Clothing Through The Stages Of Weight Loss

[manderoo 2]

I am excited that I am finally starting to go down in clothing sizes. I feel like I am still attracted to larger clothes because they hide my newly drooping skin but they are unflattering in the shoulders and on my body as a whole. How have you coped with wearing the right size but hiding the flab factor?

[LLCoolNoe 25]

I'm not at the "new clothes" stage just yet, but from what I've seen, everybody seems to LOVE Spanx and other body shapers. Everybody likes how it smoothes everything out and brings it all in. I can't wait to necessitate a body shaper!

[Sojourner 2,446]

I've stayed with cotton knit tops, mostly looking for "ruched" side seams and necklines. They can hide many body imperfections without looking like you are wearing clothing that is too large for you. I have not gotten brave enough to wear sleeveless tanks yet, but I live in the south and need to wear short sleeves in the hot summer.

I've also invested in a few pair of "Not Your Daughter's Jeans" Capri pants and shorts which are very stretchy and forgiving of many lower body imperfections. They are not inexpensive, but you sometimes are able to find them on sale at Macy's or Bloomingdale's. You can wear them for 2 sizes larger after you have shrunk out of that size, so I do feel that I am getting my money's worth from them!

Spanx and other "body shapers" would be horrible to wear in the already hot summer...I just would be way too warm to tolerate them!

I will contemplate some plastic surgery for my tummy and upper arms when I am closer to my goal weight...

[DELETE THIS ACCOUNT! 12,703]

I struggle with this so bad. I started out a 7x and am currently in a 2x, but I have so much lose skin I look like a Shar Pei. I tend to wear longer baby doll style tops to cover my hanging tummy skin and make sure all my sleeves reach my elbow to cover my saggy arm skin.

It sucks to drop sizes and still be so self conscious about lose skin, but I'll take the lose skin over the pounds any day.

[manderoo 2]

I havnt lost that much weight but it seems ive lost a little all over EXCEPT my stomach....it looks bigger than ever!

[manderoo 2]

mis73 congrats on your loss you did really well really quickly!!!!

[VALERIE916 0]

i WENT FRO A 24-26 TO A SIZE 16 PANTS, FIND THE LOOSE SKIN HARD TO HIDE IN SHIRTS WEAR A SIZE ONE SIZE LARGER ON TOP TO HIDE, WILL NEVER WEAR A TANK TOP!!!

[Jodi_620 37]

Body shapers do wonders! I wear the Tank Top kind under all of my clothes and it tucks the skin in very nicely. It tucks the waistline skin and is long enough to pull over my lower belly to firm it up as well. Spanx is very expensive but Maidenform makes a version called Control It! that works fine for me. I never go without one.

[TexasDy 53]

One month post-op - dropped 2 pants-sizes!! =) My 3x tops still fit nicely w/o being baggy but I hung all my 2x back in the closet to be ready!!

[LouisianaLiLi 231]

One month post-op - dropped 2 pants-sizes!! =) My 3x tops still fit nicely w/o being baggy but I hung all my 2x back in the closet to be ready!!

WOW Dy, you had surgery after me and you've already had 3 fills. I go for my first a week from today. YOu are doing great! Congrats on the loss. I have not dropped any pants sizes yet, BUT my clothes are fitting differently. My shirts are looser and actually look nice and I don't look like a sausage.

I guess I will be looking for a good support/body shaper in the winter.

Good Luck to you all in your journey!

[TracyW2 137]

It took me a long time before I would finally wear more appropriate sized clothing. I kept being told my clothes were too big and I needed to wear something to show off my new body, but I just wasnt comfortable. You will get there!

[mindwing 15]

I have lost over 100 lbs, and all my tops are way too big, as in indecently big. But my pannus is so huge that I am still in the same size pants. Actually, I am losing weight in the top of the pannus, so it hangs lower each month. If I sit (which I do always because I am in a wheelchair) the pannus peeks out from under my floor length skirt. It almost reaches my ankles.

Money is extremely tight, so buying new clothes as I lose weight isn't possible. As it is, I sew my clothes to save money.

My solution--I use the pants I have worn for years to cover the pannus. This summer I cut them into shorts because it is too hot for long pants under a skirt. Wearing the pants alone isn't an option because the pannus is so large. When I am standing, it hangs below my knees. I have some very hard fat at the bottom that refuses to melt, so the bottom of it is huge.

I made simple floor length skirts--elastic in a sleeve at the top. As I lose weight, I need to cut some of the fullness out of them or they will get caught in my wheelchair. I've already cut a foot out, and need to cut out another 6 inches in the next month.

Blouses were the big problem. Then my 90 lb neightbor showed me a dress she wears that she thought would be perfect for me. I thought "yeah, right!" but checked it out anyway. It is perfect. It is simply a piece of material folded over with a hole cut out for the head, and sewed up on the sides right by the outer edges. I use 45" material, so it covers my batwings. I used a zigzag stitch around the neckline and hemmed the bottom. The side seams are 3" from the sides of the material. It looks great on me, and I know it will be just fine as I shrink--The sleeves will get longer, but no seams to make it look too big. When I lose enough weight, I will sew another seam up the sides 2 inches in from the first.

I only buy 2 yards of material for each blouse, so it is a blouse instead of a dress.

That just leaves a chest binder--those things are so expensive. I sew seams in my old ones to take them in, and use one of those plastic things that hook the two straps together in the middle to make it fit tighter. I will still have to get a new one, but I figure the plastic strap holder will give me an extra month or two.

The good news for me is that they won't make me wait until I am at goal to remove the pannus. When I lose another 50 lbs. they will take it off. I figure I should lose about 30 pounds from that surgery. I can hardly wait because I can't drive or walk or do anything active until it is gone.

mindwing

[TexasDy 53]

WOW Dy' date=' you had surgery after me and you've already had 3 fills. I go for my first a week from today. YOu are doing great! Congrats on the loss. I have not dropped any pants sizes yet, BUT my clothes are fitting differently. My shirts are looser and actually look nice and I don't look like a sausage.

I guess I will be looking for a good support/body shaper in the winter.

Good Luck to you all in your journey![/quote']

Thanks! I've only had 1 actual fill. Just others scheduled. My last appointment I didn't get any Fluid added. They said I needed to up my Protein intake. Its changing everything, not just relying on the band. Its been a rough 2 weeks, not having any additional restriction, but I'm looking forward to my appointment tomorrow =)