Back to work - defrump me please

[Anatidae]

I've been on maternity leave and am now about to go back to work. Having been a size 8 five foot two all my adult life I put weight on a couple of years ago and am now a size 16. Not only am I massive it's all round my middle :(

Nothing seems to fit correctly. I keep hearing people saying 'just find clothes that fit and flatter' but nothing makes me look good.

I know I need to lose weight and I am trying. I have about 4st to lose and have managed 20lb so far. It's hard to shift, I used to run a lot but now have mobility problems post pregnancy.

Any ideas for workwear that looks if not good then at least not revolting? I'm no good with with make up and my hair looks the same no matter what's been done to it. Intensely dislike nails being done etc so 'grooming' is a tad alien to me.,

I feel fat, frumpy and middle aged. Help.

How about some dresses, lots of nice ones in the sale. And also speaking to a hairdresser to get a style that's easy to manage. Finally try a free make up lesson somewhere like Bobbi Brown for some simple natural looking make up so you can feel more groomed if that's what you're after.

I can't find anything that looks nice :( I'm just such an awful shape, like a barrel. It's horrible. If it fits round the middle it's huge everywhere else. I just look so awful.
it's so hard to get time to even go to the hairdresser - ds never sleeps and wouldn't sit still long enough and I have no one who can take him. So I just don't go (haven't had a hair cut in almost three years. Ouch.)

I'm a similar height and weight and I've recently seemed to carry the weight around my stomach too.

Agree it's hard. Trousers are a disaster. I find anything other than dresses really hard. I've been wearing a couple of slightly a-line jersey dresses in dark colours - I don't feel thin, obviously, but it does make me feel like I'm not showing off the worst bits. Otherwise, I've got a pencil skirt that's quite nice - that's M&S, they have a lot of choice. It's black and simple and everything goes with it.

I hope your return to work goes well.

What's your budget? What colours suit you? How smart do you need to be?
Agree with ops about dresses - something neat on your top half and then A line to knee length or longer...

this sort of thing - is the shape I mean.

Yes, try some a-line dresses. And perhaps a smart jacket. Sainsburys do both well and cheap.

Get a good bra, find a mobile hairdresser, even a trim makes me feel better about my hair. Deep conditioner, nice glossy lip balm.

Get your eyebrows threaded/hd perhaps?

And shoes - get yourself some (comfortable!) shoes that make you happy when you look down.

Try not to beat yourself up about your weight, it takes time (I was the shape of the Me Men Mr Greedy after ds1 so I feel your pain. Nothing fitted, or looked good and I felt so bloody helpless.... )

Dress

tuclothing.sainsburys.co.uk/p/Navy-Rib-Ponte-Dress/130523070-Navy

Jacket:

tuclothing.sainsburys.co.uk/p/Grey-Textured-Blazer/130704461-Grey

Shoes

www.clarks.co.uk/p/26121787

Boots: www.clarks.co.uk/p/26121773

www.clarks.co.uk/p/26121790

www.clarks.co.uk/p/26119576

www.marksandspencer.com/spotted-long-sleeve-skater-dress/p/p22491762?image=SD_01_T42_3124_F4_X_EC_90&color=NAVYMIX&prevPage=plp

About your hair, can you get a mobile hairdresser to come out to you? If your boy has all his toys around/something on cbeebies you'd probably manage fine.

Could you get a mobile hairdresser to come round to your house to cut your hair?

What's your budget? What colours suit you? How smart do you need to be?

5-600 ish? I'm not sure what suits me - I prefer darker colours. Yellow pink and orange are definitely not ok. I'm very very very pale with chestnut coloured hair. Smart casual is ok most of the time, need suits for client meetings but they're infrequent

Not sure about mobile hairdressers (I'm not in the uk) but I will check out the links - thank you!

Try clothes with more tailoring and edges and clear lines. It seems to help correct the general blurriness that is such an issue with weight gain.

Also try to remind yourself that part of the problem isn't the clothes it's how you feel about your weight gain. People who, unlike yourself, don't remember you as a scrawny-- size 8 may not see as much wrong as you do. Try not to hate yourself.

(I did lose some weight when I went back to work. Too busy to snack, and not in the kitchen all day with kids.)