I am who I am. I’m happy, upbeat person. I don’t cower in fear, avoid people, or give off negative vibes. I’m nice to people, and people are nice back. I’m not going to go on and on about people not being nice…generally- you get what you give, and I’m a true believer in that. Put out good energy, and you’ll get that in return.

What I’m talking about is going “unnoticed”. It’s a hard concept to explain to somebody - because they’ll find 100 different reasons as to why you “feel” that way. It must be this…or maybe your imagination, or that…or well, maybe….nope. It’s my size. People are uncomfortable around fat people - and avoidance is often just easier I think.

I’ve lost a good amount of weight, and still have quite a ways to go. What’s happened with dropping 35 pounds though is that I’m more narrow than I used to be. My shoulders, my hips, my body — it’s getting smaller.

As I get smaller - people look at me more. I see it happening. I feel it happening ….it feels weird. Suddenly I am visible. I went to the store yesterday and people (cough, more men than women) were noticing me. Hmmmm, a lot of them were noticing me. What a weird feeling. Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m not some beastly looking woman, so men have on occasion passed a glance my way - but this was different. Suddenly, I went from walking through a store almost completely unnoticed, to walking through a store and man after man was making eye contact with me, or glancing my way…hey, I’m human. I noticed…being noticed.

I’ve never had issues with dating or such, and am quite happily married. It’s just - well, it’s nice to be seen again. I’m still over 200 pounds and have a ways to go before reaching my goal, but I just wanted to say - it was like I crossed some unspoken line between visibility and invisibility. Not a clue what my magic number was - but it’s happened. Weird.

When a woman loses 10 pounds and says she dropped a size - she generally wears a size below 14. When a size 24 woman says she loses 10 pounds, she still wears a size 24.

You see when it comes to plus size clothing - there’s generally a 20 pound difference between sizes. As you lose weight, and get to smaller sizes, you will change clothing size faster.

Have you been to a gym maybe and heard someone say, I lost 2 pant sizes - and they’re done maybe 17 pounds? Frustrating if you don’t realize how it translates to plus sizes. This works in two different ways…

1. good for going up in size
2. bad for going down in size

HA - let me explain

I can stay a size 22 or 24 and gain close to 20 pounds and REMAIN that size….but when it comes time to lose weight…it can be frustrating seeing a drop in size

I’ve been running and on a diet…I’ve lost 34 pounds. Am I down 3 sizes? Nope — I’m down 1 size, hoping to find my way down a 2nd size in a few more pounds…

Oh well…I’m on my way to a new size soon enough.

One thing that everybody has different inside of them is their own personal journey with their weight, attempts at weight loss and body changes. We all react to things that have grown inside of us as well as our external bodies changing.

I’m in the process of losing some weight, and while I’ll still be in this plus size range for quite awhile - I’m seeing a small change in my body. It got me to thinking - will I always see myself as a plus sized woman, even if I change sizes enough to shop in “regular” clothing sections of stores?

What will my mind do? How many thinner women still have plus sized mentalities if they were once heavy?

I have been a plus sized woman for about 20 years now. It’s who I am, who I became, and it’s molded much of my life. I have built in mindsets on many things, because of what I’ve experienced as a plus-sized girl.

What happens when my jean size is no longer that of a plus sized woman? Will my mind understand that my body has changed it’s shape - or will I always see myself as a plus sized girl? What will change more - my attitude, my body, or my strength to understand that I am ever evolving?

I’m proud of my accomplishment of losing 24 pounds so far, but even with that drop in the bucket, I’m far from reaching normal (as the fashion industry sees it) sizing. In plus sizes, women have to lose a good 20 pounds to drop a size, where as in regular sizing you drop a size with about a 10 pound loss. I don’t know where I’ll end up on the size range in the future, but with over 20 years of being an overweight person, I can’t expect my mind to change overnight either.

It is fascinating to watch my body change in bits and pieces - and I hope I come to accept and understand I am still me - whether I have a smaller or larger body. While my insides heal and continue to be nourished, loving myself is always the best thing I can do - regardless of my size.

Regardless, I went looking for a plus size sports bra - and mostly found UP TO a 40D. I need it to be a little bigger. Depending on the make of the bra, I can range from a 44D to a 46D. I found a bra I really liked, but it didn’t fit, ha. I do know that in a few more inches, a few more pounds gone, I’ll be able to fit into it….

Here’s the thing - it didn’t fit.

In fact, when I searched on line, most companies stopped their sizes at a 40. What’s a running girl to do?

I wanted to send KUDOS out to Just My Size for remembering my girls and also Moving Comfort for keeping my larger girls in larger sizes. These are two companies worth checking out if you’re hitting the wall looking for those larger sizes. I’ve put an order in for 2 bras - here’s hoping for a great fit.

In general though - most places go up to about a size 16, maybe 18 (XL) at the highest.

Now, don’t get me wrong - I understand not all runners are oversized people, but in my travels online, there are a ton of men and women who aren’t small or petite. I see a lot of plus size people trying to break into running, trying to shed weight.

Here’s the thing…if you offer nice fitting gear for the plus size crowd - you’re going to build a loyalty as they drop weight and continue to buy clothing for their new smaller bodies…You think I won’t remember who had clothes my size if I lose weight? Damn straight — if you’re a company who has written me off for being plus size, I’m not going out of my way to buy your brand if I become more regular sized.

I will however go out of my way to buy from companies who were willing to size people in the plus size arena.

As I’ve restarted this running effort - I’m looking for neat items, etc to help keep me motivated, excited and moving. For me - it adds a little kick and motivation to get something small and new when trying something new. Imagine if I become a loyal client for life if I’m running for the next 20 years….mmmhmmmm, now imagine my spending dollars going to another company - because you didn’t even bother to consider someone who was a 2x or a 3x…

Don’t you worry - I found something for me…some Champion shorts…a fun shirt on One More Mile Running…and I’ll be sure to buy from them plenty of times in the future. Just saying…Plus size running gear — something to think about.

I started a liquid diet for weight loss. I’m working with a doctor, and taking another jab at this. I’m not sure where else to go, or what else to do at this point….

My hips are getting smaller. I lost a few inches in them, and a few pounds. I have so much more weight to shed to get to a healthier me. It’s okay though, all I can do is take one day at a time, one baby step at a time.

I started another weight loss program, and I’m off to a good start. That first week - everyone knows that it’s water weight, but those first few pounds are what get you motivated to keep going. You need to look at it as a good boost to a fresh start.

So I’m taking a fresh start - and diving into my second week.

7 Pounds off, hips a little smaller…100 pounds to go.

Was 55″ —-> Now 54″

Liquid Diets may not be for everyone, but right now - it’s offering me hope, salvation and the chance to work towards a healthier weight.

I went into a panic last night, about to walk out the door and not a clue what shoes to wear. I finally dug out an old pair of sandals that were open toe and had white leather. They were fine and passed for the evening.

I realized, I no longer had a pair of dress shoes that I could comfortably wear….

WELL….8 shoe stores later, I finally came upon a pair of shoes. 5 out of the 8 stores were pretty well useless and maybe had 1 or 2 wide sizes total in the store…and it was finally Payless that came through for me.

I hit 2 separate Kohls, I hit Rockport, I hit Target, I hit a couple shoe stores in the mall, and I even tried a Walmart. While some hide wide sizes - they weren’t a good fit for me. I swell more on the top of my feet that at the sides, so if it’s too snug on top, it doesn’t work.

Talk about a depressing experience. When I go through this, I just want to curl up in a ball on the floor and cry — the entire time I’m going from store to store, it’s forcing me to focus on the things I don’t like about myself….and that’s hard.

It’s easy enough to go about my day to day life and ignore some of those things, but in this time and experience, the entire day forces me to look at my situation and see how absolutely disgusted and frustrated I am that I’ve let myself be at the point that it’s such a struggle to find comfortable shoes.

I want to say I wear my weight with pride. Some days — I’m totally okay - other days, not so much. Today was one of those days.

I don’t only need WIDE shoes, I need PLUS SIZE SHOES!

I was so touched when she started to create plus size jewelry pieces to add to her line! Please show your support and check out her store.

Here are two of her plus size bracelet’s you can check out:

I gave Online Dating a Chance - Who Knew I’d Meet my Husband!

I kept looking at online dating sites…I’d sit there and just look a them. Do I want to join? Finally, one night I decided I didn’t want to be alone, and wanted a relationship. It was important to me, so I signed up…I didn’t know whether to take it too seriously at first, but the next thing you know, I starting meeting really nice people!

You know what? They were just like me, busy working, and didn’t know where to meet people either.

Then came the day I met my future husband.

We started talking, and something clicked. After 2 weeks, we finally got together. Man, I was so nervous! What if he didn’t like me in person? What if he knew I was overweight in his brain, since I told him, but what if in his heart when he saw me, he just wasn’t attracted to me? I was so scared…

That was almost 9 years ago! We dated for 3 years (I have kids, and wanted to go slowly), and have been married for 6 years come May of this year.

I met my husband through an online dating service, and I love that! It’s so cool, that two people connected…and you know what? For those first two weeks we talked non-stop, so that when we finally met, there was no awkward silence. We’d spend hours talking every night on the computer, then the phone.

I kept looking at online dating sites…I’d sit there and just look a them. Do I want to join? Finally, one night I decided I didn’t want to be alone, and wanted a relationship. It was important to me, so I signed up…I didn’t know whether to take it too seriously at first, but the next thing you know, I starting meeting really nice people! You know what? They were just like me, busy working, and didn’t know where to meet people either. Then came the day I met my future husband. We started talking, and something clicked. After 2 weeks, we finally got together.

Man, I was so nervous! What if he didn’t like me in person? What if he knew I was overweight in his brain, since I told him, but what if in his heart when he saw me, he just wasn’t attracted to me? I was so scared… That was almost 9 years ago!

Whether you are going to a prom, a work event, a wedding, or out for a nice dinner, a great dress can make you feel special!

When you like how you look, you’ll radiate that glow.

Remember that accessories can dress an outfit up or down, so choose something bright and bold for a fun look, or a understated for elegance.

Don’t forget to get complimentary shoes and a bag!

Click on any picture for details on pricing and sizing

Click on any picture for details on pricing and sizing