One of the worst places to be fat is in a dressing room. You go in with an armful of clothes and hope that something - please something - will fit. Nothing usually does. So you give your rejects to the attendant, and leave the store. Since, after all, those too-tight clothes were the largest size that they offer.

However, last Monday I received a pleasant surprise. I was three weeks post-op, down 60 pounds from my highest weight, and in dire need of some pants. I used to be a size 30, but I was hoping, after losing the weight, to be a size 26. Then, in typical fatty shopping fashion, the store didn't go up to size 26. The largest pants were 24s. So I thought, "What the heck? The sales are great, I might as well give it a try."

And what d'ya know - success! Not only did the 24s fit, they were a little baggy! I almost could have gotten away with a 22. 

I'm hoping that the next time I buy pants in a couple months, I'll be able to try on 18s, or maybe even 16s!