Weight Loss for Vintage

Ha! Yes.

It was actually my vintage wardrobe that clarified how much weight I'd put on in the last few years. I didn't weigh myself regularly, but because of buying on line, I know what my waist measurement used to be. Vintage wasn't my only motivation for losing weight, but it was certainly one of them. Getting good vintage in larger sizes isn't easy.

So, for health, vanity and vintage, I started a weight loss thing in October. I'm happy to report I've lost 2 inches off my waist! Not quite back to what it was, but getting there. It's much easier to get into my vintage dresses now - I couldn't bear to have had to throw them out and start again.
 
I think there are a few reasons why vintage is smaller. One is that people have got larger over the years (taller as well as heavier). But another is that a lot of the clothes we are interested in, are the fashionable items that were worn by young people. Prom dresses for example, were made for 18 year teenagers, who on the whole are slimmer than 30 year old women. But today a 30 year old woman may be shopping for a vintage prom dress to wear to a party.
 
Congratulations on making the decision to work out. Sometimes we outgrow clothing we once fit into that's already in our closets or drawers and it can be really motivating when we fit back into that clothing as well. Keep up the good work and good luck fitting into your reward vintage.
 
I have been pondering what survives as vintage for some time and I think it's a combination of these:
1) left over stock of weird styles and sizes (tiny) that nobody buys - you still see this in end of line stores where everything is crazy looking and tiny sizes
2) Sentimental keepsakes from life events that usually happen when you are young and thin - confirmation, prom, grad, wedding, bridesmaid, party dresses...
3) Things kept by women who intend to 'get back into it' some day - usually pre pregnancy trousseau items that never fit after the first child
4) Expensive garments owned by vain women who maintain their weight by living on vodka, cigarettes, cottage cheese, and toast
5) Expensive garments kept for the intention of remaking or recutting into something else some day, or kept when the fashion changed suddenly
6) Things kept for the dress-up box - fans, beaded dresses, flowered hats, junk jewellery, old fur stoles...
Also, good things survive far more often than everyday items because they were worn less and better garments survive because they were owned by women who lived in large houses with attics and cedar storage closets.
 
Jonathan, I think you are right on with your list.

I have tried to explain this to many, many customers over the years. Vintage prom dress style = teenage girl, with teenage figure. Not really a revelation, one might think...

Almost no one, now, wants to the wear the more "matronly" vintage dresses that might have been "appropriate" for ladies over a certain age in previous decades. Most often, my customers only want to wear the youthful styles--and the more naked the better, also! :)
 
My reward for losing the 50 pounds I need to shed will be that I will fit into the fabulous 1912 lilac purple linen and lace walking suit I have been saving for the weight loss celebration. And I hope to fit all of my 1940s "iron gabardine" suit jackets. The jackets range in sizes from medium to medium large and I cannot bear to sell them (yet). I have given up hope of ever fitting in my vintage lingerie collection and so will be selling that off soon. Waaaah!

Maybe the reason I love hats so much is I can gain and lose weight and they still fit me perfectly! :hysterical:
 
There were always people who were overweight however those who were overweight 40 plus years ago were in the minority. Now those who are overweight are the majority and 1/3 of people are considered medically obese. There are many reasons for this though. Restaurant portions are double the size of what they used to be. Hormones, preservatives, and additives are added to enhance food. Many have become accustomed to driving everywhere, riding the bus, subway, or train even to places that are close enough to bike or walk. People park as close as they can when shopping just to save a few footsteps. TV and internet socialization have both become main sources of activity for people rather than going out and participating in outdoor events. Even with this said people are still always on the go, not being incredibly active, but working all the time, hanging out online all the time, socializing, whatever, but not getting enough sleep which is vital to maintaining good body health.

It is so super exciting though to fit in that clothing that you never imagined you would get into again. I was surprised but my head has really gotten a little bit smaller since I have lost weight and I could not wear Bakelite bracelets before. Now I can get that 2.5" diameter bracelet over my hand and on my wrist. I never wanted to have picture taken of me before. Now I want to show people pics everytime a dress fits me that is a normal size because I am so proud and so excited that it does fit.

It's so depressing to be overweight. I know how it feels but we all have the power to do better for ourselves. Eating right, resisting temptation, and exercising it not always the most fun but the positive results totally make it worth it! You know you don't have to ever deprive yourself of the food you like. Those gimmick diets are part of the reason for going down and then going up higher than you were before. Eating whatever you want in moderation can make the difference. When I eat at home or go out to eat at restaurants regardless of the amount of food on my plate or at the table I portion my each part of my meal to be the size of my fisted hand. I find that I am completely satisfied this way, I get to taste everything, and I even enjoy a little bit of dessert after which prevents me from overindulging.
 
You make very good points all round Caryn.

A year or so ago, there was an interesting BBC 3-part series called 'The Men Who Made Us Fat'. It was about the food industry over the last 50 years or so, and how it has helped create the 'obesity epidemic'. The first episode focussed on HFCS - high fructose corn syrup, which appeared in the 70s: 'cheaper and sweeter than sugar, it soon found its way into almost all processed foods and soft drinks. HFCS is not only sweeter than sugar, it also interferes with leptin, the hormone that controls appetite'. The second episode was about portion sizes, and how they'd been increased, and other promotional tricks, so we felt it was normal to eat more (and therefore spend more). The third was about so-called health food, ie when you get things labelled 'low fat', that are actually full of sugar, and how the food industry lobbied against labelling that would make it easier for us to make healthy choices. And that all this was about making money off us.

If you ever get a chance to see it, it was really eye opening - highly recommended

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01k0fs0/episodes/guide
 
I tried the HCG diet. I lost 30 to 40 lbs on it and then gained back double. HCG is a hormone produced during pregnancy that makes the baby grow. When used in shot form or pill form it is said to decrease the appetite and it does. There are real problems with this diet though. In many HCG diet plans available in stores there is only a tiny bit of real HCG in the pills or drops. When you go to a real doctor you do get the real thing or more of it but it is much more expensive. In addition to receiving the hormone HCG dieters are subject to a 600 calorie low carb diet. With or without the hormone if you are only consuming 600 low carb calories a day you are going to lose weight. When the HCG cycle is over though, you are off the diet, no more hormone appetite suppressant, your body will tell you that you need more calories, and you really do in order to maintain proper health. Some people will make it through a few cycles but eventually when the diet is completely over that need to eat what you are really supposed to will win and the HCG diet will turn into a disaster because your body got used to the 600 calorie low carb intake causing you to gain back all you lost and more very quickly once you go back to your normal carb and caloric intake.

Often times what also happens when we try any of these trick diets is that our mind starts craving the foods we have not been eating. At some point when we breakdown instead of eating a moderate portion of the food we missed we overindulge and eat ginormous amounts because we deprived ourselves before.

These diets are so tempting because they show such amazing success stories with large weight loss results in short time periods. It's a trick though. 99.9% of these people gain the weight back and more because the trick diets do not teach how to truly eat properly to maintain a good diet and proper health.

There are real diets out there that can really lead to long time success. Those diets provide information on a way of eating for the rest of your life to ensure success.
 
I hate to bring this up - not knowing is sometimes better- but weight is not the only factor in fit. As we age our proportions change. Many times when I was buying, an older woman would say, "I weigh exactly what I did in high school, but nothing fits me anymore." Gravity is relentless, too. Sometimes I think aging is like adolescence in reverse. "WHAT is my body doing now?"
It helps to be accepting of yourself and keep your sense of humor.
Marian
 
Vinclothes said:
I hate to bring this up - not knowing is sometimes better- but weight is not the only factor in fit. As we age our proportions change. Many times when I was buying, an older woman would say, "I weigh exactly what I did in high school, but nothing fits me anymore." Gravity is relentless, too. Sometimes I think aging is like adolescence in reverse. "WHAT is my body doing now?"
It helps to be accepting of yourself and keep your sense of humor.
Marian
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Haha! This is so true. Not exactly the same but related to aging. I name the lines on my face after my children and when they do something that causes me stress I ask them if they see their lines on my face. :USING:
 
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