I don't know if you have ever watched QVC but it is a home shopping channel on TV. I started buying the majority of my clothes from them about five years ago. I would watch the fashion shows day after day and they have very wide variety of clothes. They sell everything from underwear, bras and socks, to super casual stretchy comfy things, causal work wear, and designer collections from people like Isaac Mizrahi, Bob Mackie and the Kardashians.
Ok, I get it its a little weird, but is it weirder than buying clothes online from old navy, Walmart or Macy's? I don't think so. And here is why QVC is my clothing store of choice.
THEY HAVE EVERYTHING IN MY SIZE!!!!! And everything costs the same no matter what size.
No matter what size I have ever been, 3x at my largest and somewhere between XL and 1x today. Every item, everyday comes in size XXsmall to 3X. Every style, every color, every item. Who else does that ? I can have what ever I want I can have the sweaters, the jeans, the dresses, the soft PJs...
When I started buying from them it was mostly because I couldn't find much of anything I both liked and fit me in the stores, not at the mall, Target, Walmart or any other place I could find. Sure there are those speciality stores like Lane Bryant and Torrid carry the right size but somehow they think they should charge me $30 for a T-shirt and $70 for a pair of jeans. And if I found something in a "normal store" they often marked up my size $5 for "extended sixes"
It had been a couple years since I shopped in stores for clothes and a couple weeks ago I ventured out to the mall. I found that in many stores I am now in their largest size, though some people's version of extra large are cut to fit an extra large chihuahua. But I hated most of the clothes, was frustrated at the limited number of styles and colors and had sticker shock.
By the time I had worked my way through one of the largest malls in Washington State, I was feeling sad and defeated, fat and ugly. The only thing I bought was a cup of clam chowder at Ivars. Great, just what I need shopping equals eating and feeling sad...so not a good combo for me.
Yesterday was Fashion Day on QVC something they do every three months or so to introduce the new styles and collections for the coming season. I tuned in and there I again found that even if I'm ordering from the middle of the size chart they still are my style.
I am not really trying to write this blog as an ad for QVC. The real point I am trying to make is that in my mind they de-stigmatized shopping for clothes. They don't discriminate based on size biggest to smallest, they offer almost every style in a variety if colors, so if I want an all pink wardrobe, no problem. And they show things on models walking around in a variety if sizes from petite extra small to 1x. Most of all they don't act like this is a big deal or something special, they just do it every day. So I'll keep buying and I'm ok with that.
Sunday, May 5, 2013
Saturday, April 13, 2013
You look great! Did you get your hair cut?
This week I got my hair cut and colored, just shorter and brighter. This has been a big topic of conversation wherever I go and whoever I see. I get compliments all day long, "wow your hair looks great"," I love the hair"," that cut really suits you", "where did you get your hair done it looks great", "you look so good, I love the new hair cut". Yes I cut my hair, but don't you think that maybe the real thing you are seeing is the effects of my weight loss?
And then there are the people who say, "have you lost weight? You look great?" when they saw me two days ago and the only thing that had changed inbetween is that I got my hair cut.
Now I will give you I got a great haircut and really enjoyed my new stylist who did my hair. I think that I look good and it definately updated my look. But I am confused how it is I look thinner with a new hair cut. How is that possible? What is it about a change in my hair that creates and optical illusion of thinness?
If I had only known I would have cut my hair sooner and not bothered with the whole weight loss thing..NOT but still it's a strange thing for me.
My husbands theory is that people don't really look at you, that they have an image in their head that is their default setting of what you look like. Like having a pic that pops up on your cell phone when someone calls. So if you are making gradual changes like weight loss the people who see you regularly don't update their internal pic of you.
However when you do something a little more obvious like change your hair length or color then it forces them to re-set their picture of you in their head and they suddenly notice you look different.
Thank you everyone for your compliments, I REALLY appreciate it and they go a long way towards me wanting and needing to keep making more improvements to me. I don't care if you think I am skinnier, taller, have new hair, new teeth or anything else, keep the "you look greats" coming and I will smile and say "Thank you, I feel great".
And then there are the people who say, "have you lost weight? You look great?" when they saw me two days ago and the only thing that had changed inbetween is that I got my hair cut.
Now I will give you I got a great haircut and really enjoyed my new stylist who did my hair. I think that I look good and it definately updated my look. But I am confused how it is I look thinner with a new hair cut. How is that possible? What is it about a change in my hair that creates and optical illusion of thinness?
If I had only known I would have cut my hair sooner and not bothered with the whole weight loss thing..NOT but still it's a strange thing for me.
My husbands theory is that people don't really look at you, that they have an image in their head that is their default setting of what you look like. Like having a pic that pops up on your cell phone when someone calls. So if you are making gradual changes like weight loss the people who see you regularly don't update their internal pic of you.
However when you do something a little more obvious like change your hair length or color then it forces them to re-set their picture of you in their head and they suddenly notice you look different.
Thank you everyone for your compliments, I REALLY appreciate it and they go a long way towards me wanting and needing to keep making more improvements to me. I don't care if you think I am skinnier, taller, have new hair, new teeth or anything else, keep the "you look greats" coming and I will smile and say "Thank you, I feel great".
Sunday, March 24, 2013
Cooking weekends
Prior to my weight loss surgery I used to cook all day on Sunday. Making things that would be in our fridge for the coming week. That way my family and I would have yummy things to eat that were ready for us when we were ready to eat. Then I would post on facebook a list and sometimes pictures of what I had cooked over the weekend.
After my surgery I quit cooking. I just did not find that I had any desire to do it. I have been mostly eating things like sliced cheese, sliced lunch meat, hummus with cucumber chips, protein drinks, hamburger patties, salmon, yogurt, and various combinations of the above examples for most meals, most days.
Last weekend my brother came to visit and to have lunch with me. I asked him what he was hungry for that I could make him and he said anything wound be fine. I remembered that I had wanted to try the Chicken Parmigiana recipe that I had read on the Pioneer Woman website and made it for him.
http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2009/10/chicken-parmigiana/
This got me inspired to do some more cooking. So next I made homemade macaroni and cheese and roasted kielbasa with bbq sauce. Then chicken enchiladas casserole.
This weekend I started thinking about things I could make that I could easily put in my lunch. Since I focus mainly on eating protein and needing things that are easy to eat in small portions of on the go I thought about things that would be party finger food. I made a high protein guacamole using avacados and fat free greek yogurt. Next I made unstuffed deviled eggs. I made the filling and put it in a container then put the whites in a separate container so I can fill them as I want them, keeps them from getting spilled in my lunch bag like they would if I pre filled them.
Finally I put chicken cacciatore in the crockpot.
It feels good to be planning food and cooking again. I forgot how much I enjoyed it. Hopefully it will also help me get more variety in my diet, was getting kind of tired of cold cuts and cheese.
After my surgery I quit cooking. I just did not find that I had any desire to do it. I have been mostly eating things like sliced cheese, sliced lunch meat, hummus with cucumber chips, protein drinks, hamburger patties, salmon, yogurt, and various combinations of the above examples for most meals, most days.
Last weekend my brother came to visit and to have lunch with me. I asked him what he was hungry for that I could make him and he said anything wound be fine. I remembered that I had wanted to try the Chicken Parmigiana recipe that I had read on the Pioneer Woman website and made it for him.
http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2009/10/chicken-parmigiana/
This got me inspired to do some more cooking. So next I made homemade macaroni and cheese and roasted kielbasa with bbq sauce. Then chicken enchiladas casserole.
This weekend I started thinking about things I could make that I could easily put in my lunch. Since I focus mainly on eating protein and needing things that are easy to eat in small portions of on the go I thought about things that would be party finger food. I made a high protein guacamole using avacados and fat free greek yogurt. Next I made unstuffed deviled eggs. I made the filling and put it in a container then put the whites in a separate container so I can fill them as I want them, keeps them from getting spilled in my lunch bag like they would if I pre filled them.
Finally I put chicken cacciatore in the crockpot.
It feels good to be planning food and cooking again. I forgot how much I enjoyed it. Hopefully it will also help me get more variety in my diet, was getting kind of tired of cold cuts and cheese.
Wednesday, March 13, 2013
Progressing toward 5K goals
I have officially started running/walking/wogging again. About a year or more ago I started a Couch to 5K program to try and get to a point where I could jog a 5K race. I eventually achieved a VERY slow run combined with some walking and could complete a 5K in right at an hour. I really had in my head that I wanted to be able to run the whole thing but at in excess of 250lbs it didn't really happen. My sister coined the term "wogging" as a combination of walking and jogging. My brother says it was really waddling... Now that I am cleared to do as much as I want physically, I am again pursuing running. I started with walking and then in recent weeks have added more slow running. I am trying to walk nearly every day for at least 30 minutes not really worrying about speed or distance. Then on Saturday for the last 3 weeks I have done a 5K distance (3.2 miles) as fast as I could. Last week I got under 50 minutes which was a personal best so I am pretty happy calling that progress.
When I was working on this last time I did the Holiday 5K in Portland Oregon with my brother (the same one who made the waddling comment). He finished at a faster time that me even though I was the one who was training. Though I put on a happy face at the time, I was really a little disappointed that I hadn't beaten him. This weekend is my chance to redeem myself, even if in my own eyes. He is running in the St. Patrick's day run in Portland. I will not be there, but plan to start running my own personal run at the same time he is running. Kind of running along virtually. I will be using a time and distance application on my phone to see how fast I complete the 5K. I hope this time my time will be better than his or at least better than my own best.
I will keep you posted.
When I was working on this last time I did the Holiday 5K in Portland Oregon with my brother (the same one who made the waddling comment). He finished at a faster time that me even though I was the one who was training. Though I put on a happy face at the time, I was really a little disappointed that I hadn't beaten him. This weekend is my chance to redeem myself, even if in my own eyes. He is running in the St. Patrick's day run in Portland. I will not be there, but plan to start running my own personal run at the same time he is running. Kind of running along virtually. I will be using a time and distance application on my phone to see how fast I complete the 5K. I hope this time my time will be better than his or at least better than my own best.
I will keep you posted.
Sunday, March 3, 2013
If you don't eat it, it must taste bad
I have had the good fortune to have gone out to dinner with two different friends in the last couple of weeks. Neither of them had been out with me since I had my weight loss surgery in December. However they were both very aware of this life changing event and very supportive.
These meals out brought up a couple of new things for me.
First it turns out now matter how you explain to friends or others that you can only eat 1/4 to 1/2 cup of food at a time, they don't really understand what that looks like until you are eating a meal with them. The first night out I ordered a roasted chicken dinner, it was half a chicken, mashed potatoes and green beans. I asked the waiter to bring the potatoes in a to go box because I knew I wasn't going to eat them and that others in my family would enjoy the left overs. Then I ate about a third of the chicken breast from the chicken, three green beans and set my plate aside. At first my friend thought I was kidding when I said I was finished, but really I was full and finished. I joked and told him thanks for buying me a weeks worth of food...
The other thing that happened was that the waiter returned to our table several times, asking if everything was ok with my food once I stopped eating. He even at one point asked me if he could bring me something else instead. Each time I told him my food was just fine and that I was just someone who ate a small amount at a time. He seemed very disbelieving of these statements. Later I thought, hey really I know I ate a small amount but who really should eat an entire half a chicken, plus mashed potatoes plus green beans...I know that's the serving they were putting out but really should we eat that much?
In the second case we had breakfast for dinner, I ordered a veggie omelet. The waitress asked me what kind of potatoes I wanted with it, I declined then she said would you like a fruit bowl with that instead. I told her she could bring me the fruit in a to go container. Then she said would you like toast, muffin or biscuit. I again declined and she looked at me with frustration.....I said really just bring me the omelet. After eating a third of my omelet I set aside and was again asked if I had liked my food and if they could replace it with something I liked better....I said no thank you that it had been very good and could I please have a to go box with for the rest of my food.
Really world, no wonder we over eat, no only are the portions huge but if we don't eat them, then somehow that means it tasted bad or was a food we didn't like.....I swear I love food and only order food I like, I don't have to eat it all to prove it.
These meals out brought up a couple of new things for me.
First it turns out now matter how you explain to friends or others that you can only eat 1/4 to 1/2 cup of food at a time, they don't really understand what that looks like until you are eating a meal with them. The first night out I ordered a roasted chicken dinner, it was half a chicken, mashed potatoes and green beans. I asked the waiter to bring the potatoes in a to go box because I knew I wasn't going to eat them and that others in my family would enjoy the left overs. Then I ate about a third of the chicken breast from the chicken, three green beans and set my plate aside. At first my friend thought I was kidding when I said I was finished, but really I was full and finished. I joked and told him thanks for buying me a weeks worth of food...
The other thing that happened was that the waiter returned to our table several times, asking if everything was ok with my food once I stopped eating. He even at one point asked me if he could bring me something else instead. Each time I told him my food was just fine and that I was just someone who ate a small amount at a time. He seemed very disbelieving of these statements. Later I thought, hey really I know I ate a small amount but who really should eat an entire half a chicken, plus mashed potatoes plus green beans...I know that's the serving they were putting out but really should we eat that much?
In the second case we had breakfast for dinner, I ordered a veggie omelet. The waitress asked me what kind of potatoes I wanted with it, I declined then she said would you like a fruit bowl with that instead. I told her she could bring me the fruit in a to go container. Then she said would you like toast, muffin or biscuit. I again declined and she looked at me with frustration.....I said really just bring me the omelet. After eating a third of my omelet I set aside and was again asked if I had liked my food and if they could replace it with something I liked better....I said no thank you that it had been very good and could I please have a to go box with for the rest of my food.
Really world, no wonder we over eat, no only are the portions huge but if we don't eat them, then somehow that means it tasted bad or was a food we didn't like.....I swear I love food and only order food I like, I don't have to eat it all to prove it.
Monday, February 11, 2013
Middle number progress
This week after what seemed like a never ending stalemate with the scale the middle number on my weight changed. And by changed I mean went down. I have seen it go up a multitude of times over my life but this time it went down.
I was extremely happy to see it go down because last week in spite of all my efforts to be careful about what I was eating, increasing my exercise and staying focused there was no movement.
I don't know what it is about my impatience with this process but it is at times all consuming and overwhelming. I have worked to lose weight before and I have ignored my weight gains and losses too. It's like because I made this big physical and financial commitment it can't happen fast enough to keep me satisfied. In regular dieting I always had this "I need to diet until" mentality. Like until these pants fit or until my weight is down 20lbs or until I reach a certain middle number on the scale. But this time it's forever, there will be no going back the change is physical and permanent, so once the weight is gone it's gone. And I WANT it gone now....
I was extremely happy to see it go down because last week in spite of all my efforts to be careful about what I was eating, increasing my exercise and staying focused there was no movement.
I don't know what it is about my impatience with this process but it is at times all consuming and overwhelming. I have worked to lose weight before and I have ignored my weight gains and losses too. It's like because I made this big physical and financial commitment it can't happen fast enough to keep me satisfied. In regular dieting I always had this "I need to diet until" mentality. Like until these pants fit or until my weight is down 20lbs or until I reach a certain middle number on the scale. But this time it's forever, there will be no going back the change is physical and permanent, so once the weight is gone it's gone. And I WANT it gone now....
Monday, February 4, 2013
Ode To Diet Coke
When I was young my mom bought me Tab
and I thought the pink can was fab.
It wasn't any fun to be the chubby girl is school,
and drinking diet drinks were considered uncool.
Then Diet Coke arrived on the scene
it came with a great marketing scheme.
Skinny people were drinking it
and famous people were slurping it
I was hooked on this bubbly drink and so it seems was everyone
It went well with pizza and I rarely had only one.
Then I started drinking it with breakfast
while others drank coffee to get the morning started fast.
Five or six a day of these silver cans with diet Coke in red
One even next to my head, when I went to bed
In November I decided to change everything forever
I would have weight loss surgery on this I wouldn't waiver.
Now all my eating has changed as my stomach is small
It holds hardly anything at all
But this biggest change, the hardest one
Is that diet Coke and I are done.
and I thought the pink can was fab.
It wasn't any fun to be the chubby girl is school,
and drinking diet drinks were considered uncool.
Then Diet Coke arrived on the scene
it came with a great marketing scheme.
Skinny people were drinking it
and famous people were slurping it
I was hooked on this bubbly drink and so it seems was everyone
It went well with pizza and I rarely had only one.
Then I started drinking it with breakfast
while others drank coffee to get the morning started fast.
Five or six a day of these silver cans with diet Coke in red
One even next to my head, when I went to bed
In November I decided to change everything forever
I would have weight loss surgery on this I wouldn't waiver.
Now all my eating has changed as my stomach is small
It holds hardly anything at all
But this biggest change, the hardest one
Is that diet Coke and I are done.
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