We all make New Years Resolutions, and one of the most common resolutions is to lose weight, or “live healthier.” For me, it has unfortunately become an annual thing. From January to May or early June I really work hard on losing weight and eating right, and as summer gets going I find it easier to eat lighter and be active. But once football season rolls around, the sun doesn’t rise as early and I always fall into the same trap. I succumb to the temptations of bar food and snacks and I stop working out as my clothing gets heavier and masks my physique. After Christmas, the number on the scale is back to where I never wanted it be again when I began the process in January.
I know I am not alone in such a struggle, but if you’re like me when it comes to underwear, I buy the most underwear when I am feeling the best about my body. For me, that happens to be in the summer, when I almost always need to go down a pant size (but won’t because I know I’ll just give into temptation in the Fall), I am tan and look more like a professional athlete than the desk-jockey I am. But if you are like me and give into temptation and start eating poorly as Winter approaches, those sexy briefs that made you look like Apollo in July start to make you feel like Chris Farley in the Chippendale’s sketch.
I don’t think I’d be going out on a limb to say that for a lot of us underwear aficionados, nothing can make you start feeling poorly about yourself than when a pair of underwear you love goes from sexy to unflattering in the matter of just a couple of months. The best remedy to avoid this feeling is obvious–continue to eat and workout like you’re always preparing for Summer. But it’s January, and we are all diligently watching our calories, and working out when we can (right?!). Our bodies, softened from the last two months of seemingly constant temptation, don’t look the greatest in some of our favorite pairs. So what can we do that offers a temporary fix to this temporary (right?!) problem?
The underwear savants here at UNB have long advised our readers to diversify their underwear drawers, so if you struggle to maintain that summer body as you go into the late Fall and Winter months, you need to think about getting some pairs you know you’ll always look your best in, no matter how trim you are. Follow these three tricks to keep yourself looking great and feeling good on your way to that body you’ll have in a few months.
Trick #1: Bigger Can Be Better
If your like me and your love handles tend to re-appear as you near Christmas, it may be a good idea to stow away a few pairs in your favorite brands and styles that happen to be a size larger than your normal underwear. XL and L are sizes that are almost always available when the big underwear brands go on sale or clearance on sites like Freshpair.com or MensUnderwearStore.com, so this trick isn’t going to hurt your wallet. And if you’re a Small normally, while you may not find clearance-priced Mediums, those websites always have substantial sales going on. Finally, pay attention to how your favorite brands run for sizing. Big, American labels like 2(X)ist and Calvin Klein run fairly big, which affords you to stay in your favorite styles while only changing size.
Trick #2: Know that There is no “Cut” Above the Rest…
Cut and Fit. These are the two factors that can turn a good looking pair of underwear into a not-so-good looking pair of underwear once you’ve got them on. If you’re like me and prefer more athletically cut, bikini or hip briefs but have been known to put on some weight towards the end of the year, they can get tight in certain areas and loose in others. This is the “cut” affecting the “fit” and this is where the importance of diversity in your underwear drawer really comes in. So if you’ve put on a few extra pounds but maybe Trick #1 is not necessary, a great way to feel better about your appearance in your skivvies is to stock several “cuts” of underwear.
Trick #3: Dial Down the Skimpiness
Not feeling great in these? Try these instead.
No matter what your preference when it comes to your go-to underwear cuts and styles, when you’re carrying some “Winter Weight” you’re going to look (and feel) your best when every thing is covered or contained comfortably and stylishly. No guy carries their extra pounds in the same place as the next guy, but a trick I use in these winter months I call the, “Next-Less-Skimpy Rule.” It’s sort of the cumulative result of the first two tricks but shouldn’t necessitate you going out and buying more underwear.
Here’s how I apply the Next-Less-Skimpy Rule: If I get a pair on and its not fitting how I like it to fit, or it is entirely unflattering when I catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror, I drop them to the floor, fold them and pick a pair that provides the next-less-skimpy look and feel. Recently, I couldn’t get my butt all the way into a pair of skimpier Body Aware briefs. I folded them back up and put on a pair of CK hip briefs. I looked and felt a heck of a lot better in an instant.
