I got it again today..."When are you due?" AUUUUGGGHHHHH!!!!!! I'm NOT pregnant!!! I'm just fat!!!

I know it's my terrible looking but OH so comfy wardrobe. What are you Size 20-22 folks wearing that looks nice? I have the lower belly overhang. That's a big issue in my choosing shirts that fall below that ugly roll, but it's the shirts that confuse people, that and the big boobs, which really aren't that big but somehow look it. I'm always surprised at my ample bosom in pictures. Maybe it's the body dysmorphic thing, anyhow, I have GOT to choose better clothing.

What pants? What tops? What do I look for when I shop? HELP?

Style-disadvantaged in NC

Well...I fit best in maternity clothes...because for some reason, my waist has decided to be my largest measurement. Weird to be in maternity items pushing 60.

Anyway...layer stuff. I have a new outfit. It's a tank top (WORN TUCKED IN) and pants, that I wear with a blouse or sweater (WORN OPEN.) The tucked in thing IMPLIES a waist and the blouse or sweater hides the details. If I button the sweater, I look pregnant.

Hey Kathy,

Try going to Lane Bryant. I inherited a mega wardrobe from there a couple of months ago. They have some really cute things! They will help you find what will look right on you...

Kathy-

Try to find some of the new wrap stylr shirts- or the deep v-neck cotton shirts that look like a wrap shirt- I have big boobs and tummy- and I always get compliments when I wear wrap shirts- they have a low v neckline(accent the positive) and they make the waist area look smaller. I find them at Lane Bryant alot- aometimes Avenue- Can't wait till I can shop just about anywhere for cloths!

Take care.

Anyway...layer stuff. I have a new outfit. It's a tank top (WORN TUCKED IN) and pants, that I wear with a blouse or sweater (WORN OPEN.) The tucked in thing IMPLIES a waist and the blouse or sweater hides the details. If I button the sweater, I look pregnant.

Thats exactly what I did! a tank top with a button up over it.

Capris are fun! I like the strech capris - gives more room! (I found mine at JC Penny's)

The more you wear clothes that are fitted, the more comfy they become.

It took a long time for me to "get over" wearing big comfy clothes. But the trade off is a better looking you!

Besides, being a size 20-22 ISNT very big!

I love wearing jeans, and not so much business clothes. I haven't been asked the dreaded pregger question in a long time, knock on wood...

Of course, even when I was preggers I didn't look it for the most part. Heh, I was trying to navagate my pregnant self accross a crowded coffee shop and tried to get around some older crusty guy. I excused myself and asked if I could get by. He laughed at his cronies and said, "what, are you pregnant or something?" I BURST into tears and said yes, I was.

Heh, he felt like the jerk he was.

Before I lost some weight, I always thought the "leggins and huge shirt" were the way to go. But then I saw pictures, yikes. Fitted clothes, believe it or not, are much more slimming. Just go for some jeans and a shirt, and tuck it in!

So, when are you due? Okay, laugh with me cause the only one that could crack a joke like that is someone that weight over 300 pounds last year!

Once a co-worker in a huge call center stood up and asked me across the whole department, "Lisa, are you carrying?" I yelled, "No, I'm FAT!" Let me tell you, it wasn't me that was embarrassed, it was her. Everyone hated HER for that and were super nice to me about it.

Oh, my gosh, don't you hate that. Since I've lost some of my weight my stomach pooches out more than before and last month at my daughter's school year end program I was wearing a beautiful wrap style dress and this little girl asked me "Hey, maam when are you having your baby??" I swear if she wasn't 8, I'd tackle her to the floor, oh she upset me so bad, but what could I do, just smile and walk away. I wanted the earth to open up and swallow me, right then and there. I'm not wearing that dress until I get my tt.

I was so dissappointed when leggings went out. I tried my best to keep them "In" but it didn't work. Fitted clothes DO look better...and maybe in time they will be comfy to me. I have a follow-up mammogram (a little leery!!) this afternoon, and as long as they don't tell me I have something that needs a biopsy and I fall apart from fear of the "Breast Cancer" monster, I'll stop by the Lane Bryant on the way home and try on a few things. Hubby is in charge of the kids for the afternoon until I get back from my appointment. Think I can sneak in a quick stop...

The lady who yesterday asked if I was pregnant (or when I was due) weighed around 400 or so. She said she needed to lose 250, so I'm guessing she's a 400 pounder? Any way, she was super nice and we ended up having a great conversation about WLS and I told her about my band and she said she is considering the DS. So, it turned out okay, but STILL!!!!

I think I know when my wieght problems started. I think I am cursed by a witch or some voodoo person. Back when I was in college, dating my big ole strappin' hunky cowboy boyfriend and weighed 125 or so, I was working in a grocery store pharmacy as a Tech. This lady was asking about a good multi-vitamin, we were looking at them and I commented about her needing Pre-natals, pointing to her belly. You can imagine that I liked to have died right there when she said "I just lost 50 pounds!" She was nice about it to my face but I was mortified, as I should have been, and I think she's the one who put the FAT CURSE on me. It wasn't long after that when I broke up with the hottie BF who couldn't put down the drink, graduated from college, moved back to NC, all the while gaining and gaining and gaining. That's my story and I'm stickin' to it.

Gotta run get the girls squished again...I'll let you all know how it went when I get back. Thanks everyone! Back in a Flash...

I do the thing with the jeans and the tank and the over shirt. It was my staple for a good long time, and I'm falling back into it again (at about the same size I was last time I did it). The big frumpy shirts do tend to make one look big and frumpy. I hate that, they are so comfy.

Hi-

How tall are you? I am about 5'11--I always try to find boot cut jeans--Ever since I saw a few pictures of myself in some "straight leg" jeans (20lbs less than now too) --What's tough is I have to wear leather work boots to work in. Those really don't make anything I put on too flattering. I must have 20 black cotton t-shirts-V-neck-Mock-T-neck short sleeves, no sleeves. Those t-shirts along with jeans is kind of my uniform.

Good luck with the smash-o-gram today..I had my first last fall--what a delight.

My initial S-O-G came back with a suspicious area--Had a follow up--Saw a surgeon-Had an ultra sound and was then scheduled for a biopsy--Day of biopsy came, they did another ultrasound--Radiologist couldn't find a damm thing to biopsy--She said everything looked normal. Had a three month follow up to all of that--Everything still looks okay...It still was a scary situation though..

Sending good thoughts your way!! I'm sure everything will turn out just fine.

Yeah, boot cut trousers are flattering for most of us larger women. I gave away all of my tapered versions -- they made my legs look super-short, and that's some trick when you're 5'9".

Whatever your height, both Lane Bryant and Avenue have trou in petite, regular, and tall lengths. The tricky part is finding something in June other than capri pants, which IMO don't flatter most people. Just stay away from the tapers. And pleated fronts make everything look even bigger and rounder, so try to avoid them too.

Ashley Stewart has a great line of clothing for sizes 14 and above, they also have a web site if you dont have one in your area..stylish and sexy....

Kathy,

Good luck on the shopping spree and the mammogram! By the wat I am wering a silk tank with a sheer overshirt- like everyone else!

I wear a button up shirt, UNbuttoned, over a tshirt or tank top, I hate it when all those waists show, you know the ones around the bra line. I think it's much more fashionable to have the hips and belly covered, even if it does look pg from the front.

Since I'm passing through the menopause thing now, I can't stand anything tight and binding, although, since dropping a few pounds, I like my shorts much shorter than the knee now. Ahhh, not to have them crawl up between my legs when I walk, that's like a major NSV.

Wow, you guys are awsome! I have so many ideas about clothes, and had a good trip to the Lane Bryant...I'll fill you in on the clothes later because I want to carefully read all of your ideas again and see which items I'll be returning!

BUT, here's the squish-o-gram update. Okay, so they do an ultrasound on the right side (just where I suspected the problem area to be) and she measures an area MUCH bigger than 5 years ago when I had this found at my first baseline Mammogram. So whatever it is (they called it a fibroadenoma at the time) it's bigger, but I can't feel it, my OB/Gyn can't feel it, so it's big but not THAT big. Doc came in and said my old pic measured about .7cm, and it is now 1.7cm. It may be a fibroadenoma, could be one of several other things, but it does NOT look like cancer, but since it's growing, we want to know just exactly what it is. So next week I get a needle biopsy. Just for fun, she took the ultrasound machine and checked the opposite side on my left breast (9o'clock on the right, 3o'clock on the left) and found a little something there, too. sigh. So they will needle biopsy both breasts. I'm not all that worried, but I am anxious and it will hang over me a bit until next week.

I'm hoping what happened to you, Sallykotz, will happen to me, but since this has been there for 5 years, it's not likely that it will dissappear in a week.

So, my biopsy is Tuesday, a week from today and I'll keep you all posted. Thanks for your good thoughts, kind words, and all you prayin' folks get to work!!