Many women I know are constantly going through an internal battle with themselves. They are either unhappy because they are eating all the delicious food they want, but don't maintain their desired weight, or they go on very strict diets and restrict themselves in culinary pleasures in order to look good in their favourite dress or bathing suit.

This is a battle I have fought with myself for many years of my life, swinging back and forth on the weight pendulum. We have to ask ourselves whether this internal battle is worth fighting the way that we often fight it. I found myself unhappy in both extremes.

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Is it worth living in a constant state of denial, having to choose between feeling good about your weight and feeling attractive, or being able to eat what you like without feeling guilt or internal and external pressure?

There is no substitute for healthy eating and exercise, and there is no doubt that that is the long-term end goal. But change and self-improvement are a long, challenging, and personal process, and it starts with you making a decision to feel good about yourself right now.

Before I discovered the secrets of "optical weight loss", which I will share with you below, I felt that every day I had to make a choice. The choice was how many calories I was willing to consume, how much self-control I would exert that day, because it translated into what I was willing to see on my bathroom scale the day after.

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The weight battle is a battle that many women, especially after age 40, are fighting. I am not here to tell you whether you should or should not fight it. Rather, I believe you should be happy with whatever decision you make. And when I discovered that my choice of clothing can support my decision, whichever side the pendulum was swinging, I couldn't believe the results and the positive effect it had on my life.

The internal battle eases when you can stand in front of a mirror and feel happy and comfortable with how you look, right here, right now. Are you happy? I really hope you are. But if you are not, and not everyone is, I have some tips for you to visually correct your natural body figure and achieve that "weight loss" look that you want without having to shave the extra pounds.

Step 1

To start, you have to assess your figure objectively. Know your assets and imperfections to determine what features you want to emphasize and which you will disguise using a proper choice of clothing.

An objective assessment of our body shape is difficult, given the fact that we can't see ourselves outside our own bodies from the eyes of a stranger. The tools that we use to assess ourselves, such as a mirror or scale, do not provide an objective and coherent picture either. Why? Because the most important thing is not your weight or waistline – it is all about your proportions!

It is the harmony of proportions in your body relative to each other that make your figure more appealing. In the mirror, we see a distorted image because we are typically standing too close. A scale and a measuring tape won't help us either.

Professionals use a methodology called the ideal proportion test mannequin that allows you to assess your figure from the outside and assess your unique proportions. At home, taking a full height photo will help get a similar result. No one is perfect, and the figure of every woman has strengths as well as room for improvement. Therefore, the first step is to objectively assess your figure.

Step 2

The second step is to define which areas of your body you will use visual "tricks" and "illusions" to either draw attention or conceal! Perhaps your best feature is a slender waist and beautiful neck. By selecting a fitted silhouette and accessories close to the neck, you draw the eyes of others to your most attractive features. Treat your "accent zone" as an opportunity to use bright, bold accessories!

Example – accessories that draw focus in your outfit

Step 3

As for the areas that you prefer to conceal, you will need to employ optical illusion techniques. If you need to visually enlarge any part of the body, choose bright, shiny, textured fabrics and horizontal designs (horizontal stripes, for example), keeping in mind that any detailing in that areas also works to enlarge or draw attention.

If you need to visually "reduce" something, wear solid coloured, matte, smooth fabric in that area! Don't forget that any special design element such as a graphic or embroidery will create volume in that area. The exception is certain vertical stripe patterns, which give you visual height.

Examples

Example 1 – dresses that slim your figure

Example 2 – dresses that fill out your figure

Remember – by knowing all your unique features of your beautiful figure, you will be able to effectively emphasize or conceal any areas of your body that you wish.

All of this information can be easily translated into the framework of what we call a rational wardrobe. A rational wardrobe consists of a few carefully selected quality garments and accessories that work together flawlessly in endless combinations. Combine with clothes handpicked to highlight your very best features, and you have a killer combination.