I've been lax on reporting on my corset waist-training project. Chalk that up to just busy-ness related to publishing. I am still wearing my corset daily. I'm definitely hooked on them. I don't feel good when I take it off for extended periods of time, though did when my cold moved into my chest. The coughing made my ribs hurt so it had little to do with the corset. I do still sleep in one.
So far I've lost 21 pounds on the diet. I definitely feel it all over. Certainly my shape has changed as when I take the corset off, the posture remains and there is definition to my abdominal and lower back muscles. I also find I can sit in previously uncomfortable hard chairs (like stools, folding chairs, or benches in restaurants) without aching. It's funny how we blame the chair when the real culprit is our posture. My plan now is to increase exercise. My back and arm pains have not returned so I attribute that to the corset mainly, with the added plus of weight loss.
I don't notice any problems breathing with the single exception of the chest cold. An interesting tidbit I learned is that notion of corsets causing internal organ damage or breathing problems may be due, in part, to the ad campaigns of German clothing manufacturers at the turn of last century. Some of their ads were aimed at pulling business away from French manufacturers who specialized in corsets at the time. We saw the same thing happen with Absinthe. Rumors were started, in some cases--physicians bribed to make false claims, ads run as actual news articles in attempts to sway public opinion away from a product. Proof that media literacy is a
must to any consumer of any generation.
Back to my update. I've gotten used to squatting when picking up things. I'd say my largest problem was dealing with wiping the behind after using the restroom. I found a nice little rubber arm thing at a store with indigent patient medical supplies. I use flushable baby wipes with it and it works great. I actually feel cleaner than I did with just plain toilet paper.
Most people don't notice me wearing the corset beneath my clothes in public. One fellow accidentally elbowed my chest when standing in line at the bus station. His expression was priceless because it made a thunk sound. I'm sure he thought I had wooden breasts but wouldn't ask. Grin.
What I'm wearing overtop makes a difference in whether people notice also. A soft or light sweater, definitely reveals it. You can see the lower edge definition if I have sweat pants on but not with jeans. Darker colors are a plus and darned few notice if I have a blazer or jacket on over my shirt. I've picked up a few nice suit jackets and a tuxedo jacket from the thrift store to wear overtop. I hope to sew a few over the holidays as well.
In summer, I won't need the extra shirt and it will still look cute. I also found corsets which are halter tops at
www.corsetstory.com. The interesting thing is the corsets I use all have steel boning in them. I find the satin fabric less comfortable than brocade or velvet.
That's it for this update. I'll jump on and post a couple more pictures over the weekend.
