same here! so much so I got a casual job there so I can get the 50% off employee discount. (all my professional clothing looked sloppy) It was an amazing day when I realized the 'plus size' side of the store was too big and I got to shop on the 'normal size' side. yay reitmans. (corny thing is.. part of the reitman's family includes addition-elle and penningtons... so NOW i can get a huge discount on all the grossly overpriced plus sized clothing)

Good thread.

I'm much more "beauty" conscious now than I was then. I still don't consider myself very good looking (as young women go), but I NEVER wore make-up when I was heavy, not even to parties -- not even to a wedding -- I felt I looked ridiculous in it; what's the point of smearing the cr@p on my face? etc. Now I wear make-up almost everyday - foundation, powder, concealer (if I have a pimple), eye liner and mascara (but it's all applied very subtly, rest assured).

I'm also much more particular about what styles of clothes I will wear. At 264lbs, I would really wear basically anything so long that it fit and wasn't too too too old-looking for me. Now I know what kinds of tops -- generally -- flatter me and I won't buy something unless it really looks okay.

I won't leave the house unless my hair is blow-dried and good (not that my hairstyle is complicated, but still...).

I still don't wear perfume or take bubble-baths though. I still won't/can't wear high heels (with a few exceptions).

For me, weight and depression and negative body image and low self-esteem were definitely different sides of the same coin. I was never diagnosed with anything though.

This one really hit home to me. My kids are always commenting about how vain I've become and can't understand why I want to lose more weight (I started out at 274. I'm at 224 right now). They laugh at me for caring so much about how I look but I want to look good. I'm proud of me and I want everyone else to be proud of me too. I think secretly my kids are proud of their mama. They know how hard I've worked at this.

Writer - I have heard them tell their friends. My oldest DD (17) exagerates a bit lol but I heard her tell one friend that we hadn't seen in a while that I had lost like 70 lbs :-) Of course it wasn't that much but they are definitely proud. I'll never forget one day my youngest DS (10) gave me a hug and he went on for 15 mins about how he could actually wrap his arms all the way around me.

Now I hear "Mom, it's just a baseball game!"
Well heck.. I don't get out much so if it's just a baseball game, by golly I'm gonna look good when I get there

I like that attitude. "By golly I'm gonna look good."

beachmomma...i hear ya about the kids being proud of ya. my teen daughter has done the same thing to her friends. She'll tell her guy friends how much i've lost and she'll tell me how they tell her how hot i am. lol. I also think i upset one of her best girlfriends when i gave her a pair of her jeans back saying they were too big now. poor girl. (girl loaned them to my daughter who loaned them to me).

I was pretty bad before, but oh man. I'm so bad I haven't had time to come around and be around the fabulous people! With the mani/pedis, facials, full body massages, nightly bubble baths with Lush Products and on and on. I was always into taking care of the body I had, even though I wasn't thin, but it's just extra fun to be at goal weight and feel gorgeous every day. Even when I look ratty in the morning, I feel sexily ratty. I adore slathering on cremes (I have no idea if they actually work) on my face, using twenty dollar lipgloss and all that stuff. I'm worth it.

I'm with Meg. I swear when I want to go on a cupcake rampage I whiff my bottle of Angel (it smells like a naughty cupcake) that totally makes me less inclined to bother with the real thing.

Im glad its not just me!! I look at myself constantly!! I think in part it's because I can't believe how small I look!! But Too I agree that we've learned to put ourselves first and self care goes hand in hand with vanity! I just got my hair washed and blown out!! I would have never done that when I was heavy because I would have worried what people thought of that big girl trying so hard to look pretty

I've always been a little bit vain about my appearance (colored my hair, had a nice cut, wore make-up, tried to dress in flattering clothes), but it's gotten way way worse since I lost weight:

• I get pedicures regularly. For the past year, my toes have never been without polish.
• I now get my bikini line waxed regularly (in my defense, I swim every week and shaving just wasn't working).
• I've started buying all sorts of lotions, creams, and hair products. Some really expensive stuff, some stuff from the dollar bin at Target. It's like some sort of addiction.
• I get a massage at least every two months.
• I've been increasing the amount of make-up I wear, although this has been a little slow going because a lot of make-up is just a mystery to me.
• I've started buying jewelry and wearing it.
• I used to only buy clothes that were loose fitting. Now I am the exact opposite. Everything has to be tight tight tight. I'll put stuff back on the rack because "it isn't tight enough."
• Leaving the house requires me to change my outfit at least five times, until I find the one that fits just perfectly and that I look the absolute thinnest in (although part of the problem is that my body is continuing to change shape and clothes that fit last week don't always fit this week).
• Before I lost weight, I would never in a million years have considered cosmetic surgery. Now, I have to say, the thought occasionally does cross my mind.

And then there is all the money I spend on personal training, gym membership, workout gear, pool admission, swim gear, etc. If that's not vanity, what is?

Oh, and my complexion has almost completely cleared up since I started working out. Turns out that sweat is the best acne medicine ever. My trainer told me exercise would be good for my complexion and he was 100% correct.

I've definitely splurged more on face creams, etc. but mainly because I've gotten a lot more "wrinkled" in my face due to weight loss! But I guess I'll take the good with the bad. I've been using Murad Resurgence which is great for menopausal skin. At least I think it's helping. I've gotten several free facials at the Origin counter. Love their bath & body stuff too. The Dr. Weil Matcha products smell heavenly. I wish I could afford to get the varicose veins on my legs removed. They're pretty bad...don't like to wear shorts. I've always paid a good price to get my hair cut every 4 weeks and highlights regularly. I also get my lip area waxed regularly now. I've been giving myself regular pedicures and definitely shopping for new clothes more. It's so much fun!!

BluetoBlue--I can totally relate to changing your clothes five times before leaving the house. Even on days when I work in my yard and all I see is my dog I try to dress in my nicest grungies. It amazes me that what I used to wear for dress up I now wear to clean my bathroom. I earned the right to look as good as I can.

Oh, I just found this thread. And it's a great one!!

Ditto. Ditto. And more ditto.

I would also have to add tanning to the list. Sitting in the sun was out of the question when I was heavy. I love having a tan now and "work" on it whenever possible. And yes, I'm aware of the harmful affects of the sun. Really need to think this one over come next summer.

Also want to add, that not only do my clothes have to be just right, but yikes, even my PJ's have to be kinda special. But I don't need them to be fitted - at least for that .


Without a doubt first and foremost the "reason" for my weight loss was health related. But somewhere along the line, vanity came into play - and hasn't left. It's gotten stronger in fact.