Getting to be that time of year

[fenchurch]

Just got back from rackham's office holiday party... it was really fun this year! They'd rented out the Space Needle, so we got to wander around the observation deck for awhile, eating some really yummy hors d'oeuvres, chatting with various people and admiring the view of Seattle and the Puget Sound at night (there was a nicely obliging ferry looking very pretty on the water as it headed out toward, I assume, Bremerton). Then it was down to the skyline level (which is much closer to the ground and is the one place on the Space Needle I'd never been to) for more mingling and some dessert (including these wonderful things I'd assumed were chocolate shells with a white chocolate cream in the center, but actually contained passionfruit cream - yummmm).

Oh! And my big news from earlier this week... I've officially lost 60 pounds! It still just astounds me and I'm having a hard time adjusting my "image of self" (which is a bit different from self image). When I'm trying on clothes, I still keep grabbing things that are too large, because the stuff that actually fits looks like it's too small to fit over my head, much less onto my body.

This has led to a problem I never thought would bother me... I'm losing my wardrobe faster than I can replace it and I'm losing clothes I love. The worst was when I went to get ready for the party tonight. It was formal/semi-formal sort of event and I happily pulled out my most formal dress. It's one I've had for about a decade and haven't been able to wear for about seven years, but started fitting back into just a few months ago. Except now it's too big. I hadn't had a chance to wear it in about a month and it's too big already?!?! o_O I'm actually a bit heartbroken by this and kept trying the thing on, thinking it couldn't be all that bad. But, um, yeah. I finally made myself put it in the storage closet, because I'm really hoping I'll be able to have it altered when I'm done losing weight (it's a beautiful deep dark green faux crushed velvet with stitched scrollwork patterns on the bodice). Thankfully, I'd just picked up a skirt and blouse combo that worked for tonight (but still wasn't as nice as my old dress *sniffle*).

I'm losing t-shirts at an alarming rate, too... especially since I came up with a good indicator that a shirt has gotten too big (it's all in whether the neckline droops). I'm finding it really hard to let go of some of my favorite shirts, even though they're starting to drape like tents... but I'm finally getting better at forcing myself to pull them out of the wardrobe. I'm keeping a number of them in the hopes that I'll be able to alter them later (I'm so glad klytaimnestra started talking about that on her LJ or it never would have occurred to me to try). The wild thing is that I'm now having to pull out shirts that didn't fit me at the beginning of the summer... and a few that I bought just back in July!

Comments

[mistraltoes.livejournal.com]

I'm so happy for you, that you're having success at weight loss. Enjoy having new clothes!

[saifai.livejournal.com]

Congrats on the weight loss! That's wonderful. :) It's sad to see favorite clothing go, but what a wonderful reason for it to happen.

I vaguely remember the same feelings the last time I lost a ton of weight in a short time (30 pounds in 30 days because of a slave driver gym teacher). I was in highschool, and I knew I had to buy new jeans when I stepped out of them in the hall. Thankfully, it was empty save for three of my closest friends who didn't hesitate to laugh their asses off.

So, be sure you've got some good belts for you pants. That's all I'm sayin'...

[nmissi.livejournal.com]

Just think about all the gorgeous skinny clothes you're going to have, hon. And check ebay for new-with-tags versions and slightly-used versions of your fave outfits; I was shocked to see how cheap my beloved Scott/Jessica McClintock's go for on there, and got several replacement dresses for about a third of what they cost when I bought mine the 1st time.

And hey- odds are that pregnancy will put some pounds back on you. Hang on to the pretties in bigger sizes. :)

[fenchurche.livejournal.com]

Heh. You know, the dress that I'm lamenting has the same sort of lines as Jessica McClintock dresses... which is probably why I love it so much!

And I'm definitely hanging onto some of my clothes... I got that recommendation from a friend years ago and it sounded like a great idea.

[owenthurman.livejournal.com]

Congratulations on the weight loss.

I'm enjoying clothes I'd kept for years now on the way back down and it is sad to lose the nice things I won't be fitting into again, too.

I guess I can consider alterations but I hear they don't work well on pants. The pockets end up all wrong.

[pmgoose.livejournal.com]

Yay! Congrats on the weight loss!

Wow, the Space Needle! Very cool. :)

[gamiila.livejournal.com]

Well done on losing those 30 pounds! I do know what you mean about the clothes, though -- a year after I shed a lot of weight, I'm still pining for some of the outfits I loved when I was a tad bigger.

[curiouswombat.livejournal.com]

The idea of a works do at the Space Needle sounds wonderful.

Congratulations on the weight loss - I'd probably have trouble recognising you!

Use the old T-shirts to sleep in.

[deborahw37.livejournal.com]

Congratulations on the weight loss!!!

And * sigh* Seattle

I love Seattle!

[hollywdliz.livejournal.com]

That is an awesome reason to be losing your wardrobe -- much better than the reverse! Congratulations. Now lend me some of your mojo -- I've been backsliding and am somehow surprised that a week's worth of effort has not magically reversed the damage of two months without exercise. Imagine that!

[kazzy-cee.livejournal.com]

Wow - very impressive and congratulations!! What an amazing achievement! :)

[napalm_isis]

Congrats darl! That's fantastic even is it can be a bit annoying too at the same time. :D

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

I am soooooooooo happy for you on the weight loss, hon!!!!!

CONGRATULATIONS on your commitment to you!

Can you share what has been different for you this time, mindset-wise? You're doing WW, right? Share, please? Because I'm literally dying and I have to do something.

[knitress.livejournal.com]

I have the same tshirt problem. I wear mine as sleep shirts, but you could also make them into a quilt.

[rosiewook.livejournal.com]

I was going to suggest the same thing. T-shirts work really well with quilts.

[fenchurche.livejournal.com]

I've definitely been planning on the quilt idea (in fact, it was in the works before I ever started losing weight). Plus, Rackham has been losing a bit of weight, too (he eats what I eat when he's home, and it's changed what he's eating when he's at work, as well), so quite a few of the t-shirts have just been migrating from my part of the closet to his. :-)

I'm mostly getting bummed by some of the shirts that aren't replaceable (I've got a few bootleg Firefly shirts that aren't being made anymore due to a C&D, but the "official" ones aren't anywhere near as nice). I'm hoping I'll be able to figure out how to alter them, later, and have them still look good (I've kept a number of shirts I don't care as much about so I'll have plenty to practice on).

[rosiewook.livejournal.com]

Well, that's why I decided to quilt my Star Wars shirts. Many of them were precious to me, but I have such a huge collection anyway. I actually see them more on my quilt than I would if I were still wearing them.

As a matter of fact, I'm about to start another round of SW t-shirt quilting.

I would strongly suggest trying to group them by color and, thus, avoiding the extra effort of piecing together frames for each one. Takes WAY longer.

[ayinhara.livejournal.com]

That is a good problem to have. Congratulations.

[sunnyd-lite.livejournal.com]

yay for fun at an office party! (although Space Needle! How could they go wrong?)

Double congrats on all your hard work for your weight loss! A good seamstress can do wonders!

[fenchurche.livejournal.com]

Thanks!

I've got a friend who used to work as a seamstress and she's already said she'd be willing to take on some stuff from me at some point as a side project (in addition to the dress, I've got a skirt I love and haven't found a replacement for). But of course I'm waiting until I'm done losing weight, so I won't be wearing them again any time soon!

[cindergal.livejournal.com]

Congrats again on the weight loss!

I remember shopping with a friend who had recently lost a lot of weight, and she kept grabbing one size and I kept grabbing the next size down and saying, no - you're this size now. :-)

[julia-here.livejournal.com]

I mentioned somewhere else that theres a large-sized clothing consignment shop in Seattle called "Two Big Blondes" so, at least, your favorites could go to make a lttle money for their replacements?

All I have to do is see the words "Soace Needle" and I freak out; I've been up there four or five times and always spend the time panicking that I'll be sucked through the glass and thrown out into the sky. Phobias are so impervious to logic: standing at the top of the cliffs at Wild Horse Overlook bugs me not one bit, but the top gallery at the Capitol dome makes me lose my ability to believe in gravity and friction, and the Space Needle dissolves my faith in the impermeability of matter.

Julia, tres nuts

[tenel.livejournal.com]

Congratulations!!! I wish I had started rethinking what I was at 175 lbs. It was just so hard to see myself as anything but 230 so this time around I am reworking this deal so that I *see* the Luci of 175 and not what I used to be. Wish me luck when I get there.

[wildrider.livejournal.com]

That's definitely a problem I understand. I shrank out of ALL my cowboy shirts (which are not cheap), including a few too-tight cowgirl shirts that I never dreamed would fit me, I'd pull on and about wrap around myself twice.

On the other hand, it's been fun being able to shop in the "cute and cheap" sections of the store, where I'm way too old to be looking, but I am fitting... *g*

[angstchic.livejournal.com]

Congratulations on the weight loss. That's fantastic progress! (And oh! I still don't have your info for the snail mail! )

[evilawyer.livejournal.com]

Congratulations!

[spikereader.livejournal.com]

Congratulations on the weightloss - that's a wonderful milestone to hit. And a christmas party in the space needle - sounds amazing, I'm glad you enjoyed it.

[zotel.livejournal.com]

congrats - just keep some fishing line to tie yourself down in high winds =D

[jerusha]

*hugs* Yay? I'm so happy for you. It sounds as though you're doing so well, but I am sorry that you're losing clothes you love. I had a similar problem a few years ago when I started working out regularly. I dropped a few sizes, and I had to get rid of a lot of my favorite things.