I have gained a lot of weight in my senior year of high school and college, and as a result none of my jeans and a lot of my shirts don't fit me anymore.
This has made me feel really bad about myself, so I tend to wear the same "uniform" every day to hide my body: running/sweat pants or baggy gauchos and a tshirt or hoodie depending how warm it is outside.
The problem is, I wear the same clothes over and over. I'm a very girly person and feel like such a slob wearing sweats day after day. I want this to change but I've just begun this weight loss journey and don't want to buy new clothes that fit me now because hopefully I will be able to fit into some of my old clothes in the next few months. And also I don't know if I'm comfortable showing my body yet, and I'm only 3 days into my program.
Has this type of situation ever happened to anyone else? What did you do about it?
I was the same way in high school - I tended to gravitate to the same stuff because it was all I felt "OK" in. I didn't have a lot of money to spend on clothes, either, but I did finally cave and go purchase a couple of things - mainly stuff that would mix and match, so I could wear different combinations and get different looks. A couple of pairs of jeans, 1 pair of black pants, tank tops in 3 colors and about 3 tops that could be worn either buttoned up or open over the tank tops. I only had to spend about $150 by shopping carefully, and I felt SO much better about myself and getting dressed each day. I know that on one hand it's really hard to spend the money when you're planning to be out of a certain size soon, but on the other hand, your self-esteem really takes a beating when you feel bad about yourself every day. There was a lot about myself that I couldn't change in an instant, but how I dressed was something that I COULD.
And, by getting tank tops that fit just right (ie, too snugly for me to consider wearing them without an overshirt), as I lost weight they still fit OK, just a little looser. Even the overshirts got extra wear, as they just got roomier but didn't look ridiculous. It's really the pants that will be a problem first!
Really, though, even a few months is too long to go feeling terrible if there's anything you can do to help yourself feel better - even if it's just a "second uniform" for now Even just one new pair of pants and another shirt you feel comfortable in will give you a little lift.
I agree. You don't want to keep feeling bad because that's going to have a negative impact on dieting. What I did was to buy one really super nice outfit...one size smaller than I wore. I'd hang it in clear view until I could fit into it, then do it again. That way you're not restocking your wardrobe, but you're giving yourself a push AND getting at least one nice outfit to wear.
I know how you feel because I was there at my highest weight too. However, my healthy eating made me feel good about myself even if there were no pounds to lose. Maybe I'm a wacko, but I was feeling pretty good about myself even though I picked up a larger size because I thought to myself "it's ok if these are bigger, in no time, they'll be too big!" That cheered me up. Try looking at it from a different point of view. I agree that you need new clothes to bolster your self esteem just a tad. It doesn't have to be a new wardrobe, just something new like a pair of jeans/pants and a couple of shirts. Try stores with reasonable prices like Target or Walmart. They have good styes coming out and they're made for people who have small budgets. I LOVE Target. They have great clothes and shoes...just my two cents. :P
Gitterlicious, oh, it's so nice to meet you on this ever so slow ride to sexyville. Yes, I have been in your situation before. Came back for a few more visits. Man! It really stinks! The worst is having to go find something that fits decent, and looks good. What size am I? Uggh, how humiliating as you go up to the next size!
For me, it has been 4 weeks of dieting and sweating. Clothes are better, yet I still have a way to go. The good news is that clothes are the best measuring tool. It will feel looser before the scale tells you a lower number.
Just a guy's opinion... No matter how overweight you are, you look better when dressed to accentuate your features rather than hide them. Unless you walk around with a portable wall in front of you, you're not really hiding anything anyway.
I know just how you feel. I wear a size 26 and don't really want to go up AGAIN. Here is what I would suggest. Check out a used clothing store. Make sure everything fits. It's ok to show your figure. I do and I get lot's of compliments. I know how it feels inside..you don't think you look good so you dress to cover up the problems. Doesn't work. You still have them. So buy something that is flattering for right now. You don't have to spend a lot of money to get just a few items to suppliment your wardrobe.
You need to start loving yourself now. Fix yourself up. You're girlie and you can do certain things to come across that way now. Be sure to put on makeup and do your hair and I don't know where you live but some places have great "used' clothing. Like if you have a platos closet near you then you could check that out or just a consignment store. Check those out. But whatever you do be good to yourself now. Don't wait! Yes we are going to losing weight and looking BETTER all the time but there's no reason we can't feel better right now!
Jman1 is right--you'll look better wearing well-fitting clothes than trying to hide in sweats and oversized shirts. (Watch "What Not to Wear"!) Used clothing stores are good. So is ebay. Or Target. You might find that if you start taking pride in your appearance now, you'll be happier with yourself and more motivated to tackle your weight loss. Get yourself a pair or two of well-fitting jeans and some structured tops and jackets. You can always resell them on ebay when you don't need them anymore, or donate them to Goodwill.
my situation is actually backwards, i have been wearing sloppy clothes because of my weight all my life and im working towards wearing girly stuff pretty soon. id say dont buy clothes right now, only jeans if they start fitting loose because if you stick with the loose ones, youll start getting too comfortable and you will slow down on the progress. keep changing sizes, it helps keep you motivated.
I agree with pinupdreams. If you're really serious about losing, there's no sense in buying a bunch of clothes that wont fit in a month's time. I also take care with my hair and make-up, but I must admit my clothes have been pretty horrible this past year. I've literally gone months wearing 1 or 2 different pants on a DAILY basis (which I do wash frequently mind you). This is not necessarily about the dollars, but more about me simply not intending on staying this size and therefore seeing absolutely zero point in buying clothes for these temporary sizes. And they have indeed been temporary. I''m forever wearing pants that are too big because I dont even want to go lower and then not have those fit soon either. So I wear the pants until I need a belt on the last hole, and I start looking a bit ridiculous. At that point I buy one more pair in the next size down and keep wearing those until well after they're too big. I'd rather wait til I hit goal, and then hook up the wardrobe.
On the other hand, you've got a longer way to go than me so its harder to put your life on hold for a few years. I say get a few nice looking things and be repetitive about wearing them. If they're made of black or jeans material, people don't seem to notice (or are too polite to say anything LOL).
I see both sides of the coin. But I really think it's important to feel good about yourself RIGHT NOW. This second. Why put it off? The better you feel about yourself, the more willing you may be to start taking care of yourself and shedding the pounds. Having decent looking clothing really can do a lot to boost ones morale. Even just a few items, a couple of bottoms and a few tops. If they're too big on you in a few months, that's NOT a bad thing.
I wore the same size 20 jeans every day for months and months (I washed it) even when they had a broken zipper. I wear the same outfit everyday. Jeans, a hoodie, and a shirt. I change the shirt occasionally, but I basically wear that. I just bought new jeans (size 20), and I threw out my 2x's...but I'm going to continue looking the same until I can feel better about my body and when I can wear some older clothes.
I dont really have the money for clothes but I scrounged through my closet and found some outfits that still fit that are more figure flattering.
I gave myself a makeover today and got all dressed up and received tons of compliments, and even some whistles. My friend laughed at me cuz some guy even checked me out.
I'll post a picture soon. I actually took a full body picture of myself. It's not the best because I'm just beginning, but its 100% better than I have been looking lately.
What a great self esteem booster.
I have a new goal: doing my hair and makeup every day. It's a small thing that makes me feel so much better inside.
Clothes. Agh!
