Shrinking violet.

[Melcombe]

Well, not that violet really.

Im encountering a bit of a problem that Id not really anticipated a few years ago when I started acquiring a collection of bespoke suits and coats.

Im shrinking.

- Probably in a good way, really. It all appears to stem from having given up alcohol. I did this initially to see how I would get on, but I began to feel so much better generally, I have stuck with it.

I don't think I ever drank excessively (unless the occasion demanded it!) - only 2-3 small glasses of wine a night. I'm now 18 months on and the weight has been coming off fairly steadily despite a renewed enthusiasm for puddings.

My suits from 5+ years ago do now rather hang on me. I had generally carried quite a lot of weight on my upper abdomen, so my chest circumference has dropped about 1-1.5" and waist about the same.

The big question is... should I get them nipped in a bit? Is this a successful operation generally? My concern here is that the looseness is sort of under the arms and I anticipate it might involve a bit of re-crafting of the sleeve head to do really well.

Any experiences of this sort of thing?

I suppose the alternative is to keep them for winter and wear a cardigan underneath...

[lxlloyd]

Better to shrink than to grow, since removing volume is somewhat simpler. my father's (perfectly normal) penchant for wine has seen him lose the ability to squeeze in to many of his older bespeaked suits!

I would wait for a bit... use your winter cardigan solution since autumn is coming... and see how permanent a loss this is! It may be that your new found love of puddings coupled with the season of puddings and cold weather might reverse your situation....

Take a decision once you've settled that you're not removing something that you may need again!

[Costi]

...nevertheless, even if postponed as advised, it is perfectly possible. I speak from experience...

But you see, you give up a pleasure only to lose another. Is it worth going down this road?

[Melcombe]

But you see, you give up a pleasure only to lose another. Is it worth going down this road?

Ha!

I've also been using it as an excuse to add to the wardrobe as well. And a summer suit that had always been on the tighter side of comfortable is now a popular wearer.

I've had a few moments contemplating the future direction of being alcohol free.

The experience has been a little unexpected : I gave up partly because I wanted to prove to myself that I had the willpower to stop. I found that I could. So that was nice.

Then after about 6 weeks came the morning sleepiness. It seems that alcohol stops you sleeping deeply. Without a background level, you go into a deeper and deeper sleep and later into the night. For a few weeks it made waking up a bit of a chore, but that all settled down.

Then came the chocolate ice-cream cravings - not for the taste but the sensation of chewing (yes, chewing) not over-sweet ice-cream (bizarre, I know). My dentist suggested that this sort of thing is quite common - the supermarket started giving me money off coupons on ice-cream too. Whats not to like?

After about 6 months came a real improvement in my general feeling of well being - as well as the weight loss, although that had been a steady progression even from the start. In particular, joints stopped aching after exertion and the usual fetching-and-carrying seemed noticeably less of a chore. Its this last element that is keeping me off the idea of even modest return to any sort of drinking - for now anyway!

We'll see what the (late) summer holiday brings. Sicily may be difficult to see properly without some local wines to sample...

[Costi]

Dear Melcombe, all respect for your exercise of willpower.
I was also pretty proud of myself when I quit smoking Since then I have come to believe that real will would be smoking just one or two a day, without stopping altogether and without ramping up to full 60. In other words, a daily exercise of willpower, rather than a big one-off.
But I agree the ultimate test might be the holidays in Sicily!

[Luca]

The more experience I accumulate, the more obvious it becomes that everything I needed to know about life (as opposed to professional, technical expertise), I was taught by my grandparents before I turned 12.

They always said: "everything in moderation".

[alden]

Melcombe

A glass of wine or even two will not harm your diet on the condition that you do not drink them as an aperitif ie on an empty stomach. It is best to wait until half way through your meal to drink your quota of wine for the night. The sugars will be absorbed with the food and will not be sent directly via the pancreas to be stocked as fat.

I try to look at these enlarging temptations neither from a moderation or will power point of view, as I am extremely weak on both counts. Instead, I try to think of competing sets of pleasures. The pleasure of being fit, healthy, well dressed and attractive lasts 24 hours of every day, 365 days a year. The pleasure of that last glass of wine, slice of cake, the double shot of good whiskey (I am defeating my own argument) lasts only a few moments and is instantly regretted. So it is more pleasurable to choose a pleasure that lasts all day than one that extinguishes in a flicker.

Cheers

[Costi]

...an instant on the lips, forever on the hips...

With regard to pleasure, my memory is very weak: the momentary one is the only one. And the only certainty, too. That may not be very sustainable, I admit...

[Mark Seitelman]

I had a good weight loss, and I had some of my suits altered. But then I gained back some weight, and the altered suits were too tight. Now, I lost some weight, and I am back to where I was. I have had my ups and downs over the course of 10 years. I have an inventory of suits in various sizes.

A real tailor can make the alterations. But be aware that the alterations can be quite expensive if they are done right. Check the price before. Often the garment has be to taken apart and recut and then sewn back together. It may not be a simple matter of "nipping-in" the waist. However, the new suit will fit like new as long you maintain your weight.

First, make sure that you have reached a stable weight. My tailor correctly advised that after a weight loss there is a bit of a gain. Some gain a few pounds. Some gain all that they lost and more.

I recommend having your tailor alter just one or two suits. Do not alter your entire inventory. You can alter the others when you are sure that you have stabilized.

Also, think twice about spending hundreds on an alteration on a suit that "has had its time" or one that you do not wear often. It may be better to put the money toward a new garment.