Maybe some of you, I hope, will relate to this, others might just think I'm whacko. I'm at a size now where I'm straddling plus sizes and normal sizes. I've been wearing size 18 in jeans, but I sit in them once and they stretch out too big. I bought what I thought looked like a small 18 from the plus section the other day and didn't try them on till I got home...they were too big. So, today I went shopping and went to the non-plus side. I instantly felt out of place, anxious, nervous...like people were looking at me thinking what the heck is she doing here, she should be on the plus side. Of course, no one said anything, but I had it in my head they were staring. I got so upset and self conscious that I just finally grabbed the first size 16 pair of jeans that didn't feel like too heavy of a material, threw them in the cart and rushed out of the section. :-(
I thought I had calmed down, then I get to the checkout and I get all embarrassed and nervous again when the clerk unfolds the jeans and scans the tag. I was just waiting for her to ask if they were for someone else or did I get the right size, or give me a look, whatever. Geesh, it was so stressful! Am I nuts?! I just tried them on and guess what? They fit! Zip up and I can breathe and bend...they are a tad snug in the calves because my calves are huge from carrying 340 pounds around for years. But, they look alright. Still, I don't think I'll try going clothes shopping again by myself. I'll take my friend next time. I think I'll wear the 16's till they fall off me....then I'll get a belt. Lol

KatMarie- My goodness hun you have lost so much weight! Congratulations!!
This is my opinion...your head has not caught up with your body
You have a onderland body now. If people were looking at you-
it wasn't because they were thinking you should be in the plus size side- it was because you look so great!!
Don't you worry about what anyone thinks...you rock those 16's!!

Gosh, this is an interesting thread for me! It seems like shopping in the regular section would be thrilling and exciting, but I bet I will have the same reaction when I get there. Thanks for sharing, and I agree that bringing a friend will totally help with the awkwardness until you get over that hump of discomfort and the smaller-size section becomes your new normal. I agree with goal4agirl, rock those 16s, baby!

KatMarie, you have lost a whole person !!!! You have lost more than I now weigh !!!
Here is a hint about jeans, it may help with the calf situation. Look for straight leg jeans. I know Lee makes them as I have a couple of pair and they will be marked that way.

BREATHE girl- your post sounds so hectic you are making me nervous.

Good for you for getting into 16s! It's only a matter of time before you fit into 14s!

I recently went clothes shopping for the 1st time since my weightloss journey and I went with the intention to buy size 14 jeans (I needed a belt for my 16s). But I thought I'd buy an aspirational pair so I also picked a 12 even though I felt ridiculous and hid it under my 14s. So I took them to the dressing room and tried them on prepared to see how far away I was from a 12 and they fit! And not indecently and muffin top-ish. They actually fit properly. So you'd think I'd do a happy dance but I just got weepy. And ended up buying a mostly 14s (all of which I need a belt for now) and one 12. And I regret it.

One of the best parts of this journey, one of the prizes apart from better health is to look better and fit into nicer clothes and hopefully be more confident etc. And you've obviously put in the effort so you deserve to get clothes that fit you, no matter what anyone thinks. You're not getting the clothes for free, you're paying for them, so it's not anyone's business really what size you get. If you chose to squeeze into a size zero, it really is no one's business as long as you pay for it. And next time I go shopping, I'm going to keep this in mind. It's a struggle sometimes, but we need to OWN our accomplishments and enjoy them.

you guys are cute. Did you expect alarms to go off if you bought a small size?

Hi Kat! First off CONGRATULATIONS on your terrific weight loss! What an awesome accomplishment.

Secondly, I could have written your post a few years ago. I was seriously terrified to even venture over to "the other side". I swear to you it will become some what easier though. I now go into dress shops and when the clerk asks to help me with sizes I almost yell to them "a size 6". Though oddly, I still sometimes feel like I'm lying to them. LOL

Great NSV, congratulations on your 16s! That's a size I remember fondly, lol.

Oh, congratulations!!! I totally know how you feel...I feel like a impostor shopping in the "regular" sizes rather than Plus sizes - to the point where I'll always go browse the Plus sizes first before I remember that I can wear clothes from the other section.

Thanks for the suggestion about a straight-leg jean.
I am breathing, lol. I had just gotten home, was stressed and tried on the 16's and was excited they fit and was rambling. ;-) I'm a rambler.
Ooooh, size 12's, can't wait to fit into those!
I'm settled down now. It was a weird feeling to be all flustered about not shopping in the plus section. I never expected to feel like that and it caught me off guard. I see some others have experienced this feeling, too...glad I'm not alone in this. I guess it will take some time for my mind to catch up with my weight loss. Heck, 9 months ago I could only shop in specialty plus stores and most the time their largest sizes were sold out because they don't stock many of the largest sizes. So, I'd have to special order the dang clothes. Not a fun thing to do.

Yes! This is me, too. I still feel weird. I feel like an impostor walking into regular size clothing stores...and it still weirds me out to pick up smaller sizes, walk into the fitting room, and have them fit. Anyways congrats, buying smaller clothes is such fun!!

I had a problem like that when I was looking for a business outfit and started piking up dresses. I started grabbing any dress that I thought was cute and a tall, thin woman was looking at them right beside me. It made me feel so nervous I moved and came back after she had left.

Nothing whacko at all about this post. Nothing at all.

I just want to say...CONGRATULATIONS on your progress. Shopping gets so, so, so much more fun when you reach the crucial point of accepting that you fit into the sizes at X store. I look forward to reading tons of NSV threads from you in the future regarding shopping successes <3

Congratulations!

I have a feeling I'll feel like this when the time comes too... >_<