43, loving in old tracksuit bottoms, hellllp!

[coffeandbookstore]

Not sure if it is post -divorce / despression / menopause weight but the last 2 years have seen me go from an 8-
12 and I simply hate how I look with a bloated belly and big thighs. I’ve taken to dressing in comfy joggers and baggy sweatshirts to hide it but I realise it’s sort of 17 year old student wear and I think I’d feel more
confident if I made an effort, any ideas on where to start? All jeans seem to feel uncomfortable round my middle and my boobs seek
to hang out around my belly button so jumpers / tops look odd. Many mums I see on school runs rock the leggings look but are tiny! Any suggestions would be so welcome

I am a similar age but a lot larger than you and I buy a lot of my things from white stuff and h and m. White stuff in particular do some very nice wide legged jeans with some stretch in them that are very comfortable. But - I have to say even though to you - going from a size 8 to a size 12 - it seems like you’re suddenly a larger size, size 12 is still a small size…! If you want to wear leggings go for it. I mean, even if you were a size 20 (like me) and want to wear leggings go for it, but certainly at a size 12 don’t overthink things too much.

i worded it badly 😞
it’s not the size - i think it’s still small, it’s my body shape - my waist is relatively small but my thighs are very big and covered in cellulite and my tummy feels bloated and any denim feels so uncomfortable. hence hiding away in baggy tops and jogging bottoms. Leggings look awful on me as my thighs go out (think the unflattering term are saddle bags) and I just look so bulgy I’m now avoiding all mirrors.

Thank you so much for the tips, I will look into them!