NSV: On the fence and lost..

Saturday I was in Portland, Oregon visiting my DS.  We went shopping and I was trying on pants because my new size 18's are too baggy in the butt!  I was a size 24  when I started this journey 10 months ago.  I have a couple of size 16w's now but they are still baggy where the butt meets the upper thigh in back!  (I have a flat butt I guess).  Well, I ended up leaving with 4 pair of size 14W pants!!!

Shopping has become a real challenge but now it's because I'm faced with all of these choices!  I used to go right to the women's world and look for the biggest sizes.  Now I'm on the fence between women's and missy sizes!  I have a couple of XL tops and I've been able to fit a couple of 16 missy pants, but it's trial and error.  My extra tummy skin keeps me from being able to buy the size I need to fit my legs.

Yesterday I went to Chico's for the fist time and I was actually able to wear some of their size 3's! 

It's all good news, but it's frustrating to be faced with so many choices.  I wander around and can't really decided what to try on.  What I've discovered is that I have to re-define what my "look" is.  I'm not used to so many options.  I wore loose and flowing clothes at my largest because I didn't have a choice.  I'm drawn to tailored clothes now but some are still to restrictive with my bumbs and bulges.  I used to be able to say that my style was relaxed soft dressing, but now I shy away from anything flowing. 

I know it's part of the journey as I redefine who this thinner person is, but I never thought I've be so confused determining my style. 

Do you have a new style since losing weight?

Lisa O.

I don't have a style yet, I am still jeans and shirts.  And i am still in the trying to cover things up mode as well.  I wish the loose skin would just vanish!LOL

Congrats on being in 14s.  I am in 14s myself and loving it.  I love JcPenneys and Kohl's. 

I really don't like PLUS clothes.. as they are ugly, not form fitting, baggy, etc. 

It does take some getting used to wearing form fitting but it is a great feeling!!! 

I have never heard of Chico's. 

Yep, re-defining your look but it is so much fun!! :)

Congrats Lisa! Isn't that the best feeling in the world. This is really where "What not to Wear" would come in handy when it comes to such drastic changes that we make. I understand about the bumps and bulges thing! All I can say is SPANX are a girls best friend!

Congrats Lisa, that is awesome but I know how you feel about being slightly frustrated with the process of shopping.  I've gone from a 22W in pants to a 16W, which are super baggy in the legs and somewhat in the butt but still good in the waist, so I'm not quite ready for the 14's yet.  I really don't have a style right now because I'm just wearing what I fit into.  Some of my tops are super big but I usually wear a blazer to work so that helps hide the bagginess of the shirts.  I'm still wearing some baggy stuff on weekends cuz I'm not ready for the "fitted look" just yet. 
It's a great NSV and a good frustration to have!!!

Congrats on the 14s!

I've gone from a 26/28 into 18's.  Once I hit the 18's I started wearing more form fitting clothes.  My shirts don't hang past my butt, but to my hips because there's less to cover.  My tops come in at the waist (I have a definite muffin (double muffin?) top, but I wear this tight stretchy style tank under my clothes and it really helps smooth the bulges. 

I am having the same problem with pants.  I'd like one pair of jeans that fit great, but it's an issue.  I love the Avenue, but their jeans are stretchy and since losing wt I hate wearing them.  They stretch 10 minutes after wearing, and I have that nasty loose jean look in the butt.  My 18's are just starting to get loose (and I just got on my 16's!! but still too tight to wear).  My friend, bless his soul, wondered why they didn't make 17's LOL. 

I guess there isn't much I can do, but hide the loose areas as best as I can.  I'm having the most difficulty dressing around my middle area, and I'm guessing until I lost more weight, and end up wtih a tt, I'll always have that issue.

I can't wait to shop in the regular sizes!!  I have already with a few XL tops (not 1X!!)

While I love my Levi's Jeans I have read so much about the fit of jeans in the bumm hip and thigh area I thought I should weigh in. Lane Bryant makes their jeans in a color coded Rite Fit system now based on body type. While I thought i was curvy , lol, I actually wear the no waist curve (red) style lol. I love them because they hide my tummy(flat spare tire i call it). I have shopped lane bryant for years and am almost sad to say that I wear the smallest size in there. Their size 1's are a 14 and that is me yay. I was in there when I was a 22, loved when I was an 18 because I thought the clothes were beautiful, so they made me FEEL beautiful. I wore my 18's till I was a 14 and just looked silly in my big clothes. I used to wear the peasant type tops to hide my tummy and show my clevage, but now I like to wear shirts to show off my waist. Which is why i like those rite fit jeans, they hide my spare tire while the shirt shows my waist.   

Congrats on size 14s thats awesome!

I dont have a new style, but Ive taken back my style. Ive always been about a 14 or 16, so Ive always been able to find stylish form fitting clothes that I love, when I moved up to a size 18 it got way more difficult. In my mind I was still stylish at that size but I didnt realize until I unpacked all my smaller clothes that I was wearing alot of tshirts, jeans, and looser clothing.  Now Im back in a 14 and loving it, my only problem now is that I have all these clothes (especially jeans) in a size 14 that hopefully next month I wont be able to fit.

Woo hoo! Congrats on the size 14!
I also started at a size 24 and currently I'm a size 16. Before being banded I was able to go into the store I shop at (The Avenue) and pick out the pants and tops I knew would fit. I also had an assortment of sweaters and blazers to cover my body. Shopping was not fun.
But now with so many choices and options ... it is a lot of fun!
Although I do agree it can be frustrating and time consuming but in a good way! As far as my style goes maybe casual but classy and bright colors. I guess I'm still trying to figure it out :-)

Carol

I noticed I'm buying more casual clothes now than before. At my heaviest I'd make sure my shirts were all really pretty with some kind of pretty pattern and material and now I'm buying plain colored shirts in fun colors but they're just basic cotten no ties or embellishments. I'm not sure why I'm finding myself liking those more now.