KJ Living Lively

Like most women, I have several sizes in my closet.

Three years ago, those sizes ranged from 10 to 14.

Now they range from 2 to 6.

Granted, the 2s are totally aspirational. I bought them at a consignment store and I pull them out on occasion and try them on. They do fit (much like a sausage casing fits around 8 ounces of pork), but I would NEVER wear them out of the house. But still, there’s something thrilling – for me – to owning and fitting into a pair of size 2s.

Besides, recent research shows that women who aspire to wear 2s – even though they look like something a 12 year old girl would wear – are more likely to keep their weight off than women who have more reasonable goals! Go figure!

Last summer, I wore the one pair of 4s quite a bit, but then following my disastrous vacation to San Francisco and the reintroduction of red wine back into the diet on a regular basis (and by regular, I mean a few glasses a couple of times a week with dinner), I sort of put the 4s away and got comfortable in the 6s.

Well, last night I pulled out the trusty 4s and lo and behold, they didn’t look as good – or feel as good – as they used to. And they certainly didn’t look or feel as good as the 6s did. Sad.

But is it? Really?

On one hand, yes it is. Because I really got a kick out of wearing size 4s.

On the other hand, when I was in the 4s regularly, I was much more restrictive with myself.

I was also much more judgmental.

I was also more likely to beat myself up at the gym.

And I also more likely to be counting calories in a punitive way.

In the 6s, I am pretty much eating what I want (assuming, that is, that it’s wheat-, dairy-, and sugar-free!), I am much more balanced in my approach to exercise, and I am having the occasional glass (or two [or three]) of wine with dinner.

Not such a bad trade-off, now that I stop and really think about it.

But just to make sure that things don’t get out of hand – remember, I threw the scale away and I have no desire to repurchase my old clothes back! – I’m going to keep the 4s in rotation. As a reminder. As a motivator.

In fact, it might not be a bad idea to plan on wearing them to as many upcoming holiday functions as I can get by with…and when the dress code is a little nicer than jeans? Who knows? I may just stick the 2s in my purse so that I can carry them with me!

All joking aside, what are your best plans for surviving the holidays with your figure in tact?

P.S. The photo is of the jeans I own, but – unfortunately – that’s not me wearing them! At least not yet!