Beyond The Bodice

[beyondthebodice]

For me, corset training has not meant a reduction in my appetite necessarily. I know that this is one of the “perks” of corset and waist training, but in reality I didn’t eat that much to begin with. What it HAS done though, is reduce my waist size, which has been the goal all along. In...

[beyondthebodice]

Gosh, I didn't realize that this became somewhat of a hot button issue. I hope people don't think that I was trying to shame anyone or say "you're doing it wrong". I actually started corset training because I wanted curves when I felt like I had none. The reason I even posted was because I kept hearing "Oh, you don't need to lose weight" or other things like that when I said I was waist training and I was kind of sick of it. I'm not using it as a fad diet to get a beach body or because I saw it in some magazine. I have loved the look of corsets for as long as I can remember, and now that I'm an adult, I decided that I loved it enough to embrace it as a lifestyle. Sorry if that got misconstrued by my original post.

[beyondthebodice]

All Corset Results Are Not Created Equal

For me, corset training has not meant a reduction in my appetite necessarily. I know that this is one of the "perks" of corset and waist training, but in reality I didn't eat that much to begin with. What it HAS done though, is reduce my waist size, which has been the goal all along. In addition to this, I work out as well as do intermittent fasting (8 hours on/16 hours off), which means I only eat between the hours of noon and 8 PM each day. This has really helped jump start my metabolism. You can read more about Intermittent Fasting here or you can get even more customized advice from my fiancee who is an NASM-certified personal trainer. Basically I guess what I'm saying is, the corset isn't the end-all, be-all solution. It looks hot as hell but at the end of the day, if you aren't taking good care of yourself otherwise, it will be a hollow (and potentially short-lived) victory.

[beyondthebodice]

As you can (hopefully) tell, I have not stopped wearing corsets even though I haven’t been updating the blog. This is my second Orchard Corset and I love it even more than my first! I went with a longer underbust corset this time and am very pleased. I won’t lie though, I felt a bit winded at times today. I have been feeling somewhat jittery even though I only has a single cup of coffee this morning (which usually has no side effects for me) and I think it might have been my corset lol. It was laced very tight today but the laces on the back are still so wide that the modesty cover doesn’t fully cover the back section. It makes me feel like the first underbust that I got was easy street compared to this. This corset should get me down to a 20 inch waist, hopefully by November. I wish I had measured myself this morning but tomorrow is a new day :)

[fringefashion-blog]

Custom Overbust for Burlesque outfit in red dupioni with lurex tulle, covered zip, back lacing — by Alige Corsetry and Dahlya Naif.

[beyondthebodice]

Gorgeous!

[beyondthebodice]

Corset Training Day 1 (for real this time) This photo was taken before Ryan fully tightened it but I am definitely feeling the constricting difference between the corset I wore last week and the steel boned one above. It finally arrived on Friday which was good because it allowed me to break it in over a few days before wearing it to work today. I've had it on since 6:30 this morning and although my back hurts, otherwise I'm in good shape. I'm kind of nervous about eating lunch but we will see what happens then. :)

Over the weekend, I worked out with Ryan and lifted weights a bit. I'm still doing my intermittent fasting which has kept me at 22% body fat even as my weight has fluctuated between 130 and 133.8. I know it doesn't seem like much but for me, my body needs to be in amazing shape to cosplay at blizzcon. I'm not one of those girls who will feel good dressing up unless I look like I put some work in. Working out plus intermittent fasting plus corset training will hopefully get me into my ideal shape in time for blizzcon and then the wedding. :) xoxo Lexi

[beyondthebodice]

Corset Training - Day (-1)

After my post yesterday, I was fortunate enough to get a reblog with a comment about staying away from Corset Story and getting an actual training corset. I followed that excellent advice from The Corset Authority and purchased this from Orchard Corset.

  After yesterday's escapade of wearing a corset that was meant for "fashion" rather than training, I decided that there is one way to do this, and that a steel boned corset is the right way. I bought it in white so I could use it under my wedding dress if necessary.The price was definitely right at $69, especially because this is truly an investment for me.

 Although I'm not wearing a corset today (hence the -1 in the title), I'm trying to maintain my (relatively) good posture from yesterday as much as possible. My shoulders hurt a bit today but otherwise I am in good shape. :) My new corset arrives tomorrow and I could not be more excited! I will definitely remember to wear something underneath the corset tomorrow to make it easier on my skin.

Continuing my self-improvement project, I decided to purchase a Baiden Mitten. It is really one of the best things I have ever bought for my skin. It doesn't look like it could really do much as it somewhat resembles a bathing mitt you might buy at the dollar store, but boy does it work!

The best way to use it is to soak in the tub in water as hot as you can take for about 20 minutes. Then, stand up in the tub and start rubbing the mitten in an up and down motion over your whole body. The dead skin starts to slough off and a new layer of soft skin is in its place. I bought it to try to extend my self tanner (which I will be trying tonight) because the self tanner I purchased had a review recommending the Baiden Mitten to extend it, so I thought why not?! I will update on that tomorrow. :)

[beyondthebodice]

Corset Training - Day 1

After reading the 40 Days of Dating blog, I have been inspired to write about my journey doing corset training. I know I'm not the first to write about it or the last, but I feel like maybe I'll be able to share some insight for someone who is considering going the same route.

I've always been considered a "skinny" girl in my adult life and really didn't have to watch what I ate very often. Now that I'm a bit older (1 year from 30 AHH), I notice that I have more fat around my midsection than I am used to or comfortable with. I have a few goals I want to meet ultimately before April 12, 2014 (I'm getting married!), so between that time and now, I need to meet some milestones.

In addition, November 8 and 9th will be the geekfest known as Blizzcon. Although I have been going to the convention since their very first one in 2005, I have never dressed up with the other cosplayers but have decided that this year will be the year. I am hesitant to outline my plan until I have more of the costume put together, but suffice to say, it is one that Chris Metzen himself is looking forward to as it hasn't been done before. (No pressure or anything, right?!) I need to get into shape mostly for myself, because as I said, most people think that I look fine the way I am. My parents worry about me losing too much weight because there was a time when I was scarily skinny.

I was existing on a diet of soda, beer, Cheez-Its and Goldfish crackers. Oh and fast food. Lots and lots of fast food. I never realized how unhealthy I was living until I went to Thailand in 2009 and lost 15 pounds just by eating fresh, amazing food. My skin cleared up and I actually felt GOOD for the first time in my adult life. It didn't last, however, and up until this year I was still living on largely a fast food diet.

My inspiration these days largely rests on the shoulders of my fiancee, Ryan Lee. My unhealthy ways had a direct effect on his health, even though he tells me it wasn't my fault. When you are in a relationship, you eat together, right? I ate what I wanted with no side effects while he gained 80 lbs.

Now, he is an NASM certified personal trainer after going through over two years of hell to lose the weight on his own. He knows how hard it is for people to not only change their eating habits but change their lifestyles. He had no outside motivation except for the words of his doctor, who told him that if he didn't lose the weight, he would be dead by the time he was 35. He had high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and more health issues at age 25 than anyone should. He completely changed his life and inspires others every day to do so.

So what does this have to do with my corset training? I have always admired the shapely figures of pinup girls and I want to have something similar to that. As I am small chested, having a shapely body in other ways is important to me. I have no illusions that corset training will give me the body I have always wanted. But I do know that it will change my body in a visually pleasing way (to me at least), and it CAN help with fat around the midsection. Because I am saving for  (has to be paid by the 15th!), buying a training corset was not quite in the cards for me this month. Enter: my black corset from corset-story.com.

I actually purchased this and two other corsets for Blizzcon two years ago but had never taken the tag off of this particular corset. It is a size small and I quickly realized that it doesn't quite "fit" the way it should. I had to unlace the back a LOT to even be able to fasten the front. I don't recommend trying to do this at 5 AM after just waking up, but this is the life I lead lol. I managed to unlace it enough to put it on and tie it myself. Ryan measured me last night and my waist was 31(!) inches. I remember a time when I was 27 inches. What the heck happened?! With the corset on, my waist slimmed to 28 inches. I have done quite a bit of research about corset training over the last two years and I am sad to say that I didn't heed the advice of one blogger who said to wear a tank top underneath the corset. This would have saved me from some of the itchiness that my skin is being subjected to. After looking again at the corset I bought, it looks like I might actually have to invest in a real training corset as this one is marked as "for fashion only". 

Pre-Lunch Observations:

- ITCHY

- Tight (duh)

- My back hurts due to my excessive slouching (I sit behind a desk on a computer all day long)

- When I'm walking around, I feel empowered because it is making me stand up straight. For some reason, it has given me even more confidence.

More soon! :)