Me – After – In My New Outfit – 32 lbs. lighter! |
Me – Before – Looking cute – on my 43rd birthday last year |
I have never enjoyed shopping for clothes. Don’t get me wrong, I like to look nice, but the act of shopping is both depressing and exhausting for me. The frustration of having a vision of what an outfit “should” look like and then trying it on and having the reality of your situation stare back at you in the mirror is not a good feeling. But Friday, for the first time in years, I had a whole new experience.
Because I’m still losing weight, and I still have a loooong way to go, I’ve been putting off purchasing new clothes. Let me say this, if there is a downside to losing weight it is spending a fortune on new clothes and then having to turn around and spend more because the new wardrobe is now too big. But like everything in the weight loss process, I have to have a strategy. The key is to find pieces that I can mix and match, and that can carry me through, meaning items that can be taken in, covered up with a sweater or pulled together with accessories such as belts, scarves, etc.
Here’s the thing, even though I’m still working towards my goal, I still want to look nice. I don’t want to hide my new body under big clothes that don’t show the evidence of my hard work and sacrifice. Looking nice is part of what keeps me motivated to keep going…so it’s a balancing act.
I said all that to say, I had a 50th birthday party to go to this weekend, and I didn’t have a thing to wear…really…because everything I have is too BIG. I love saying that, let me say it again…everything I have is too BIG. So, when I went to buy something, it felt great to go into the store and try on a smaller size and actually have it FIT!!!!!! Not to put all my business out there, but I guess I don’t mind sharing this…I’ve come down from a 26-28 and now I am in an 18-20. What? An 18 – 20! Seriously? You don’t even understand. Can I just say this? I have not seen an 18-20 since I’ve been in high school. Now that’s motivation to continue doing my thing, and doing my thing is exactly what I’m going to continue to do!
Now, if I can just get away from wearing black all the time…oh well, one step at a timeJ
~ Stacey