Photo: Tre Thomas

Let me preface this post by saying a few things. If you are healthy and happy with your weight, then great for you. This is not for you. This post is for those of us who want to drop a few pounds, and need to know what to wear while we are transitioning to healthier version of ourselves. I like being curvy. I do not like being overweight, and that I am according to both my doctor, and my pants. If you at any time feel that I am fat shaming, then send me an email and we can talk about it.

So now that we have that out of the way, I want to know if you’ve heard the good news about what to wear when you’ve gained weight, and haven’t figured out which lifestyle change is best for you. Lean in real close. The secret is this: buy bigger clothes. I don’t mean go all 90’s era rapper. I mean buy clothes that actually fit you. First and foremost you’ll be much more comfortable in clothes that fit as opposed to the ones you’ve squeezed yourself into. I remember seeing photos of myself on social and thinking hmmm I look a little bit like a tufted couch from Z Gallerie.

Once you start dressing for your new size you may even find that you like your new weight (I personally enjoy having a big booty that I didn’t have to pay for). For example, have you seen pregnant Kerry Washington? I love how she looks with her baby weight, and I always secretly hope she’ll keep a little of it post-pregnancy. The second advantage to going up to your actual size is that it’s much less obvious that you eat two Chick-Fil-A sandwiches in one sitting on the regular (am I the only one? One does not fill me up. Judge me). No one knows your size but you, and if you feel that salty about it cut the tag out. It’ll be our little secret.  Some people think that buying bigger clothes is them submitting to the weight gain.  Some people will buy a size 6 knowing full well they need a 10, and they will say I’ll fit in this in 6 months.  Great!  But what the hell do you plan on wearing for those 6 months sis?  You don’t have to go out, and get a whole new wardrobe (unless you can afford to and then when you lose the weight, donate all your bigger clothes to a Good Will and write it off your taxes).  However, at least get a few pieces that you can comfortably fit into.  It will make life so much easier, trust me.

Photo: Tre Thomas

This is actually the outfit I wore for my 29th birthday, sans the vest, because my birthday is in July. I went shopping the day before my obligatory b day dinner, and I almost burst into tears like a white woman at Bergdorf’s who hadn’t been acknowledged by the staff. Nothing that I tried on looked remotely good on me, and I had gone up about two sizes and hadn’t realized it. But then I remembered how much God loves me, because there are these things called high waist pants, and who always has cute pants? BCBG. These pants are from the younger BCBG line, BCBGeneration. I got a large, ironed a false hem on them (because I’m 5’2) and kept it moving. Note: hem tape is blessing and a wise man once said that “every blessing ignored becomes a curse.” Get you some hem tape boo boo. About this crop top. Almost anyone can wear a crop top if they do it right. It’s all about balance, volume, and proportion. I made sure that the space between my shirt and the top of my pants hit at the smallest part of my waist. Since I’m busty, I try to avoid blousy shirts, because they make me look like I’m in the second trimester of an unplanned pregnancy. I try to stick with tops with a bit more structure, especially because my pants were so flowy. If you go fitted at the top, you can go flowy/loose/baggy at the bottom, and vice versa.  The all over baggy look is usually for those with a waifish figure, but anything is possible with a cinched waist and a sky high heel….almost anything.  The top ended up being 50% off in the regular BCBG section, so my total was under $100. My mom saw this off white vest at White House Black Market around Christmas time last year. There are some real finds in there if you look. Note: you can find a good piece almost anywhere. A plus is that more often than not, they are having a sale of some sort, and their accessories are A1.

So let’s review:

• Buy clothes that fit.
• You can find those clothes anywhere you are willing to actually look.
• Hem tape is a blessing.
• All crop tops are not created equal.  Choose a fit that makes sense according to your bust size and proportions, and make sure the crop is at the smallest part of your waist.
• Love your body no matter what, especially while you’re in transition.

Click through for more photos from this look.

Photo: Tre Thomas