Username~martinesther88
Weigh in day~Friday
PW~150.8
CW~151
Steps 7/4~8,200

BMcC9 wrote: »

@evangsimmons170 you mentioned last month that you are (or trained as or have the know-how related to) fashion design.

How I envy that skill set.

I have a pretty good eye for seeing HOW something is constructed. And I have always looked at patterns and thought about how I might make this-or-that cosmetic adaptation to a neckline, or with trimmings, to a basic line for a personal touch of flair. I DO look best in clean simple lines and always have.

But my practical-assembly skills have always lagged far behind what I might want to make. And I was never the rectangle shape of most easy-to-sew patterns. They just make me look bigger than I actually am.

I HAVE taken a "how to adapt a commercial pattern" course, and have illustrated books on the topic. And you are SOOO right that it is hard to alter (take in OR let out) already-constructed garments. Altering clothes down can be tricky-to-impossible depending on your skill level (mine isn't super-high) and the seams in question. Enlarging is often right out of scope, even on simple things.

Now that I am 3 months into maintenance, I am actively looking at sewing patterns again (now that I have less fear of changing sizes and actually out-growing things between the time I cut them out and the time they are stitched up&hemmed.)

Does anyone else sew or textile hand-craft? (be it embroidery, needlework pictures of some sort, or knitting / crocheting)

I've been crafty ever since I can remember. Jack-of-all-types, master of none.

@BMcC9 First, I'm amazed you remembered what I wrote last month because I sure didn't lol. If you are looking for patterns with "clean lines, " I highly recommend dresses with princess seams. It's a slimming look that works well on most shapes, especially the hour glass. Plus it may be the perfect style that won't need altering as often because it's a silhouette. You'd have drop some major weight for a princess seamed dress to look too big.

When I did have time to sew, it was quite the process. Day 1 was spent ONLY on adjusting the pattern unless I was reusing a pattern that I'd already adjusted. This is always time well spent because regardless of one's sewing abilities, if the pattern isnt right, the finished garment won't be right. Day 2 was spent cutting out the pattern/fabric. Day 3 sewing began.

I could talk much longer about sewing but I don't want to put anyone to sleep lol.

Connie7355 wrote: »

@jugar i will pledge to lose 4 lbs this month.

Username - Connie7355
Weigh in Day - Friday
Week 1
PW - 186.6
CW - 185.6

Nice one!

Perla4686 wrote: »

Do you know the type of person who has no filter?
I wore a summery dress yesterday for the first time in over 10 years (up untill now wearing mostly black and other dark boring colours), trying to get a bit more body confident.
My friend (very loudly, outside my kid's school): 'OMG, you actually look like a normal person!'
I wasn't offended but didn't take it as a compliment either!

lol! Yeah, it would be hard to find that to be a compliment. In her defense, your big switch up must have really stunned her. And I bet you looked fabulous!!

evangsimmons170 wrote: »

When I did have time to sew, it was quite the process. Day 1 was spent ONLY on adjusting the pattern unless I was reusing a pattern that I'd already adjusted. This is always time well spent because regardless of one's sewing abilities, if the pattern isn't right, the finished garment won't be right. Day 2 was spent cutting out the pattern/fabric. Day 3 sewing began.

I could talk much longer about sewing but I don't want to put anyone to sleep lol.

I hear you! (both on the tech-talk and the fear of boring non-sewers .... I only have one friend (and she only has me!) who UNDERSTANDS when we call each other to say a sewing project or challenge was successfully completed.

My upper body is a smaller pattern size than my hip-bones; I have short arms and legs in relation to my torso; a lower natural waist than patterns assume AND a very short rise (that's the distance between your natural waist-measurement and your hip measurement ( the widest part of your hip-bone even when tummy no longer needs the extra ease). Patterns assume ~7 inch drop, for me it's more like 3 to 4.

Thanks for the tips! Looks like I’ll be flapping my arms a lot over the next few weeks

Faire report!



Rainbow deep fried oreos.

Not pictured: wild boar bacon topped elk burger. SO good. Probably my weigh in tomorrow will be ugly but oh, so worth it. Boar bacon is fantastic.

We also bought a fancy frying pan and I bought an IR hair styler as my 30 lb reward.

Next week I'm going back with my company for the grandstand show and fireworks, so I'll have to resist the cookie dough donut sandwich.

All right! Seems like quite the Friday. I am covered in bug bites in spite of my DEET coverage - it was so hot out there I sweat like crazy digging away making a new row in my big veg garden. The rototiller and its operator are out of service at the moment, so it was dig, dig, dig. Not to mention weed, weed, weed... So now I am all cleaned up and ready to get all this info logged!

It is great to see new and though-to-be-lost people!
@visiri - so sorry about your ankle, but you'll be able to keep up while laid up, I hope! There are some great chicken songs on youtube to exercise to. Just sayin'. And one-legged deadlifts, overhead press, planks - the list goes on. Have fun!!!

@cory17 - welcome back! I was worried you had disappeared on us. I've got you down for the green challenge and you are already 1.4 pounds down from the last weight we had for you. July is off to a good start --- keep it up! And do I hear another vote for the de-clutter theme for our challenge? I like the way you put it. Letting go of stuff helps you keep on track for your eating. A good correlation to make.

@Perla4686 - take the compliment! Most people think "normal" is whatever they like and emulate, so she was certainly giving you a thumbs up! And I am thrilled you broke out of wardrobe jail. My daughter at one point told me NEVER to buy anything black again in my life or she would give up on me. That was certainly not a compliment!

@Connie7355 - down a pound! Woooo hoooo. Now don't treat yourself with food, ok?

@kx7003 - maybe you have not been logging and have slipped a tiny bit, but don't forget. You lost 6.4 pounds in June. You cannot have been slacking for very long, that's for sure! Get back to logging and take is slow. A pound a week is plenty. You are close to goal, I imagine, so even .5 per week does the job. I only recently got under 120 and it took ages of hovering in the low 120s to finally figure out how to keep going towards goal. What is you goal, by the way?

@BMcC9 - your description of your body type and the alterations you need to make is as opposite from mine as possible! I think we complement each other as co-captains in the same kind of way! I'm super short-waisted with long legs for my gigantic 5-foot stature. As @evangsimmons170 says, altering the pattern is a huge part of the job. But fun.

Oh. @Terytha - I am so glad that faire is very far away. Enjoy!

Keep those weigh-ins coming - a few more due, and then there is the last day of week one tomorrow. Be ready!

AmyRobF wrote: »

I haven’t budged and it’s my own fault. I KNOW I need to exercise to lose weight. I just keep coming up with excuse after excuse. I am planning on being active everyday or close to it on here! I vow to exercise this coming week too!

This 4th I was with my family and my daughter who is a Cub Scout. Her Pack had a flag retiring ceremony and it was awesome. We had over 25 flags that needed to be folded and disposed of properly. I am just a proud mama!

One of the flags we retired only had 48 stars!! 😲 I will try to attach a picture!

Thanks for keeping me even though I haven’t lost a thing. I would like to join the green team so put me down for 4 pounds! 🤭

No need for thanks for keeping you -- we wouldn't get rid of ANYONE who stays with the team, even if they never lose an ounce. It is hard. You will get there if you stick with it and keep re-sticking even when it doesn't go well yet. YET. Because then it will. It isn't just about the exercise, either, don't forget. You can lose weight without doing much exercise if you are vigilant about your exact food consumption. Get a scale. Or be real about the amounts and calories. It works. Of course, exercise helps you burn more of those dratted calories, and it builds some wonderful muscles, but even without it you can lose. Do you have a buddy who looks at your food log every day? Do you want one? I'm sure at least one other person in here would love to join up as buddies. Just having someone else watch your food log, make suggestions, share ideas and recipes - it can be a fun way to get re-inspired. You got this!

Your 4th of July sounds like it was a winner. Go proud mama!

evangsimmons170 wrote: »

visiri wrote: »

I have injured my ankle, so this will be interesting moving forward. So frustrated, but I will keep on trying. My steps are not their usual, but it will be this way for a while, if it’s best I not have my numbers in - I understand:) - also- due to swelling my weight isn’t moving either. I’m not sure if it’s the same or up from what a posted tonstart with.

Wgt 201.1
Steps:
F 7486
S 5535
S 4126
M 2503
T 4402
W 2280
T 1115

Let me know if I missed anything.

I'm sorry about your ankle, @visiri. I hope you feel better soon. Follow your doctor's orders so that your recovery doesn't have to be longer than necessary. You could probably work on some strength/toning exercises while you're seated using a stretch band. Just a suggestion. Take care.

I was going to suggest some of those chair exercises on page 1 or 2 of this thread from the challenge. They should be doable.

@AmyRobF Glad you’re still in it to win it! You can do this. I’d be happy to check your diary and talk with you about it. But @jugar has some amazing suggestions and would probably be good too. Weighing food on a digital scale can sometimes be eye opening to portion size. I know how hard it is to lose weight. But I know you can do it. ❤️😘