Weight for me

I've been losing weight. Haven't wanted to jinx it, but it's starting to make a difference in the clothes I can wear. Woohoo! Last night, I pulled a few things out of my closet and tried them on and was pleasantly surprised. for instance, I have a grey boucle skirt that I got...circa 2003. It was an online purchase that was meant to replace a similar boucle skirt I had that had de-elasticized into a grey sack (albeit a very classy grey sack---it was Liz Claiborne and cashmere---a thrift store find). Unfortunately, the online skirt (neither cashmere nor Claiborne) was snug, not sack-ish, and was several inches shorter. I was never quite comfortable wearing it---but when I tried it on last night, it wasn't snug, and when I wore it to work today, it was perfectly comfortable.

(I wore it with this top, FYI: . Pic is from last year---my hair is shorter---and I hope I don't usually look that goofy. It's something about the way my glasses 'shrink' my eyes....)

Discovered that the short-sleeved khaki jacket I got (also online, about a year ago) buttons nicely and doesn't cut off circulation in my arms anymore, so that will join my fall line-up.

The big disappointment is the black and white polka-dot Curvy Girl halter dress (size 5X in someone else's universe, also acquired online---from this you may scoff to hear that I've usually had very good luck with online clothing purchases). It's still snug. Not as bad as it was a few months ago---18 pounds makes more difference than I thought---and if I lose 10 more and get cinched into my Lane Bryant corset, it might just work. It's deliciously A-line---if could just contrive a crinoline to poof it out a bit! It's got a decided air of the Fifties about it, and with a little floral headband and my Fluevogs? I'd be amazing. (And so modest, right?)

How am I doing it? Soup for dinner most days I work, trying to eat lightly (or not at all) after I get home, not eating like an anaconda when I brunch. With my schedule, I tend toward two meals, brunch and dinner, and I'm trying to be LESS indiscriminate about snacks. Do I still snack? Heck yeah, but I'm trying to pick things like crackers instead of chips and hard candy instead of Oreos. Rome wasn't built in a day.

I'm hoping to get into some kind of exercize routine when the temps go down. There are a few scenic places I can think of, and there's the prosaic Old Faithful, laps around the block.

My goal is simple: I want a weight that begins with a number "2" by the end of this year. (Maybe even by the wedding?) That's *not* unrealistic. It's less than 15 pounds away. Rah, rah, rah, go me!

Oh, and another thing---I won a free pair of Brand X jeans, which are very good jeans, but they do NOT come in size 28/30. I tried to interest various friends in buying these hypothetical jeans from me, no dice. Today I said WTF, I may as well get the highest plus size they have (24) and see if I can get down to that. They're a fit that *should* work for me, with a defined waist and bigger through the hips, bootcut, dark wash...so that's the next goal after breaking the 300-pound mark---to get into those jeans!

Weight for me

I've been losing weight. Haven't wanted to jinx it, but it's starting to make a difference in the clothes I can wear. Woohoo! Last night, I pulled a few things out of my closet and tried them on and was pleasantly surprised. for instance, I have a grey boucle skirt that I got...circa 2003. It was an online purchase that was meant to replace a similar boucle skirt I had that had de-elasticized into a grey sack (albeit a very classy grey sack---it was Liz Claiborne and cashmere---a thrift store find). Unfortunately, the online skirt (neither cashmere nor Claiborne) was snug, not sack-ish, and was several inches shorter. I was never quite comfortable wearing it---but when I tried it on last night, it wasn't snug, and when I wore it to work today, it was perfectly comfortable.

(I wore it with this top, FYI: . Pic is from last year---my hair is shorter---and I hope I don't usually look that goofy. It's something about the way my glasses 'shrink' my eyes....)

Discovered that the short-sleeved khaki jacket I got (also online, about a year ago) buttons nicely and doesn't cut off circulation in my arms anymore, so that will join my fall line-up.

The big disappointment is the black and white polka-dot Curvy Girl halter dress (size 5X in someone else's universe, also acquired online---from this you may scoff to hear that I've usually had very good luck with online clothing purchases). It's still snug. Not as bad as it was a few months ago---18 pounds makes more difference than I thought---and if I lose 10 more and get cinched into my Lane Bryant corset, it might just work. It's deliciously A-line---if could just contrive a crinoline to poof it out a bit! It's got a decided air of the Fifties about it, and with a little floral headband and my Fluevogs? I'd be amazing. (And so modest, right?)

How am I doing it? Soup for dinner most days I work, trying to eat lightly (or not at all) after I get home, not eating like an anaconda when I brunch. With my schedule, I tend toward two meals, brunch and dinner, and I'm trying to be LESS indiscriminate about snacks. Do I still snack? Heck yeah, but I'm trying to pick things like crackers instead of chips and hard candy instead of Oreos. Rome wasn't built in a day.

I'm hoping to get into some kind of exercize routine when the temps go down. There are a few scenic places I can think of, and there's the prosaic Old Faithful, laps around the block.

My goal is simple: I want a weight that begins with a number "2" by the end of this year. (Maybe even by the wedding?) That's *not* unrealistic. It's less than 15 pounds away. Rah, rah, rah, go me!

Oh, and another thing---I won a free pair of Brand X jeans, which are very good jeans, but they do NOT come in size 28/30. I tried to interest various friends in buying these hypothetical jeans from me, no dice. Today I said WTF, I may as well get the highest plus size they have (24) and see if I can get down to that. They're a fit that *should* work for me, with a defined waist and bigger through the hips, bootcut, dark wash...so that's the next goal after breaking the 300-pound mark---to get into those jeans!

More closet excavations

I've felt encouraged by my recent tryings-on. Today I delved into a few other "someday" stashes---I may find good homes for the two white cotton dresses I've been hanging onto (from a giant yard sale haul donated to me by the mother of HWSNBN). After something like seven years, I've managed to get into one of them, but I don't really *like* it, and the other one...I don't know. It has crochetted lace trim and cute mother-of-pearl buttons, and if I keep going I ought to be able to wear it next summer....

Was very happy with The Black Velvet Dress. Mind you, I've had it for ten years this summer---I bought it on clearance when Lane Bryant moved out of our local mall, $19.99, marked down from $119.99---it was snug then, but I could get into it, and the plan was to wear it on New Year's Eve, 1999. That didn't happen. We dined early at a local Italian restaurant with a mutual friend who's since passed away, and ended up ringing in the New Millenium in bed, albeit partying in our own way.

Where was I? Oh, right, The Dress. It's black velvet, nicely contoured, also a halter dress---I really do need to either find my damn corset or acquire a strapless bra!---and a size 26. Today, it fit better than it has since I've owned it, although I really need help getting in and out of it. (I might even be able to sit down in it, but I didn't want to push my luck---or the zipper.) If it weren't for the fact that it's black, I'd liberally apply baby powder, as it was, I stood in front of the a/c and prayed as I tried to get back out of it.

And finally, my little white booties. I remember exactly when I got these---my birthday, 2004. Wore them once, couldn't even last sitting through a church service in them, went home bare-footed and regretfully set them aside. Regretfully, because they are really quite cool. The best way I can describe them is the offspring of an athletic shoe that mated with a granny boot. They're ankle-high, with laces going through antiqued brass d-rings up to a velcro strap (which, with my puffy ankles, is less than fetching). I'm not used to 3" heels, but since I'm carrying at least 25 pounds less than I did then, I'm going to try wearing them while I'm schlepping around the house and try to build up my endurance...because I'm tired of looking longingly at them on the shelf.

More closet excavations

I've felt encouraged by my recent tryings-on. Today I delved into a few other "someday" stashes---I may find good homes for the two white cotton dresses I've been hanging onto (from a giant yard sale haul donated to me by the mother of HWSNBN). After something like seven years, I've managed to get into one of them, but I don't really *like* it, and the other one...I don't know. It has crochetted lace trim and cute mother-of-pearl buttons, and if I keep going I ought to be able to wear it next summer....

Was very happy with The Black Velvet Dress. Mind you, I've had it for ten years this summer---I bought it on clearance when Lane Bryant moved out of our local mall, $19.99, marked down from $119.99---it was snug then, but I could get into it, and the plan was to wear it on New Year's Eve, 1999. That didn't happen. We dined early at a local Italian restaurant with a mutual friend who's since passed away, and ended up ringing in the New Millenium in bed, albeit partying in our own way.

Where was I? Oh, right, The Dress. It's black velvet, nicely contoured, also a halter dress---I really do need to either find my damn corset or acquire a strapless bra!---and a size 26. Today, it fit better than it has since I've owned it, although I really need help getting in and out of it. (I might even be able to sit down in it, but I didn't want to push my luck---or the zipper.) If it weren't for the fact that it's black, I'd liberally apply baby powder, as it was, I stood in front of the a/c and prayed as I tried to get back out of it.

And finally, my little white booties. I remember exactly when I got these---my birthday, 2004. Wore them once, couldn't even last sitting through a church service in them, went home bare-footed and regretfully set them aside. Regretfully, because they are really quite cool. The best way I can describe them is the offspring of an athletic shoe that mated with a granny boot. They're ankle-high, with laces going through antiqued brass d-rings up to a velcro strap (which, with my puffy ankles, is less than fetching). I'm not used to 3" heels, but since I'm carrying at least 25 pounds less than I did then, I'm going to try wearing them while I'm schlepping around the house and try to build up my endurance...because I'm tired of looking longingly at them on the shelf.

Party planning

Chatting with missybrat this afternoon reminded me that I needed to assemble a guest list for The Party. Sat down with my phone list and my contacts list and tried to pare them down to reasonable proportions. There are a bunch of you all that I'd love to invite, but I can't afford to fly you in or put you up. Think of me, and I'll do my best to get/post pix.

It was also good practice in Excel, which I haven't used in quite a while. I've done stuff with it before, but not in XP, Gawd, it has to be...*counts on fingers* since '97, at least. Mb and I also discussed job leads; I must hone my resume!

Meanwhile, Party. I did my best with the guest list to ensure that everyone would know at least one other person, so no one would be off in a corner sucking their thumb. I'm already daydreaming about introducing various people to each other---nothing romantic, just folks with common interests. It ought to be a lively bunch!

Since I'm not doing any of the hands-on stuff, I'm viewing it as a surprise party for someone who likes good suspense. Like, I'm one of those people, who will take the gift-wrapped box and weigh it and squeeze it and shake it and guess what it might be, and then I'll spend five minutes painstakingly peeling back each strip of tape. So, there's a party, and I know where it is, and the theme, and I have an idea of who-all is coming, and maybe a guess or two about the menu---but I don't know what music will be playing, or how they'll decorate---I'm hoping for some real flowers!---and I don't know how long it'll last---I'm hoping for hours and hours of fun!

Yikes, it's just 20 days away!

Party planning

Chatting with missybrat this afternoon reminded me that I needed to assemble a guest list for The Party. Sat down with my phone list and my contacts list and tried to pare them down to reasonable proportions. There are a bunch of you all that I'd love to invite, but I can't afford to fly you in or put you up. Think of me, and I'll do my best to get/post pix.

It was also good practice in Excel, which I haven't used in quite a while. I've done stuff with it before, but not in XP, Gawd, it has to be...*counts on fingers* since '97, at least. Mb and I also discussed job leads; I must hone my resume!

Meanwhile, Party. I did my best with the guest list to ensure that everyone would know at least one other person, so no one would be off in a corner sucking their thumb. I'm already daydreaming about introducing various people to each other---nothing romantic, just folks with common interests. It ought to be a lively bunch!

Since I'm not doing any of the hands-on stuff, I'm viewing it as a surprise party for someone who likes good suspense. Like, I'm one of those people, who will take the gift-wrapped box and weigh it and squeeze it and shake it and guess what it might be, and then I'll spend five minutes painstakingly peeling back each strip of tape. So, there's a party, and I know where it is, and the theme, and I have an idea of who-all is coming, and maybe a guess or two about the menu---but I don't know what music will be playing, or how they'll decorate---I'm hoping for some real flowers!---and I don't know how long it'll last---I'm hoping for hours and hours of fun!

Yikes, it's just 20 days away!