Have you ever seen TLC’s “What Not to Wear” TV show? They take ordinary people who are wearing outdated, oversized, ill-fitting clothing and show them how to dress in a flattering way for their bodies.

These people are not supermodels by any stretch of the imagination. But the transformation is astounding. Of course, they also get their hair and makeup done, but the way the clothing fits makes them look like a million bucks.

People who carry extra weight often try to cover up with larger, baggy clothing. They often hate to go shopping. If they’d have the courage to try on some different styles, they might find they look 10 times better!

This month we’ll feature advice from fashion stylist Danielle Midgley. She will share tips on how to dress your best whatever your size.

Jeans & Pants

“Shopping for jeans and pants doesn't have to be a gruesome task,” said Midgley. “Keep in mind that the fashion goal is always to look longer and leaner.”

5 Tips for a long, lean leg look:

1. Select darker wash denim or dress pants. Pants could also have a pinstripe. Beware of trendy whiskering or fading that can accentuate curves in an unflattering way
2. Jeans and pants should be a close fit to the body without being too tight. Too tight or too loose of a fit will make you look bigger.
3. Select a pant/jean that fits at your widest point and goes straight down from that point. Fitting the “rise” of your jean/pant is the most important part. The length can be changed.
4. Your hem should fall about a quarter inch above your heel & should always come to your toe line to create a long leg line.
5. Wear a shoe with a point and a heel. Even a short heel will help lengthen the leg line.

7 Tips based on body shape

1. To accentuate a flat bottom or straight shape select skinny, tapered denim in any shade. Pockets should have flaps.
2. To tone down a larger booty (pear shape) select a darker wash with some stretch in the fabric. Fit your largest area first and have a tailor take in the waist to avoid the gapping that can happen if your waist is much smaller than your hips.
3. If you’re short and petite choose a straight cut jean in a variety of washes.
4. For a lot of curves Choose a wide leg trouser style jean in a darker wash.
5. For a short waist choose a lower waisted pant/jean coming just under the belly button. BEWARE of slacks that are too low. Always sit in your pants to avoid “the plumbers crack”.
6. For long waists select a medium or high rise coming in at the belly button or slightly higher.
7. Fit your body shape first and don’t worry about the hem. Fold the hem under to try the pants/jeans on to see how they fit. Then be sure to ask your tailor for an “original hem” to keep your jeans looking as if they were bought that way.

“Always try on everything before buying,” said Midgley. “When buying pants be sure to sit, stand and walk in them to test the fit and comfort of the pant. Jeans tend to bag out with wear and then shrink back up in the wash. It's great to select jeans with a little bit of stretch in them to keep their shape with wear.”

Danielle’s favorite jeans:
The White House/Black Market Blanc Essential Jean line. “These jeans are universally flattering.. At $78 these are worth every cent,” she said. Most styles come in black, white and blue denim washes. “Don't be afraid of a white pant or jean. If they fit properly and are not see through they are extremely flattering and a great alternative to the black pant or the dark blue jean.”

For information on how to have Danielle Midgely as your personal fashion stylist, contact her at: stylemeskinny@gmail.com.

When I walk into my mom’s house, I’m tempted to start eating. She always has lots of goodies like pretzels, dark chocolate, and light ice cream. However, I know it’s not so much the food temptation, but rather the situation. My mom’s house is a place where I can relax, let my guard down, and just be taken care of by Mom. It feels good and for some reason I equate this feeling with food.

Most people have situations that tempt them to eat foods they wouldn’t normally eat, or tempt them to overeat. Social situations are often triggers. Things like parties, family dinners, and going out with friends are all centered around food. Everybody’s eating and talking. It’s easy to join right in.

Some people feel like they have to eat whenever they go into their kitchen. Hungry or not, they’ll grab a snack. Others may feel the need to eat while sitting at their desk, or driving in their car.

Situations can be very strong triggers to eat. To lessen these triggers, try these 5 steps:

1. Recognize which situations are difficult for you. This way you can be on your guard.
2. Eat something healthy and filling before you go into the situation, such as a salad, yogurt, or protein bar.
3. Plan your food intake for while you’re in that situation. If you’re going out to dinner, pick your meal ahead. If you’re going to a friend’s house, offer to take a healthy dish.
4. Use sugar-free gum, hot tea or coffee, or breath spray to signal the end of eating.
5. If it’s a grazing party, keep a low cal drink in your hand and stay away from the food tables.

Situational triggers can be tough, but you can gear up for them and go prepared.
 

If you look back over your days you may find a pattern to your snacking. You can probably zero in on a time of day when you’re most tempted to munch.

One man said, “After the kids are in bed, that’s my time to relax. I like to sit down and watch TV and eat a bowl of cereal.”

Another person said the afternoon slump was the hardest time for her. As her energy dipped, she craved crunchy carbs like pretzels to perk her up.

For others, weekends may send the signal to eat, drink, and be merry.

Look back over your week. Can you identify a time of day that’s hard for you to put the lid on your eating?

• Morning coffee break
• Afternoon slump
• Late night snacking
• Weekend R&R

Once you figure out your “time to eat” pattern, you can put a plan in place to stay on track. Knowing when you feel weakest is a good start. Be on guard during these times. Then, instead of leaving food to chance, plan a healthy solution to your munchies (such as swapping out a candy bar with a protein bar).

If you’re a weekend eater, try planning one “cheat meal” for the weekend when you can eat what you want without the guilt. But then stay on track the rest of the time. Plan non-food ways of relaxing like hiking at the park, going bowling, reading a good book, taking a bubble bath, etc.

Know when you’re most tempted to eat and be prepared. You can make it through those tempting times.
 

Emotions are powerful triggers when it comes to food. When we experience certain emotions we can feel an overwhelming compulsion to eat.

From the time we are little, we learn that food calms, comforts, and soothes. We begin to associate food with relief from emotions. This association can be so deeply ingrained in us that we consume food without realizing we’re emotionally hungry, not physically hungry.

To break this emotional eating pattern, we have to stop before we eat for a self check. We have to ask ourselves if we have an empty belly, or an empty soul. Consider asking yourself:

Am I truly physically hungry?

What kind of food choices am I about to make?

How do I feel right now? 

• Angry
• Upset
• Lonely
• Stressed
• Bored
• Nervous
• Excited
• Tired

Turning to food for emotional relief means eating is our coping mechanism. It’s really tough to stop coping this way. But we can start giving ourselves other options, such as calling a friend, exercising, doing chores, taking deep breaths, drinking a hot beverage, chewing sugar free gum, or even taking a nap.

Then we have to put these new coping mechanisms into practice, which is the hard part. It’s always easier to slip into old, comfortable habits.

With time and patience, however, we can learn to recognize when we’re headed for emotional eating and replace food with healthy coping behaviors.

Ever been having a really good week, then totally blow it one day? What happened?

Chances are you responded to a trigger.

Triggers can blindside us, like hubby picking up donuts when he was supposed be getting only coffee; or they can build up over time, like stress from a long meeting at work.

Triggers can be 1) emotions, 2) times of day, or 3) situations. Whatever the trigger, it turns on an internal craving mechanism that tells us to EAT, hungry or not.

Unfortunately, when we respond to a trigger, we don’t reach for baby carrots and apple slices. We usually reach for junk food – sweet, salty, or fatty foods that are super high in calories.

That’s because food has an effect on both our bodies and our emotions, especially junk food. Depending on our food choice, we can get a feel-good high, or a chill-out mellow.

That’s what makes food so powerful and so hard to resist when we’re dealing with triggers. Because we’re craving more than food…we’re craving what the food does for us.

This month we’ll talk about types of triggers, how to recognize when we’re responding to them, and how to tame them.