Louisa's Weight Loss Blog

Every woman wants to feel like she is special and beautiful. When I started to put on weight, to be perfectly honest, I know that I wanted to become invisible. My nice clothes didn’t fit any more and I didn’t want to buy larger clothes as I was convinced that I’d be back in my sexy jeans in a couple of weeks. Unfortunately, life gets a bit ahead of you sometimes with long hours at work or social commitments offering themselves up as the perfect excuse to say ‘diet starts tomorrow’.

I’ve been having a look around at the plus size clothing market and I’ve found a website that I want to share with fashion-loving Total Chunk readers.

Simply Be has a really great range of dresses from sizes 8-34 (US) or 12-38 (UK).

The great thing about dresses is that they fit where it matters and still look good whilst your weight is fluctuating. Skirts and trousers can have unforgiving waist bands that dig in when you’ve had a bad week or fall down when you’ve had a good week. One of the problems with being a girl is that our weight naturally goes up and down depending on what time of the month it is. This is why as an adult I’ve become a fan of dresses.

Purple dress $67 from Simplybe

I’ve found a cracking dress that is perfect to wear to the office and won’t break the bank.

I really like this dress as the purple is lovely and rich hue which not only say ‘don’t mess with me’, it is a welcome move from black clothing that a lot of women feel helps them become invisible.

The dress is well structured with a band around the waist to help emphasise your waist.

As the dress cuts just below the knee, it shows off the shape of calves. Worn with heels, this is the kind of outfit that will make you forget about your weight battle and realise that you can still be fashionable and sexy when carrying a few extra lbs.

I would be very surprised if I were to come across a woman who is not remotely interested in shoes. Women in particular like shoes because they are a great way of expressing your personality. Even Tory MP Theresa May is often photographed in weird yet always wonderful foot-orientated creations.I would very much love to go shoe shopping with her, she certainly seems to find some individual items!

A woman's way of expressing her personality - shoes!

For women who are losing weight, high heels are a wonderful way of creating a beautiful womanly shape. If you wear high heels with a pencil skirt that cuts a couple of inches below the knee, you create an elegant image but better still, your calf muscles appear far more shapely.Once you learn how to balance in high heels, you are more likely to adopt a better posture. Your bottom is pulled forward, your tummy gets sucked in and your shoulders go back. You can appear to have lost several lbs just by wearing high heels and standing properly.

I have been madly in love with Office’s Iron Fist range. I am completely undecided about which pair I would like as there are several I want! Unfortunately, funds dictate that I may only have one pair of shoes. I had to buy some smart flatties at the weekend as high heeled shoes are not always practical if you have to walk a fair distance during the day at work.

Total Chunk Top Tip: If you work in an office, it is fine to wear high heeled shoes. Not only can you create a sexy silhouette if you wear a pencil skirt, your posture improves, your calf muscles look more defined and your confidence will sky rocket. If you find high heeled office shoes uncomfortable to wear, there are several foot treatments to prevent blistering if you wish to persevere. Good posture can take pounds off your appearance. Give it a try!

You are quite likely to associate knee-high boots with hookers and Julia Roberts in the film Pretty Woman but this autumn, knee-high boots are an oh-so-stylish must have item. What people don’t realise it that knee-high boots don’t HAVE to look slutty. They will of course look tacky if you wear them with a mini skirt and  have a vast amount of cleavage on display but they can look quite classy if you are smart about what you wear them with.

Knee high boots can be stylish

Try wearing them to work with a mid-length pencil skirt. Not only will they keep your legs warm on cold winter days, you don’t have to shave your legs!

They can also be worn with skinny  or straight leg jeans for a more casual look. The great thing is that they can be dressed up and dressed down depending on the situation. In a recession, the more wear you can get out of your shoes, the better!

I speak to many dieters over my days and a common complaint about knee high boots is that they don’t fit around a person’s calf muscles. I am very lucky as no matter how large I have been, my calves are relatively skinny. My twin sister has trouble finding boots as her calves are a different shape to mine as she’s built up muscle at the gym. Thus, walking into a shoe shop is a NIGHTMARE if she wants boots. Never fear, I have discovered a way for ladies with larger calves to wear fashionable boots. Yay!

Duo Boots offer their boots in 21 (yes, twenty one) calf sizes. They have ditched the traditional ‘one size fits all feet’ approach and embraced the concept of High Street price couture. The boots aren’t cheap-cheap (between £120-£250) but the boots are effectively made to your measurements which you will never get in a traditional high street shop and certainly not normally for this price range. The female shopping theory is, the more you wear an item, the better value it is!

Just because you’re in the process of losing weight it doesn’t mean a love of fashion should go out the window! Even Coleen Rooney is apparently a fan! Remember, even slim women can have chunky calves!!

Drape Shoulder Vest Top at Republic

This vest top may look simple enough from the front, but it is rather eye catching from the back!It is cut out at the sides with a ‘racer back’ so you MUST wear a bra (preferably black) or invest in some ‘tit tape’ so you don’t flash to all and sundry.

Wear with a long pendant and tight boot-cut jeans with high heals and you WILL look stunning. Alternatively, if you are very brave or have a ‘ruler’ shape body (you could describe your figure as ‘boyish’ e.g. slim hips and small breasts) try wearing leggings or tight leather trousers for the current ‘bondage’ style.

Mess your hair up and you have a classic, sassy rock chick look. For a more elegant and grown up look that is still edgy, wear big drop earrings and put your hair up.

This is a great buy if you’re still working your way to your target weight as it will still look all right when it is a little on the large side for you. Ladies who are concerned about back fat could consider wearing a white camisole underneath the top for a layered look.If you have been working really hard on toning your arms, this is the top to show them off in!

This top is available from Republic (Product code: 84137) for £19.99.

They seek me here, they seek me there – Oh! I’m a dedicated follower of fashion! - My version of The Kinks’ song,  Dedicated Follower of Fashion.I’m singing it in my head right now and no, I’m not mad, I’ve added a new category to my blog!

I’ve been quite down what with being unemployed so I’ve not really been even looking at clothes because it’s torture not being able to buy them. This is all changing now as I start a new job on Monday (YAY!!!!) so I’ve decided to start looking around and sharing with everyone the clothes that I’d like to wear when I hit my target weight. I’m no fashion expert but I know what I like and what I like is standing out!

When you’re trying to lose weight, you are more likely to be successful if you aspire to a particular goal. I fully encourage all ladies out there who are looking to lose weight to step outside their comfort zone and think about how amazing you’re going to look in fashionable clothes you wouldn’t even consider wearing now; you will have no excuse not to give new fashions a try when you’re slim!

This isn’t just me trying to be a fashionista, I’m going to say which clothes I think are suitable for which body shapes. I also want to indicate the areas they’ll accentuate and the sins the clothes I showcase could hide. Yes, losing weight is about your health but there is also the looking good aspect to it and you should enjoy feeling and looking fabulous. You’ve worked so hard to lose the weight so reveal the new sassy you to the world and say “Hello, I have arrived!”