Going clothes shopping in my garage

[fenchurch]

I think it may have been a bit since I updated my weight-loss progress... as of last Monday, I've officially lost 49 pounds. O_O My brain still hasn't quite caught up with my body yet and it still just blows me away when I get dressed every morning and I'm wearing size L t-shirts and the pants that were tight just a few months ago are now large enough that I have to pull them from my wardrobe.

Someone recently asked me what I'm doing to reward myself for weight-loss and I replied "I'm looking at the scale and going *SQUEEEE*!!!!" I had originally planned to do big shopping trips as rewards, but that's turned out to be more torture than reward. I've run into the weird problem of having too many places I can shop! For about the last ten years, my choices have been fairly limited to stores like Lane Bryant. Not exactly my chosen style, but not bad... and the stuff fit. Now, though, I've lost enough weight that I can't shop there anymore and I have no idea where to go. It's been way too long since I've worn "regular" sized clothing... and, to some extent, I'm still on the cusp of it. Too small for 99% of what they sell at Lane Bryant, but still just a little too big for a lot what gets sold in the regular stores (just give me a few weeks though, and I'll be there!).

The other problem is that the new clothes I bought two months ago are already too big to wear... and I don't want to go broke constantly buying new stuff only to take it to the donation trailer two months later.

But today, I came up with a wonderful solution. I dived into the piles of boxes and storage containers in the garage and found a treasure trove... then spent the afternoon playing dress-up! I discovered that I am roughly the same size that I was about ten years ago, judging by the strata of clothing I unearthed that is currently fitting (yes, there has been much squeeing). So, if nothing else, I've got some clothes to last me for another few months, without having to pay extra for them... and, in addition to ditching the clothing that currently looks like a tent on me, I've also tossed out a bunch of stuff that fits now, but um... yeah. Not the sort of thing I'd want to wear in public (I have some clothes that date back to the late 1980s -- did I mention I'm a packrat?).

Comments

[agilebrit.livejournal.com]

Yay! Isn't it a GREAT feeling?

[fenchurche.livejournal.com]

The best! But still a little disconcerting, I have to admit!

[valkyrie-kitten.livejournal.com]

I can sympathies. I've been dropping into goodwill a lot. I don't want to spend a lot of money on summer clothes that I won't wear next year! Oh, the trails... I'd be willing to have more of this problem.

[fenchurche.livejournal.com]

I actually got that suggestion earlier this week... and I'm surprised it hadn't occurred to me before. I stopped by a Goodwill today but didn't have any luck finding the clothes I was looking for... but I did end up buying an armful of cookbooks. I'm beginning to think it might be too dangerous a place to shop!

Oh, hey... have you left yet to help with the evacuations? When do you think you'll be heading out?

[julietvalcouer.livejournal.com]

*jaw drops* 49 lbs? You're going to disappear! I am in AWE.

And you never know, maybe you'll go to an '80s-themed costume party?

[fenchurche.livejournal.com]

LOL! Hardly disappear. Although I've been getting quite the looks from people when I tell them I need to lose close to another 50. I can tell what they're thinking... that I'm being unhealthily excessive. And then I tell them that my goal is 155, which is hardly unhealthy (and is, techically, quite a bit more than my "recommended" weight). This is usually followed by being told that there's no way I weigh more than 200 (I'm getting soooo close to moving the Big Block on the scale down to 150, but I'm not there yet) and, inevitably, the comment that I carry it well. I have been told the latter so many times now that I'm starting to believe it. ;-)

As for the costume party, I actually have been keeping a few things that I suspect will be good for costuming.

[spikewriter]

Isn't it a wonderful feeling? I just hit 20 pounds, but I am seriously impressed with your effort.

I will confess that I've been sticking to sales at Target for me. The wardrobe choices are very small, but it doesn't break the bank.

[fenchurche.livejournal.com]

It is! And go you!!!

Losing weight this time has been surprisingly easy... apparently I hit that perfect time when my brain and my body were both ready to lose the weight. And Weight Watchers Online has been wonderful for helping me figure out what I need to be doing.

I actually picked up a pair of jeans at Wal-Mart the other day... because at that point I was down to only having one pair of shorts and two pairs of capris, with the weather starting to get a little chilly at night. I was really happy to unearth two pairs of wearable pants from the depths of the garage. It'll make life a whole lot easier in the next few weeks.

[wildrider.livejournal.com]

Isn't it fun?!?! I actually got too small eventually even for those medium t-shirts I kept through all the "fat years" -- but oh, it's such fun to be able to buy "cute" clothes! Keep up the good work! Good going, you!

[fenchurche.livejournal.com]

I remember the first time I went through a storage container filled with old t-shirts a few months ago and I seriously boggled at the fact that there were some size Medium shirts! I couldn't even remember a time when I wore them, aside from High School, but apparently I had. Of course, now I'm beginning to see how.

I had a fun moment last night... We went to a dinner hosted by Turbine Entertainment (they're the folks who do Lord of the Rings Online) in conjuction with PAX in downtown Seattle and they were giving out t-shirts to everyone who showed up. I picked up a Large, figuring that way it would fit me in a month or two when I got to that point. Then, when I got home, I figured I'd give it a try, just to see... and, well, that's the shirt I've been wearing today. Because it actually *fits*. It's not tight at all. And when I go to put it on, I just boggle at how small the shirt is and I'm positive there's no way I'll be able to even get my arms into it!

I really need to load up a backpack with 50 pounds of stuff to carry around for a bit... just to really bring home to myself exactly what I've managed to get rid of.

[wildrider.livejournal.com]

I'm closing up on a hundred, now; I may have passed it, but I "officially" started losing weight at 235 pounds (I had been much heavier, but I never weighed myself then), and I'm at 160 now, just struggling to drop to 140 or so, when I'll count myself as having made my "goal"!

But although I weigh more than I did in high school, I'm smaller because of the exercise - at 140 pounds in high school I wore a size 12; at 160 now I wear a size 8!

[lage-nom-ai.livejournal.com]

Congrats! I'm so impressed, and I'm struggling to lose 35...

[fenchurche.livejournal.com]

Thanks! For me it's been a good combination of things: My brain and my body were apparently both ready to lose the weight... just when my surgeon finally cleared me to start exercising again. And then I signed up for Weight Watchers Online (I had several friends who were doing it and I liked what I was hearing), which has really helped me figure out how to eat healthy and consistently (turns out that was my biggest issue -- too much food one day, not enough the next, so my metabolism never had a chance to work the way it should).

[sandy-s.livejournal.com]

Go you for losing weight! *HUGS* :o)

[missmurchison.livejournal.com]

Congratulations on both the weight loss and finding lots of stop-gap clothes!

I've found that llbean.com is a good source of durable clothes that actually fit me, especially when I'm in that stage of being too thin for my fat clothes but too chubby for almost anything else.

[fenchurche.livejournal.com]

I may have to take a look at it... although I'm a little reluctant to buy things without trying them on first. Right now I'm still having the problem of having to convince myself that I can actually wear smaller clothing (I always grab things that are too big, to start, and then scale back as I go along). I've been trying to remember where I used to shop before I gained the weight, but the one store I could recall now only has one location over in the city (i.e. nothing in the 'burbs, which I would prefer). At some point, I'll have to go over to Seattle for something or other and I'll try to swing by, but that really does make it inconvenient.

[ayinhara.livejournal.com]

Congratulations on the incredible weight loss.

[kazzy-cee.livejournal.com]

What a great achievement! Well done!

I'm finding my own clothes are getting tight and shall be joining you on a healthy programme of less fattening food this week I think!

Keep up the good work!

[petzipellepingo.livejournal.com]

Go you! you tiny thing you. And an extra yay! for having clothes that you can wear now and not have to go shopping.

[knitress.livejournal.com]

It's both fun and weird; I went through the same thing last year, being able to shop *anywhere*, which was overwhelming, and also buying new things that were too big. Ok, it's still overwhelming and I still buy things too big, but I'm getting better.

I ended up buying some new things mid-loss because it was a good way to reward myself. Target (especially) and WalMart were both good resources, and I also scored some Lands' End things on sale at Sears. I needed to be able to try things on (so no mail-ordering) and it helped to try things on for a friend who would tell me to try the next smallest size.

I got LOTS of mileage out of Cherokee ultimate khakis and tees from Target; I think I bought those pants (in two different colors) in 18, 16, 14, and 12.

Oh, and get fitted for a new bra; you're probably ready for a new size and it will make all your tops fit better.

[http://users.livejournal.com/opalescence_/]

CONGRATULATIONS! And yay for saving clothing!

[curiouswombat.livejournal.com]

Go You! Well done. Next time you come and visit I won't recognise you!

[gillo]

That is an incredible achievement. So is the sorting and discarding. Well done!

[pmgoose.livejournal.com]

WOW!!! :)

[roseya19.livejournal.com]

WOW! Congratulations, Fen! Would that I could lose that kind of weight. I'd love to get back to the size I was 10 years ago... And let's hear it for the packrats of the world!

[jerusha]

Congrats! That's fantastic!

[rosiewook.livejournal.com]

I'm so proud of you! And I still think you should find a personal shopper. It could help a lot.

[iposty.livejournal.com]

good for you! I'm down around 30.. fluctuating some.. but had to pull some of my old clothes out of the back of the closet. Am hoping for a new wardrobe here in another 30lbs..