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

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.

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!!

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.

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...

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!

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!

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

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.