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Post by Mayleng on Mar 23, 2010 17:51:21 GMT -5
This is so depressing.
Exercise and Weight Loss: Abandon All Hope Sharon Begley That sound you hear is another illusion shattering. The twin pillars of advice about maintaining a healthy weight, or losing enough weight to get back to where you should be, are diet and exercise, as Claudia Kalb ably explains in her article on childhood obesity. Well, the second pillar just toppled over and smashed itself to smithereens: a 13-year study of 34,079 middle-aged women by researchers at Harvard Medical School found that the only ones who avoided weight gain were those who exercised seven hours a week, not the 30 minutes, five-times-a-week goal that federal guidelines recommend.
I feel like gyms should start displaying signs with the warning Dante said hung at the gates of hell: abandon all hope, ye who enter (spin, walk, jog . . . ) here. Unless you're doing it 60 minutes a day. Seven days a week. At least.
The researchers, led by epidemiologist I-Min Lee of Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Med, began with the fact that once you gain weight, it's nearly impossible to get it off and keep it off. They therefore explored ways to prevent that gain. All the women ate normally—that is, they weren't on a weight-reducing diet. Bottom line: the only ones who avoided gaining weight were those who averaged at least 60 minutes a day. Every day. For the whole 13 years. With, as far as I can tell, no time off for virtuous behavior.
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The depressing details are these: Women exercising 3.5 to seven hours per week—more than the federal guidelines recommend—gained an average of 5.7 pounds, indistinguishable from what women exercising less than 150 minutes per week gained. In other words, attaining the recommended level of exercise—in fact, almost doubling it—did not keep the pounds off. The only women who kept weight gain under about five pounds were those who started out with a BMI below 25 (155 if you're 5 feet 6, for instance—not overweight) and averaged at least 60 minutes a day of moderate exercise.
The researchers' depressing conclusion: "Compared with women who engaged in the equivalent of 420 minutes per week of moderate-intensity physical activity, those carrying out 150 to less than 420 minutes per week of such activity, as well as those engaged in less than 150 minutes per week, gained significantly more weight with no difference in weight gain between these 2 lesser active groups." That there was essentially no difference in weight gain between women who got twice as much exercise as federal guidelines recommend and those who got half the recommended exercise—a fourfold spread—is enough to make one cancel one's gym membership.
One more quote: "Once overweight, it may be too late because physical activity—at least, at levels carried out by study participants—was not associated with less weight gain. Second, sustaining high levels of physical activity (~60 minutes a day) is needed to successfully maintain normal BMI and prevent weight gain."
Other studies have also cast doubt on the power of exercise to fight obesity, including this one from 2009. So the current study is well within the emerging consensus.
Why is exercise so impotent at melting away pounds? No one is sure, but Time had a terrific cover story last year that floated some hypotheses, including that exercise makes us thirsty for sweet drinks (so we guzzle Gatorade), makes us hungrier (so we eat more), makes us feel like we deserve a reward (so we eat more), makes us feel like we can afford to take in more calories (so we . . . well, you get it). And that whole "exercise raises my metabolism so I will burn more calories just sitting around" thing? Not so much.
Interestingly, the Institute of Medicine concluded in a 2002 study that 60 minutes a day (seven hours per week) of moderate exercise may be needed to prevent becoming overweight or obese. I wouldn't be surprised if the feds took one look at that and concluded that if they made it the official recommendation, everyone would give up before so much as walking around the block. The 2008 recommendation of 150 minutes per week is enough to lower the risks of cardiovascular disease and other chronic illnesses, Lee and her colleagues conclude, but "is insufficient for weight gain prevention absent caloric restriction." There is no way to avoid the obvious: to avoid gaining weight, the only recipe is to eat less.
Of course, exercise isn’t just about losing weight, and being overweight doesn’t mean you can’t exercise. Visit our Healthy, Happy, and Heavy gallery to see some examples in action.
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Post by Mayleng on Mar 23, 2010 17:59:14 GMT -5
Women Must Exercise an Hour Each Day to Stay Lean, Study Says March 23, 2010, 4:15 PM EDT
March 23 (Bloomberg) -- Women need an hour of exercise each day, double that recommended by some federal guidelines, to minimize weight gain as they get older, a Harvard University study found.
The only middle-aged women to keep their weight increase within five pounds over 13 years were those who started with a healthy weight and then did an hour of moderate physical activity each day, according to data from 34,079 women. Those heavier at the start, regardless of how active they became, gained more pounds.
Today’s finding, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, is one of the first to show how much exercise may be necessary for healthy-weight women to prevent weight gain as they age, according to lead author I-Min Lee. Obesity now affects one-third of U.S. men and women, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“Wouldn’t it be better to prevent the weight gain in the first place so you don’t have to subsequently lose weight and maintain that weight loss?” said Lee, an associate professor at Brigham and Woman’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston, in a March 19 telephone interview. “If you’re a healthy weight and you want to prevent weight gain over time, you need to be physically active at least 60 minutes a day.”
The results of today’s study apply only to older women and research is needed to see if the same pattern applies to younger women and men, Lee said.
Government Guidelines
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recommends adults exercise at least 30 minutes a day five times a week, or 2.5 hours, to prevent chronic diseases like heart disease, diabetes and some cancers. For greater health benefits, the government says adults should be active at least 300 minutes or five hours each week.
Lee said health workers and the public should be aware that 2.5 hours a week of exercise, while sufficient for preventing chronic disease, isn’t enough for maintaining a healthy weight over time for U.S. women who eat a normal diet.
Obesity increases the risk for diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease. Those considered obese have a body mass index of at least 30, equivalent to 180 pounds for an adult 5 feet 5 inches tall, according to the National Institutes of Health’s BMI calculator.
Healthy weight is defined as a BMI of less than 25, which means an adult who is 5 feet 5 inches tall must weigh less than 150 pounds, Lee said.
Prevention
Previous research focused on how heavier people can lose weight, Lee said. Because most people who shed pounds don’t keep them from returning, developing ways to prevent weight gain at the start may avoid that, she wrote in the journal article.
Working with colleagues at Harvard, Lee analyzed data beginning in 1992 from 34,079 U.S. women with an average age was 54 who were part of the Women’s Health Study. The women reported their level of exercise every two to three years.
Each time their level of physical activity was assessed, the women were put into one of three groups: those exercising at least one hour a day, those who were physically active from 2.5 hours to 7 hours a week, and those who worked out fewer than 2.5 hours a week. At the start of the study, 49.5 percent of the women were in the lowest exercise group.
Over 13 years, the average weight gain for all groups was almost 6 pounds, comparable to women of the same age in the general population, the researchers reported.
Lower Exercise Groups
Those in the lowest and middle exercise groups gained an average of about one-quarter pound every three years compared with those exercising the most, the researchers reported.
Among all participants, 17,465 women started the trial at a healthy weight. Of those, only 4,540 women, or 26 percent, ended the study at a healthy weight. About 41 percent of women who were normal weight at the start were overweight by the end of the study, while 4 percent became obese, Lee said.
All the women who maintained a normal weight throughout the study engaged in moderate exercise like brisk walking or ballroom dancing for at least 60 minutes each day.
Women who are unable to exercise for at least 60 minutes a day may maintain their weight or lose pounds by cutting calories, Lee said. To lose one pound, a person would have to drop 3,500 calories from their diet over time, Lee said.
Lee called the findings “sobering.”
“Our regular life has become so sedentary,” she said. “We don’t move much in our daily activities yet we pretty much consume the same amount of food.
“If you eat more than you expend, you will gain weight,” she said.
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Post by michellea on Mar 23, 2010 18:08:20 GMT -5
Very sobering. No wonder I'm quite a bit beefy than I was 3 short years ago. I can't stand it.
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Post by Mayleng on Mar 23, 2010 18:21:34 GMT -5
Yup, I work hard at the gym and it is still not good enough. You have to work out for 1 hour every single friggin day arrrgfhhhhhh.......
Now I only have to look at food and I put on weight.
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Post by healthy11 on Mar 23, 2010 19:44:01 GMT -5
My metabolism isn't what it used to be, either...Approaching menopause doesn't have many positives, does it?
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Post by Mayleng on Mar 23, 2010 19:59:04 GMT -5
Nope, not at all. Sucks getting old.
My 17 yr old asked me yesterday, "Mom why do you bother to go to the gym to exercise? You are married, you don't have to bother anymore." LOL!
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Post by sharie001 on Mar 23, 2010 21:52:56 GMT -5
That sucks.
I know for a fact that dieting doesn't work for me at all.
Two surefire ways to get more exercise, lose weight, and keep it off are (and even if you eat more you'll still lose weight):
1. Get a two-story house with your bedroom upstairs (when I stayed with my mom for a while, when my husband and I separated, my room was upstairs, and b/c my short-term memory is terrible, I was constantly going up and down those stairs, lol). I lost 15-20 lbs
2. Get some mules, b/w riding, saddling them up, grooming them, and mending/building fences to keep them in, not to mention the rodeoing, I think I have lost 15-20 lbs and continue to lose more.
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Post by healthy11 on Mar 23, 2010 22:17:28 GMT -5
Sharie, I recall your family photo icon at Greatschools, and you didn't look heavy to begin with; I wouldn't have thought you'd have so much weight to lose!
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Post by hsmom on Mar 23, 2010 22:25:41 GMT -5
I haven't read the reports above, but I want to say don't abandon all hope. I'm an older adoptive mom and I am probably older than most of you. Read what Miriam E. Nelson has to say. She is a professor of physiology and nutrition at Tufts and has created a research-based program for older women that helps us to stay strong and slim, and to keep our bones strong as well. I will admit that I have gained my share of weight, but not while I was following her program. Writing this has made me realize that I have to become more active again. I have a dog, but he doesn't provide the kind of exercise that mules do. The core of Miriam Nelson's program is strength training (and not with really heavy weights either). She's written a number of books, first of which is Strong Women Stay Young, the second Strong Women Stay Slim, and several more. And, now I see that she has a website as well. www.strongwomen.com/experts/www.strongwomen.com/fitness.htmLet me know what you think.
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Post by sharie001 on Mar 24, 2010 0:59:14 GMT -5
Healthy,
LOL, Thanks for the kind words.
I'm short and don't carry a lot of weight very well (somewhere b/w 5'2 & 5'3, depending on who is measuring, lol). My clothes in my closet range from size 2 to size 12 (all petite so I don't have to hem them). Currently I wear a size 4-6 (depending on how the sizes run). I think I was wearing about a size 8 in my GS family picture. With a reasonable amount of exercise and not really watching what I eat I typically stay around size 6-8, when around Ryan, working with mules, climbing stairs daily, or similar amount of exercise I typically stay size 6 or below. It seems like 5-10 lbs on me is equal to 20+ lbs on someone who is a couple of inches taller. I currently weigh approxiamately the same as I did just before I gave birth to Ryan (I gained 40 lbs with him, he weighed over 9 lbs), but I was tiny before I got pregnant with him.
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Post by healthy11 on Mar 24, 2010 7:54:19 GMT -5
Sharie, It sounds like you and I could trade clothes! The difference is you've got youth on your side, whereas I'm about 15 years older, and fluctuations in weight seem harder to control with every passing year
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Post by majorv on Mar 24, 2010 8:00:06 GMT -5
Metabolism? Mine has never been very high so weight issues in younger years just equates to bigger weight issues in my older years! I have found that I can lose some weight with a high protein, low carb diet...it's just getting harder to make myself start and then stick with it. It doesn't help that everyone else in my family can eat whatever they want and not gain an ounce!!
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Post by dwolen on Mar 24, 2010 8:13:04 GMT -5
If I had an hour a day, I would love it. I am hoping to restart jogging after I lose 10 more pounds on the South Beach diet. So far, I've lost 10 lbs, with 50 left to go. But I am determined not to be an obese 70 year old! Also, on her death bed (in November), my sister begged me to diet! That's a pretty strong incentive. And my dd bought me the South Beach cookbook, so I do not want to let her down, either.
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Post by sharie001 on Mar 24, 2010 8:35:26 GMT -5
Healthy,
Some days I feel like a teenager, and other days I feel ancient. I think some of it is mind over matter, if you don't mind it don't matter.
My Granny was parasailing with me in mexico when she was the age my mom is now, my mom would never dream of doing such a thing.
I know what you mean about metab. slowing down, it does seem to take a lot more physical activity just to maintain a reasonable weight. I refuse to even get on a scale now, I use my clothes size instead, lol.
My main problem area is my stomach. I am waiting for them to perfect (and the cost to go down) the procedure where they suck out fat in one area of your body and stuff your boobs with your own fat, lol. When I lose weight the first place I lose it is my boobs and the last place is my stomach.
I am dreading 2 upcoming trips with my daughter (at least the swimsuit part: spring break in fla, and disney trip with band). Both trips will require me to wear a swimsuit around a bunch of teens (mostly girls). I don't like the one piece suits b/c they make me look older, and I am having trouble finding a two piece that sufficiently covers my rear end, lol. It seems the boy short two piece suits are out of style and hard to find. If I wear a swimsuit cover it resembles a moo-moo on me (being so short).
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Post by healthy11 on Mar 24, 2010 9:04:10 GMT -5
Sharie, I think a LOT of us "Millermoms" have the same problem as you, with excess "gut" and lacking the "Barbie Doll Boobs!" I know quite a few of us seem to be short in height, too! In my teens, I wore 2-piece bikinis, but I guess I don't have the same dislike of 1-piece swimsuits as you, because I used to be a lifeguard, and anyone who had to jump into a pool with a skimpy 2-piece was risking their top coming up... Even now, as a scuba diver, although I may be wearing a wetsuit over my swimsuit while I'm in the water, it's harder to "peel" myself out of it while trying to be sure a 2-piece doesn't roll off with it! I have to say I really like the "tankinis" that provide enough coverage plus a practical way to go to the restroom..... As far as "swimsuit coverups" I like the mini-wrap sarong styles, similar to these: www.thefind.com/apparel/info-swimsuit-cover-up-wrap (I've never ordered from this company, and think they're overpriced, but it was the first photos I could find of what I was trying to describe.)
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Post by sharie001 on Mar 24, 2010 9:21:50 GMT -5
Lol, I always test the suite for security (not coming off easily) before buying one. I try on at least 50 swimsuits before I buy one (I hate shopping for them, lol). I usually like the bra type tops and the boy short bottoms, them seem to cover more, and I don't have to worry about them displaying all of my assets, lol.
I have a couple of wraps, but not as cute as the ones in your link, they don't cover nearly as much, and are old and worn out, I guess I'll have to get another one. I do like those better than than the full coverup.
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Post by Mayleng on Mar 24, 2010 11:02:32 GMT -5
Sharie, count yourself lucky, I am only 5 foot tall (waiver between a size 8 and 10, sometimes 6 depending on the cut), so 1lb equals 25lbs on me. Even with working out 3 to 4 days a week I have been slowly putting on the weight I lost a few years ago when I started working out and dieting. I lost about 15 lbs and it all came back. Now being a few years older it is much harder to lose it again even with working out. The above study confirmed what I already knew. It is very difficult to maintian the weight, and menopause does not help at all.
As for dieting, it is not even like I have been stuffing my face. I eat a normal diet, smaller potions, eating out once a week maybe (and i don't even finish what I order), reduced sugar It all boils down to not eating at all for me in order to lose weight now.
Now I wonder if depriving myself of the foods I enjoy is even worth it since life is short. I don't want to spend the rest of my life missing out on things I enjoy. So I have to change my mentality ie. exercise for the health reasons and not for weightloss, so I might feel less guilty if I don't workout as much. And being a little chubby is OK (since according to my son, I am married I don't have to try so hard. LOL!) Maybe we are not supposed to look like movie stars after 50, maybe we are supposed to look the way we look.
I have a 2 storey house, and bad knees & back back (not a good combination) lol!
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Post by dwolen on Mar 24, 2010 14:31:21 GMT -5
Maybe the trick for healthy, lifetime weight management is owning and taking care of mules. I doubt that this has ever been studied, just testimonials from sharie. Sharie, do you have any plans for actually studying whether mules are good for one's health?
Barely any food, that's right. I need less than 1400 calories to lose weight, even with exercise. But, when I ran 6-7 miles, 4-5 times a week (pre-obesity), I had no problem with weight control. It takes an hour to run that long, then, 30 minutes cooling down, showering, etc. But my mood was so good. It is my next goal to get to a weight to jog again.
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Post by sharie001 on Mar 24, 2010 22:09:31 GMT -5
Mayleng,
That sounds rough (knees back and stairs).
We all could look like the movie stars if we had the money, access to top plastic surgeons & nutritionist, and fitness trainers, someone to airbrush and edit all of our photos, along with the desire to do all of this stuff, lol.
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Post by sharie001 on Mar 24, 2010 22:21:21 GMT -5
dwolen,
I haven't thought of studying the health benifits of owning mules, lol. They are sort of like over-grown, very intelligent dogs that you can ride (at least most of them, lol).
I know there have been studies on the health benifits of having dogs, so I would assume it would be similar, with the exception of those who unseat you from the saddle (that would be equal to dog bite I guess, b/c it shows a lack of respect). We only have the one that unseats me, and we currently have her for sale (she is sweet as can be on the ground, just no respect for me in the saddle). I have banished her to the back field out of my sight most of the day, lol.
The other two mules we have are great, it's so nice to hear them call (brey for me, somewhere b/w a horses whinnie and a donkeys hee haw) for me the second they hear me walk outside my house, they follow me around like I owe them money, lol. It is very rewarding when you do win their trust and respect (then you are technically the herd leader in their eyes) b/c mules do not give this as freely as horses do, you have to earn it.
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Post by dihicks6 on Mar 26, 2010 11:55:35 GMT -5
Sharie, you are a true pack leader!!!
I wish I could contribute something to this discussion, but dieting is a royal pain in the ass, and if chasing a 3 yr. old around isn't enough, then so be it!!! Anyway, I'm going to open my camp this weekend, and will spend two weeks in April there, so some of this 'winter' weight will come off -- it always does.
Have a great weekend everyone!
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Post by sharie001 on Mar 26, 2010 16:10:59 GMT -5
I'm with ya dihicks, I don't do diets either, not even diet soft drinks, yuck. If your going to do something do it all the way I say.
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Post by Mayleng on Mar 26, 2010 17:21:43 GMT -5
dihicks, have fun at your camp. We will miss you while u are away. I think you will be getting a little warmer weather next week and maybe even some sun.
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Post by michellea on Mar 26, 2010 17:27:12 GMT -5
dihicks - wishing you a run of warm and dry weather as you open camp! Will you be chasing Sir Raymond as you are opening up?
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Post by hope4all on Mar 30, 2010 1:58:54 GMT -5
If I may jump in late on this thread. I have a 2 story house and a 5 yr old who wants me to go upstairs to play with him or to get some toy with him and I am still over weight. My sister and her husband have a condo on the third floor. No elevator. They are still over weight.
Well got to go now. I am going to have a piece of pie. lol
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Post by lillian12 on Mar 30, 2010 7:57:03 GMT -5
I have lost thirty-five pounds since August of this year. The only way I have been able to do it is by changing what I eat--no bread or pasta, sugar, cheese, or white rice. Every fifth day, I eat what I want to. The weight has fallen off of me. More important, however, is that my BFI has gone down from 46% to 22%. I have gone from filling out a size 16 to my new 12's being a bit baggy. I would like to get down to a size 10 and stay there. The downside--I've also lost my breasts! Middle-aged women beware of this when you lose weight!!! Wow. I'm seriously thinking about a boob job . Exercise? I do Pilates four or five times a week for thirty minutes. I hold no illusion that exercise helps you lose weight. I learned that years ago, when I would go to the gym for an hour or an hour-and-a-half five times a week and NEVER lose a pound. What exercising does, though, is help keep you toned. This is very important to middle-aged women, who are losing weight because you sag when the weight comes off. It's actually kind of depressing. You look better with your clothes on, but with them off? Hmm. Between the no boobs and sagging... An issue I have with this article is that the focus is just on weight, not toning and muscle development. It doesn't discuss the fact that you can gain weight with muscle gain from exercise. The question is, then, have you gained a clothes' size with the weight gain? Are you gaining fat or muscle? There are scales that will break down weight loss/gain into fat, muscle, and water. You want to gain muscle for toning and for your bones. Muscle gain helps you fight osteoperosis (sp), which is very important for middle-aged women. In other word, "weight" is not necessarily bad. It's fat that is the problem.
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Post by dihicks6 on Mar 30, 2010 8:20:24 GMT -5
Camp is officially open! No broken water pipes, and the furnace works! Going back this week so we can enjoy the warmer weather to get at some outside chores, downed branches, leaves, etc. I didn't have to chase Raymond as my dd went with my sister and I, and she did most of the chasing, LOL! We did take a walk so that he could walk in the shallow water in the ditch on the side of the road. It always amazes me that even that water (runoff) is as clear as can be.
I'll let you know as soon as I lose a few pounds, LOL!!! The problem with camp is that I love to cook and there's always something 'good' to eat!
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Post by healthy11 on Mar 30, 2010 9:06:32 GMT -5
Earlier in this thread, I mentioned swimsuits. I'm wondering if anyone else has looked at what the stores are offering this year? I had a discount coupon for $10 off any purchase at Kohl's by the end of this month, so I decided to start with them. I found their selection to be appalling!! There were an abundance of "wild patterns and colors" that reminded me of the old "Laugh In" tv show backdrop....chartreuse, hot pink, bright aqua, brown, lemon yellow, etc . all mixed up in crazy prints (mostly polka dots and paisleys) and for who knows what reason, lots of HORIZONTAL stripes... Don't the idiot designers know that vertical patterns make a person look taller and thinner, while horizontal makes people look heavier? There were a few "basic black" suits, and a handful of other solid colors, too, but geesh ~ it was depressing to try on their selection. Even the store clerk said, "shopping for a swimsuit is as traumatic as shopping for a car!" LOL!
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Post by sharie001 on Mar 30, 2010 11:52:44 GMT -5
Healthy, I we don't have kohl's around here, but I went to Beals and ran into the same thing, there seems to be a trend of either outdated grandma suits or skimmpy suits, try victoria's secret online, they had some nice mix and match ones (some with skirts, etc.).
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Post by healthy11 on Mar 30, 2010 17:19:27 GMT -5
Sharie, the problem I have with shopping online is always the sizing.....like you mentioned earlier, I've got things in my closet which range from size 4 to 12, and in my case it's not due to significant fluctuation in weight, it's just the stupid manufacturer's aren't consistent. I think the "higher end" brands usually want their customers to "feel good about fitting into a smaller size" so their 4's and 6's fit more like other stores 8's and 10's. I have some junior 7's and 9's, too... My husband is right when he says guy's sizes are so much more logical... If you know your waist and inseam size, you can get a pair of pants almost anywhere. Ditto for shirts with collar and sleeve length.....It's easy to shop for him, compared to me.
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