Tuesday, October 16, 2012

Ready for a Makeover?

One of the things that was so noticeable in my progress and how I saw myself as the weight began to melt off was how I looked. My appearance. This is something for years I honestly hid from, so to have it be on the front line and something I had to think about was daunting. It scared me. I was so used to being comfortable with who I was and hiding under the layers of skin and fat, that often times even my personality was hidden.
It was very normal for me to wear baggie tops and or a vest of sorts to hide the thing that bothered me most - my mid section. (Even though I liked to look nice and took good care of myself, this was still the pattern and a source of comfort.) It was almost as if I thought, "If I wear a baggie top, no one will notice just how fat I am or notice if my stomach gets a little bigger." It was what I knew. It was what was comfortable for me.
As I lost weight, as the sizes got smaller, I often took the same approach only in a smaller size. I was drawn to the "fat lady section." It took support team member # 3 (click here) and a lot of prodding and convincing to get me to the skinny section. Often times I was rummaging through racks and she was looking several sizes smaller. I would be thinking she was looking for herself and then she would remind me what size I was and re-direct me to the right spot and remind me she was looking for things for me. (Crazy but true story!)
Once a noticeable amount of weight was gone, gone forever, I sorta kinda liked the idea of shopping. (Something that had seemed so foreign for so long.) Not only was I feeling better physically and emotionally, I was catching the vision of what my body was beginning to look like and the physical changes that went with it.  It was excited to try new things. New clothes. New clothes I never thought in my wildest dreams would ever look good on my body. It was a gradual process, but the more I poked around with the idea and the more I was encouraged, the more ready I was to make the switch.
Same goes with my hair. I had had long hair for as long as I can remember. Long as in, can fit into a ponytail long. It was what was safe for me. The long hair hid the rolls of  double chin and chubby cheeks. I remember visiting a new hair dresser (so I was already nervous) after losing my weight and asking her what she thought. She didn't even blink an eye and told me to go back to my natural color (no more highlights) and cut it short. SHORT! I thought she was crazy. I remember sitting in her chair for the next 45 minutes nervous and not sure what I had really gotten myself into but I went with it. All said and done, I loved it! See nervous again for the change but happy with the results
I admit, there are days even now when I feel bloated and/or like my body looks fat - I want to cover up. It's something I've been accustomed to for so long now it's going to take some time and eventually, hopefully, it will fade away for good. In the meantime, I'm really enjoying the new look and feeling of both the clothing AND the new hair!

Are you ready for a makeover of sorts? As scary as it sounds, it gives your body a chance to celebrate what it's been up to lately. It may not be the clothes or hair for you but whatever you chose it to be, enjoy every minute of it. Celebrate what the new you is becoming! 

Here's me in that vest I was talking about. It was seriously my cover-up! I wore it ALL THE TIME.

A little braver these days - more style, more skin! 

Old hair..... 

New Hair!

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6 comments:

  1. I LOVE your hair! I wore my hair similar to that when I was obese...and it wasn't a slimming look for me. But nothing would have likely been slimming:) My hair is longer now, and I'm definitely in need of a new cut to shape and cut the dead stuff off. You look great:)

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  2. WOW you look awesome and the hair is so cute. I love your face shape with it. So cute.

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  3. You look amazing!! I noticed my hair kept getting shorter and shorter the more weight I lost :) It's totally a process, getting more comfortable in your new skin!

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  4. Thanks for the encouragement to embrace ourselves! I'm so learning that. I have lost almost 20lbs. YAY. And I'm self conscious because my tummy is starting to kinda hang.... just wondering if you had an issue with that and what you did about it? Cause I still have about 90lbs to lose and I'm afraid I'm just gonna have hangie skin from now on...

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  5. WOW, your hair looks AMAZING!! I definitely think you made the right choice to trust your stylist to make the change--you look great!

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  6. I just bought a new pair of sweats and was surprised at the size that fit. My sister-in-law told me, "See I told you so!!" :)

    Funny that you finally got brave to go short, because I'm growing my hair out and the other day I thought it's probably because I'm not feeling like the fat lady who needs a short haircut to keep it from spreading around her body..I'm ready for something new and a tad longer. I love your cut and color. :)

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