Less Than Half

Weight 181

I'm sitting at Deidrich's on Montana sipping a sugar free latte and taking advantage of their two hours of free wireless (such a deal!).  I just wish their coffee was as good as Pete's.  It's a wonderful day and part of me thinks I should be sitting in the sun (making vitamin D don't you know) and trying to get a bit of tan.  But as is my lazy way, I'm guessing that this isn't the last sunny day we're going to have.  And studying (and avoiding studying by blogging) in a coffee shop seems like the best way to spend this Sunday.

Here's something weird though.  I weigh less than half now of my high weight.  I started out at 367 pounds.  I now weigh 181.  I've lost 186 pounds from my highest weight.  That's 176 from  my surgery weight.  My mind is kind of blown by thoughts of what this means.  No wonder people I've known for years can stand right next to me and not know me at all until they hear my voice.   And yet, I don't really see it. 

Don't get me wrong.  I do see that I've lost weight.  I even can tell that I'm a lot smaller than I was.  But I look at other women sometimes and wonder, am I smaller or bigger than her?  I can't really tell.  And it's rude (of course) to go up to another person and ask what size their jeans are.  I just am not sure I know what someone who's sized 12-14 looks like.  And do I really look like that? 

Yeah, I know.  Time for more pictures.  I've been putting it off mostly because I had an eczema breakout on my face.  One of my worst since surgery, though still nowhere near as bad as when I was pre-op and having a hard time resisting bread (I'm allergic to both yeast and wheat flour).  And now I need a haircut like nobody's business.  But I'll get Paul to take some either tonight or tomorrow.  I'm not sure there's much change, but that's okay.  At least you can see my favorite Old Navy jeans.  They're a size 14, were on sale for $15 (because some of the stitching on one pocket came loose), flattering and get mistaken constantly (I've had it happen 4 times) for $100 Seven jeans.  In fact, one time when I denied it, the friend refused to believe me and I had to fish the ON tag out of the back!  :)  So I think of these jeans as my magic ones.

Alison, I'm so glad to hear you're exploring Old Navy.  Something to keep in mind is that Women's sizes are different from Misses.  It's not an exact thing, but a 14W is about a Misses 16.  Misses sizes are cut smaller in the hips and waist.  My point?  Don't feel discouraged if when trying on Misses stuff, you go up a bit from Lane Bryant sizes.  On the plus side?  The selection is SOOOO much better and so is the quality.  Cheaper too, especially if like you stick with the sale racks.

Another minus though, misses sizes vary wildly based on cut, even within the same brand. My thighs are still pretty huge and so while a 12 skirt may fit, a pair of slender cut 14 jeans may not.  I'm learning to swallow my vanity and not be embarrassed.  Also, though I probably don't need to say this, avoid low rise (and shun "ultra low rise") anything.  The "just below the waist" works okay for me though.  I'm not sure if you have a "fred" but if you do, the lower rise stuff allows him to escape.  It's not pretty either. 

Okay, now I've got to try and work.   No really. 

Comments

[Thomas Bailey]

The British Standards Institute is doing something about this with its BodyDim labels, described in BS-EN 13402-1. This standard calls for a pictogram with actual measurements in centimeters. This new label is now very rare, but will become common when all four parts of the standard are agreed on. Now only the first two are settled, namely, what body parts will be measured, that the measurements will be in centimeters, that girth will be on the left side of the label, and length on the right. Part 3 is still in the works, referring to the difference between one size and the next. BS-EN 13402-3 calls for 4 cm intervals. Many manufacturers are using 5 cm intervals, very close to the much older 2 inch intervals. Part 4 refers to a 4-digit code used by retailers when ordering. This is yet to be determined. For custom-made clothing, parts 1 and 2 are adequate

[Alison]

I'm not out of Lane Bryant sizes yet, but I may get there over the summer, and Old Navy is tops on my list of stores to investigate when I am. I expect to have a nervous breakdown as I navigate out of plus sizes and into normal sizes, so I'm practicing deep breathing now ... I'm already experiencing a profound sense of disorientation in Lane Bryant's size 14/16 (on top, anyway --> one size bigger on the bottom).