Jeans. At last!

I wore jeans today... and felt good. I can't quite believe it, but it's true.

I've been looking for some that fit me 'properly' for an age now - by this I mean they should hold my flab in check without making me (and my bloated belly) look and feel like a beached whale, but equally are not so tight they cut off all circulation to my lower extremities.

They should comfortably fit across the broad expanse of hips (oh yes, I do indeed define the term 'broad') but without the waistband gaping at the back as they are too big at the waist. The stretch-denim options sometimes do this, but then are too tight at the top of my thighs, thus accentuating the flabby belly all over again. I've been close to giving up as nothing I tried in any of the clothes shops seemed to cover all bases.

I'd already tried on a variety of sizes of just about every range my local (very large) Marks & Spencer store had to offer, but to no avail. Off topic a bit, but I struggle to understand how a size 18 in one range can be so tight that, if I can pull the blasted things up, I can barely breathe, yet a size 16 in another range is too big on the waist. A size 20 in yet another is OK, except for the legs - way too tight at the calf. And all these in the same store? I thought 'sizes' were supposed to be universal!

Then a chance encounter with a second-hand pair from M&S in a charity shop (obviously from an old range of theirs) was a moment of pure bliss. They just fitted right - and they are pristine - it doesn't look like they've ever been worn. They are a size 18, but already I can see that they will soon be too big for me. OK, one small problem - the legs were too long, but half an hour with needle and thread sorts that out.

The best part was walking around in public feeling 'normal' wearing denim again. There were a lot of people in jeans who were bigger than me, so I felt almost average. Well done to the exercise (especially the abs crunches) for helping me along the way.