butterfyeffect

Here's my before and after. Started at 231.8, weighed in yesterday (a bit dehydrated after a long road trip) at 139.8. Have gone from wearing jeans in a tight size 16, to anywhere from a size 4 to 10 depending on brand.

Well, I have to second the shopping in thrift stores comment. I found a Goodwill near me that gets all of the designer donations. I recently got a Calvin Klein dress to wear to a friend's wedding for $10. Total haul that day was $82 for two pairs of jeans, a pair of shorts, four tops, and the dress. Nothing that I bought was not a name brand.
I also have to add on though, that just because it fits, does not mean that you should wear it! I tried on some shorts on one of my shopping expeditions, and even though they fit, I liked the brand, and were comfortable, I put them back because I am 36 years old, and those orange shorts were just too young for me!

Well, I have to second the shopping in thrift stores comment. I found a Goodwill near me that gets all of the designer donations. I recently got a Calvin Klein dress to wear to a friend's wedding for $10. Total haul that day was $82 for two pairs of jeans, a pair of shorts, four tops, and the dress. Nothing that I bought was not a name brand.
I also have to add on though, that just because it fits, does not mean that you should wear it! I tried on some shorts on one of my shopping expeditions, and even though they fit, I liked the brand, and were comfortable, I put them back because I am 36 years old, and those orange shorts were just too young for me!

Well, I have to second the shopping in thrift stores comment. I found a Goodwill near me that gets all of the designer donations. I recently got a Calvin Klein dress to wear to a friend's wedding for $10. Total haul that day was $82 for two pairs of jeans, a pair of shorts, four tops, and the dress. Nothing that I bought was not a name brand.
I also have to add on though, that just because it fits, does not mean that you should wear it! I tried on some shorts on one of my shopping expeditions, and even though they fit, I liked the brand, and were comfortable, I put them back because I am 36 years old, and those orange shorts were just too young for me!

The thrift stores have become my salvation! Every time I drop a size or two I saunter joyfully over to "Value Village" (Canadians, can I get a whoop whoop!) and spend a whopping $30 on new tops and jeans. HUZZAH!
Man does it ever feel good to wear clothes that fit as I'm on my way down. I happily donated a bunch of my Size 22 pants and jeans (SEE YA' LATER!), but some of my tops that I bought full pop retail are truly lovely pieces (purchased from funky online shops like Zulily) that I cannot bear to part with. This is where my seamstress friend comes in - she will be doing some sewing for me at $10 per garment and saving me hundreds of bucks that I would otherwise need to spend on new clothes.
As a professor I have an unwritten (but implied) professional dress code to adhere to, and having a seamstress buddy on board is very helpful!

Thanks to all for comments on this article.
To those who asked if anyone should spend so much on clothes during and after weight loss surgery, the answer is that I do not recommend it!
Several factors contributed to my spending so much on my transition wardrobe. As a number of readers correctly guessed, where I lived (New York City) and the type of work I did (corporate executive type job in a well known financial services, think banking, company)during my weight loss period had a lot to do with it. We were expected to dress in a formal professional, very sophisticated style. The clothes I thought I needed in order to dress appropriately tended to expensive, and at the time, I thought I had to have a complete wardrobe each time I changed sizes. Now I know that with some planning it would have been possible to buy stylish clothing much less expensively, and by selecting the items with an eye toward versatility, fewer of them. As some of you have pointed out, shopping in thrift stores, and looking for sale items are ways to minimize the expense of adjusting your wardrobe during a major weight loss. Tailoring some of the more expensive items can also keep your costs down. Unfortunately, during my weight loss, I didn't have a workable strategy and it proved very costly.
These days, I take my own advice, considering my personal style, my lifestyle, and my budget as I plan my wardrobe.
Several people commented that they have their own personal styles and that they wouldn't want to change. Knowing what your fashion preferences are, and staying true to them are both essential to presenting your best self to the world. What image consultants can do is help you refine your style so that it remains consistent both with the person you are and the roles you need to play in your life, whether in your professional life or in social settings, all the while looking fabulous.
The very reasons I chose this career! I am interested in your comments, so keep the conversation going!

Here's my before and after. Started at 231.8, weighed in yesterday (a bit dehydrated after a long road trip) at 139.8. Have gone from wearing jeans in a tight size 16, to anywhere from a size 4 to 10 depending on brand.

Here's my before and after. Started at 231.8, weighed in yesterday (a bit dehydrated after a long road trip) at 139.8. Have gone from wearing jeans in a tight size 16, to anywhere from a size 4 to 10 depending on brand.

Well, I have to second the shopping in thrift stores comment. I found a Goodwill near me that gets all of the designer donations. I recently got a Calvin Klein dress to wear to a friend's wedding for $10. Total haul that day was $82 for two pairs of jeans, a pair of shorts, four tops, and the dress. Nothing that I bought was not a name brand.
I also have to add on though, that just because it fits, does not mean that you should wear it! I tried on some shorts on one of my shopping expeditions, and even though they fit, I liked the brand, and were comfortable, I put them back because I am 36 years old, and those orange shorts were just too young for me!

Here's my before and after. Started at 231.8, weighed in yesterday (a bit dehydrated after a long road trip) at 139.8. Have gone from wearing jeans in a tight size 16, to anywhere from a size 4 to 10 depending on brand.

Well, I have to second the shopping in thrift stores comment. I found a Goodwill near me that gets all of the designer donations. I recently got a Calvin Klein dress to wear to a friend's wedding for $10. Total haul that day was $82 for two pairs of jeans, a pair of shorts, four tops, and the dress. Nothing that I bought was not a name brand.
I also have to add on though, that just because it fits, does not mean that you should wear it! I tried on some shorts on one of my shopping expeditions, and even though they fit, I liked the brand, and were comfortable, I put them back because I am 36 years old, and those orange shorts were just too young for me!

Well, I have to second the shopping in thrift stores comment. I found a Goodwill near me that gets all of the designer donations. I recently got a Calvin Klein dress to wear to a friend's wedding for $10. Total haul that day was $82 for two pairs of jeans, a pair of shorts, four tops, and the dress. Nothing that I bought was not a name brand.
I also have to add on though, that just because it fits, does not mean that you should wear it! I tried on some shorts on one of my shopping expeditions, and even though they fit, I liked the brand, and were comfortable, I put them back because I am 36 years old, and those orange shorts were just too young for me!

Here's my before and after. Started at 231.8, weighed in yesterday (a bit dehydrated after a long road trip) at 139.8. Have gone from wearing jeans in a tight size 16, to anywhere from a size 4 to 10 depending on brand.

Here are two of my newest
One is face...I just feel like I look completely different. the other is from soaking in some vitimin d in the FRONT yard yesterday while my kids played. I didn't want to scare the neighborhood with the full bikini (lol) so I wore my running skirt with a bikini top, but it was so awesome to feel like I could go layout in my front yard without being mortified. :-)

Um, I shop at thrift stores and wear really nice clothes that fit me very well no matter what stage of weight loss I'm in... and I spend pennies on the dollar for good condition, name brand clothes and accessories. Thrift shops are the BEST for finding inexpensive clothing for losing (or gaining) weight, since most people donate clothes if they still look good.
The trick is to find thrift stores in the ritzy or upper middle class sections of town. I'll still check out any shop I see if I have some time and am looking for something, but I've found designer stuff for cheap at those places, or at the very least, really pretty tops and jeans for much less than I'd pay at even Target or Walmart.
Husband has been losing weight with me and we just had to buy him new dress shirts and a sport coat... found two Calvin Klein dress shirts for $5, and a beautiful Joseph A. Banks wool sport coat for $15. I bought a really pretty ruby red off the shoulder top that matches perfectly a skirt I wanted to wear... $3.

Here's my before and after. Started at 231.8, weighed in yesterday (a bit dehydrated after a long road trip) at 139.8. Have gone from wearing jeans in a tight size 16, to anywhere from a size 4 to 10 depending on brand.

Here's my before and after. Started at 231.8, weighed in yesterday (a bit dehydrated after a long road trip) at 139.8. Have gone from wearing jeans in a tight size 16, to anywhere from a size 4 to 10 depending on brand.

As of today I am 100lbs down!!

Great job @@fizeasy86
You too @@butterfyeffect

I make my own at home. This morning had a "Venti Salted Carmel Mocha decaf"....Italian roast decaf coffee, premium protein chocolate "creamer", and two squirts Torani SF caramel syrup. 20oz, 25 calories, 4g protein, <1g carbs and about 50 cents. Compare to Starbuck's Venti Salted Cafe Mocha (with skim milk and no whipped cream)...400 calories, 17g protein, 77 carbs!!! and almost $5.00. Sorry to be a smartass, but I always thought Starbucks was a ripoff.

There are normal weight people with heart disease, HBP, and diabetes. I happen to know quite a few of them.

1. Why does it matter what other peoples goals are? 2. BMI is meant at a statistical measure over large populations and not meant to be an individual mandate. 3. My doctor told me that risk of death and medical issues drops dramatically at 29.9 so that the overweight category is great for someone who used to be morbidly obese. There really is no reason statistically to stress over getting under 25 according to him. 4. Using BMI focuses on the scale which is not an indicator of overall health. Rather use body fat percentage instead. My BMI is 26. Should I lose 35 pounds of muscle to make some BMI of 21 like you? Because my height is not going up and all BMI is is a ratio. 5. Body fat percentage should be a guideline for health not BMI. If those people with 30-40 more to lose have a BF that is in the recommended range for their height why should they lose more pounds of muscle/fat. 6. Some people choose a goal they know they can maintain rather than 1 where they will struggle,gain and feel like a failure. 7. Older people should carry more body fat than younger for insulation, and to protect bones and against any illness. (Body fat guidelines are by age) 8. I repeat number 1 above. What's it to you anyway? I offer my congratulations and am happy for you. But why does it matter to you what others "feel" is right for them.

I kind of agree with Jane. Also - from the data I've seen, there isn't that much evidence of better heath for those in the "normal" BMI set vs those in the overweight set. My goal is to get to a healthy weight that I can maintain longterm. I'm shooting for a normal BMI, but if that proves to be too hard - if I don't feel well and satisfied and confident about maintaining - at a normal BMI, or in my attempts to get there, then I will (strive to) not feel like a failure landing in the overweight zone. That will still be a huge success for me, since I haven't ever been able to maintain my weight in that zone as an adult. And the data I've seen indicates that I'll still have a greatly reduced risk of diabetes, heart attack, stroke, etc.
To Jane's point, I think it's actually really great for people to alllow themselves to feel successful without achieving a normal BMI. And most doctors don't see success as normal BMI either - my understanding is that most see success as at least 50% loss of excess weight, ideally getting under a 30 BMI, or closer to your lowest adult weight.
With all that said - I'm sure that self-perceptions do play a role and can hamper success. For some it may be scary to become skinny and perceived in a different way. And that may be something to work on, or it may be a valid issue of comfort that influences how far someone wants to take it. I just think everyone should strive for what will work best for them - we all want different things.

Hmmm....I see the opposite. People who were super morbidly obese get down to a reasonable weight...say the 25-30 BMI...and they feel like failures which I think can lead to regain.

Over 275 pounds lost between my husband and I! We both had the sleeve in May 2013