WWYD: Buy Temporary Jeans, or Wait Until Old Ones Fit Again?
If I don’t exercise regularly, I pack on pounds. It’s a fact of life as certain as death and taxes. I’m just one of those people who easily goes up or down in weight depending on activity level.
Now because I changed my workout routine to include more weight lifting and less cardio, I’ve experienced some weight gain that won’t garner much sympathy for me, but the heart of the problem is universal: Most of my jeans don’t fit, and I’m against having to buy bigger jeans out of principle.
My question for this week’s WWYD is: Since you can’t wear sweatpants everywhere you go, what would you do until your jeans fit again?
Here’s where I stand. After past weight gains, I was always hesitant to buy bigger jeans because I didn’t want to nurture unhealthy habits. Less exercise mysteriously led to more eating. More eating led to more weight gain, and by extension, more unhappiness. My ‘œbig jeans’ came to represent personal failure and lack of control.
This summer I tossed my ‘œbig jeans’ in the garbage because my weight remained stable for the past couple of years. I didn’t think I would need them ever again. Well, it turns out that in the process of putting on some muscle, you temporarily put on some fat. Now that it’s uncomfortable to button the top button, I regret tossing my ‘œbig jeans’ for the following reasons:
Temporary Jeans Seem Like an Unnecessary Expense: The weight I gained will come off pretty easily in about a month or two with my current exercise program, although the holiday season feasts may provide some challenges. Even so, I’m not convinced it’s worth buying jeans that I’ll only wear for the next couple of months.
Good Jeans Aren’t Cheap: This will be a source of debate, but it’s my experience that it’s almost impossible to find jeans that look good on me for less than $50. I don’t give a hoot about the brand name; it’s the fit that matters. When it comes to jeans, I believe you get what you pay for in terms of quality and style, so I go for the pricier jeans. On a cost per wear basis, $100 jeans worn over 365 times are a bargain. [Cue retort about same for $50 jeans.] If you can find jeans for less than $50 and they make you happy, more power to you!
Shopping for Jeans Can Be Dehumanizing: Seriously, trying on unflattering pair after unflattering pair can sometimes make you feel like an oddity of nature. Enough said.
Potpourri of Unpleasant Ingredients: This time around I don’t view temporary ‘œbig jeans’ as a failure, but more as a bandage until I trim back down. However, what troubles me is that once the weight is gone, there will be ‘œbig jeans’ in my closet again. They can sit there waiting for me until I gain weight again, or they can serve as a reminder of how I can go up and down in weight. My perception of ‘œbig jeans’ in the closet can swing either way, from a healthy accepting attitude to a nagging reminder of potential failure. I’ve got to be honest — it will take a lot of effort to keep up the healthy accepting attitude.
Sometimes a purchase is more than a simple transaction. What you buy can be loaded with meaning. In this case, is it worth buying something I will want to throw away immediately after its utility expires?
Not really. I’ll keep my eyes open for jeans on sale, but otherwise I think I’ll just endure uncomfortable jeans for the next couple of months. I consider this more on point with being cheap and practical rather than being a masochist. My wallet and mind will be happier without ‘œbig jeans.’
Dear readers, what would you do? I know many of us will do battle with our waist lines this holiday season. Do ‘œbig jeans’ really mean nothing to you? Would you just buy them and move on with life? Or do you have similar objections about what they represent? What’s your strategy for enduring ill-fitting pants?
Thrift stores! I wear a difficult-to-find size, and I was able to find great (like new) jeans from Express that fit me perfectly for $5.
I know the frustration of trying on dozens and dozens of jeans before finding a pair that will work, and I’ve been pleasantly surprised at what Goodwill or a locally owned thrift store can turn up.
Also, in a pinch (lol) you can try this quick fix: Dampen the waistband around your jeans. Then, stretch them using a sturdy object (maybe books?) and place them inside, while stretching the jeans an inch or so.
When the jeans dry, it’ll hold until they’re washed again.
Wow, thanks Kacie! I’ll try the waistband trick you suggested.
Luckily we have lots of secondhand stores where I live. If the waistband trick doesn’t work, I’m probably headed to the “recycled clothes” stores.
You need to have clothes that fit you as you are. Not as you might be. Not as you’d like to be. As you are. Maybe that’s just me as a big fat lesbian talking- but you can’t live life on “when I get skinny again” fantasy. And stretching the waistband as Kacie recommended- might not be comfortable enough.
I am not saying eat yourself in to oblivion or give up on exercise and health. Reality is, we all get older. A size up in jeans is not the end of the world in the grand scheme of it all.
I would buy a pair or two from the thrift store for now- or some other cheaper alternative. It is the season of eating- maybe you will go back to your old size. But I wouldn’t be uncomfortable in the meantime.
You could consider the jeans a charitable donation that you’re just using for a bit first. That way, you get to look good (and feel good) no matter what your size and viewing the jeans as a donation makes them a temporary object in your life. Plus, it sounds like someone will score some very nice almost-new jeans when you’re done with them! Being a guy, maybe a little too-tight jeans look ok, but for women, not a good look.
You deserve clothes that look and feel right.
That said, I would probably put it off because I’m lazy and don’t like to shop. And because we are all “oddities of nature,” for which I prefer the term “unique.” So it’s very time-consuming finding pants that fit.
I’m a big fan of having a couple of pairs of big jeans someplace out of the way, like the garage or attic, (not taking up valuable closet real estate) for emergencies like this.
John: I agree with you! If I buy big jeans, then this is just giving me permission to stay at a weight that doesn’t allow me to be happy. Just for the record: my jeans are snug at the moment. But there’s nothing like a little discomfort to motivate me. Plus I wouldn’t feel good in big jeans. If you’re going to buy something, then opt for less expensive, baggier cargo pants and use these as your big jeans in the interim.
emergency fix: get a rubber band and put one end around the button and the other thru the hole then back around the button. wear a shirt on the outside. should give you an inch or so.