Health: Clothes I *NEVER* Want to Have to Wear Again

During this weight loss journey I have had to go through tons of clothes. Some I was more than willing to get rid of when the time came and some I still miss terribly. When I was obese I started to really find my rhythm, style wise. I was finding out what sort of clothes I liked and the type of person I wanted to portray through clothes. I really started to create a wardrobe I loved. The problem was that a lot of the clothes I liked didn't fit me. And then when I started to lose weight, I have been losing my style for necessity. So now that I am getting closer to my goal weight, I am making a list of clothes/items I NEVER want to have to wear again.

1) Leggings as Pants

I know. I know. I KNOW! A lot of woman wear leggings as pants, a lot of woman love leggings as pants. When you have to wear leggings as pants because all your pants are too big and you are only 40 lbs deep into a 100 lb weight loss journey. Well, you start to despise leggings. I like pants, I like jeans, I like slacks. I want to wear those and not have to wear leggings. I don't mind leggings to work out, I don't mind leggings on cold days with boots and a dress. I do mind leggings every day because you have no pants that properly fit.

2) Plus Size Clothes

Don't get me wrong, as I mentioned my fashion stride really started when I was wearing plus size clothes. Technically, currently I am wearing a plus sized top because I don't have many shirts at the moment. Unfortunately though, the selection and style in the plus size section is not there. The clothes never tend to fit right and they always cost more. This is definitely more of a selection and price thing rather than a size thing.

3) Jeans that Sag in the Butt

Last week I got rid of my last pair of big pants. The weight in my butt went first because I naturally have nothing in the back. It is a very, very sad fact. So as soon as I started losing weight, my jeans started sagging in the butt. Every pair, all the time. Then as I got down further and further, I didn't know it was possible, but it got smaller again. The aforementioned last pair was a pair of jeggings in the size XL. It fit alright in the hips, but the butt looked like a diaper. I couldn't take it any longer, I broke down and bought some cheapo jeans from Wal-Mart. 

4) Accent Belts

There is nothing wrong with an accent belt. However, when you are bigger you like to accentuate the smallest part of yourself. My waist was always a lot smaller than my hips, so I used to belts on almost all of my clothes. It always felt like a cop out, because I thought I didn't look "as big" if I had the belt showing my smallest part. I added them to everything, until I was completely tired of them. And right now I am having to add them to all my clothes again, because everything is too big. I want to wear the belt because I want to, not because I have to.

5) Empire Waist-ed Everything

This kind of relates to number four. A lot of plus sized clothes are made in the cinched at the waist form. Which is still flattering on my frame, but literally all my clothes. Everything tied or cinched in there or I belted it. As I mentioned it was my smallest part, so I tried to make sure that people could see I was small somewhere. Nothing against the style. I still like it, but I don't want every piece of clothing to be in that style anymore. 

6) Granny Panties

They do not make cute underwear in large sizes. They do not make cute underwear in large sizes. You are left with only granny panties. My underwear were not cute and they were huge. Before I gained weight I only wore frilly girly panties. Giving those up because none fit anymore was the worst. And now in the interim, I don't want to waist money on undies that won't fit in a few months. So I'm still in the granny panties, but now the butt sags to the back of my knees. I have never felt more sexy in my life (please read the sarcasm oozing from that sentence).

These are just a few of the pieces/style of clothing that I never want to go back to wearing. A large amount of people that lose weight gain it back. I was unfortunately part of that statistic. But now that I am going down again, I plan on staying there. This is a list of inspiration for me to keep maintaining and staying healthy. Some may totally agree with this list, some may lynch me for it. But these are the things that I could not/cannot wait to stop wearing during my weight loss journey.

Health: You Don't Need to Pay to Lose Weight

How many times have we heard or given the excuse "I don't have the money to lose weight"? Meaning  that the gym costs money, healthier food costs money, new clothes cost money. It's a common excuse, but it's just that... an excuse.

You don't need money to lose weight. It's a fact. That excuse is now null and void. If you are still using it, make a new excuse. I started at 260 and have lost over 70 pounds without spending money (Well sort of, new clothes did happen, but I budgeted and bought new clothes on the cheap). So I am about to give you my detailed guide (more of an outline) of how I lost weight without spending excess money. Debunking all the things you "need" to lose weight, one excuse at a time.

1) "I can't afford to go to a gym."

Then don't. You don't need a gym. You don't need equipment. Do you have a body? Then you have all the equipment you need. Youtube is overflowing with free workout videos. Trainers are on there posting 30 day workout plans, for free. If you don't have access to Youtube videos to follow, that's ok. I started with a 30 day PDF file with pictures. Workout plans provided by certified trainers are just a google search away. You don't need to pay gym fees, you don't need to pay trainer fees. There are many, many resources available online. Plus, if you are/were anything like me, I was so big that I was embarrassed to go to a gym with fit people. I felt like they were judging me. So being able to workout in the comfort of my own home, without other peoples eyes on me, that was the best.

Here is a list of free trainers that I've used and really enjoyed:
-Darebee ( www.darebee.com )
       -Formerly Neila Rey. This website provides PDF and clickable 30 day to 90 day workouts. They have low impact for beginners up to high impact for the beasts. All the programs have options to start with the lowest intensity and work your way up to a higher intensity. I don't think any of the workouts require equipment, but if they do, they will tell you at the bottom. All you need is you bodyweight to start. Everything is free. This is the website I personally started with on my journey. I did the 30 days of Cardio Blast two months in a row. The first month I was on the lowest intensity the second month I was strong enough to move up to the highest. I saw tons of improvement, not just in weight dropping, but in building muscle. There are also meal plans, recipes, and more on the site. It is a great resource.

-Super Hero Fitness (www.youtube.com/user/superherofitnesstv)
        -Keaira LaShae is one of the most entertaining and fun trainers I have found on the internet. Her workouts are simple, but fun and effective. She does a lot of dance based cardio, but she walks you through the steps. The plus side is, even if you aren't good at dancing (I'm not), you can still have fun and get a good workout with her videos. She has a few 30 day workout challenges where she gives you a list of her videos to workout with for a month. Every day is different and it gives a good mix of cardio and strength training throughout the week. I am on my 3rd 30 day workout routine with her. I sweat, I laugh, and I am sore with her videos. And the plus side is her advice, videos, and humor are all free.

-Joanna Soh (https://www.youtube.com/user/joannasohofficial)
      - Another Youtube trainer. Joanna will kick your butt into shape. I haven't followed her videos on a regular basis. But every time I attempt even one of her videos (looking at you kickboxing), I am on the floor by the end and can't move the next day. She has tons of great advice videos and a few 30 day workout plans. She's spunky but tough and a pleasure to watch. Her website is full of free meal plans and great recipes.

There are sooooo many more if you just  search for them. But these are the 3 I've personally tried and loved.

2) "Healthier food costs more money."

False. It is because you are trying to add your healthy food to your junk food. I made this mistake for the longest time. I thought that adding a few vegetables to my meal constituted eating healthier. Frozen vegetables are cheap. Kroger has bags of frozen veggies for a dollar. That is cheaper than your bag of chips. Chicken is cheaper than beef. A large pack of chicken at Kroger (if you can't tell, I live by a Kroger and shop there) is 8-13 dollars. It comes with 6 large chicken breasts. You can divide that into 6 or 12 (I cut them in half) meals. Divide them out, freeze the ones you aren't using immediately and you have a lot of meals on the cheap. Rice (brown or white) can be bought in bulk at your local Asian market (I go to 99 Ranch) for only 13-20 dollars. The bag should last you a REALLY long time.

I personally count calories. You don't need to buy Weight Watchers or Jenny Craig or whatever programs are out there just to have them tell you how many points to eat. Apps and websites like Spark People and MyFitnessPal are completely free (upgrades cost money, but you don't need them). I used Spark the first time I lost weight and lost 50 pounds. I've lost 40 or so pounds using MyFitnessPal this time around. Not saying one is better than the other, either one is pretty good. Mainly just depends on your preferences.

3) "New clothes cost money."

Can't really debunk this one. It's true, as you lose weight you will have to buy new clothes. But it's rewarding. When you fit into smaller sizes, when you move from the plus size section back into the misses, that's a good feeling. It shows that all the hard work has paid off. But when you lose massive amounts of weight in a short time (looking at you 70 lbs in 10 months), clothes stack up. But there are ways to get around this. Your interim clothes don't need to be expensive. I found stretch skinny jeans at Walmart for 8 dollars. Buy a few pairs and you'll be good for a couple of months. For my old t-shirts, I cut them up and used t-shirt glue to put them back together in a smaller size. I only use them for working out now, but hey I needed new workout clothes anyways. Find sales. Wet Seal has a ton of sales all the time. Shirts 5 for 20 on the regular. A lot of people swear by going to resale shops while they are losing weight. I know the resale shop by me has dollar bins. They put out bins of clothes where everything is a dollar. Yes you have to search, but you can get clothes for very cheap in the meantime.

The point I'm trying to make is that money should not be an excuse as to why not to lose weight. Yes it takes major motivation, yes it takes time, but it does not take money. Some people would say that doing it for free is harder. I think it's harder on me to spend my hard earned money on things I can get for free. I'd rather save that money and buy myself a nice wardrobe when I get to my goal weight. All the gym fees I avoided, that's cute new tops. All the money I saved when I shopped for healthier food options, those are new pants. And the new clothes I had to buy in the interim, those can go to charity and help someone else. I don't mind, it feels good to give back.

So ditch the excuse that you don't have the money to lose weight because it is not valid.

The Transition Abroad: Selling All My Stuff/Downsizing

If you are anything like me, to make any sort of decision you read tons of other peoples stories that have been through the same scenario. That sentence wasn't structured well, so I'll simplify: I have been scouring peoples blogs and vlogs to decide what to take with me to Korea. Not only what to take but what to leave behind in a storage unit, if anything. I would say this is the most difficult part of the process, but luckily my whole life is in transition right now, so I'm not feeling overly attached to most of my things. What I am worried about is if I'm making the right decisions.

What I've "Learned" I SHOULD Take With Me

According to all the female Korean bloggers above a size 8 (in shoes and clothes) there are a few musts to stockpile:
-Bras (this varies in need but always says somewhere above a B cup)
-Shoes (some say above a size 8, some say 8 and a half. Also I had no walking shoes)
-Pants (as mentioned above a size 8ish or over nothing will fit your bum)
-Undies (see above)
There are a few hitches though... I do not have the suitcase room for all the clothes I am going to need for all the seasons. SO on top of my suitcases I have three boxes to ship to myself. It feels excessive. According to UPS each box is going to cost me around 100 bucks to ship to myself. Now before you think, she doesn't need that many clothes, it isn't all clothes. The first box is winter clothes (that includes sweaters and jackets for fall and winter because I'm from Texas and I NEED TO BE WARM!). The second box is shoes, this box may be a bit much, but hear me out. The bulk of this box is winter boots to keep my feetsies warm on the snowy, cold days. The third box is necessities of a non clothing kind. From allll the things I've read and been told I would think this last box is very vital. It holds: deodorant, minty toothpaste, multivitamins, things that remind me of home (pictures, stuffed animal, etc) and food stuffs.

Hitch number 2, as you can read in the rest of my blog, I am currently dropping weight. In the past 10 months I have lost 70 lbs and am still losing. I don't know what size I"m going to end up at. So while I am trying to buy clothes that I hope will fit me, some may end up being too big. I am waiting until right before I leave to buy new pants and things where the sizing is more important. It's a lot of guesswork. For instance, my winter jacket from this past winter is a bit too big. So I bought a new one during the winter sales. It is a bit too small. But it may be just right come winter in Korea. Guess work. There is also the fact that I plan on continuing my weight loss journey in Korea, so any clothes I bring with me may end up being too big. -_-

The things I should take with me, I knew, were going to be hit or miss. Most definitely I am going to figure out I didn't buy something I needed and probably packed stuff I didn't need. This part was always going to be trial and error because everyone has different needs. No matter how many blogs I read on what to bring, there is no correct formula for each person. When I get closer to my leave date I'll probably post a what I am bringing and then later what I did/didn't need.

Things to Leave Behind/ Get Rid Of

Everything else I own. No. But seriously yes. I have a few options of things to do with my furniture and nick knacks. Pack it all away and put it in an expensive storage unit. Or sell it all and hope I don't regret it if I come back in only a year. This should have been a tougher decision for me, since I am bit of a hoarder, but I chose option number two with a bit of option one. I am limiting myself to 3-4 boxes, my grandfathers roll top desk, and the miniature dollhouse my grandmother built me as a child. As of right now one box is full of the fairy tales from around the world book collection I've been working on since I was a teenager, one box is my DVD collection, and the third box is overflow from that and my ps3/ps3 games. That's it. Everything else is going. I am not keeping any clothes or shoes that can't come with me(this probably accounts for needing to ship boxes to myself). I'm not keeping any furniture (save the roll top desk mentioned above). Everything is being sold/given away with the money helping with my adjustment over there.

This may seem extreme, but I have a few reasons behind why I think this is the best possible option. Firstly, as of right now my furniture is all a mismatched mess. None of it is in bad condition, but most of it was bought for necessity or given to me by family. Ikea and free is all the furniture I own. So if/when I come back it would be nice to start from scratch and make sure my furniture matches. Second, storage units become more expensive the bigger the unit is. So to avoid the larger fees (also having to pay exchange rates when sending money back etc) it makes sense to downsize. Lastly, I think it is a good lesson in letting go. I have always had a weird attachment to my things. In somewhat of an unhealthy way. Before this year I couldn't imagine parting with a single piece. That's why my closet and apartment were/are filled with things I've had since I was in high school but don't use/wear. I didn't want to let it go. It came in handy while decorating and made my apartment feel like "home". But it is past time that  I should be able to get rid of these things and live in a much less full apartment. I loved living in my dorm because I bought everything new and it was very sparsely furnished/decorated. It was easy to clean and I loved the simplicity. When I moved back into a full apartment and brought all my things with me, it became cluttered. There was too much stuff, too many nick-knacks that I held onto for no reason more than, it is mine and it was from my parents house. So releasing all these things is cathartic and a way to signify my true leaving of the nest. Plus, I can have a whole new decorating scheme and not worry about incorporating my things. To top it all off, I don't have to worry about paying for all this stuff I'm not using, it's like repaying for the furniture. I can save the money and buy new when I get home.

Ending Thoughts

Like the whole process of uprooting your life and moving abroad, it takes time and consideration. You can read all the blogs you want, but ultimately you have to decide what is best for you. Take advice, but don't take it too strictly. Everyone has their own formula for doing things, so just because you do it differently than someone else, it doesn't mean it's wrong. This is a trial and error process. Not just packing and getting rid of stuff, the whole shebang. You pick a country, you may love it or you may hate it. You find a place to work, you may adore it or you may despise it. Really you just have to keep making leaps of faith in hoping that you are making the right decisions. And even if they don't turn out to be the right ones, well you learned something. I think that every decision you make serves a purpose in your life, whether because it benefits by helping you in some way or it's just there to teach you a lesson of how not to do things. Think it through, weigh your options, find what you think is best for you, and make a decision.

**This is going to be the start of a new segment "The Transition Abroad". It is going to chronicle all the thoughts, struggles, and process of moving to a new country. So more to come as I continue through this process over the next couple of months.

Life: Big Changes (Moving to South Korea!)

I've hinted in a few of my last posts that I had something big coming up that was still in the works. I've spent the last couple months (read almost year) trying to find out where and how I wanted to go teach English abroad. After lots of time, hard work, and money: I am now extremely happy to say that in August I will be moving to South Korea!

That being said, I have been super busy trying to prepare to leave (hence the fact that is has taken me forever to update). The process is long and tedious. But so far I am loving every minute of it. There are tons of websites out there that tell you the process for going to teach in Korea. It is long (especially for Americans) and not for the poor. My background check was going to take 15 + weeks to come back but I spent 3 times (rough guess) as I would have to have it expedited (FBI Channelers: there is a list on the FBI website and you have to make sure they are a channeler that sends the document that can be apostilled). Also it turns out, unlike some cities, Houston doesn't fingerprint at police stations, so you have to schedule an appointment at one of the select locations where you can get it done. They are not in good areas but the schedule is pretty open and the people are nice. Then you have to wait nervously for your record to come back (Side note: I have never even really spoken to a cop or gotten into trouble of any kind yet I was still super nervous about my background check. Goody two shoes here.). Then you have to send that into the US Department of State to get it apostilled. Which only takes about two weeks. In the meantime you need to get your diploma notarized and then send that into your local state department. None of this is free (well maybe the notary if you have cool friends ;) ). ON TOP OF THAT, you will be going through some sort of interview process to get a job. I went through a recruiter, who if you get a good one will be very helpful. (However if you are looking into this DO YOUR OWN RESEARCH BEFORE YOU ACCEPT THE JOB). But once again... tons of warning blog posts on that.

Currently I am in the final stages now. I sent in all my visa things to my school in Korea and am now waiting to hear back so I can continue the process at the  consulate here. Once that is finished my flight will officially get booked and I will be on my way. However there is a ton of preparation before then. I have a composition notebook filled to the brim with lists of things to do. And I may or may not be over preparing (packed all my winter clothes, ready to ship and all the shoes I'll be taking with me).



I will update more as things roll along. I will be really interested in focusing on how to keep up my weight loss efforts while living in Korea. Exercise and food wise mainly. I'm super super excited and cannot wait for this adventure to begin.