Thanks for your replies. Its good to know I'm not the only one changing clothes a lot! I think with me my previous fashion choices dont seem appropriate any more. I am more aware of what I weigh and look like. I feel more keen to look good.

Which is all very well but its annoying when I am standing in my room, my bed covered in clothes and am late for a night out!

[boarderchick]

It may be that you have a newfound pride in your appearance! I see it as a good sign, and I did experience that as well. I remember thinking how odd it was that I was caring how things were looking on me. Now that I'm at goal (ish) it's even worse!

[coley144]

I think it is a newfound pride in my appearance. I always used to care how I looked but I bothered more about my face than my clothes - oh and my hands! Funny they are the bits that didn't show the weight much!

Claire x

[lilybelle]

I am 6 lbs. from goal and do the exact same things. I try on many different things to see what looks best. When I was 80+ lbs. heavier I'd just grab anything loose fitting I could find and try to disguise my weight. Now, I want my clothes to fit just right. I think I have found more pride in how I look. I'm also a lot more apt to fix my hair and put on make-up and my nails are always painted. I feel that after losing this much weight and working at it so diligently that I want to look my very best when I leave the house.