Denim Conscience
I feel like a writer today. Why? Because it’s 5:15 am, I’m in my jammies at the laptop. The coffee is brewing and so are the ideas—I hope. One never knows.
I’ve been thinking about shoes, since school is starting soon and that’s the time of year when, as a kid, I got to buy my two pairs--everyday and dress. I have slightly more than two pairs now and yet I want more. Lots more. Why the love affair with shoes? Probably because they are an article of apparel that doesn’t turn on you when you gain weight. Shoes are your friend. They spare your feelings. ”Just slip me on and I’ll fit just the same as always." Do jeans say that? Heck no. Jeans say, “Wait a minute....did you eat a jumbo popcorn and a big box of Junior Mints at the movies?” and “Chinese food sure makes you retain water, heh, heh, heh.”
I wear jeans often, and jeans are good for me because they are strict. They don’t put up with the same stuff shoes do and I’ve learned to appreciate their tough love. Who doesn’t have a pair of skinny jeans? The jeans that celebrate with you when you can finally fit into them again? Jeans that caress you and tell you how proud they are that you resisted overindulging and got your butt out of the chair to exercise? Jeans that say I am going to make your ass look so good today as a reward for all your hard work.
I admit I hate it when the skinny jeans turn on me, telling me that they didn’t mind when I put on the extra five pounds, but they’re drawing the line at seven. I can come back and visit them when I’ve once again attained my healthier weight. In the meantime, I can socialize with their cousin, the needy jeans, made of 90% spandex. These jeans need to be loved, so they fit no matter what. I don’t consider them real jeans because they do not have my best interests at heart.
Sometimes I tell myself that I don’t care about the skinny jeans or what they are telling me, but really I do. At this point in my life it’s about health as much as vanity. It’s so easy to let the pounds slide on and I have a tendency to make excuses and ignore the fact that the number on the scale is slowly increasing. But not when I listen to the jeans. No matter what excuse I give, they continue to hammer home the message that I should once again take control. So I guess that’s why, even though I adore shoes, I respect my jeans.
So, do you love your jeans? Hate your jeans? Wear jeans at all?
Funny you bring this up...
Because I just recently fit -- comfortably -- into jeans I couldn't put on 4 months ago. I went from my winter maintenance to losing what I call my yearly ten (I'm working on losing 10lbs a year -- it usually adds up to more, and I generally lose between June and Oct, and then maintain from Nov-April or so), and so the other day when I put on my tight jeans and they not only fit, but fit loosely, I was pretty darned pleased. I only weigh myself once a month, so my clothes tell me where I am more than the scale. I think that's more important, as weight can be tricky, with water and muscle figuring in, so it's better to go by how you feel and how your clothes fit.
I love my jeans, and I also have the needy jeans, though my real jeans are more comfortable now. I use the needy jeans like sweatpants, LOL, for working out in the yard or things I wouldn't want to mess up the nice jeans. I also bought new jeans shorts, and was happy when they not only became loose, but I could put them through the dryer and STILL wear them comfortably. Now I am hoping that I'll fit comfortably into a pair of shorts I have that fit, but snugly, and hopefully by the end of the month, I can wear them to the fair.
By the end of this year, however, the jeans that fit now will probably be too loose. I'll wait, buy the next size down, that will probably be snug, but hopefully will fit just right around this time next year. :)
Although I do find shoes tell the tale, too -- you are only losing 5-7 lbs, but when you lose more than that, your feet do shrink. I don't retain as much water, and my shoe size will fluctuate between a 7 and and 8 1/2, depending on my weight and the shoe, though I am not much of a shoe person.
Sam
Sam--Funny you bring the
Sam--Funny you bring the shoe thing up--my husband lost 20 lbs and his shoes do fit differently. His bigger running shoes are too big. I love your sensible weight maintenance program and attitude. The important thing is to be aware. If I'm too strict with myself, I rebel, so I've learned to be sensible, too, and I don't restrict what I eat, just how much and how often.
Exactamundo!
I can't diet, and I can't deny myself -- I can however, use common sense and control what I eat, make good choices. I do that most of the time, and it works. I call it my 80/20 plan, LOL -- if you behave 80% of the time, and let go for 20%, you come out ahead. ;)
Sam
The Skinny Jean
Yes, they're in the back of my closet. They're green and so soft, it's almost like stroking velvet. I love them. *sigh*
Unfortunately, they do not love me. They will not let me get away with an extra 5 lbs. They are strict. No more than one pound may I gain in order to delight in their lovliness.
So, for now, they're tucked away and I stroke them occasionally and say One Day.
ani
Stroke those jeans
Ani--Give those skinny jeans a stroke for me...;)I hope your One Day comes soon!
No jeans for me
Jeans?? Ugh. They hate me. I don't wear them and we're both happier for it, LOL!
Stretch Jeans
I love jeans. I wear them as often as I can. I have a habit of buying jeans that are a little tight. I figure that if I buy them smaller, it'll give me incentive to lose a little bit of weight.
I do wear jeans...
but not when I want to be extremely comfortable, which is funny, since I think jeans are supposed to be a sort of relaxed/relaxing kind of clothing... Stretchy jeans are lovely :) And those skinny jeans do have a way of being a bit uh... hmm... demanding? reproving? just not unconditionally loving...
Skinny Jeans...
I don't think I've EVER owned skinny jeans, LOL. My body is all thighs, which are not friendly to skinny jeans (though my daughter, who plays sports and is a size zero, has skinny jeans. I tell her not to complain when she can't find anything that fits because I SO DON'T WANT TO HEAR THAT FROM A ZERO). But I do LOVE jeans. I never really wore them when I was younger because I worked jobs that had dress clothes all the time, but now that I dress down most days, I LOVE jeans.
Shirley
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Hi Shirley--I have to
Hi Shirley--I have to confess that I'm using the term "skinny" loosely...skinny for me, if you know what I mean :) My daughter is a runner and she was a 0 also. She had a horrible time finding clothes that are age appropriate and that fit. She's edged up to size 2 last year, so has more options.
I don't have any skinny jeans
I only buy the needy kind. However I am trying to lose some weight and Sam's plan sounds really neat but I would have to work on it for six years. At least I would be working on it right?