I was a computer systems magazine production manager in the early ’90s, in NYC, at Hachette-Filipacchi Magazines. Their portfolio included Elle, Woman’s Day and Stereo Review, among other popular national magazines. There were a lot of celebrities about. It was a fantastic and exciting job for this young buck. My business attire was a dress shirt and tie, which was common then and there. Being young and eager to impress, I found how I dressed helped me in my career. It adds an informal statement of seriousness and professionalism, as opposed to my inclination towards stumbling humor. While I didn’t “have to” dress well, doing so was a self-reinforcing positive loop. I grew fond of my shirt and tie attire.
Then, life happened. My wife and I moved to North Carolina. We had a baby. Another baby. A third baby. I got older. My vocation adapted to changing markets. I got a job at Duke University. My body became insulin resistant. While I was always overweight to varying degrees, I had become, well, fat. Clinically obese.
Like Rome, my belly wasn’t built in a day. My 38” waist became a 40, 42 cresting at 44, though really should have been a 46”. My XL shirts were tight around the belly. After years of gradual gain, putting on my old 90’s clothes was well out of the question. Defeated, I had put my old clothes away in the hope that I would, one day, win the battle of the bulge. I was also uncomfortable in my appearance and my dress standard reflected this. I was deeply ensconced in “business casual,” i.e., polo shirts and khakis.
The long-term success of my low-carb regimen changed my comportment. In the past, even with my most successful weight-loss efforts, I would have been back on the seemingly inevitable upward weight trajectory. However, this is no longer the case. I am solidly in the low 220’s. I have been since January 2018. In the picture, above, I was mid-230’s weight-wise. That was back on my steady regain from my Jenny Craig weight-loss the prior year. Unlike my unsure post-Jenny Craig diet, I am enjoying my low-carb regimen. I see no reason to change how I eat.
This past weekend, I decided it was time I declared victory. I donated my baggy clothes to Goodwill.
My closet had been the battery for my old and new clothing. I had grown tired of my too-loose fitting pants and shirts. So, I yanked all my clothing out of the closet and separated the wheat from the chaff. Getting rid of old stuff is satisfying, even more so when you’re getting rid of your “big you” clothes.
The next step is to upgrade my attire for my new normal size. My 2019 new year’s resolution is to slowly and steadily upgrade my professional wardrobe. I’m not someone who enjoys shopping, but this exercise serves a pragmatic purpose. We’ll be dumpster diving at Goodwill more so than the posh showroom of an upscale market.
I like being back in a shirt and a tie. Just to make this more interesting, I’ve enlisted my most fashionable oldest daughter to help me with tips on how well I’m doing in my clothing selection. I’ll be using the friction of my limited wardrobe, and my own bad clothing decisions, to drive a slow but deliberate build up of my wardrobe.
Two years ago, I never would have thought I’d be here, now. Yea, it’s a great feeling for an old again, new again, guy.