's motd Tues Aug 10, 2010

[Guest guest]

TUCK IT IN!

Tuesday, 10 August 2010

When I attended elementary school, we all had to wear uniforms. (And let's just say they weren't designed by Donna Karan either!) We had to were brown shoes, brown socks, khaki pants and shirts. We even had to wear little tie clips. (Yep, the boys had to wear ties to our school back then, too!)

Now let me tell you, khaki was not my color. I've always been more of a bright colors kinda guy, myself. But I put on that uniform five days a week for eight whole years. And one thing I really didn't like about wearing it was the part where we had to tuck our shirt tails into our pants. I always felt so insecure about my belly hanging over my belt. Oh, I'm telling you, the minute I left school, the tie came off and the shirt tail came out! Ahhhh, I felt so free! I always wore big baggy T-shirts when I was at home. It was simply "my look" and made me feel much more comfortable. But my father would yell to me, "Dicky! Tuck in that shirt, you look so sloppy dressed like that!"Isn't that a terrible thing to hear? I mean, when I think of sloppy, I always think of sloppy joes. You know, where all of that greasy meat comes sliding out from the middle of the bun!When I went to church on Sundays, my bother Lenny and I had to wear suits. And hey, that was good for me because it meant I had to wear a coat, which hid my midsection. But after I lost weight, I continued wearing larger shirts to hide the excess skin that had taken the place of the fat that used to be around my middle. Even then, after losing the weight, when I looked in the mirror, I could still hear my father's words..."You look sloppy!"

One day, I was out shopping and decided to buy a new pair of black pants and a nice crisp, white shirt. I was very uncomfortable having the salesman measure my waistline but I closed my eyes and let him do his job. After he finished taking my measurements, he and I chose a pair of pants and a really nice shirt for me to try on. I then walked into the dressing room for my private fitting. First, I sat in that chair in the dressing room for a minute just staring at the shirt and pants. My eyes welled up with tears. It took a little courage for me to finally stand up, take off the clothes I was wearing and try on the new outfit. I put the pants on first and then the shirt. With my eyes closed, I tucked the shirt into my pants, opened my eyes and took a look at myself in the mirror. And you know what? I couldn't believe it. The shirt was just a teeny-bit blousey on the sides, because of my excess skin. But I turned to the left, then to the right and thought..."I look good!" So good, in fact, that I marched out of the dressing room and picked out a nice belt to go with my new outfit.

So there I was, staring at myself with my shirt all tucked in, a pair of pants with a small pleat in front and my black leather belt. And okay, I have to tell you, I didn't feel "sloppy," I felt and looked sensational!As you lose weight, please don't hide behind baggy clothes. You can always dress to cover some excess skin with your wardrobe. But the bottom line is that you look good and you should feel good thanks to your weight-loss! So tuck it in, zip it up and show off your new waistline!Love,