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Wellness > Health

Lose the Freshman 15: Dealing with Weight Gain and Clothing Fit

Happy Friday collegiettes!  Tonight is the night of the Spring Formal at Amherst, and I am SO excited!  I love all things fashion, but I especially love getting dressed up for this type of event.  Shopping used to be one of my favorite activities, and I would go all the time with my friends.  However, after gaining a substantial amount of weight, the number of stylish clothing options that fit have become increasingly limited.  I’ve definitely noticed some of my shirts are tighter in places where they used to fit perfectly.  It’s such a bummer I am unable to express my true sense of style because of my weight.

While I am discouraged, I definitely am also motivated to keep up with my diet and exercise plan, so I can eventually fit into certain clothes again.  For me, confidence comes with style.  I tend to feel more fearless and positive when I dress well, whereas I am more reserved and embarrassed when I am dressed poorly.  Weight loss will open so many doors for me, and the five pounds I have lost so far are just a step in the right direction.  With the upcoming warm weather, all I want to do is to be able to comfortably wear all my Spring shorts and skirts!  It’ll take time, but I know I’ll get there soon!

Here are some things to remember:

  • Do NOT buy a whole new wardrobe of clothes in bigger sizes- Having a wide selection of clothes to wear after you’ve gained weight is going to lower your motivation to shed the pounds, so you can fit into your old clothes again.  It will turn into a vicious cycle of gaining weight and buying bigger clothes, gaining more weight and buying even bigger clothes, etc.
  • DO wear jeans even if they’re a little tight- While they might not fit absolutely perfectly, the tight waistline can serve as a constant, helpful reminder.  
  • AVOID elastic waistbands when sitting down for a meal- Elastic waistbands are great for working out and for lounging around, but when you’re eating, you’ll want to wear something that will be able to tell you when you’ve gone too far.  
  • DO buy a new pair of jeans or a new dress in your desired size to serve as motivation for you to lose the extra poundage

Keeping these tips in mind, I hope to be able to reach that point once again where I don’t have to feel extremely self concious about how my clothes are fitting.  I can’t wait for the day when I can wake up and pick anything from my closet without worrying about whether or not it will actually fit!

I’m going to my friend’s room now to get ready for the formal, but I hope you all have a great weekend full of fun, exercise, and healthy eating choices!  Remember to follow the SELF Drop 10 diet the best you can! Any fun plans?  In addition to the Spring Formal tonight, tomorrow is our Spring Concert!  We have Macklemore coming, so hopefully that will be a fun time as well.  

Until Sunday

xoxo
Nicole

Nicole Yang is an Editorial Intern at Her Campus.  Before joining the team at HC, she previously was the Managing Editor of her college's weekly newspaper, The Amherst Student.  While at Amherst College, Nicole was also a tour guide and a member of the women's varsity squash team.  Her professional experience includes working as a Communications Intern for Comcast and Monster, and her work has been published by Fast Company, Fortune, and The Sports Quotient.  Follow her on Twitter.