I just want to dress cute

I’m getting frustrated. I’ve always been ‘body positive’ and either plus size or on the bigger end of midsize (mainly a L/XL) and have never had a problem with how I look so I’ve never focused on weight loss. Before I was pregnant I had lost about 40lbs by eating healthier and working a more physical job over the summer. So I was down to about 160, I got pregnant in December and was 240 when I gave birth. The weight doesn’t bother me but I don’t fit into any of my pre-pregnancy clothes and I have a unique style (dopamine dressing) and have curated my closet over the last few years and was really proud of the clothes I have (mostly thrifted or more expensive ethically made j fashion pieces). I’ve been calorie counting on my fitness pal (and tracking my protein with the goal of 120g a day) and should be in a slight calorie deficit on top of breast feeding but I checked my weight today and I’m back up to 240 (I was 237 at my 6 week appointment last month)… it’s become so hard to thrift clothes and I want to shop ethically but most places don’t even carry my size or it’s all shein bs that isn’t quality (I’ve still bought some b/c that’s all that I can find but it upsets me)… I just want to be able to dress cute like I used to 🥲

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Be patient with yourself. Weight loss takes time. But you need clothes to wear now. Unfortunately ethics often has to take a back seat. As a (different) example my kids have so many allergies, I am so limited in what I can buy for them to eat, I can't afford to be picky with ethics the way I used to. Unfortunately there's fewer cute clothes the bigger the clothing size. If all you can find is fast fashion, that's okay. Since you're losing weight you don't need to wear it for long so I would prioritise 1. It fits 2. It's not too expensive 3. You think it's okay even if you don't love it Try for basic and classic, maybe you can emphasize your style more through accessories, nails or make up for now ❤️

@Ella I do keep reminding myself my body made a whole human for me to love and it’s a beautiful thing! I guess I’m just mostly upset by the state of plus size clothes and the loss of my adorable closet. I’m hoping once my LO gets older I’ll be able to go back to dipping my nails like I did pre-pregnancy and I have so many cute colors in my collection but just haven’t had the time with a newborn, I’m getting my hair done Friday so I’m super excited for that and will hopefully add some pink back into it so I can feel more like my funky self (I didn’t bleach at all while pregnant and am like half bleached half natural at this point so I’m excited to look more out together even if I’m not able to add color)… I’ve debated getting some leggings off of Amazon just to have something that fits other than dresses and sweat pants, but I haven’t bought clothes from them since 2018 and was really proud of myself for resisting….

Nah go for it, I hereby give you One Guilt Free Amazon order. I also found it was good for my mental health to shift perspective. My purpose when I had a newborn was simply to nurture that newborn. I didn't need to lose weight immediately or even look good tbh. If I was nurturing that baby, I was nailing life.