7 Bits of Advice from My Clothes to Me
My clothes and I have been through a lot together. I started a journey to get fit in 2014 and never looked back. Since then, I’ve made great progress! Down 75 pounds and counting; I’m not finished yet. While this journey has been very enlightening and rewarding, there have been some struggles. I have friends and family that know bits and pieces of it all, but my clothes, they know the whole story. Oh, the things they would say if they could talk.
1. “It’s time to get moving.”
This would have been the time were I realized that losing weight was no longer an option for me. It was not something that I could put off to some elusive future date. It was now a requirement. At my heaviest, I was over 200 pounds. That’s quite a bit of weight for a girl who’s only five feet two inches (maybe three and a half inches on a good day).
I was in a bit of denial at that point, and I refused to go shopping for a size up. Well, if my jeans had anything to say about that, they would have been begging me to let out the seams a little. Either that or get moving. I chose the latter. One day I got a membership to a gym, got on the treadmill, and started running.
This may not seem like a big deal to a lot of you, but trust me when I say that, for me, running is a form of cruel and usual punishment. It is my worst enemy, and though it helped me to reach my goal, it still gives me nightmares when I know I have to get up for a morning jog. But I digress..
2. “Maybe not have that 3rd helping of dessert.”
Sweets are my weakness. They are the exact opposite of running for me. They give me sweet dreams and make me feel great. That is until 30 minutes later when I have to unbutton my jeans to lessen the pain a bit. Sweets make me feel great, but they are my worst enemy in disguise. Not saying that my clothes are the only witness to me stuffing my face with cake and ice cream, but the way they screamed when I overdid it and was bursting out the seams definitely helped me to get it together. They are always honest with me. Ask your friend if you look fat today and they may lie to spare your feelings. My favorite dress is not that nice.
3. “Thanks for that extra work out!”
When I first started working out it was torture. It was all that I could do to get to the gym four times a week in the morning. Did I say that running was my worst enemy? My mistake. Waking up early is definitely my nemesis. It is ALL things unholy. But that was the only time that I could fit exercise in my day at the time. Five o’clock in the morning gym time, I have no idea how I did it. But eventually I got used to it and it became easier.
Not only that, I began doing some short exercising of my own creation around the house and throughout the day. Just something fun and quick, no more than 5 minutes. It added the excitement and creativity to the whole weight loss process and took the sting out of the whole thing. Not to mention it meant I was not working out everyday instead of just a few times a week. When I started to see progress it wasn’t on the scale at first. It was from the sigh of relief from my clothes when they started to fit a little looser. I could practically hear them screaming their thanks.
4. “Maybe it’s time to let me go..”
Once I decided to take a break from 3rd desserts and made friends with physical activity, the weight took off. I was down a bunch of pounds and feeling great. The issue? It was time to go shopping. My clothes became so ill fitting that I looked down right frumpy. Ew. Nothing fit anymore. It was a bittersweet moment where my clothes that were with me from the beginning, were no longer appropriate for me to wear.
So I went shopping. I bought all new everything. While I had to wince at the bill every now and again, it was definitely worth it! New clothes can definitely make you feel great and give you a confidence boost. After getting a whole new wardrobe, I decided to donate my old clothes so that they could continue to help some other awesome girl.
5. “You look great today!”
So far my new clothes were a bit nicer than my old ones. Fashion was always an interest of mine. Something I loved to look at, but never really pursued because I wasn’t really a fan of shopping. I absolutely loathed trying on shirt after shirt and dress after dress, only to find that I had, again, gained a size. Well that was not an issue now.
Now that I had dropped a few sizes, I LOVED shopping. It was always the thing that put me in a good mood and kept me motivated to keep up my new and improved eating habits. It kept me moving too, even when that movement involved a long jog (ugh). Overall, my new clothes kept me motivated and inspired and never forgot to tell me I looked great. Love them!
6. “A little bit of toning never hurt anyone.”
I feel very comfortable with my size now, and I love that I was able to get here on my own. But everyone needs a bit of help right? It’s mostly about maintaining this weight loss now, and I have done pretty well. But there have always been some areas that were more stubborn than others. One of these areas for me has always been my tummy. I have never been Ms. Six Pack… or even Four Pack, let’s just say that my abs were not getting with the program. I loved my new clothes, but there were still some things that I could not get without tackling that last challenge first.
So I decided to get with a new program: The SculpSure Program. For those of you who are unaware, SculpSure is a body contouring treatment that removes unwanted fat from the midsection and love handles to help your clothes fit better. It is non-invasive and is ideal for people with trouble spots, particularly those that seem resistant to diet and exercise. Right up my alley, right? And they say you may start to see results as early as 6 weeks following treatment as the body begins to evacuate the destroyed fat cells. I have not had the pleasure of trying this for myself just yet, but I see this in my very near future. Have to keep to the goal!
7. “We got your back!”
Finally, the thing I think my clothes would say the most, is that they have my back no matter what size or shape I am in. They are there to tell me when I’m doing well and feeling it for sure. They can be one of my biggest source of motivations. But I know that if I start to slip up, they will be the first sign. Your family might not notice when you gain 2 to 5 pounds right away, but your slack (or lack thereof) will certainly let you know.
For anyone that is looking to lose weight, take this article seriously! It may be a bit over the top. And no, I do not really think a new top is giving me compliments. However, listen to what your clothes are telling you. You cannot always rely on the scale to track your progress. Muscle weighs more than fat, so if you are working out the way you should be, at one point you will think your progress is stagnant. This is not because you aren’t doing the right exercises, or because you just weren’t meant to lose the extra pounds. It because you’re trading fat for muscle and sometimes that is going to just even out. But even while this is happening, your clothes, and the way they fit will tell the true story. So listen in, they can be the best motivation you ever had.
I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.
