The last time I HAD to go shopping for a dress was about ten years ago. And yes, I said “HAD” because I have always been known to hate to shop for clothes for myself. But we had a wedding to go and it was time to go through the wardrobe.

In the past, I would be afraid to go through my clothes because I would be afraid to find clothes that didn’t fit anymore. I had the same fear now, but not for the same exact reason. In the past my clothes would shrink (yes, clothes change size, not me, right?), but not I was afraid my clothes stretched out too big. Don’t hate on the logic.

One by one, I went through the wardrobe. None of my clothes older than four months fit anymore. When I looked at the sizes I had in my closet, I was at a loss for words. Sizes 24, 26, 28, 3X, 4X – they were all huge on me. My husband and I had some fun taking pictures and photos. Dresses, shirts, pants, coats – they were all huge. By the time I was done, I had a very large, 33-gallon bag full of clothes for donation.

I noticed something. I didn’t get nervous about getting rid of clothes. In the past, I was always nervous getting rid of clothes because I might need them again. I might gain weight again. Why waste the clothes if I might need them again? This time was completely different. I didn’t have one thought about “what if?” – I didn’t hesitate at all getting rid of the clothes. My husband said it best – We are not going back.

So he took me shopping for a new dress for the wedding. In the past, shopping was such a horrible source of anxiety for me. Nothing ever fit right. And clothes that were my size were not my age, if that makes since. We started off at Macy’s – women’s section. I again found myself in clothing that was much older than my style. But there was a difference this time. I started off by grabbing the 22/24 sizes – they were too big. Even the 20 was a little too big. I couldn’t believe it, but I an now in a size 18! I haven’t been a size 18 since right after I had my first kid – 18 years ago.

I didn’t find anything quite right at Macy’s, so we headed over to Torrid – my style. Torrid’s sizes are a little bit different. They start at size 00 and go up to 4, 5, 6. The largest size I’ve worn from there was a size 4. I started pulling some dresses to try on and was grabbing sizes 1 and 2. Guess what? Too big. I couldn’t believe it. Absolutely amazing. I was trying on sizes 0. One more size down and I won’t be able to shop at Torrid anymore. Pluses and minuses to this lifestyle change. But the pluses are certainly outweighing.

I wore a little black dress with a fun floral duster. It was great and I had so much fun. My husband had an incredible outfit on and everyone talked about the sweater he wore and how much weight he had lost too. It was just an amazing experience.