Question: What do I do with this holiday weight?

I thought about making a New Year’s Resolution to lose weight – but really…would I? Is weight a matter of something to be “lost” or something to simply deal with once and for all? It seems that losing something implies you will find it again. I am deciding to deal with the weight thing – whatever medical, psychological, caloric, emotional thing it is…it will be dealt with once and for all!

But how to start?

I assume I should start by making myself feel better. Ever notice when you feel like you look OK, you seem to be more motivated? Looking your best at whatever weight will do more for your psyche than any diet I have ever tried. A visit to Goodwill for some new items to add to your wardrobe can do wonders without breaking the budget.

Step 1: make sure we feel like we look our best…every single day!

This means employing a few “hide weight” tricks. Here are the tips I plan on living by:

PATTERN – When you are trying to disguise a little extra weight, pattern can help you or really hurt you. Pay attention to where pattern and detail lies on your outfit. For example, if you don’t want people to notice your midsection and hips, then don’t put any detail (pattern, belts, color contrast) in that section.

However, some pattern can act as camouflage. For example, an all over pattern on a wrap dress. This option is a very slimming and is forgiving of bumps and bulges. If the pattern thing seems too complicated, and if you are worried about making a mistake – for the time being, skip it and go with outfits that are monochromatic.

COLOR – I would be lying if I said monochromatic (all black) wasn’t a good option…especially since I live in this community, and see so many of you out and about – you’d bust me (since I wear all black a lot – it is a problem, and it another New Year’s Resolution). In our quest to keep attention away from trouble areas, lets strategically wear pops of color; for example a colorful scarf or a bright red shoe. This will bring the attention to your face, or bring it down to your feet. That tactic is one of my favorites, as long as you don’t notice lumps and bumps in the middle, I am OK with face and foot attention!

STYLE – When we put on a few pounds, we seem to hibernate and pull out the muumuu from the back of our closets. This is a mistake. It is important when you’ve added a few lbs that you wear the right style for your shape; things that fit as opposed to oversized and baggy (non structured) pieces. Concentrate on defining your waist, be sure the cut of clothing you wear is flattering to your shape rather than hiding it. Choose clothing that creates an hourglass silhouette…rather than a bowling ball silhouette.

FABRIC – When you feel a little thick in the middle, be conscious about what kinds of fabrics you wear. Avoid overly heavy fabrics, and likewise, avoid very thin fabrics. Heavy fabrics (like tweed) can add extra weight to your look. Thin fabrics have a tendency to cling…in all the wrong places. Thin fabrics are OK, if you are using them as first layer pieces…but definitely not as the statement to your outfit.

Remember – extra fabric will translate (visually) to more weight. It seems to me, this is the opposite of what our goal is (to look thinner!).

FINALLY…
The simple fact is looking your best lies in your attitude and the presence you have in your clothing. Embracing WHO you are under the jackets and jeans will make those jackets and jeans look amazing on you…the you today, and the you of tomorrow!

…and when you become the ‘you of tomorrow’, go through your closet and donate all of the clothing you don’t need to Goodwill!

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Photo Credits:
http://gigabiting.com
http://health.com
www.clker.com
http://flatstomachplan.com

ATTENTION MOM-JEANS EVERYWHERE!

ATTENTION MOM-JEANS EVERYWHERE!

Do you know what mom-jeans are?

If your jeans snap (or button) above your belly button – LET SOMEONE ELSE LOVE THEM, DONATE TO GOODWILL. If the back pockets of your jeans are so big that they completely cover your back-side, please, DONATE THEM TO GOODWILL!

We’re all friends here, right? I don’t want to see your backside in next month’s edition of Glamour magazine in the “Fashion Don’t” section!


Trinny and Susannah, fashion gurus from the UK “What Not To Wear” TV show, appeared on the Oprah Show (in 2006). They perfectly describe what mom-jeans are:

Mom jeans always are tapered or high-waisted. Plain and simple – they make your legs look shorter, your stomach bigger and your rear longer! Who wants a long rear? And if you’re pear-shaped like Trinny, tapered jeans exaggerate the width of your hips. If you have a flabby belly, don’t wear super-low hipster jeans. Unless you want to look heavier than you are, never wear light colored jeans.

The ONLY time to wear peg-legged (tapered) jeans is if you are very thin and have great ankles…and want to show them off. This can (and I emphasize the word CAN) be a fashion forward look…but isn’t flattering for 99.9% of the women who try to wear them.

Still not convinced? You should know this…tapered denim only accentuates the width of the hips. In other words, it makes you look heavier than you are, and makes your backside look wider than it is. Plus, the tapered effect often leaves women looking like ice cream cones. Hold your jeans up and look at the shape – this is the shape they’re going to give your body! If I have said this one time over the past 15 years…I tell you, I’ve said it a MILLION times! Clothes DO NOT change shape…the illusion of YOUR SHAPE changes based on what shape clothing you wear.

Now…let’s talk about the rise. The rise of a jean is the length of the zipper, or the distance from the cross-point where the lege come together to the top of the waistband. A common mistake I see with the Mom-jean lovers out there is wearing a rise that is just TOO high!

If the waist band of your jeans is above your belly button…you are wearing Mom-jeans! Wearing a jean with a waist this high will make your backside look like a pancake. It will also shrink the length of your torso, and make you appear shorter and stockier. Now…I can bet most of you want to look taller and leaner – right?

While moms may not want to wear their daughters’ trendy, low-rise jeans, there are plenty of brands out there that cater to mature women with good fashion sense…in a very VERY flattering way.

So – what to do with all those Mom-jeans you find at Goodwill? Stay tuned…I have some ideas for you!






Photo Credits: Honestly, I can’t remember where I found these pics! I am sure they came from Trinny and Susannah or Oprah…so let’s give them credit!