What do I wear?? Who am I??

JustDrea113

I have lost about 46 pounds in the last 5 months. I should be soo happy, but I dont have any clothes that fit. I'm not at my goal weight, I want to lose another 20lbs. So I'm stuck, because i can't yet wear the clothes that i hope to be able to wear and with 46lbs gone i cant fit what i was wearing 5 months ago. My other issue is, when i do buy pants or a shirt here and there, i don't get that i'm no longer 220lbs. I still go for XXL shirts and think that size 17pants will be to small. the other day I grabbed my work pants, size 11, and told my boyfriend that it was weird to think, I fit in something that is so small. I understand that 11 isn't small for everyone, but coming from size 18, 11 is stupid little!! And one more thing... when I was bigger, i never cared about how i looked, if my body was proportionate and all that stuff. Since my weight loss, I feel like I'm finding all these things wrong with my body. Instead of focusing on the fact that I'm way smaller than I have been since high school, i not focus on the areas that dont look so little, like my pouch from having kids, and my calves that are bulky. Its like I can't be happy with where i'm at, I have become critical of how i look, which has never been me. Anyone else who has lost a significan amount of weight having this problem?? I have every right to feel confident and excited about my progress but I cant seems to feel that every day!:~/

dawningr

It's summer time, find a few cute dresses and rock those. Otherwise, resale stores are your friends right now if you think you're going to be buying smaller clothes later on, no need to pay lots of money for temporary pieces.

Congrats on your loss so far :-)

katejkelley

Do you have any used clothing/consignment shops in your area? We have a couple I shop at all the time. I've found really cute things in my various sizes and paid very little for them. When they become too big, back to the shop they go!

beattie1

Well done! I buy lots in thrift shops and charity shops. There are lots of gorgeous clothes out there that other people have donated and are just waiting for you to come along and buy them - and you can get rid of your old stuff that's too big, for someone else to use. The choice is much better in smaller sizes - just have a look.

kimmymayhall

Congratulations on your great weight loss so far! The body image part I can't really help with. It is a big change and may just take some getting used to. For the clothes I agree that thrift/charity/consignment shops are great for this stage when you are still losing. Discount stores like Marshall's, Ross, TJ Maxx are also a good option because you can find some good clothes without spending a fortune on clothes you won't wear for very long. I also think skirts and dresses work better than pants for wearing through different sizes. They're also usually easier to alter. I would suggest alterations but I find its not worth it for more than 2 sizes.

kkclif

I have had the same problem. I lost 20 pounds last summer and in my excitement bought a bunch of new shorts. Now that I gained the weight back, I REFUSE to buy more shorts for the summer. Just try to buy a few staple items that will work for now until you reach your goal weight.

As far as coping with your body...I am struggling with this as well...I actually posted a thread about it the other day and someone referred me to this site:

mybodygallery.com

Check it out. It has pictures of women of all shapes and sizes who are still unhappy with their bodies. I guess my point is, you can reach your goal weight and still be uphappy with what you see in the mirror. You just have to find what you love about yourself instead of what you don't. Be proud of what you have accomplished so far. Instead of seeing that pouch from your kids as a bad thing..try to remember that it's from having your children, who are a good thing Or think..I may have bulky calves, but damn my thighs look good.

Also, these two things go hand in hand. Go buy yourself atleast ONE amazing outfit that makes yourself feel good and flatters your body. It can be kind of difficult to see yourself as fabulous when you are swimming in your clothes. Hope this helped.

beattie1

I have had the same problem. I lost 20 pounds last summer and in my excitement bought a bunch of new shorts. Now that I gained the weight back, I REFUSE to buy more shorts for the summer. Just try to buy a few staple items that will work for now until you reach your goal weight.

As far as coping with your body...I am struggling with this as well...I actually posted a thread about it the other day and someone referred me to this site:

mybodygallery.com

Check it out. It has pictures of women of all shapes and sizes who are still unhappy with their bodies. I guess my point is, you can reach your goal weight and still be uphappy with what you see in the mirror. You just have to find what you love about yourself instead of what you don't. Be proud of what you have accomplished so far. Instead of seeing that pouch from your kids as a bad thing..try to remember that it's from having your children, who are a good thing Or think..I may have bulky calves, but damn my thighs look good.

Also, these two things go hand in hand. Go buy yourself atleast ONE amazing outfit that makes yourself feel good and flatters your body. It can be kind of difficult to see yourself as fabulous when you are swimming in your clothes. Hope this helped.

I've looked at mybodygallery.com but I don't think the women who've posted their photos are unhappy about how they look - they're contributing to everyone's understanding about the variation in how people look. I felt that they were very comfortable about how they look - or why would they post their photos?

bethany41h

I have this problem something terrible... even went shopping tonight and did this. I still think I need to be grabbing 3x tops so I still take them into the fitting room with me along with a smaller size because my mind just doesn't quite get it yet. I have trouble enjoying shopping. I am not yet where I want to be either (not even close) so buying clothes makes me mad. I see that I look better... but want to look better still and then just frustrate myself. I understand this so much and it's beyond frustrating.

AndorZensko

I have lost about 46 pounds in the last 5 months. I should be soo happy, but I don't have any clothes that fit. I'm not at my goal weight, I want to lose another 20 lbs. So I'm stuck, because i can't yet wear the clothes that i hope to be able to wear and with 46 lbs gone i cant fit what i was wearing 5 months ago. My other issue is, when i do buy pants or a shirt here and there, i don't get that i'm no longer 220 lbs. I still go for XXL shirts and think that size 17 pants will be to small. the other day I grabbed my work pants, size 11, and told my boyfriend that it was weird to think, I fit in something that is so small. I understand that 11 isn't small for everyone, but coming from size 18, 11 is stupid little!! And one more thing... when I was bigger, i never cared about how i looked, if my body was proportionate and all that stuff. Since my weight loss, I feel like I'm finding all these things wrong with my body. Instead of focusing on the fact that I'm way smaller than I have been since high school, i not focus on the areas that don't look so little, like my pouch from having kids, and my calves that are bulky. Its like I can't be happy with where i'm at, I have become critical of how i look, which has never been me. Anyone else who has lost a significant amount of weight having this problem?? I have every right to feel confident and excited about my progress but I cant seems to feel that every day!:~/

You should take the next week and write down 5 things everyday that you like about your body. Keep a running list and post it. It could include your eyes, hair, ears, ankles, whatever, it does not matter if you like the fact that you have less backfat than before, it is your list. This will help you focus on the positives of your body. Also your boyfriend can help you with this list, but you have to do the majority of the work. Focus on this list then instead.

Keep things in perspective, you want to continue to lose the next 20 but be excited about the 46 that you have already lost, this is a great accomplishment. Good luck on your continued journey.

kkclif

I have had the same problem. I lost 20 pounds last summer and in my excitement bought a bunch of new shorts. Now that I gained the weight back, I REFUSE to buy more shorts for the summer. Just try to buy a few staple items that will work for now until you reach your goal weight.

As far as coping with your body...I am struggling with this as well...I actually posted a thread about it the other day and someone referred me to this site:

mybodygallery.com

Check it out. It has pictures of women of all shapes and sizes who are still unhappy with their bodies. I guess my point is, you can reach your goal weight and still be uphappy with what you see in the mirror. You just have to find what you love about yourself instead of what you don't. Be proud of what you have accomplished so far. Instead of seeing that pouch from your kids as a bad thing..try to remember that it's from having your children, who are a good thing Or think..I may have bulky calves, but damn my thighs look good.

Also, these two things go hand in hand. Go buy yourself atleast ONE amazing outfit that makes yourself feel good and flatters your body. It can be kind of difficult to see yourself as fabulous when you are swimming in your clothes. Hope this helped.

I've looked at mybodygallery.com but I don't think the women who've posted their photos are unhappy about how they look - they're contributing to everyone's understanding about the variation in how people look. I felt that they were very comfortable about how they look - or why would they post their photos?

Because on the left hand of the site it reads: Life is too short... There are some amazing stories of extremely beautiful women on this site who don't see the same staring back in the mirror.

"I felt that they were very comfortable about how they look - or why would they post their photos?"

They post their photos, but black out their faces. That's just how I viewed the site, everyone can look at it differently though I suppose. Either way it was helpful to me.

MinnieInMaine

I have sort of the opposite problem shopping. I try on Large tops which should fit me just fine but for some reason the sizing at certain shops (Old Navy for instance) puts me more in an XL. Shopping at consignment and thrift shops is a nightmare - I have to go through all the tops I like in L and XL and only end up with a couple that might actually fit right. My best friend has scoffed at me a couple times when I go to the XL area (stop that, you've got to be in a Large by now!) when we're shopping together and I've had to actually show her why to get her to understand.

And yeah, I'm a bit more critical of myself now that I've lost weight. I just didn't care before...as long as clothes draped well enough to cover the rolls and make me look ok, I was happy. Now my expectations are much higher and I'll be thrilled when the belly roll is finally gone!