Tag Archives: plus size

2 Steps Forward 1 Step Back (or Going With The Flow)

Again, I can never depend on life just going the way it should be.

I was starting to get used to my work schedule again, then I get sick. Everyone in my office was passing around this bug and I was the 5th person to get it. Fortunately, I have a very understanding boss who let me take a day off when I had a fever. Yesterday when I got up, my temperature was 102. It finally went below 100 at bedtime.

And I finally was getting into a nice groove with my workouts. I absolutely love spinning. I just did 5K #4 (and signed up for 5K #5 for later this month). And when I went to wash my sports bra this weekend after the 5K, it died a nice gruesome death in the washing machine. What happened was the metal fasteners from the back got trapped in the machine. It got totally shredded most likely during the spin cycle (enter spin cycle/SoulCycle spin class pun here). This was my only sports bra. It’s incredibly tough to find one that works for me and comes in my size.

After these two things happened pretty much back to back, I wanted to have a meltdown. I did have a minor freakout, but in the privacy of my house. And I had to fix both problems quickly.

Obviously, getting over a sickness is not something that you can completely control. But I’m drinking a ton of water to flush this out of my system, and I’m focusing on getting plenty of sleep. And while I was home being sick, I went online and found a sports bra that I liked online. It’s from Lane Bryant, and they fit their sports bras like their regular bras (which I wear), so I’m hoping it will fit me. I thought about waiting until I had time to go to the store to try it on, but if I do that, it will be far too easy to put off for forever. According to my online order, I should have my new sports bras (I ordered 2 so I wouldn’t have this problem again) by the end of this week/beginning of next week.

Even though it might not sound like it from this post, but I’m getting better at dealing with unexpected issues. In the past, I would have seen the ripped sports bra as an excuse to not keep working out or to bail on my next 5K. Now I just see it as a minor set back that was easily fixed by doing some quick shopping online. Even though this may sound like baby steps, they are at least baby steps going in the right direction.

How Long Can I Wait? (or Wanting To Shop At The Last Minute)

Yesterday on the phone, a relative of mine asked me if I had gotten a dress to wear to my brother’s wedding yet.

Honestly, I haven’t even really thought about what I want to wear. I have about 3 months until the wedding. That gives me time to shop around.

But also, I still want to see how much weight I can lose. I’m not going to be anywhere near my original goal, and that’s very upsetting to me. Just the other day, it was my 1 year anniversary at my day job. And I just couldn’t believe how quickly the time has gone by.

And while in the last 9 months I have lost weight, it’s not as fast as I wanted. There is a chance that somehow I could lose weight really quickly in 3 months, but I’ve learned from past experiences that that is not the best way for me to try to maintain the weight loss.

I have a size in mind that I’d like to be for the wedding, and it may or may not be doable. But at that size, I still wouldn’t fit into “normal” sized clothing.

Which gives me few options of stores that I can go and try on clothes at (that don’t look like something an old lady should wear). I’ve looked at some of the dresses available at David’s Bridal, and they have some cute things that would come in the size I’m at right now. And hopefully if I went to one of their stores they would have some options in my size to try on.

The other part of me is just wondering what I’ll want to wear for a black tie/formal wedding that is taking place near the beach in Hawaii. For practical reasons, I don’t want to wear heels, I’d want to be in wedges. I also don’t want something floor length because it would get dirty (and possibly be too warm).

Does anyone out there have any ideas for a dress that comes in plus sizes that would work for a formal Hawaii wedding? I’m serious open to suggestions. I might not try on a dress for another month or two, but I really need to get some ideas in my head for when I’m ready to shop.

Renting A Dress (or Testing Out Gwynnie Bee)

I got a lot of compliments on the dress that I wore to the wedding this past weekend.

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The dress was by Kiyonna, a store that I’ve written about before. But this time, it wasn’t a dress that I owned. I borrowed it from a service I’m trying out called Gwynnie Bee.

Basically, Gwynnie Bee is like Netflix for plus sized clothes (sizes 10 and up). You pay a monthly fee for a certain number of items out at a time, and you send back the outfits when you are done with them. I’m currently in a 30 day free trial (you can start your own trial for free at this link).

My trial is for 3 items at a time, so I filled my virtual closet with dresses so I’d have some new things to wear for the wedding. I got 3 dresses to my house this week. One dress didn’t fit so well (but they do include cards that you send back with the items to say any issues you had with fit), and the other one was a little casual for an evening wedding. Inside the box with the dresses were pre-paid UPS bags to send the items back.

This is pretty awesome! Clothes aren’t cheap, and in a way, this is a way to try clothes on that you can sometimes only find online.

On the Gwynnie Bee site, there are a lot of dresses and cute tops. I think that most of the clothes are cute and things that I wear. My only hesitation is that I pretty much live in jeans and t-shirts. I sometimes go out in cute clothes, but when I’m at my day job, there’s no need to dress nice.

I don’t know if I’d want to wear nicer clothes at work because when you are sitting in a chair for 8 hours on the phone pretty much the entire time, you want to be comfortable.

I’m sending back the dresses that I have at my house this week so I can try some other cute clothes. Maybe I’ll decide to wear cuter things at work. But if you are looking for some new clothing options, you should totally sign up for the free trial.

Full disclosure: if you sign up for a free trial from the link I provided and then decide to keep the membership after the trial, I do receive compensation in the form of a free month of my personal membership. If you don’t want me to get a free month from you signing up, please go to their main page and sign up through there. Gwynnie Bee did not give me any compensation for this post. All opinions are of my own.

Busting Out Of My Comfort Zone (or I Bought Skinny Jeans)

I definitely have a comfort zone. There are a lot of things that I do now because I like how they feel as part of a routine.

I was like this with exercise. For a long time, I really didn’t want to exercise anywhere besides in my house or at Richard Simmons’ studio. These were places that I felt safe exercising. Nobody was going to judge me for my weight (which sadly is something I’ve experienced at 2 different gyms I used to belong to in LA). But I went outside my comfort zone when I saw the free spin class on twitter, and now going to SoulCycle is one of my favorite things to do! I never thought before that I would say a form of exercise is one of my favorite things to do!

I used to hide the fact that I have an eating disorder and credit card debt. I liked that I could hide behind a facade and seem to not have those troubles in my life. But once I stepped outside my comfort zone and admitted those things (essentially to the world), I’ve been able to deal with them much better. I still have debt, but I’m working on paying it down. And I’ll always have my eating disorder, but I don’t feel like it is as out of control and running my life as it used to.

What does all this have to do with me buying skinny jeans? Well, I totally have a comfort zone when it comes to clothes. For a long time, I told myself that it was like that because there are so few options for me. I have my favorite jeans (which seem to be the only jeans that really fit me well), and I love my Old Navy shirts. I wear those items a lot. And at my day job, where I’m on the phone all day and never have to see anyone besides my 5 co-workers, I don’t feel the need to dress nicer.

But I don’t want to look sloppy all the time. There is a time and place for that, but that is not everyday. This upcoming weekend I’m going to San Francisco for my future sister-in-law’s dress fitting. Besides the dress fitting, there are a bunch of other events during the weekend including 2 nice dinners, 2 brunches, a shopping outing, and going to a club. That’s a lot of clothes for a weekend, but I’m willing to figure out how to make it all fit into a carry on.

I recently got some new clothes from one of my favorite store, Kiyonna. I bought 3 new tops (but I think I’m sending one back because I don’t love it in person), and when I tried them on with my favorite jeans, it didn’t look right.

My favorite jeans are bootcut, and when I went back to the Kiyonna website I noticed that they had the model styled in skinny jeans for the tops I bought. So I went to the store that carries my favorite jeans, and they happened to have dark wash skinny jeans in my size (and in petite). It was fate!

I tried them on, and I didn’t love them. They aren’t what I’m used to. But after 3 salesgirls and 6 customers told me how much they loved the jeans on me, I had to trust them and get them.

These jeans are a big break out of my comfort zone. It’s almost harder for me to love these pants than it was for me to love spinning! I’m sorry I didn’t get a picture of me in the pants on here (yet), but I wanted to wash them before I wore them.

I’m planning on bringing the new pants with me to San Francisco this weekend. I’m hoping to wear them for some of the events. I haven’t convinced myself not to also pack my favorite jeans just in case, but I’m hoping that I’ll have the courage to do that before zipping up my suitcase tomorrow.

Pictures to come, I promise!

Plus Sized Workouts (or Are Clothing Companies Trying To Keep Me Heavy?)

Shopping for clothing in general for me is tough. I’ve talked about that a couple of times.

But shopping for workout clothes that fit me seems to be almost impossible.

I have a couple of t-shirts that are junky enough to be gross and sweaty, and for spinning I’ve been wearing tamis from Old Navy (no joke, when I went to grab this link, I saw that tamis were on sale and bought 4 more). Those tamis are nice and long on me, so when I’m bent over the spin bike, I’m not worrying about them riding up.

But workout pants are have always been weird. Not only do I need to find some that are big enough, I’m short so I need to find them in petite (or hope that they are short enough to not look weird on me). The first time I was trying to lose weight as an adult, I bought some workout pants at Lane Bryant. And nothing against the store, but those workout pants were beyond ugly! I might not have the world’s cutest butt, but those pants made it look like I was wearing a diaper.

I’ve tried the stretch capri pants at Target, but even their largest size was a little small around the waist for me. And on one of my magical trips to Old Navy (I swear that they are not sponsoring or paying me for this post at all), I found these great workout capris.  I love the fold-over part at the waist because it makes me feel like my stomach is being held in a bit.

In the store, they only have regular length, so I bought one pair of those to hold me over. I ordered 3 more in the petite length, and those 4 workout pants can get me through any week.

(this is where most guys will want to stop reading)

Sports bras are tough for almost anyone. It doesn’t matter what size you are, it seems like you can never find one that is right. I ended up going to a store for a professional bra fitting. It was a fancy store on Ventura Blvd (but I can’t remember the name of it) and they did a great job fitting me. If you’ve never had a proper bra fitting before, I recommend getting one done. I’d also recommend going somewhere like a lingerie or department store where they have more than one brand of bra. Also, be warned that a bra fitting is very touchy-feely and hands on (I have no modesty issues and even I blushed once or twice).

Sadly, most of the regular bras there were over $150, so I didn’t get any of those. But they did have 2 sports bras (one for low impact and a compression one for high impact) that were on sale. I got those, and I have to say that my boobs don’t hurt anymore when exercising (which is not the easiest thing to accomplish).

I wish that clothing companies were more accepting of all sizes, especially for workout gear. It’s tough when you want to lose weight but all the workout clothes are for people who are already a couple of sizes smaller than you are. But I’ve found something that works now, and one day, I’ll fit into all the cute gear that I see in other stores!

Just Because I’m Not Skinny Doesn’t Mean I Don’t Want To Look Cute (or More Shopping Drama)

I’ve talked before about hard tough it can be to shop when you aren’t skinny. I’ve also talked before about my love of Pinterest.

I love searching the boards on Pinterest for tons of stuff. One of my favorite sections is the Women’s Fashion section. There are so many ideas for clothes. Some of them are craft ideas with clothes (I totally want to make this sweater!). Some pins are about accessories.

But most of the pins are of really cute outfit combinations. I would totally rock any of those looks.

But sadly, until I lose weight and fit into a “normal” size, I won’t be able to create those outfits. There are a few stores that carry clothes in my size. Even fewer that carry pants or jeans that are both plus size and petite. And unless I want to order things online and take a chance on it fitting, I have only select stores that I can go to.

I am not trying to sound like a victim. I know that it is my fault that I am this size. I haven’t gotten control over my eating disorder yet. I hope that one day, the eating disorder will be a distant memory (although I think I’ll always have disordered eating habits).

But until that day, I need to still cloth myself and I’d like to look cute. I’m single, young(ish), and trying to live a full life. But when most of the clothing options for me are either very old-looking or something that maybe a middle schooler would wear, it’s tough to look how I’d like.

I’m thinking about seeing about testing out a personal shopper (you can use one for free at Bloomingdales). I might not purchase the clothes, but at least I can get an idea of what I should look for in other stores. Or maybe I can say that I’d like to look at clothes that are mainly on sale.

I don’t think I’ll have time to do too much shopping before I’m (f)unemployed, but maybe this could be something to look forward to in the new year.

Throwaway Clothes (or Why I Hate Shopping Sometimes)

Shopping and I have a love-hate relationship. Sometimes is great and I find amazing things. When something is cute, affordable, and fits my day is made.

I have a lot of clothes that I call throwaway clothes. These are things that are cheap and may or may not survive a year’s worth of washings. A lot of these come from Old Navy (not to trash talk their clothes, but they seem to pill or get holes a lot easier than nice stuff). When I find something I like, I normally get it in a ton of colors. Right now, I’m in love with their Tamis (it’s a hybrid tank top and camisole). I have 4 so far, and I’m probably going to get at least 2 or 3 more in different colors.

One thing that I try not to buy as throwaway clothes are jeans. I know that everyone has a hard time finding cute jeans, but I have a hard time finding jeans that don’t need to be altered so much that it doubles the cost. I have to find both plus size and petite jeans, which don’t seem to exist too often. I have to get the petite ones not only due to the length (I’m only 5’3″), but because the waists aren’t as high. For some reason, a lot of designers feel that plus sized women want the waist of their jeans to be a few inches above their belly button. No thank you.

When I find jeans that fit, I will also buy more than one. I had 2 pairs of my current jeans. But this week, one pair got a hole in it in a spot that is too tough to repair. So I went online to see if I can order another pair, but now they only make the jeans in regular plus size, not petite. I almost screamed at my computer screen when I saw that.

I’m going to go to the store in person this weekend (it’s right by Old Navy so I’m already going that way), and I’m going to hope that they happen to have my pants there. Otherwise, I have to start the search for new jeans again.

Wish me luck!

UPDATE: Went to the store to find my jeans, and they had them!! And not only did they have them, they also now have them in a darker wash. So I bought a couple of pairs! Yay!

Shopping Adventure Results (or Why Do Things Have to Be Backordered?!?)

On Saturday after I was done with work, I made the drive down to Anaheim to go to Kiyonna. Since everything was 20% off, I was planning on buying a bunch of things.

When I get to the store, I’m ushered upstairs where the boutique is (it’s almost like a personal shopper experience there). I tried on a ton of stuff, and while things fit, they didn’t necessarily fit right. Beside being plus sized, I’m short. For some reason, that’s an unheard of combination in fashion. If you are big, you are also tall. But not me.

So a bunch of dresses looked ridiculous on me. But at least I was able to try stuff on. And since Saturday was the only day that things were 20% off, a lot of stuff was backordered.

I walked away with one dress.

 

Not exactly sure what I will wear it to, but it was under $100 and it can be altered pretty easily if I lose weight, so I got it. When I showed it to a friend last night, she agreed that it would be perfect to wear to The Magic Castle if we get another invite soon.

I also put in pre-orders for some backordered items.

I got this dress for my friend’s wedding in October.

 

I love how this dress is styled in this picture. I’m hoping to find some cute and comfortable colored heels for the wedding (my friend has told me that there will be a lot of dancing and to come prepared).

I also pre-ordered this top. It was backordered in black, and it will also be coming in teal soon, so I ordered both colors.

 

I figured that that is a pretty great top for a lot of events. I might even wear it for Thanksgiving.

Even though most of the items I wanted were not in store, I still got everything 20% off, so the financial damage wasn’t too bad.

Now I’m just antsy waiting for my backordered items to arrive!

This Weekend’s Shopping Adventure (or Still Trying to Find Some More Cute Dresses)

I’ve previously posted about how tough it can be to shop when you don’t fit into a “standard” size. I’ve got a few more events coming up in the future where I need some nice clothes, and I don’t have anything that would be weather/event appropriate. The event I’m most excited about is in October when my friends Marie and Chris are getting married! I’m traveling to Houston for that, and I want a fun dress to wear to their fun wedding.

On Saturday, Kiyonna is having their Sweet 16 Shopping Event. Everything is 20% off if you go shop at their boutique above their distribution center in Anaheim. Of course, I RSVPed for that event and I’ll be doing a bunch of shopping tomorrow. I’ve bought clothes full price at the store before and I’m excited to save some money this time!

I’m grateful that I’ve found a few stores where I can feel relatively confident that even if I won’t find what I’m looking for, I’ll find clothes that I can try on and that fit. That’s pretty important.

I hate the feeling of going in a dressing room with my arms full of clothes that I can’t wait to try on only to find out that not a single thing fits. Normally after that happens, I don’t even want to continue shopping, I just leave the store feeling defeated.

But I know on Saturday that I’ll be able to find clothes that fit. And I’ve been looking online and have found several dresses and tops that I’m super excited to try on. I’ll have to report back on Monday to let you know what I got (and what the damage is to my credit card).

Shoes! (or The Most Fabulous Items in My Wardrobe)

I love shoes! I don’t know many girls who don’t (although my friend Emily might love them more than most).

One of the best things about shoes is no matter what size you are, your shoes will almost always fit. So those are the one fancy item I can have in my closet like everyone else.

But I do still try to get my shoes on the cheap. I love websites like Zappos because they have a nice selection and good deals. But there’s something about going to a shoe store and seeing all the shoes lined up and waiting to be taken home (I know, I make it sound like puppies waiting to be adopted). As much as I would love to have an unlimited budget for shoes, that isn’t my reality (yet).

Near me in LA, I love Off Broadway Shoes and DSW. Those seem to have the nicest selections with the best deals. And I love that whenever you shop at Off Broadway, at the bottom of your receipt, there is a coupon for 10% of what you just spent to use the next time you go.

I realize that writing an entire blog post dedicated to shoes might show how obsessed I am, but that’s ok. I think every girl, no matter what size she happens to be, needs to have a category of clothing or accessories that makes them happy all the time. And for me, that’s my collection of shoes.