Saturday
Yes, I know it's Sunday now. But I just wanted to post about Saturday and just couldn't/didn't feel like it. Still don't really. I'm just bushed. Have been for a while. Will continue to be, I'm sure.
Anyway, the rest is behind the cut.
Okay. So Saturday was a GSE Team meeting (GSE is the India thing, in case you were wondering). This was also the day we had scheduled to go shopping. We're going to wear matching shirts/outfits to give a professional, cohesive, uniform appearance to our team.
Of course, I had been dreading this (the shopping) since the idea had been brought up. It's not just that I'm really large now. Or even that I really dislike the mall and am not that big a fan of shopping in general. (well, I am of the idea of shopping. I can meander for hours on end. But I hate shopping on a goal. It gets too stressful for me.)
Anyway, the facts are that we had five women who had to find outfits that we all liked. Even if I was a size 4, I'd be the odd one out. I am 5'10" My team mates? Are 4'11", 5', 5'1", and TINY. The fourth team member I keep thinking is "average size", simply because she doesn't give the same impression as the others. But I looked at the whole group standing yesterday, and she's 5'3" / 5'4" at the MOST. Our leader is a size 2. She kept having to go back and get the EXTRA small sized tops to try to get stuff that'd fit right. Two of the others have to wear petite tops. (At least one of them is heavyset, I don't think I could have bourn it otherwise.)
I have been debating what to do on this trip for weeks. 'Cause we don't HAVE to purchase anything yet, we aren't leaving for nearly two months. Between my toning and the rate I've been losing, I plan/expect to be at least 1-2 full sizes smaller by then. 16 (regular) pant, 16 or 14-16 top.
However, I don't to SAY this. Because, I know it'll sound like every fat person "Oh, I'm going to lose X pounds before the wedding" or the vacation, or whatever. Except I'm not just saying it. I'm 12 pound lighter than I was at our last meeting. I'm two sizes smaller than I was when I applied for this program. It IS happening. But it's awkward to talk about. (I finally did, a little bit at least.)
So, there were some die-hard mall shoppers with us and they were running around grabbing a couple different sizes of things they thought might work.
The first thing they looked at, talked about even before going, actually, was a tunic. Well, "tunic" and 6-foot woman and/or "tunic" and size 18-20 woman DO NOT MIX. They pulled out these kind of paisley, flimsy tops with sequins around the collar and in a band under the bust, and were oooing and ahhing. Not my style, but I know it'll look cute on some people. They ask, I tell them that. "Oh, no, [raligh], this'll look so cute on you, really." (Okay "so cute" and 6-foot woman do not mix either!)
So I took the large (biggest they got) and started praying "God, please at least let me be able to get it on." I KNEW it wouldn't look good, but I wanted to at least be able to get my body into it. (NOT a rediculous fear. "Large" in regular does NOT translate to 16-18W.)
Well, I DID get it on. And the under-bust band? Hit me two inches too high. But they all liked the way it looked on them. That's fine. I just need to find a dressy top in a similar shade of purple or purple and black pattern.
After TWO AND A HALF HOURS, that was the only decision we had made. Oh, and I convinced them to go with a basic, French Blue button-up dress shirt as one of our outfits.
So we go to the next place. New York and Company (formerly Lerner). Which gives me a glimmer of hope because I really like most of their styles at least.
Right in front of the door is a big ol' display with the same dress shirt in about eight different shades and patterns. So we grab all sizes of two or three, check out a few more things and head to the changing rooms. We finally manage to get one - a really large corner one, and since it's now nearly three in the afternoon, (we met at 9:00 a.m.) we all crowd in together. (again, awkward even the heavy girl, as roly-poly as she looks, probably only weighs 120. Only one of the others has any kind of extra weight and it's just barely more than those 20 vanity pounds most women have.)
Well, they fit. They ALL fit. Not as well as I'd like. (I'm kind of conservative [if you hadn't guessed] and I don't like snug tops) But I could put them on, button them up, move around. I fit REGULAR XL, guys! Even some "large." It's wonderful!
And, I really liked the stuff. We got two of those dress shirts - a nice burgandy/cranberry solid with kind of a metallic sheen to it, and a crisp white one with some black embroidry down the front - with little sequin beads worked into the pattern. Really sharp looking. Then a creamy white, (VERY soft) turtleneck sweater, a black sweater vest and the one other thing I wasn't that crazy about, a black sweater with this open throat and cream-colored stitching pattern around the neck and opening. Just not my style, and not that flattering. It also fit me the worst - too short. However, they loved them, it was only $10 and it was wool-acrylic, meaning WARM. (also the reasoning behind the sweater vest)
That is essential, because it will be 40s-60s where we will be. In the mountains. AND no central heating.
I bought all the stuff, and, since I got a credit card account while I was there, it only cost $101.77 total! And I got three "$15 off $30+ purchase" coupons for next month.
Best of all, the sponsoring clubs provide us with a clothing allowance of about $250! Free cloths! And they're regular sizes!
Okay, that was longer than I thought. Took longer, too. (Jeeze, a whole hour!) But I wanted to get it out there. Now I need to go clean up and head to bed. LONG day tomorrow and it starts early.
Anyway, the rest is behind the cut.
Okay. So Saturday was a GSE Team meeting (GSE is the India thing, in case you were wondering). This was also the day we had scheduled to go shopping. We're going to wear matching shirts/outfits to give a professional, cohesive, uniform appearance to our team.
Of course, I had been dreading this (the shopping) since the idea had been brought up. It's not just that I'm really large now. Or even that I really dislike the mall and am not that big a fan of shopping in general. (well, I am of the idea of shopping. I can meander for hours on end. But I hate shopping on a goal. It gets too stressful for me.)
Anyway, the facts are that we had five women who had to find outfits that we all liked. Even if I was a size 4, I'd be the odd one out. I am 5'10" My team mates? Are 4'11", 5', 5'1", and TINY. The fourth team member I keep thinking is "average size", simply because she doesn't give the same impression as the others. But I looked at the whole group standing yesterday, and she's 5'3" / 5'4" at the MOST. Our leader is a size 2. She kept having to go back and get the EXTRA small sized tops to try to get stuff that'd fit right. Two of the others have to wear petite tops. (At least one of them is heavyset, I don't think I could have bourn it otherwise.)
I have been debating what to do on this trip for weeks. 'Cause we don't HAVE to purchase anything yet, we aren't leaving for nearly two months. Between my toning and the rate I've been losing, I plan/expect to be at least 1-2 full sizes smaller by then. 16 (regular) pant, 16 or 14-16 top.
However, I don't to SAY this. Because, I know it'll sound like every fat person "Oh, I'm going to lose X pounds before the wedding" or the vacation, or whatever. Except I'm not just saying it. I'm 12 pound lighter than I was at our last meeting. I'm two sizes smaller than I was when I applied for this program. It IS happening. But it's awkward to talk about. (I finally did, a little bit at least.)
So, there were some die-hard mall shoppers with us and they were running around grabbing a couple different sizes of things they thought might work.
The first thing they looked at, talked about even before going, actually, was a tunic. Well, "tunic" and 6-foot woman and/or "tunic" and size 18-20 woman DO NOT MIX. They pulled out these kind of paisley, flimsy tops with sequins around the collar and in a band under the bust, and were oooing and ahhing. Not my style, but I know it'll look cute on some people. They ask, I tell them that. "Oh, no, [raligh], this'll look so cute on you, really." (Okay "so cute" and 6-foot woman do not mix either!)
So I took the large (biggest they got) and started praying "God, please at least let me be able to get it on." I KNEW it wouldn't look good, but I wanted to at least be able to get my body into it. (NOT a rediculous fear. "Large" in regular does NOT translate to 16-18W.)
Well, I DID get it on. And the under-bust band? Hit me two inches too high. But they all liked the way it looked on them. That's fine. I just need to find a dressy top in a similar shade of purple or purple and black pattern.
After TWO AND A HALF HOURS, that was the only decision we had made. Oh, and I convinced them to go with a basic, French Blue button-up dress shirt as one of our outfits.
So we go to the next place. New York and Company (formerly Lerner). Which gives me a glimmer of hope because I really like most of their styles at least.
Right in front of the door is a big ol' display with the same dress shirt in about eight different shades and patterns. So we grab all sizes of two or three, check out a few more things and head to the changing rooms. We finally manage to get one - a really large corner one, and since it's now nearly three in the afternoon, (we met at 9:00 a.m.) we all crowd in together. (again, awkward even the heavy girl, as roly-poly as she looks, probably only weighs 120. Only one of the others has any kind of extra weight and it's just barely more than those 20 vanity pounds most women have.)
Well, they fit. They ALL fit. Not as well as I'd like. (I'm kind of conservative [if you hadn't guessed] and I don't like snug tops) But I could put them on, button them up, move around. I fit REGULAR XL, guys! Even some "large." It's wonderful!
And, I really liked the stuff. We got two of those dress shirts - a nice burgandy/cranberry solid with kind of a metallic sheen to it, and a crisp white one with some black embroidry down the front - with little sequin beads worked into the pattern. Really sharp looking. Then a creamy white, (VERY soft) turtleneck sweater, a black sweater vest and the one other thing I wasn't that crazy about, a black sweater with this open throat and cream-colored stitching pattern around the neck and opening. Just not my style, and not that flattering. It also fit me the worst - too short. However, they loved them, it was only $10 and it was wool-acrylic, meaning WARM. (also the reasoning behind the sweater vest)
That is essential, because it will be 40s-60s where we will be. In the mountains. AND no central heating.
I bought all the stuff, and, since I got a credit card account while I was there, it only cost $101.77 total! And I got three "$15 off $30+ purchase" coupons for next month.
Best of all, the sponsoring clubs provide us with a clothing allowance of about $250! Free cloths! And they're regular sizes!
Okay, that was longer than I thought. Took longer, too. (Jeeze, a whole hour!) But I wanted to get it out there. Now I need to go clean up and head to bed. LONG day tomorrow and it starts early.