I think that when most people decide to lose weight, they've got an image in their mind what the final result (the new image) is going to look like.
I sometimes have motivational problems, so I've already begun to implement some of the changes I have in mind. I've changed the color of my hair, I'm growing out my bangs, and this afternoon I invested in some new makeup (a totally different line than I normally purchase). I am already beginning to look different (and that's kind of inspiring).
It occurred to me that I must not be the only person who thinks in terms of this whole enterprise being more than just losing weight. Usually people get a little more daring when they've begun to do something good for themselves. A small beginning can blossom into a total makeover.
I thought it would be interesting to ask what plans everyone has once they get to goal (or during the process to inspire them to get to goal)? Are you going to change your hair? Your makeup? The kind of clothes you normally buy?
I think maybe sharing ideas might give me some new ones I hadn't considered...
I got excited when I read your post. This is really not a topic that most people talk about. I too, have an image that I see myself, Yes, the weightloss has been made me feel better. But, it has also made me realize that I am not going to be the one I pictured because it really wasn't me anyway. I have to come to terms that the best I can be is the best I am going to be. Sure I want to have a six pack,,,but without surgery thats not going to happen. So, when I get to my goal weight I will be able to look at myself and say "your amazing because you tried and you have a child and you are not 18 anymore" but that does not mean I am not aiming high and accepting me.
I went to a shopping centre after the first 20 pounds lost and I was thrilled that I had lost two sizes and I am still happy with that. I can't wait until I can fit into a size 7 again and I know I will do it. I also know that it will never be a size 2.....sheesh who's a size 2?????
Thank you for starting this thread and I hope it continues.
I can't say that I have a complete "final picture" in mind; because I've never been thin, and I was so very very very overweight, my attitude is more "we'll see what we have to work with." But, I do anticipate making some changes, and I've already made a lot. I've lost a little over 140 and have 20 or 30 to go before I reach a reasonable weight, if not a svelte figure.
My hair hasn't changed much, simply because I hate fooling with hair and right now it's wash-n-wear. But, it looks nice and I have started using some goop on it that I didn't used to use. I got my first manicure several months ago, and got a manicure AND a pedicure last month. My feet have never looked so good. In fact, they looked so nice I bought a pair of high-heel sandals! That's the first pair of sandals I've owned in many years. I also wear a lot more high-heels than I used to in general, and they're HIGHER than they used to be -- if they're sturdy, my poor old knees don't feel threatened and I can actually walk, keep my balance, and not have my feet hurt. (Still won't wear those awful pointy spiky things tho' ... eek.)
What else ... I guess the biggest change is in the style of clothes. I still have a pear-shaped body, with lots of lumps and sags, and I guess I always will unless a lottery win finances some serious plastic surgery. But, I wear drastically different clothes now, and started picking up on wearing other styles after I had lost about 100 pounds. I used to prefer things that were "oversized" (if possible), longish skirts, NEVER wore pants, and wore lots of dresses with empire waists, or jacket dresses that were somewhat boxy & shapeless. Jackets and tops were best if they hung down past the fullest part of my hips. I now wear short (right above the knee) skirts more often than not (although I still have some longer skirts), and I demand that my clothes FIT and make it look like I have a waist (even though that's a bit of an optical illusion LOL). I discovered that you look even slimmer when your clothes have a girly shape to them. Imagine that. I prefer tops that either tuck in, or fall between my waist and hipline; jackets can be a classic length (or even short) rather than over-long. I have three stylish pants suits, jeans, and chinos. I'm a winter, so I still favor darker colors most of the time, but it's really what I look best in. Empire waists have been banished from my wardrobe, as have coordinating jacket dresses that hit half-way down the shin. Basically, except for something like a blazer or a basic top, if it is a style I would have worn in a size 26 or up ... it ain't a style I'll wear now, just on principle.
I now have fishnets ... and some chemise nightgowns ... and lots more jewelry ... and I wear a bit more makeup when I go out of an evening ... and I actually go OUT of an evening, regularly, which I hadn't done in many years. Even though I'm still overweight and a bit misshapen, I get a healthy dose of male attention, and it's all because I've completely made over the way I dress.
When I get to my goal ... I would love to have a professional-style makeover, from someone who really knows how to give wardrobe advice as well as the hair and makeup stuff. But, I'm not sure how one would go about finding a really qualified stylist. Still, I plan to go to one of the better salons in town and see if a master hair stylist can do something wonderful with my hair, and I'll probably get a makeup lesson, too.
Here's something else I started doing, and I really enjoy it: spa treatments. I get a massage at a top facility every couple of months, and when I can spring a little extra cash I may get a soak and/or facial to go with it. I also get a professional brow waxing when needed. I would NEVER have done these things before -- from a combination of "what's the point" and being too embarrassed. Now, I feel like a regular person! LOL
Last edited by funniegrrl; 06-24-2004 at 10:18 PM.
This is a great topic..... I love it!!! The thing is I am a tomboy, when I am at home and not having to work i wear t-shirts (mostly tye dye or band shirts) and jeans I am 23, I work at a bank so I kind of have to dress nice and girlie... mostly I just wear peasant shirts and nice slacks... I have this image in my mind of hitting my goal weight and wearing really cute low-cut jeans and maybe some tank tops or really girlie tops, I am kind of alternative in my dress I am somewhat of a rocker chick and I dont think that would change about me but I would love to go out and where a pair of those boots that l go up to your knees or even your thighs...... and maybe even a skirt once in awhile. I havent changed my hair since....... well ever... I have hair down past my butt and I am terrified to cut any of it, but I have often wondered if I use it as a safety blanket or something..... I also wonder if my mind will change when I reach goal??? Now that would shock everyone I knew if I cut my hair..... it would be funny to see the look on all their faces, but it makes me sad and a little sick to even think about it..... I have been trying new makeup and trying to where better fitting clothes cuz I realized that baggier clothes just make you look bigger, I guess until I get there I dont know what is going to happen, but I will be ready for whatever......
What a fun thread.
I am 50 was thin until I hit about 37. I used to dress stylish. NOw I have been wearing the empire dresses, and what I generally think of as "fat clothes". I also find I don't spend near the time shopping, because I am not pleased with the look. I am definately looking forward to finding clothes that fit better.
I do enjoy the spa treatments and started them about 5 years ago - a massage a month, waxed eyebrows, and coloring my hair.
I recently read Dr Phils book and he suggests trying to look your best now - because you need to believe you are worth it.
Hi there - I agree, what a neat thread! (I post usually over in Atkins or the 100lb club, but lurk everywhere)
I don't have a final picture in my mind because I have been overweight my whole life. Also, I'm just starting my journey, and I have 100+ lbs to lose, so I have a long way to go (I'm 25).
I think for me, it will probably be clothing that changes the most with me. I'm pretty low maintenance and a bit of a tomboy, in that I never wear makeup (though I don't think I need any -- hee...I just realized that sounds kind of arrogant! Oops! ) and my hair behaves well, so I'm pretty much a 'brush and go' kind of girl. My hair style changes fairly often. I often go from past shoulder length to short-short on a whim. I'm never too worried about getting my hair cut because it always grows back. I can't see myself getting too much of a makeover done, but who knows, maybe after I've lost the weight I will feel like getting a little 'girly.'
But as for clothes, that's where I will change things. I carry the majority of my weight around my ribcage, so I can often find fitted pants (if they're made out of that stretch material) that I like, but as for shirts, I don't like them fitted because of the rolls that I have from carrying all my weight on top. I often wear a tank top with a short sleeve button up shirt on top (not done up) to keep it layered. Probably to hide things! So, once I get down near goal weight, I am going to buy shirts that fit me! And maybe even a dress ... I have a couple skirts at the moment, but no dresses. Because my weight is mostly around my ribcage, I think all dresses look awful because I have sort of the inverse of the 'hour glass' shape upon which dress designs are made. It just doesn't work.
But, I wear drastically different clothes now, and started picking up on wearing other styles after I had lost about 100 pounds. I used to prefer things that were "oversized" (if possible), longish skirts, NEVER wore pants, and wore lots of dresses with empire waists, or jacket dresses that were somewhat boxy & shapeless. Jackets and tops were best if they hung down past the fullest part of my hips. I now wear short (right above the knee) skirts more often than not (although I still have some longer skirts), and I demand that my clothes FIT and make it look like I have a waist (even though that's a bit of an optical illusion LOL). I discovered that you look even slimmer when your clothes have a girly shape to them. Imagine that. I prefer tops that either tuck in, or fall between my waist and hipline; jackets can be a classic length (or even short) rather than over-long. I have three stylish pants suits, jeans, and chinos. I'm a winter, so I still favor darker colors most of the time, but it's really what I look best in. Empire waists have been banished from my wardrobe, as have coordinating jacket dresses that hit half-way down the shin. Basically, except for something like a blazer or a basic top, if it is a style I would have worn in a size 26 or up ... it ain't a style I'll wear now, just on principle.
I’m dead impressed that you know so well what you like and what you look good in! Good for you funniegrrl!
I’ve lost some weight, but I still haven’t changed what I’m wearing: it’s still jeans, sweatshirts, sneakers – and although I have had to buy smaller jeans; the sweatshirts and jackets are the same. And I like them big. I like being covered up.
I really do not know how to shop for clothes – I have no idea what I should be wearing, what would look good on me, etc. So the idea of a professional-style makeover is a really good one, and I’ve seen others on the board praising personal shoppers.
But - I suppose I should start with getting up the nerve to actually enter the stores first, huh?
Hi ladies, I usually post elsewhere as well (SBD forum) but this thread seemed too fun to pass up. I don't really know what it is like to be thin either. I have always been at the very least, a bit chubby, never under 140 which for my height still isn't thin.
I think because I missed so much in highschool etc, I will probably want to buy a few of the hot styles I missed out on when was younger, I'm 24 now. I will resist that temptation though and keep with the current styles. When I was 15-16, the in thing was shorter skirts and knee high socks a la Clueless. I always wanted to wear that. haha
I want to take advantage of the cute young hip clothing while I am in the age range. I want to wear skirts and shorts and I really would love to wear a bikini, even a regular swim suit will do (and be comfortable)
I want to enjoy shopping. Now it is a chore and a depressing one at that.
I want to get a cute new hairstyle, perhaps shorter.
I also kind of wanted to get my bellybutton pierced but I dunno, I am kind of chicken!
This was such a great thread. You guys are all doing wonderfully. Great job!
Hello everyone. My image of myself is to be able to wear the clothes that I wore the first time I loss weight and foolishly put it back on. Anyway I read somewhere that we subconsciously (I know I spelled that wrong) punishe ourselves when we are overweight by either not wearing makeup, or not dressing nice, or not keeping our appearance up. Well I am guilty of that, I wear ho-hum clothes because I will wear nice clothes when I am at goal and I said the other day NO MORE! So I ordered me a few new pieces of clothes and I will wear nicer clothes even though I am fat. SO thanks for this thread. God Bless You with a wonderful day.
I'm going to go shopping and buy clothes that I want to wear, rather than what I *can* wear.
Most of all, and this sounds a bit boring, but I want to get a really smart trouser suit for work, sort of a Sydney Bristow from Alias kind of suit lol. I've never been able to wear a suit for work, as I'm only 5ft 1 and they always swamp me.
Also, I've always wanted to get a tattoo at the base of my spine, so when I have reached 60lbs (am currently at 37lbs) I'm going to get the number 60 in Elvish tattooed there as a reminder of how hard I've worked getting there.
And I'll be able to wear hipsters and a bikini to show off the tattoo!
I really do not know how to shop for clothes – I have no idea what I should be wearing, what would look good on me, etc. So the idea of a professional-style makeover is a really good one, and I’ve seen others on the board praising personal shoppers.
But - I suppose I should start with getting up the nerve to actually enter the stores first, huh?
I think professional makeovers and professional shoppers ARE good resouces to consider. But, I've gotten as far as I have on my own just by trial and error. I started branching out of my "old style" simply by starting to try on clothes in other styles. I clung to my old ways for a long time -- out of habit, out of wanting to be "covered up", and to some degree because I had a lot of older, smaller clothes I was cycling back through on my way down.
But, I'll tell ya, the first time I went on a serious shopping trip after I'd lost a lot of the weight was eye-opening. I went to Catherine's, which carries a lot of clothes in my old style, which is aimed at essentially middle-aged women. But occasionally they'll have things with a more tailored fit. I spied a linen skirt suit in a lively spring green and tried it on in the size I thought I needed. It looked OK, but it sorta hung on me a little. So, I got really really brave -- brash, daring, even -- and, with eyes half-squinched shut, tried on the next size down. I then realized the difference between "being big enough" and "fitting." This suit fit like a dream, and made me look my true size. As time went on I got bolder and bolder about what I would try on. Not everything works. Sometimes I DO need the next size up in a particular garment. Etc. But, when I got used to seeing myself in clothes that fit well and flattered my body, I no longer wanted to be covered up, lost in floaty, boxy clothing. Not too long ago I saw an empire waist denim dress in a catalog that was just too cute, so I ordered it. But, the minute I put it on, I was magically transported to the time when I weighed 140 pounds more and that was the only type of dress I COULD wear. I felt as if all that weight had been dumped back on my body. I couldn't tear the dress off fast enough.
So, just go shopping. You don't even have to buy anything, just try stuff on. Evaluate the color and the cut and the style and ask, "Does this flatter me or not?" Try not to say things like, "It's just not me," or "That's not what I usually wear." On the flip side, don't assume that because you love something it will look good on YOU. Look at yourself with an objective eye, as if you were looking at a stranger. You don't have to "know anything" about clothes to start developing a feel about what works and what doesn't.
I'll tell you another tip ... I don't have cable, but at various times when I've been home for the holidays, I've watched marathons of shows like "Fashion Emergency" (which I don't think is on any more) and "What Not to Wear" (the Brit & the US versions). You can learn a LOT from those shows, especially the latter, because they talk a lot about cut and body type as well as fashion.
When you wear the same styles you always have -- oversized, layered, loose, baggy -- people will not notice your weight loss as much. I remember when I got my first pants suit, which was well-cut and stylish and showed that I had something approaching a girly figure, I started getting comments every time I turned the corner. From people I worked with and saw nearly every day. They said, "Wow, you've lost a lot of weight again, haven't you?" Well, no. I'm just wearing clothes that FIT. LOL
This is a neat thread. I bought a dress that FIT for a professional conference I had to present at, and boots. I love those boots, even if I only got to wear them once. The weight has nothing to do with the boots, but my already damaged ankle won't let me wear them. Oh well.
The clothes I wear to work are different and chosen basically because they are cheap and wash-n-wear. I teach special ed, and when I first started out, I lost way too many "favorites" to dirty, sticky hands, permanent magic markers, and nose bleeds. So, now I wear an adult version of the student uniform (collared polo shirt or sweater, khakis or knit slacks). I dress very differently when I go out with friends: I love long, full skirts and peasant blouses or dresses with that kind of embroidery. I worked at the RenFaire one year, and have been in love with that style of dress ever since.
I think that once I lose more weight, I'm going to buy myself one of those cloaks. I've wanted one forever, but I never wanted one in the size I am now. I want one that will fit the me before the endocrine disorder took over my life.
I do wear make-up, when pushed... but it makes me itch (I have witnesses! My best friend took me for a make-over, nails, hair, the whole works... and the make-up made my eyes water for hours. But the nails and the hair looked great. I usually wear my hair really, really short and parted on the side. But what started as 'ARRRGH! I need to get my hair cut and don't have time!' has become, "Hey, you look really nice with your hair like that!", so now I just don't make the time. Its swept back and braided or in a tail. I prefer the braid, but its still a bit too short to stay in unless my hair is good and wet or gelled.
So... my dream: a nice french braided hair style (since I can't french braid!), a cloak, and maybe another dress or two that fits better.
I am trying to just feel good about myself. I wear the baggy clothes (though I know they really don't hide the bumps and bulges) and funny, I have one outfit, that "fits" and I feel good in it. I try to get up every day now and make myself look as good as possible because I know that if I do my best I will usually feel my best.
What I do want is some pampering, the nails, feet, getting my makeup "done" new hair -do, funny, none of the things I want have anything to do with my weight.
I am looking forward to the confidence I had when I was much thinner years ago. I think I miss that the most.
Thanks for your insightful comments funniegrrl! Great story about shopping for clothes that actually fit!
I’m getting close to having lost 50 pounds so, I know, – it’s long overdue to try on clothes that fit, different clothes, girly clothes. It’s just that I’ve thought of the ability to shop for clothes – or maybe the ability to see what looks good – as an innate skill I never had.
I have actually watched “What not to wear” on occasion, and you’re right - they do talk about different body-types, and clothes that fit or not. And I’m sitting there, not knowing what my body-type is. I mean: I use to be fat and clothes were supposed to cover me up. Now – the weight is coming off, but not completely – my body is still very much a “work in progress” . I reread Frances Kuffel’s “Passing for thin” this weekend, and when she described wearing the same shorts after loosing more than 100 pounds – I really could relate! That's what I do too!
Maybe I need some girlfriends to shop with. The last time I bought clothes that weren’t supposed to just cover me up I was a teenager and always bought my clothes with girlfriends. I never had any doubts as to what my taste in clothes was – we had a collective taste! What we wore defined who we were! Life was so much simpler!
But I think you’re right funniegrrl, I think one of my goals this summer could be to go into new stores and try on different types of clothes, clothes with colors, clothes that fit. And just see what happens.
How will you "package" the "new you"?
) and my hair behaves well, so I'm pretty much a 'brush and go' kind of girl. My hair style changes fairly often. 
I often go from past shoulder length to short-short on a whim. I'm never too worried about getting my hair cut because it always grows back. I can't see myself getting too much of a makeover done, but who knows, maybe after I've lost the weight I will feel like getting a little 'girly.' 
