I felt this way big time! I felt like everyone was staring at me and the sales people would be telling me where the large clothes section was. It took a few times to get over this. Once in a while I still feel awkward, but I'm loving the shopping now. Just keep with the weight loss and you will adjust. I feel like retail therapy is very real for me. It's helping me get over my issues to keep trying on and buying clothes in smaller sizes. One good thing about the economy being in the crapper is clothes are cheap now! It's a great time to have to replace your wardrobe.

I'm terrified sometimes of going into the fitting rooms unless I'm /absolutely certain/ at least one of my choices will fit because of the opinion of the smiley attendant who opens the doors. If I get something too small, my options would be to (a) ask the smiley attendant to please get a bigger size [mortifying], or (b) hand the garment to her as I walk out and pretend I didn't like it [in which case I don't get to get anything]. It's not much better with big misfits, because I'd have to tell her a specific still-too-big-in-my-head size to bring anyway.

Enjoying the results post hard work is indeed a wonderful experience. You feel better as you better your past records. Going for regular sizes is what many people dream about.You have done it in your own way. Keep going as you have a long way to move on.

I used to feel this way as well, but let me say after working at several retail jobs, in the fitting room and elsewhere, no one cares. I have to be there for a 6 hour shift no matter how many sizes you'd like me to get you or how many clothes I need to put back on the floor, it's just a job. That and there are so many requests and sizes and clothes that no one would take the time to scrutinize anything.

In Korea the salespeople swarm you like mosquitos and I genuinely feel like they will shoe me out of the store if I try to shop. I've decided to not buy clothes until I reach my healthy BMI (about 25 more lbs) for that very reason. Also, I have this tendency to buy clothes on the small side with the intention of losing... for years that didn't work but lately I actually AM losing so it is logistical.

I used to think "THEY KNOW" when I would buy food for a binge... if I went through a drive-through and ordered double portions, I assumed THEY KNEW I was some big binging pig who was going to eat it all. But then once I stopped binging, I would go to the drive-through and not think twice if I ordered food for two.

Just shows how messed up we can be about our images.

Totally. My sister is trying to lose weight with me but has never been anywhere near as big as I am, nor has she been overweight as long as I have. We were talking about a weight loss myth that somebody had mentioned on here, and I listed a bunch of other BS weight-loss tips I had heard over the years. She was incredulous and said she had never heard of most of them, and it occurred to me: she hasn't had people giving her unsolicited weight-loss advice over the years, as I have. It was a strange epiphany for me: those who are overweight and those who are not have different interaction with people, at least, the kind of people who make a big deal about appearance.