Life of the Lintee Bean

The big news in Chicago is our loss of the 2016 Olympics bid. I’m sure you’re all wondering what my personal feelings are on the subject – so I decided I’d write my column on SHOPPING!

I’ve lost over 50 pounds this year.  Obviously, that means buying new clothes.  What may be less obvious is it means buying a LOT more clothes.  People fail to realize you can’t just start out in your old larger clothes, then buy a new wardrobe when you’re finished losing weight, and wear clothes that don’t fit in between.  Cinching clothes with belts and safety pins only gets you so far – and by the way, you have to buy new belts as well.

I’m not complaining, exactly.  I would MUCH rather be the size I am now than the size I was, REALLY!  I know how annoying it can be when someone complains that they can’t find clothes that fit because they’re all too big. Trust me, I spent LOTS of time irritated with my sister and nieces when they complained that extra-small clothing was too big.  I’m just saying that at some point, the searching for clothing that fits, and the VAST amounts of money spent, can get frustrating.

It started out really exciting.  The first time I went to a store and discovered I could buy a size smaller than I used to squeeze into, maybe even TWO sizes smaller, I was thrilled!  I started hitting the stores more often (my mother would be proud) and buying the smaller sizes with a big smile on my face.  That smile got bigger and broader when I was down yet another size.

Later I was down three sizes, but my excitement was dampened a bit by all the clothes I’d only worn a few times that no longer fit.  These clothes included suits that weren’t inexpensive to buy in the first place – and had cost a significant amount to be altered to fit perfectly, at the time.

Soon I was back buying four sizes smaller and lamenting the practically new clothes that were now baggy.  A month or two later, I was shopping for yet another size – down five sizes now. That size still fits a lot of the time – other times I need a smaller size.  So, again, I can’t complain about being down five or six dress sizes – I really can’t.  However, I feel I CAN complain about the fact that I had no sweaters, no coats, no winter wardrobe whatsoever and it is starting to get COLD.  Seeing as how I’ve already bought several wardrobes in varying sizes, I don’t exactly have much, if any, of a wardrobe budget left.

Luckily, my mom is the QUEEN of bargain shopping, and my dad is very generous and with their help I hit some sales and stocked up on some things.  So I now have some clothing suitable for temperatures below 70 degrees.  I still need a really warm winter coat though.  I’m allergic to wool, and since 99% of winter coats seem to be made of wool, shopping for a winter coat is never fun.

I’m also trying to put my rediscovered crochet skills to use (using the term “skills” loosely).  I’ve made myself some clothing that may be rather lumpy and obviously homemade, but it’s warm.

As for the Olympics bid, honestly, I felt I needed more information in order to come to a really firm opinion on the subject.  For example, how many sweaty athletes and confused tourists would be riding the blue line – and how bad would they smell?

Submitted for publication in The Greeley Citizen.