Saturday, August 28, 2010

One leg at a time, just like everyone else...

WARNING: This post contains a photographic image that may not be suitable for…well…anyone, really.

Every woman on earth knows that sizes in the garment industry are notoriously relative. Since there are no hard and fast standards in women’s clothing sizes, various brands can just make theirs up as they go along, and a selection of garments from different manufacturers with the same size printed on the tags will be vastly different in the way they fit. I have a pair of size 22 pants coming out of storage that fit perfectly, I have a pair of 20’s that I wore to work yesterday that are getting noticeably too big to keep wearing, and I have a pair of size 24 slacks in a drawer that I couldn’t get into with a shoehorn, a can of Crisco, and the collective directed prayer of the Baptist congregation down the street.

Two years ago, when my weight was at it’s lowest in my ongoing journey (which is now just a scant 20 pounds lower than it is right now, I might add) I was out shopping and happened upon a lovely pair of cuffed, wide leg trousers in a dreamy shade of cream that were fully lined and—because miracles do happen—were made for someone who is taller than 5’6”. Which I am. By nearly 5 inches. A glance at the tag revealed that they were a size 20, and, get this, they were ON SALE! And by “on sale” I do not mean that they were marked down from ungodly expensive to merely ridiculously expensive, because I have much higher expectations of exactly what constitutes a bargain than some people. You’ll never see me getting excited over a 15% markdown like some people do. (Yeah, Mom. I’m looking at you.) These were deeply discounted, and so I stepped into the dressing room, slipped them on, and though they were slightly too tight to wear immediately I knew that it’d only be a few more pounds before they’d look like they were made for me. So I bought them, brought them home, hung them up in the closet…and that’s where they’ve been ever since.

As life began to spiral downward, my weight began to inch up to fill the void. And so my brand new beautiful white pants hung there, unworn, tags still in place, as a testament to hope and a reminder of better times gone by. I’d see them almost every morning when I got dressed, and I’d often pause to run a finger down the sharp creases in the buttery material and wonder if I’d ever get to wear them. Once, I decided to try them on, but when they didn’t even clear my thighs, I hung them back up in defeat. After a while I moved them back further into the closet, where I didn’t see them as often. They were out of sight, but never out of my mind. Oh, white pants, I wish I knew how to quit you.

Then just the other day, as I was dressing for work, I realized that the pants I was currently wearing had finally gotten too large to be anything but frumpy. So I pulled them off, relegated them to the goodwill bag, and flipped through the rack of trousers I’ve been working to get back into, when a brilliant flash of white wool caught my eye. In a fit of optimism, I pulled them out of the closet, slipped my legs into them, and pulled them up….to my hips. And that’s as far as they were going to go. As I stood there, more or less trapped in trouser limbo, I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror and saw this:

It was in that moment I made a vow that I WOULD wear these pants. Soon. Along with all the lofty goals we want to achieve through weight loss, it’s important to have some that are more concrete, more easily measured and reported as tangible proof of our progress. And so, internet, I tell you this: I will wear these slacks to Christmas Eve dinner on December 24, 2010. I’ll try them on every two weeks, and I’ll post a new photo each time. And as the weeks go by I’ll compare that embarrassing photo to this one as a way of reminding myself that I am a work in progress, and that there are two really important words in that phrase. WORK and PROGRESS. I want to see the effects of both of them.

So stay tuned, folks. It’s time to show everyone exactly who wears the pants around here.

7 comments:

  1. Thanks for sharing Sara - You are a braver woman than I to be able to take that photo, let alon post it! Here's to white pants on Christmas Eve!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Go, Go, CHRISTMAS PANTS!

    I love your picture.. I could have that very same picture if I dared try on anything in my closet. Hee hee!

    ReplyDelete
  3. You can wear those pants Sara! You're one gutsy broad I'll tell you that. (can I cal you broad? I meant it with admiration) I can't wait to the see the follow-up pics to your march to get those pants on and buttoned.

    Love your explanation of sale prices. I'm going to give it to my wife.

    ReplyDelete
  4. YOU GO GIRL!!!! Can't wait to see the updates through the weeks. I'll bet by Christmas Eve, these pants will be too big!!!! I'm seeing it now!!!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Those pants look just beautiful. I love winter white wool. It's classy and gorgeous.

    And yes, Sara, you will be wearing them Christmas Eve dinner. I know you and you've got stamina and willpower and everything it takes to do this.

    I can't wait to see the progress photos. :)

    ReplyDelete
  6. I love this! You sure know how to set goals: concrete, measureable, and rewarding. You've also got the chutzpah to make them public, which I admire! Here's to white wool slacks on Christmas Eve. (Beware the red wine...) You CAN do it!

    ReplyDelete
  7. LMAO, Sara. You are brave and beautiful and I love ya. And damn it, now I want to go do the same thing. Especially since I've sworn off the scale. I'm off to the closet for a pair of 'goal' jeans, and then back to catch up on your blogs.

    ReplyDelete