Clothes Make the Woman

When it comes to exercise, it's crucial to have the right equipment -- right down to what you do and don't wear.

I've learned this firsthand. Shoes that are too wide or too long rub blisters on your feet and can cause ingrown toenails. The only thing worse than shoes that are too big, in my opinion, is clothes that are too big.

Let me explain. When you're sporting a less-than-perfect physique, it's only natural to want to hide that in baggy sweats and shirts at the gym. However, those fabrics aren't usually breathable and all the loose fabric can impede your mobility.

On a WLS post-op, however, loose fabrics can even be dangerous. Unless you've had reconstructive surgery, there is a fair amount of extra skin with which you need to contend. Depending on your rate of loss, starting weight and body type, your excess skin can be concentrated in one area or spread all over. Regardless, you're either going to have loose, floppy skin around the abdomen, thighs, upper arms, buttocks, or back -- or a combination of some or all of those areas.

Loose clothing combined with intense exercises and explosive moves (e.g. jump rope, burpees, etc.) can cause heat rashes, skin tears and even blistering. There is nothing worse than finding yourself increasing in physical stamina only to be hamstrung by a skin injury that sidelines you for a few days.

With that in mind, it's wise to invest in quality workout apparel, particularly compression clothing. Under Armour is known as offering the best compression around. I picked up a pair of the Women's UA Authentic 17" Capris at Sports Authority over the weekend. At first, I wasn't impressed. They don't feel any tighter than the pants I was wearing before. But after one workout, the difference was impossible to ignore. First of all, there was no pain at any point of my workout from skin pulling or tearing. Second, I don't even feel like I've broken a sweat. When I got home to change, my entire lower  body was dry -- that's how good the fabric is at wicking away moisture.

I think UA is a fairly affordable brand and worth the money (my capris were about $38) spent, especially if it's going to save me from visits to the doctor and prescription ointments.

Things that make me go "hmm ..."

Took a quick trip to Kohl's today to check out the clearance ranks. I had fun trying stuff on, especially now that I'm a solid medium/size 8 almost everywhere. At JC Penney two weeks ago, I discovered that I fit 8 petites to a T.

I was excited today to see the awesome selection Kohl's had in its petite clearance section. Found a beautiful kimono-style blouse for $4 that I thought would be perfect for ASBS in San Diego. I took the medium into the dressing room, unzipped it and slipped it on. Looked great except for one teensy-weensy problem: I couldn't get it zipped up past my rib cage. Hmm ... OK, Plan B kicked in and I went in search of a large. I found one in a different color that I liked just the same as the first. Took that one in the dressing room, held my breath and tried it on. Again, no luck. No matter how much sucking in I did, I couldn't get the zipper past my ribs.

Before I had gastric bypass, this occurrence would have broken my heart. It would have ruined my day and I would have gone home mopey. But today, I just laughed. All I could think was, "Well, ribs are bones ... can't suck those in no matter what." My feelings weren't hurt; I didn't have any feeling of failure. I just figured that explained why such a cute blouse made it to the clearance rack in the first place.

And now, as I get ready for bed, I think of how far I've come in the last two years.

Shopping surprise

I've noticed over the last few weeks that my clothes don't fit like they used to. My shirts slide off my shoulders; my pants sag around my hips.

I decided today that I needed to remedy that problem with a jaunt to the mall. With my best friend in tow, I headed to JC Penney in Modesto. The store was having a fabulous sale, and we had coupons, too. Besides needing clothes that fit, I also needed career wear for a conference I'll be attending next month. I knew that meant this would be a heavy-duty shopping trip.

Upon entering the store, we headed to the career wear section and picked our way through the various separates. My best friend has an impeccable sense of style so I let her take control of picking stuff. We both had armfuls of clothes in sizes 8 and 10 when we entered the fitting room. Imagine my surprise when I found that every single size 8 was too big! I looked like I was wearing my big sister's clothes.

After looking at how some of the jackets fit me, my best friend suggested we head to the petite section. I protested, telling her all the reasons I've never been able to wear petites: crotch isn't long enough in pants; bust never fits in shirts. But it was obvious I couldn't wear anything we had already selected, and neither of us thought an average size 6 would fit.

First problem we found is that the selection in petites is lacking. The second problem I had is that the clothes looked outrageously small to me -- like they should be for children. We managed to find two suits, a skirt, a pair of those new long shorts that are trendy right now and a few blouses to try on. We grabbed 8s and 6s of everything we could, just in case. We now knew that 10s were out, no matter what.

In the fitting room, I held my breath as I tried on the first pair of slacks.

"Look, look!," my best friend exclaimed as I zipped them up. "They fit you!"

I surveyed my reflection in the mirror. They sure did, and they made my hips look so slim that I wasn't sure I knew the woman staring back at me. It turns out that everything fit, though we later decided the white-and-gray pinstripe suit was not practical enough to warrant its $100 price tag.

I walked out of JC Penney with a black suit, two blouses, long black shorts and a gray skirt for under $100 -- all in a petite size 8. Not a bad deal, if you ask me.