i literally just cried
 

so i have the flu tonight and since i dont feel like doing anything, i decided to use my portable sewing machine. i sent my husband to find the cord, and he ended up digging through storage. packed way in the back of the closet was a box of clothes from about 5 years ago. clothes that i had completely forgotten about.

he dragged them upstairs and figured id put them in my drawer for when i lose more, but then i was like hey, ill try them on now and see how much i can get them on so that in 20lbs or so ill be able to see how much ive lost.

im not kidding you guys, every pair of jeans and top i picked up and looked at i thought, "no way! these are TINY" (tiny being relative of course, lol. they were 10s/12s). i started trying on and about HALF the clothes fit me. i was in SHOCK. i could get every single thing except one pair of jeans on and zipped, but about 1/2 of it was ridiculously tight/short and is now in my "20 more pounds" drawer, lol.

i probably ended up wih 10 new.. well, old, shirts and 4 pairs of jeans that actually fit well. it just felt so amazing that i literally started crying and called my husband (who was very sweet, but probably thought i was insane, lol). i never thought i would fit in those clothes again and only packed them up because it was too depressing to throw them out. i have worked SO hard this year and this really felt like tangible proof that im making big progress. i never thought weight loss would be such an emotional experience.

i just needed to share with people who would understand..ya know?

Yay! So proud of you!!!! You must feel amazing! Keep up the good work!

aww thanks! i am on a "high" right now, lol. im sure itll pass next time i weigh myself. now that im back into size 12's from sz 18/20, theres no denying the differences. i tend to always be pessimistic and think "well even though ive lost, i dont really look any different". this just felt like proof, and it made me SO emotional, i feel silly!

That's a great experience and I remember when it happened to me. Really does feel like "proof!" CONGRATS!!

The proof is in the pudding. Or in this case the proof is in the jeans, the size 12 jeans, that is!!!

It really is an emotional experience, this weight loss stuff. I cried like a baby, a big baby, when I first got back into non-plus-sized clothing. Right there in the dressing room.

I'm so very happy for you. Keep up the good work and there will be many more emotional moments for you as well as continued "proof". :)

awww thanks! i knew my girls would understand ;)

Congrats Julia! I know that musta felt awesome!

You must feel great! Very happy for you :hug:

Hey, that's pretty darned awesome!!! :D

That is such an amazing story....I almost want to cry too....I'm so happy for you to have discovered that the clothes fit...Thanks for the inspiration..I also have clothes in the back of my closet...I hope I can get where you are....You are GREAT!!

That's awesome girl. You just keep at it and the rest will fit in no time!

Yay! Thats awesome. I cannot wait to get to fit in the clothes in the back of my closet too!!! Wahoo!

Oh, how wonderful for you--I'm so glad the tears were happy tears! Isn't it funny how distorted our views of ourselves are? I find that when I go shopping, I either pick up items that are way too big or way too small, because I don't have a clear sense of what size my body is after being in 18/20 for so long. I found a pair of my son's old jeans in my closet and held them up; they looked impossibly small but they fit me. I'm in 14's right now, so I'm not really *small*, but things are just all so distorted right now!

Congratulations. I am so happy for you that you have reached this milestone. Last time I lost weight, I tried on a pair of 14's at the store and they fit. I hung them back up, went out to my car and cried.

Fabulous!!!!!! What a great achievement and to have all the "new" clothes to wear must feel pretty darn awesome. :hug::carrot::D

What a great story! Congratulations, and thanks for sharing that with us. It helps keep others motivated as well.

I love this story, and am so glad you shared it with us. I'm glad I read it first thing this morning, because I know it will help me today. So I celebrate with you and thank you because ... WOW ... what a great story!

totally awesome! hoping I get there someday!

Yay! Very inspiring story. This might be a good day to get some progress photos!

There is NOTHING better than trying on those "tiny looking" clothes that haven't fit in ages and seeing that they DO fit! Congrats to you, I know just how you feel and it's awesome. You've worked so hard and you deserve that awesome feeling.

Thank goodness for clearance racks - that's all I gotta say about this matter as it pertains to me! :)

Fantastic Julia!! :hug::hug:

OOOHHHH!!!! How FANTASTIC! Those numbers on the scale are just not enough sometimes but these little moments are worth it all. Congratulations for getting tangible proof of all of your hard work.:carrot::D:carrot:

I totally get it! You're doing awesome!!!

I am celebrating with you -- literally. So I want to thank you!

You reminded me that I have been meaning to search my bags of old clothes for a size 8 jean skirt from many years ago. After reading your post I went looking for it and my husband and I ended up organizing & going through old clothes for a long, long time. I never did find that skirt (hmph) but I did end up trying on a lot of other clothes, and scoring!

Most of what I tried on was too tiny, as I already knew, but I scored an old pair of Esprit size 7/8 khaki shorts and a size 11 blue jeans. Both are from when I was 17-18 years old, hence the Juniors sizes. I also scored a size 'small -6' red hoodie sweatshirt that will be good for fall weather. I didn't think these things would fit either but they do, and look good! I also have a pile of size Medium tank tops that I am going to try on as pajama tops. They all look too small to say 'medium' but one or two might actually work.

So thank you! This has made my day. Even just a new piece or two like that increased my wardrobe by an embarrassingly disproportionate percentage ... I don't have a lot of clothes right now. Well anyway, rambling. I am thrilled for both of us.

I know exactly how you feel. I packed away all my 14/16/18 (and larger) stuff back in 2003 when I gained all this weight...and now I can fit into everything except one suit, a couple pairs of jeans, a couple skirts and a few very VERY small blouses. In fact, yesterday I bought a shirt at Costco for winter, just to slouch around in--a men's LARGE. Not an XL. Not a 2XL, or a 3XL, or a ++5++XL (which is where I was when I started this). It was amazing.

Good for you!

:bravo::broc::broc: That is AWESOME! Talk about real proof right there! You are doing great. :D

I'm new, joined Weight Watchers yesterday. I am trying to post a message and see if my ticker appears. Everyone on this forum is making awesome progress. I hope to also.

thank you so much for all the kind words! i almost deleted this after i posted it because i felt silly for making SUCH a big deal out of it, but im glad i didnt. i was also glad to read that other gals have cried over things like this too b/c i felt a little ridiculous lol.

someone mentioned how distorted our body images are, and isnt it true? 1/2 the clothes that fit me when i see them sitting in a drawer i think, "no WAY!"

whitepicketfences - i am SO happy for you! it feels awesome!

all the girls who said they hope to get in their old clothes someday, you WILL! i never ever thought i would. and i WILL get into the rest of them!!

hugs to everyone.

That is fantastic; I can only imagine how great you must feel! You must be on Cloud 9. Congratulations!

Cheers,

J

Thumbs up for this post and for your elation. We are celebrating with you. Many of us completely understand, so please don't think it is silly. You are spreading hope and showing people that it is doable. What could be better than that? Congrats.

I am so happy for you! Tears of joy are appropriate for all your hard work! Strut in those tiny jeans! :D

:carrot::carrot: What an accomplishment!!! You must be so proud, can't wait to get there!

Congratulations!!!! That must feel really really great!
I haven´t had "happy tears" regarding my weight in a loooooong time (only the sad ones) so I hope to feel like u soon!

That is so awesome gratz! I just found a shirt I had laying in the dresser the other day and it was a 3x (I know still big) but when I started losing weight I was in a 5 or 6x. I tried it on just for fun and it was actually baggy on me. So I celebrated and wore it to the gym to work out in it lol. It was just a sleeveless t shirt.

just keep working hard! You'll get there...no sad tears...:hug: (:


Congratulations to the original poster! You must feel so good. I had my own happy tears a couple weeks ago when I saw myself naked, and for the first time ever, felt incredibly beautiful...It's been my biggest motivation to keep going and never go back! best wishes

Hey Julia, I understand. Do I ever!

My wardrobe is extremely limited right now. I only have one pair of capris from sometime in the beginning of my pregnancy almost 5 years ago (I know, I know) and a pair of shorts I bought a year ago and they sent me the wrong size. I refuse to buy new clothes. I am losing about two dress sizes every month, so it would be a waste. In fact I found a stash of old clothes of increasingly smaller sizes that I hope will sustain me to the end.

Then it's shopping time baby!


Keep at it girl. You are doing great.

Awesome! Congrats!

I've been contemplating whether to get rid of my smaller clothes and just get new if I get back down to that size. In the past, looking at them made me think negatively about how they didn't fit. Now, I'm thinking about how awesome it will be to fit back into them!

I also didn't want to buy the next size up because I thought it was admitting failure, etc., but I finally did purchase a new work wardrobe a few weeks ago. It has been well worth the expense to feel better, look better and have more confidence... and I hope to donate them slightly used!

yeah i havent been buying clothes as ive been losing b/c i dont want to give myself encouragement to stay at this weight, so i have like 2 pairs of jeans and a few tops. this was a BIG help, and the fact that theyre old clothes i got too fat for makes it all the better!

Awww! That's awesome!!! Congratulations, you're doing an amazing job!!!! :hug:

That is wonderful! I can't wait to have that feeling.