While “I just want to be healthy” may be the typical answer to the question “why do you want to lose weight”, for most women without health issues that isn’t the PRIMARY motivation.
Last year I did a survey of my audience about weight loss motivation and feeling confident and looking good in (and out of) clothes was one of the top answers.
Can I just stop here and tell you that it is OK to want to look good. It is not vanity to care about the image that you project to the world. As a matter of fact looking the part may just help you be even more effective in fulfilling your mission and purpose in life.
During my initial weight loss journey I used to struggle to feel good in my skin. I was used to being very thin and able to wear the latest trends and just about anything that I wanted. When I was at my highest non-pregnancy weight, I felt completely lost with how to dress the body that I didn’t recognize and so I opted for baggy clothing and things that I thought would cover me up.
Unfortunately, all I did was make myself look frumpy and bigger than I was. I literally COULD. NOT. WAIT. to be done with my weight loss journey because I mistakenly thought that losing the weight was the key to finally be able to dress confidently again and to show up in the world looking like the real me- the confident, capable, and outgoing person who I was on the inside. What I didn’t know then was that I didn’t have to wait until I was done losing weight to look good and feel good. There were things that I could have done immediately to show up well in the world.
The funny thing is that my first weight loss journey wasn’t my last and I did eventually get the dressing confidently while losing weight thing down. Here’s what I wish I knew the first time around and I helps you.
WEAR CLOTHES THAT FIT YOUR “RIGHT NOW BODY”.
This one is self-explanatory but we don’t always do it because it feels like giving up. How many times have you said “I refuse to buy a bigger size” while you squeezed into pants that didn’t’ quite fit? A few right? I have done it too and while I may have felt like I was staying in the fight by not buying bigger clothes, I was actually creating a daily constant reminder that I wasn’t wear I wanted to be with my weight. I was actually PUNISHING myself for not being in shape. Think about it…
My mom used to always tell me not to try to fit New York into New Jersey and while I didn’t like it then it made all the sense in the world.
GET TO KNOW YOUR SHAPE AND WHICH CLOTHES FLATTER IT.
Looking good in your clothes is not about what size you wear. It all comes down to understanding your body shop, learning which types of clothes flatter that shape, and shopping for what flatters your body despite the current trends.
While my mom was really good at doing this for me and explaining which styles I should pick over others, at the time I didn’t really buy into it. I mistakenly thought that when I was at my ideal body weight I would be able to wear whatever I wanted. Unfortunately not realizing that this wasn’t true led me to wear quite a few ill-fitting trends and continue to feel like I needed to lose weight when what I really needed to do was shop to my shape.
Fortunatly quite a few years ago I worked with a personal stylist. After asking about my personality, style preferences and typical daily activities, the FIRST thing she did was measure me. From my measurements she explained how my shoulder to waist to hip ratio influenced which clothes would look best on me no matter how much weight I lost or gained.
That experience was miraculous because all of a sudden I could shop anywhere and effortless pick out outfits that looked great. Even after I had my first child, I used those same principles to look and feel good before one single post-partum pound was shed.
CREATE AND INVEST IN A “UNIFORM”
I will admit that the word uniform doesn’t exactly conjure up images of confidently dressed women but most women who look great all the time have a uniform.
After you learn what your body shape is and how to dress it to look its best, the next move is to create outfits that conform to that template.
Don’t get me wrong, I am not suggesting you handle your wardrobe like school shopping for a elementary aged boy (5 pairs of this jean, 8 colors of that polo shirt) but I am saying create a template for your frequent activities and then stick to it.
Here’s how this plays out in real life. I spend my days in the gym, hanging out with my family, or going to church. So I literally have three uniforms- active , lifestyle, and dressy. My active uniform includes leggings with tee shirts or tank tops (either long and fitted or racerback and flowy). My lifestyle uniform includes fitted cropped jeans, capris, or leggings with long, fitted tees or knitted shirts, tube tops, or jumpers and maxi dresses (strapless, halter, or sleeveless). My dressy uniform includes A-line dresses (again usually sleeveless) or pant suits with jackets (with a sleeveless tank underneath). Having this uniform and clothes that fit the template makes it so easy to get dressed quickly and still like how I look when I am done. I can literally go to the section of my closet that matches my planned activity and pick something that I know I will like.
So those are my tips on how to dress confidently before you lose a single pound. Which tip resonates the most? Let me know in the comments below.
By the way, if you found this article helpful, you will NOT want to miss my upcoming summit, The Fierce Formula. Personal Stylist, Catherine Storing (http://stylingfaith.com/) will be there to help us all understand how to “Look Amazing. Feel Amazing. Live Amazing”. Reserve your spot for this FREE summit now by CLICKING HERE.
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Love the article. It gave me ideas that I had no thought of. I will wear me and be happy. Looking forward to the summit. I did the click the “CLICKING HERE” but nothing happened? God Bless
Glad you found it helpful Audrey. Thanks for letting me know. I fixed that link.