Friday, June 24, 2011

Fabulously Friday: Ditching the Maternity Clothes

After I had my first child, I was nowhere near being able to wear my old clothes. I read in one of the pregnancy books not to bother buying new clothes, but to wear maternity clothing until I was back to my old size. I followed this advice and ended up wearing baggy clothes for most of the first year of my daughter’s life.
I disagree with this advice. Wearing oversized clothes for a longer period of time made me feel bad about myself and how I looked. Also, I never completely lost the baby weight and my figure never went back to the way it used to be- I still have broader hips that don’t fit into my old jeans- so I was holding out for something that never occurred.
Ladies, after you have your baby, buy a few nice things for the transition period until you lose the weight you intend to lose! You don’t have to spend a lot of money- shop for items that are not quite as nice or expensive as you would usually buy, but that fit you well. Buy clothes for the body that you have at the time, not for the one you want to have in the future.
Wearing oversized, ill-fitting clothes makes you feel self-conscious and heavier than you are. I think that it hinders weight loss because it makes you believe that you can hide your figure. Overall, it makes you feel far from fabulous and is therefore not desirable.
Of course, I am not talking about the first six to eight weeks postpartum. It is completely fine and acceptable to wear baggy, comfortable clothes during those first weeks. After that period, though, put the maternity clothes away! If you think you may be having more children in the future, store the clothes somewhere. If not, give them to pregnant friends, donate them to a charitable organization, or even sell them. It doesn’t really matter what you do with them as long as they are no longer accessible to you.
The only exception that is allowed is a nice pair of maternity jeans. They are an awesome invention and really comfortable. However, make sure they fit well around the butt and don't sag as that may make people question your continence. Also, any pants that you can clearly see the elastic on are not desirable…
Trust me, you will feel much better in well-fitting clothing. Don’t pay attention to the number of the size- you just had a baby! Nice clothes will make you feel a lot more fabulous. Should you not lose the extra weight, that is fine, too- as long as you still feel happy with who you are!

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