Monday, September 10, 2012

A Whole New World

Where do I even begin?
 
First off, let me say, I am SO thankful for all of the weight I have lost and will continue to lose by God's grace. I wouldn't trade it for anything ... even the frustration that I'm currently dealing with.
 
With that being said, losing 122 lbs takes you to a whole new world of clothing and I'm having a really hard time with it. It's so weird not having to shop in the plus-size section of department stores anymore. I'm having to relearn where everything is and getting to totally discover stores that I've never even been able to shop in before but that's not a big deal at all -- it's even kind of fun.
 
The issue is clothes not fitting me right. I'm not exaggerating when I say that in the past week, I've tried on around 60 pairs of jeans. NONE of them fit me right. Why? Because for a size 12, my calves are big. They're very muscular from carrying around so much weight for so long; plus, of course, I'm not at my goal, so there is still some fat that could be lost. So, pants will fit me perfectly, except for bunching up on the back of my leg above my knee because my big calves are preventing them from hanging properly or something. It looks so ugly and abnormal.
 
I've tried Belk, JC Penney, Cato, Target, Walmart, Old Navy, American Eagle, Gap, Burlington, etc. I literally own zero pairs of pants right now and cold weather is right around the corner. I had the same problem with capris this summer but thankfully was able to find some that didn't do it. Like I've said before in past posts, until I hit my goal, I try not to buy many clothes each season -- just enough to get me by with a week's worth of outfits or so. Every season I have to start from scratch; this gets very expensive and frustrating (but I'm still thankful).
 
I'm not your typical girl when it comes to shopping for clothes ... I hate it. If I could just pick something up off the rack without trying it on and know that it's going to fit me perfectly, then I would probably love clothes shopping but that just simply isn't the case. I also am having a really hard time with tops. I wear a size medium in most stores but because of how big my arms still are (loose skin ... that's a whole other blog post) the arm's are way too tight in a lot of the tops I try on. I just thought that when I got down to where I am now, I wouldn't have an issue with clothes and that shopping would be fun. I guess I'm going to just have to look ridiculous wearing bunched up jeans this winter because I don't have a choice. If I had never gotten fat, I wouldn't be having any of these issues with clothes. But I did get fat and I'm having to deal with the consequences, even after having gotten most of the weight off.
 
There are other things that I could go on about but I think I've said enough. My intention isn't to complain. I hate complaing because it sounds like I'm not thankful but I'll say it again ... I AM thankful and I wouldn't trade it for anything. I mainly wanted to write this because I know that a lot of my readers want to know ALL about my journey -- the good, the bad and the ugly -- because they are on their own journey or just starting out themselves. I just want to be real and let you know that there are some parts about losing weight that aren't so great (i.e., the loose skin) but it still beats being unhealthy and fat.
 
Please pray that I can find some pants and some fall/winter clothes that I feel good in. I've worked really hard and at least want to feel good about what I'm wearing.
 
Thank you,
 

8 comments:

  1. Totally feel ya! I have such a hard time finding jeans, but once I find one, I'll wear them until they die. You should check out New York & Company, they carry some awesome jeans ;D

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  2. Since it is so expensive... have you considered purchasing clothing through a consignment store? There is a Platos Closet in Knoxville. I've never been to that one, but I've had good experiences with other ones. You can sell your name brand name apparel back to them too.

    BTW, you look beautiful!

    <3
    Ashley HM

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  3. Thank you for this post! This is something I have been thinking about lately.

    I am nowhere near my goal or even close to getting out of the plus size sections just yet, but even in my limited time of eating better and exercising, my hips have stayed pretty much the same measurement whilst other areas lose inches.

    Please know that your post doesn't come across as not being thankful, instead I look at it as a "keeping it real" post, for which I thank you.

    http://www.angelainalberta.com/

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  4. I am in a similar boat- I'm down to where I can shop outside of the Plus section but my legs/calves are still plus size from the muscle (does this go away, btw? I hope so). I wear men's jeans- you will have to shop around a little but you can find flattering men's jeans that will look good on you- especially if you for for a relaxed, boot cut style. The boot cut is a wider leg so it allows more room.

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  5. I know you tried American Eagle, but did you try their boyfriend fit? I am a big fan of their artist and boyfriend fit. The BF ones seem to have a wider leg. They are the only jeans that seem to fit me right. You will eventually find the brand for you. Good luck! do not let it get you down... :)

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  6. Came upon your blog randomly but:

    I know exactly how you feel!! When I lost weight (within 20 from my goal) I thought, "I am going to buy some skinny jeans for the new skinny me". Disaster, my large calves got stuck in the jeans and I could NOT get them off. I almost had to ask the lady working the fitting room counter to help me.

    -my fav jeans for large calves are Boot Cut: Jessica Simpson, Nine West, LeviStraus (not curvy, just one of their classics) and Vera Wang at Belk. Try a darker color, they seem to be larger in the calves for some reason too.

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  7. I also like the boyfriend cut jeans. I like Silver brand jeans as well. They have a cut that is wider in the thighs. I think it is the Suki cut.

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  8. You're not complainy! :) You're just being truthful, and it's helpful to read the truth. I've been following you since i ran across your blog early this summer (when I started my own journey...30 lbs and 8 inches gone as of last week!) I can't wait to be able to shop again! I will have some issues forever too, because I kept the fat around too long (my loose skin will be in my tummy since I've had babies and abdominal surgery. ugh.) It's so encouraging to see an honest portrayal of weight loss.

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