I seriously need some help...

[groverb2003]

Ok guys! Just fyi before I post a pic. I spent the better part of the last decade in a uniform, dressing the same way I did in college when I went out. I get out of the Army and gain weight, and now none of my awesome clothes fit and I had to go out and buy what I could afford at the time. Since then, financials have stabilized a bit and I'm able to go out and get some more clothes.

I KNOW I NEED CLOTHES. I also know that this picture highlights my gut, which is an unavoidable fact of life for me now. What I want to concentrate on is hiding it or downplaying it so that it doesn't become a factor that women look at and say no to. Any advice and helpful tips (And perhaps even some suggestions of things to purchase) would be very much appreciated and welcome!

I tend to dress "preppy" with collared shirts and polos. Maybe even some button ups and when I really need to dress to impress, I go with a shirt and tie. Since my sizes have increased, it's hard to find really good clothing that does what I want it to with this style. I used to go out and buy strictly American Eagle apparel. Not anymore. AE doesn't carry my size, sadly.

Well, without further adieu, here we go!

This one was taken about 10 minutes ago.


This one was about a year ago.


Any help would be appreciated! Thanks all!

Grover

[Kid Brock]

First grooming: Keep hair real short like in pic a year ago, or shave head. I like the facial hair from a year ago. The one more recent may be the same, but could not tell as good from the pic further away.

Jeans: What size waist are you? I am a big guy also, I have found that Sean John brand jeans. and jeans from Buckle fit me best. The jeans from Big and Tall stores have always been much too baggy for me. You need jeans that fit you tighter. I can tell from the pic that they are much too loose on you.

Shirt: The button down shirt from a year ago looks better, not sure how well it fit in that pic. The blue shirt with black t-shirt does bot look good on you. I do not recommend wearing t-shirts under a shirt. But if you absolutely have to wear a t-shirt. get a wife beater. The wife beater will allow you to unbutton the top 2 buttons without seeing the t-shirt.

Accessories: Looks like you have no accessories. A couple of rings, nice watch, necklace, etc... will look good on you.

Shoes: What shoes are you wearing with these outfits?

[groverb2003]

Grooming: Facial hair is the same in both pictures but I had just trimmed in the one from a year ago so it looks shorter. The hair on the top of the head is also the same, but looks shorter in the second because of the angle. I don't have much to lose, so buzzing wouldn't be a big loss I don't think, if that's what you were meaning. I attempted the bald thing also as well as a mohawk and I had more people that liked the mohawk with beard combination. I'm not sure I want to try the mohawk though lol Seems a bit gimmicky.

Jeans: The ones I have are size 42 waist. They fall off me. I bought them because I have really big thighs and couldn't find any that fit around them besides those. I'll check out Sean John and Buckle right after I'm finished with this reply.

Shirt: Button down shirt is part of my regular rotation. Where's good places to get good button downs? Also, I try to wear a t-shirt under my shirts because I have a lot of chest hair and I wouldn't think people want to see my hamburger hanging out lol

Accessories: I had some watches and necklaces awhile back but I kept breaking them or losing them, so I stopped wearing them. Any recommendations? I used to do silver because I thought gold looked gaudy.

Shoes: I wear black boots most of the time. I have sneakers that I try to exercise in so I try not to wear them with outfits much. Any recommendations on shoes?

[Syrrah]

I would ditch the glasses. Go with contacts. That's the only thing that I can really put my finger on. But that blue shirt — it's begging to be donated. I don't particularly care for polos. They don't really brand you as cool or sexy or attractive.

If you watch the first season of the The Pickup Artist, there's a bigger guy in there, and he did quite well. Even when they had a pool party, and this guy was in a thong. But as for style, Mystery had him go with a suit and some accessories. "Part-owner of a nightclub" type look, was how he put it. Own up to your body type, and put yourself across as being the boss. That's one direction you could go, anyway.

By the way, have you read Bravo's blog post on style? http://bravopua.com/blog/page/14/

[Moiser]

Hey Grover,

I would definitely think about buzzing your hair.

I also know that this picture highlights my gut, which is an unavoidable fact of life for me now.

Why is your gut an unavoidable fact of life for you?

I would ditch the glasses. Go with contacts.

I agree.

[Jackfrost]

.

[groverb2003]

The biggest issue I'm having with the gut is the things that I have tried to do to lose it. I've gone through a modified round of Insanity, one that I can do with my back and knee issues, and I walk daily. The Insanity didn't work out well since it's modified and the walking tends to keep me stable in terms of my weight. I don't really see things getting better, but I also don't see them getting worse. Does anyone have any recommendations on this? I hear yoga is pretty good at losing weight, but I'm not so sure with the bending and stuff.

To quote a particular President, I have clippers and a bathroom, and I'm not afraid to use them. I suppose I could buzz my hair before I go out and get some good button downs. It'd be a good first start and a turn around.

I tend to eat healthy. I fix meals to take to work during the week, usually chicken with some form of veggie or grain. I try to eat every 4 hours to keep the metabolism working also. I know a little bit about health, but it seems to not be cooperating on my side of things Everything worked out well before my injuries and being laid up for a couple of months. Afterwards, I blew up.

So there's my story in a nutshell. I'll go buzz my head now and get ready to go get some shirts lol

[Moiser]

I'll go buzz my head now and get ready to go get some shirts lol

Nice!

The biggest issue I'm having with the gut is the things that I have tried to do to lose it. I've gone through a modified round of Insanity, one that I can do with my back and knee issues, and I walk daily. The Insanity didn't work out well since it's modified and the walking tends to keep me stable in terms of my weight. I don't really see things getting better, but I also don't see them getting worse. Does anyone have any recommendations on this? I hear yoga is pretty good at losing weight, but I'm not so sure with the bending and stuff.

Regarding your gut, if you think you've got your diet down, I would consider talking with a personal trainer if you can spare the cash. They might be in a better position to advise you on how to work out without aggregating the past injury to your back.

[Bravo]

Maestro and I were putting on some lbs. we did a 30 day diet challenge thread.

It worked great. We both lost weight.

I'm done to 188 now. Was 228 at my heaviest.

I still eat like a king too!

[groverb2003]

Maestro and I were putting on some lbs. we did a 30 day diet challenge thread.

It worked great. We both lost weight.

I'm done to 188 now. Was 228 at my heaviest.

I still eat like a king too!

This is the heaviest I've EVER been when I wasn't lifting weights. Sure, I've weighed 275 before, but I was also bench pressing 500 pounds at the time (This was back in high school and during college).

I buzzed the hair off this morning. Didn't get any shirts just yet. My card got hacked and my banks sending me another. I added Bravo on Facebook so he may have seen the photo I posted. I'll head to the gym I workout at on Monday and see if the personal trainer is available. I get a free consult for being a member so that's always good. Hopefully they can help me with losing the poundage.

Also, where is the 30 day diet challenge thread? I searched and couldn't find it. I'd like to give it a shot and see what I can do. I'm a foodie and cook so it should make for an interesting month!

Thanks guys for all your help! I look forward to doing more as time goes on.