Our bodies are changing all the time and that can be frustrating to navigate in the dressing room, but over the years I’ve learned a few tricks that can help!
Take a look at your closet and remove clothes that don’t fit.
It’s common for people to keep that dress or pair of pants that they hope they’ll be able to fit into one day, but that notion can actually be harmful to living in your body as it is right now. If you find your size fluctuating often, then keep a few sizes, but donate the rest. This is also a great time to look at your style and get rid of anything that doesn’t make you feel your full self! Like @theshirarose says, “Grieve it and get rid of that shit.”
Now that you have an inventory of your wardrobe, take a moment to figure out what you’re buying.
Once you know what pieces you need, it can help you navigate the racks better. If you walk into the store anxious and without a plan, it can be easy to get overwhelmed and throw the whole shopping trip away.
Remember that every store uses different sizing and the numbers are just numbers.
In some places that that may be a bigger number and some places, it may be smaller. No matter what, those numbers don’t mean anything about who you are as a person! The same goes for styles. Even in the same store, two different styles or lines may be made differently, so the sizing could be different so accept and move on.
Take a few sizes in the dressing room with you.
Maybe three to four so you have a range to choose from. Remember that whichever size you choose should fit and be comfortable. You should be able to breathe and move in your attire freely.
3 Tips for shopping for your changing body
One of the hardest parts of my recovery was trying to find the funds to buy new clothes as my body got larger and larger. It seemed like as soon as I bought a new pair of jeans I needed to go up another size and my bank account was getting overwhelmed. I started looking for styles that would fit my body for a while, accommodating whatever change presented itself.
-
Basic dresses can be bought on the looser side and then belts can help to give them shape on your body. Even if your body sizes changes, the belt can help the fabric fit you!
-
Stretchy fabrics are the shit. That’s it. That’s the tweet.
-
Always buy it on sale. Almost nothing is worth full price.
Queen B said it best “If you don’t jump to put jeans on, baby you don’t feel my pain.” Even when clothes fit well, a little tug may be needed, but it’s the job of clothes to fit your body, not the other way around.
Image: Ashantis Jones @iamashantis
If you are looking for support on your relationship with food, body image and a non-diet approach, schedule your free discovery call this week to learn more!
