SYC week 11-- how are we all doing? - YouLookFab Forum

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SYC week 11-- how are we all doing?

Queen Mum

Veteran

Looks like laura's been busy as I haven't seen here around in a few days so I thought I'd start the check in thread. I gotta get to the gym, but I'll chime in later...

Who is still on board? Any newcomers?

General

42 replies

Latest reply was from Queen Mum

MNsara

Veteran

I'm still in - although I haven't been a SYC purist, I did personalize it for my situation. But hanging in there nonetheless (is that one word?).

How was your birthday shopping?

What I miss during SYC is the time spent just enjoying shopping - alone and with my daughter. I still do some, but its drastically reduced. Financially that's exactly what we need

I still have a couple NAS fall scarves and KC silk tunics and some summer clearance boots that have yet to debut this fall! (We have just had record breaking warm days - yeah!!!) So, I haven't begun to feel bored yet.

Jonesy

Veteran

I'm still on board! Since I shopped last week and broke my ban, I have been really struggling not to "go off the deep end" and buy like crazy! So far I have held myself in check. Recognizing that I am not going to make it with absolutely no purchases, I have adjusted my goal to be about only buying a handful of things, and making do with the rest/shopping my closet. So far, so good.

How was your birthday shopping? Did you get anything fab?

Isabel

Veteran

Thanks for doing this Queen Mum !!! Hope your birthday celebration was good !

Jonesy, isn't it funny ? I feel the same way, that if I buy something, even something useful, that I will totally lose self control. It reminds me of my smoking days, I would quit then have one cigarette "socially" and the next day I would go off the deep end !

I had a good week. I wasn't tempted at all. I am getting a good handle on things that will make my wardrobe more useful when this is over. ( A belt, tall brown boots, a slip, a wool coat. ) The funny thing is that I am not so sure I want a leather coat anymore. Not once this entire 11 weeks have I thought, " If I had a leather jacket, I would wear it now. "

I am getting an appreciation for how abundant my life is and what works for it.

Sara, I believe "nonetheless is a word". At least Spellcheck thinks it is ; ) ( Wait, is spellcheck a word ? )

Queen Mum

Veteran

yes, nonetheless is a word...

Isabel,,, it is interesting how we can think much more rationally when we are not in the stores being bombarded with mannequins showing us what we can't live without.

It's been weird around here... after an unusually cool summer, we have hit our hot spell. Yesterday was 92 so needless to say I'm still wearing summer clothes.
I got rid of a perfectly good sleeveless sweater earlier this week because as I was trying to outfit it, I realized it was past it's prime and it didn't make me feel fab any more. (any longer for the grammar police For some reason I don't think I would be in as discerning of a place if I were still shopping. Not sure why that is, unless its just that when we're shopping we are in the place of thinking we need as much as we can afford.

Of course, I did get to spend a whole glorious, marvelous, spectacular day shopping yesterday. I was a little thrown at first. I entered the mall through Macy's and was immediately overwhelmed. I don't know what it is about that store, but I can't think straight when I'm in there. I looked around a bit, but decided I needed somewhere more calm. I then went to the Gap which featured a screaming baby. I didn't need that extra distraction so I promptly left.

At LOFT I purchased 3 scarves. I only plan to keep one, but couldn't decide on one so decided to let you all help me decide.

On to Nordstrom where I spent at least an hour trying on shoes. I know the sales guy thought I was nuts. I began by having him bring me booties. None of them were grabbing me... and as he was in the back searching for more boots for me, I spied the Miz Mooz oxford. I slipped it on and was intrigued. When he came out with a selection of boots I held up the oxford and said "can I see this in a 7 1/2?" I also sent him to bring me a selection of Fidji's. It came down to a runoff between the oxford and a red Fidji Mary Jane pump. I kept switching them out and realized that everytime I looked at the oxford on my feet, my heart smiled. We had to order them as they didn't have my size, but I'll post pics when they arrive.

At this point I have acquired my 2 birthday items but it was only lunch time.... After grabbing a taco at Rubios, I ventured into New York and Co. with a gift card that a friend had given me a while back... Long story short, I bought a pleater moto jacket with zip off sleeves. I also had store credit at Express....I emerged with 2 cardis. I couldn't decide which color so decided to bring them both home for YLF input.

So yes, I know I was bad. I was only supposed to treat myself to 2 items. I came home with 7 counting the duplicates. No excuses... I'll post pictures later this morning to see what you all say.

haha- anyone actually read this novel?

Anonymous

KIm, I enjoyed the tale of your shopping day and shopping vicariously. After the lapse of the BR denim shirt I've been good. It's scarey that the one lapse makes me want to go crazy buying. I hope this feeling goes away soon never to return.
As far as the denim shirt is concerned, it still has its tags so may not end up being a deal breaker after all. I look at it in the closet and when I'm thinking of wearing it, I look to see if I have something else that will do. So far I've often been able to use a black shirt or shorter denim shirt and even the Hinge denim vest worn buttoned under a jacket as a shirt.
SYC has also shown me that I have way too many clothes for someone who needed a whole new wardrobe just about 18 months ago. I've got a big donation pile going and have nothing but new bras and undies, boots, oxfords and maybe booties on the shopping list for January.

Isabel

Veteran

( Ah, how time moves on....you would never know that I had the highest GPA in English in my graduating class. Now, I don't know what's a word and what isn't, I don't understand acronyms, grammar ? How do you spell it ? )

Yes, QM, I read your short story ( definitely not a novel). I actually look at your shopping experience a little differently than you. I think that shopping used to be a treat but when you do it all the time , it becomes a habit that is less appreciated. You actually had a nice day and a treat - you did something truly for yourself. More importantly, in my eyes, you did something for yourself that people who love you gifted you ! If they had provided the clothes, you wouldn't give them back or feel badly. By giving you money and cards, they gave you the experience. I think that is wonderful ! I think SYC is serving its purpose. ( but we need to let go of the guilt we have been feeling as a result )

Joy, I think that if the only thing that has really attracted you this whole time is this denim shirt, then, as QM said, you are becoming more discerning. That is a good thing. If there have been times that you thought you could wear it, then do so. I don't think that is a transgression.

Vani

Veteran

I will be joining all you fabulous ladies in this awesome challenge. DH and I are planning on getting a place of our own (finally!) and I need to contribute to our savings fund as much as I can.

Scarlet

Veteran

Kim - novels in English are expensive here, so I quite enjoyed your tale. Actually I enjoy reading how other people shop. Your day sounds similar to a day spent with myself shopping with myself. Lots of browsing, a little asking the sales people for 20 things and then switching two back and forth, back and forth, ultimately to order something which is not available in the store, which works up an appetite, obviously. Now if I could just find a decent taco around here...

@Isabel, are you sure you don't not want a leather jacket just because the weather has been so warm? Just honest curiosity. Also, I have lost the ability to spell with age. Shameful really, and I don't know what happened. I guess spelling bees in school kept me competitive, and now I am like a horse out to pasture.

Mo

(website)

Veteran

I am tempted to join you ladies but still have an item or two I want to hunt down. I really need a dark brown belt and cardi to help pull together items in my closet now. I have been in the purge mode for the last year on and off, that is until I hit FL again 4 months ago. With it came the new round of tanks, a few shorts, sandals, some pencil skirts. I think I filled that void and I already had fall/winter down with my Tahoe wardrobe. So now I feel like the bases are basically covered and I can 'tweak' what I have to make it a more cohesive style rather than tons of random pieces. Is it fair to join with the caveat of having a few items left to acquire? It would not be impulse shopping in the least! These items literally I am hunting down. I know my BF would be thrilled to hear I have a moritorium (sp?) on shopping. Hey, I'm catching the 'is that spelled right' bug too!

Isabel

Veteran

Scarlet, you could be absolutely right ! All I know is that I am itching to wear my blazers and my cotton moto jacket and my safari jacket......and no real desire for leather. Maybe I have taken SYC too seriously and I am just numb from the repeated trauma ?
; 0

( You are a horse than can do brilliant science though !!!! )

Queen Mum

Veteran

Mo..sure, you're welcome to hop aboard with your own caveats. Many of us did just that. It just cant be, "I'll join in unless I see something I just love ;-)"

Laura

(website)

Veteran

Hi ladies! Kim, thanks for starting the thread in my absence - we were travelling a bit for the long weekend and today is my son's birthday (and Tanya's and Greg's, by the looks of it) so I've just sat down after cupcakes and opening of gifts.

I am still going. (Not that I have any choice since I started this dang thing!). The Nine West fan dress in blue/green and those Miz Mooz heeled oxfords Angie just put into the store gave me pangs but in general, I haven't even thought about buying clothes. I did add some plates to my Denby pottery dinnerware, which will be great for Thanksgiving, and we're having a handyman in to build some shelves. So whatever money I would have spent on clothes is still going into the house. I'm coming to the conclusion that this is actually totally fine. If my husband or I were a bit more handy or a bit less picky about how our house looks, we could probably be doing more of this ourselves - but c'est la vie!

Tomorrow night I am going to a party with this designer so expect me to become obsessed with Scandinavian furniture in my next SYC check-in:
http://www.amazon.com/Bolander.....038;sr=8-1

I got a big talking-to by my doctor today about how I am eating in my 40s and now I am pretty clear on why I am carrying this extra 5 lbs and how to get rid of it. It seems like a random topic to mention but it is connected to SYC in my (perhaps confused) mind.

Otherwise ... it was fun reading how you all are faring. Kim, I'm popping over to your thread to see the loot. I love how you took your time in the shoe dept and enjoyed making your selections!

Queen Mum

Veteran

Laura- do share how to rid ones self of these extra 5 pounds (although I have a sneaking suspicion that wine, cheese and afternoon munching might be a teensy weensy factor for me)

Laura

(website)

Veteran

Munching would be a teensy weensy factor - I believe you might be on to something there

Basically the doc said to me:
Your calorie needs are dropping
Your caloric intake has remained the same
Your activity level is lower than 10 years ago
Processed carbs + you = not a good combo
Behave like a hunter/gatherer and you will be fine - meaning, fruits, veggies, nuts, legumes, the occasional bit of meat, and move a lot.

To lose weight I need to eat 1200 calories a day while also exercising daily 30 mins. (I am 5' 3 1/2"). To maintain I might need as little as 1500 cals/day. I was definitely overestimating my caloric needs and those mysterious 5 lbs are no longer a mystery. In comparison, when I was in my 20s I could eat 100 cals more a day - which doesn't sound like much, but if I keep eating that extra 100 cals, it adds up to almost a pound a month.

And they wonder why women gain weight as we age!

Queen Mum

Veteran

well, my stomach hasn't gotten the memo that it needs less calories.

Laura

(website)

Veteran

Mine hasn't either.

I've been trying to think like a hunter/gatherer. I was wondering if they ever came across a field of Cheetos? A forest of Dilly Bars?

Theresa

(website)

Veteran

I have loved reading about your shopping day Kim!! And I'm going to check out your loot now!

Laura your house sounds like its going to be fabulous by NYE!!

You girls are a great inspiration for me as I enter Week 7 - I'm loving seeing that our group is growing!!!

One of my exceptions was the Aussie YLF meet. Well, it took place on Saturday and I certainly shopped! But nothing that wasn't on my list and I was quite discerning. (I can't share until after the write up though!!)

I've found in this past 7 weeks that I have actually tossed quite a lot of clothing - realising that I can't add to my wardrobe has made me more aware of what does and doesn't work and so pretty much anything that I can't get to work now is going. I've also made some realisations of the things I really do need to round out my wardrobe.

I still do need to replace my laptop though - but it seems to be behaving reasonably at the moment! My brother wants one too though so we are going to go shopping together and see if we can get a multi-purchase discount!

So, the 3 exceptions I had were:
*shoes for the races - well I'm not actually going now so this one isn't going to happen YAY
*The Aussie YLF meet - done!
* Fabric for sewing - I'm going to buy a couple of pieces this weekend, and then I think my shopping is completely done until the new year...

I'm not sure if I'm scared or excited or cranky LOL

MNsara

Veteran

Don't mean to hijack SYC- week-11, but I'm back with a 5-lbs.question: do you guys also notice more appetite or hunger during the fall? I often feel like my body demands "Feed Me" this time of year, and isn't happy until I have gained a couple of pounds. . . . it is wreaking minor havoc with my skinnies and leans as I am a comfort hound too

Queen Mum

Veteran

Sara- yes, I notice that. I think it has to do with our bodies wanting to fatten up for winter.

Theresa- I cycle through all three of those emotions (scared, excited and cranky) during this challenge.

Jonesy

Veteran

Laura, after you've scouted out the forest of Dilly Bars, can you please point me in the right direction? Sounds wonderful.

I absolutely agree about the cooler weather = adding more weight. In the summer I happily eat salads and lots of fruits and veg; in the fall I just want carbs, cheese, and carbs with cheese! So I just try to at least add some fruit and veg to the carbs and cheese, and keep my activity level up (helps so much having a dog that we walk 3x/day).

Queen Mum, your birthday shopping looks like it was very fruitful! I loved your shopping tale--no need to apologize for its length :).

Mo

(website)

Veteran

I think I am going to join you ladies with the caveat of my two Items I have been hunting for weeks upon weeks. Is it until the end of the year or is Christmas day okay lol? Does it count that I have 2 closets to shop from - because I will be heading home to Tahoe next month for a visit and have winter clothes there I plan to pick up?

As for the ageing and spreading waistlines - strength training is your friend. Yoga is my fave because it feels so good as well. I eat all the cheese and sip the wine, too. Moderation I guess - sigh. That's no fun! I think the doc had a really good point about the processed carbs. More and more I'm reading about how they wreak havoc on our bodies - but they're so convenient and yummy. Luckily, fall seems to be a weight loss time of year for me - perhaps having weather I can go outside and 'play' in is the reason.

Well, my zipper ballet flats come UPS today and then I guess I'm on the wagon with you gals. Hope it's not too bumpy a ride!!

Laura

(website)

Veteran

Hi Mo, Welcome aboard! Christmas Day is great - let's call that "close enough."

Funny you should mention strength training - that was part of my doc's talk too (can you tell I was there for a while??). She said that now that I am no longer carrying young children, I need to start lifting weights. And here I sit, typing while someone is cleaning my house ...

Mo

(website)

Veteran

Alas, the right color cardigan found me this afternoon while I was returning last week's impulse purchased, muted muti toned flyaway. And the shoes were delivered at 11 am. So, I guess I'm officially in. I will confess a black open front cardi come home with the brown, too. Half price, and I'd looked at it before and gave it the 'I'm not ready for a tunic length' treatment before coming here and realizing a couple tunics would be very versatile afterall. That's my story and I'm sticking to it! Ha ha! I'm In!!

bj1111

Veteran

i'm stalking a bag of uncle rays hot potato chips...be veeewwwwy qwiet.

Kim

Veteran

Strength training will do more for you than just help with your weight. I do some *every* day. It rebuilds muscle and bones! Helps to fight osteoperosis (sp) and many other things. Aside from that, (along with cardio) you get to eat more. It also reshapes your body, (tightens things back up and helps fight gravity...LOL) so that although you may weigh 130 pounds you look more like 120. Can't beat that!

I'm nearly 49 and I do about 30 minutes of cardio 5 days a week (evenings mostly), and 20 minutes of strength (in the morning before my brain wakes up) and I can easily consume about 1800 calories a day, up to 2200 once in a while.

I'm 5'6 and about 129 lbs. (Well, more like 132 since I hurt my foot and had to decrease the running. That's back on track now so I should see those pounds drop off in the next few weeks.)

Mo

(website)

Veteran

Lol about stalking the potato chips - but they're easy prey ha ha.

I am definitely a fan of doing more so I can eat more Rather run a few times a week and hit the weights/yoga so I can have that 2nd (or 3rd) glass of wine and a full rather than petite steak whenever we go treat ourselves out to dinner! I admit to averaging 1800 - 2000 calories eaten daily.

Back to the closet topic . . . as I went upstairs to put away the new brown cardigan, that was a long 'missing piece' finally found, I realized I truly have way more clothes than I could ever need and than I usually wear. Got me to thinking how this SYC experience will be good in getting me to pair things up differently rather than thinking that if I just found {insert random clothing article here} it would make a perfect outfit. Now I need to think how to make the outfit instead of going the lazy route and shopping it. Again, when I say I have more than I need, I mean the same color duplicated in a short, capri, pant, and then skirt. Brown, blue, black, white, khaki, green, you get the idea. I need the patience and creativity to work with the abundance that I already have. I hope to find just that doing this challenge. I'm excited right now, remind me of that in 8 or 9 weeks' time, will ya?

PalmFronds

Hmm, I fell off the wagon in a big way last weekend, as you will see from a shoe-post I just put in.Congrats to everyone else hanging in! I have decided to still try to stick with the no-buying plan overall, BUT if I do then I will be using Angie's one-in one-out method for closet control.I love most of the things left in my closet right now so I think this will give me pause and stop me from flying off the handle again.I have a trip to NY coming up, so I will need all of your collective strength not to buy too much!

As for the diet and exercise changes, yes it is true. I spent much of my teens and twenties distractingly eating whatever I wanted without showing a pound.Now, I have to be vigilant otherwise pounds creep in like a thief in the night...My sister started complaining about it recently, to which i said, welcome to your 30's little sis. Bye bye fast metabolism,Start watching what you eat!

Theresa

(website)

Veteran

OK girls... I think that I may be going to have to make a couple of purchases outside my exceptions...

During the past 7ish weeks, I have been really able to focus on what I have and don't have. And sadly, some of the "don't have's" are actually a fairly significant problem!

I have realised that I'm happy with my dresses, and once I purchase some fabric to make some more, I'm confident I'll be set.

But, I have only 1 top that I actually enjoy wearing with my jeans/skirts/shorts in this warm weather. The rest that are suitable to be worn are really unattractive hang overs from my pre-ylf days.

I'm finding it too hot to wear leggings, but on the days I help out at school/kindy etc, I am wearing the same shirt with a variety of my bottoms and I am sick of it as this one top is showing signs of the frequent wear, but I do need to wear practical clothes!

So, I am most likely going to try and find some nice tops to wear - I think 3 would be absolutely plenty.

You know what though, without SYC, I wouldn't have worked this out and probably kept trying to find *something* to solve the problem but not have been able to pinpoint the issue!

Oh and I do still need to replace my laptop, but its behaving for short periods at the moment, so I am prepared to put up with that!

Queen Mum

Veteran

Theresa- isn't it amazing what we are able to discern when we take a step back from bombarding ourselves with what is out there? I agree that a few casual tops are a necessity. Don't feel bad at all. set yourself a number and be on the lookout for those items only. You will probably be amazed at how many other things want to distract you from your casual shirt mission... I think that is why we end up with unbalanced wardrobes.

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