With Valentine’s around the corner it’s no surprise that many of us are still scrambling around looking for the perfect gift.  No matter who you spend your day with make sure you spend your time showing those you care about most how much they are loved.   For all of us last minute shoppers here’s a great bouquet of HANKY PANKY panties that any girl will be thrilled to wear underneath her plus size clothing.

When I first got pregnant all I could think about was the intense health risks that could potentially bring complications to my pregnancy.  My physician and I sat down and talked out a plan to get my health in the right track.  It wasn’t about getting my weight down so I would no longer have to wear plus size clothing but getting my body strong enough to be able to nurture my unborn baby. If you are pregnant or plan to be here are few helpful tips on staying healthy during pregnancy.

1. Drink Water

• You should be drinking water all the time.

• Staying hydrated is very important to your health and will keep your hunger in check.

• 8-10 glasses of water per day.

2. Regular Meals

• You should only be eating breakfast, lunch, dinner and two small snacks.

• Keep your meals well proportioned.

• You should only be consuming up to 2,400 calories per day.

3. Avoid Sweet Drinks

• Stay away from beverages packed with sugar.

• Stick with non-fat milk and unsweetened drinks

4. Exercise

• You don’t have to do an intense cardio workout but even a 30minute walk around the park will make a difference.

5. Food Journal

• A journal is a perfect way to keep track of what and how much you eat.

• You can show your journal to your physician to see what if you may need to modify your daily routine.

• Don’t cheat when writing everything down. Remember you are looking out for your health and most important the health of your baby. 

At times the thing I hate most about my body is the fact that I have no waist.  I’ve had to learn many different tricks on how to wear my plus size clothing so that it appears like I have a waist.  If this is a problem area for you try some of these tricks to see which one works for you.

• High Waisted ALine Skirts- an ALine skirt flows out from the body to emphasize the smaller part of your waist, without making your tummy noticeable.

• Cropped Vest or Jacket- a cropped vest or jacket will bring the attention to one of the woman’s best assets, her boobs.  Best worn over a tank or tee.

• Blazers- blazers or jackets with detailing on the waist and fitted at the shoulders are structured to give the body a shapely waist. 

• Belts- big belts always make for a tiny waist.

• Empire Waist- an empire waist accentuates the smaller part of your torso and brings attention to the boob area.

Who knew the day would come when having a big butt wouldn’t be such a negative body issue?  Not only is having a big butt eye candy but studies show it is actually a positive health attribute. 

A study was done at Harvard University where fat from the butt was injected into the mice’s stomach later showing that the mice body weight and overall fat mass decreased.  Fat that is wrapped around organs known as visceral fat is the fat that we should be trying to get rid of because it causes bad health. 

This good fat that is found around the butt is known as subcutaneous fat which produces hormones that are known to boost a person’s metabolism.  Because the fat is lying underneath the skin of the buttocks a good result is produced. 

Amongst lowering body fat having extra fat in the butt can help fight against heart disease.  Fat under the skin, especially on the buttocks, seems to actually decrease the chances of getting type two diabetes. 

So the next time someone mentions how big your butt looks in your plus size clothing smile and say thanks. Little do they know but that big butt is decreasing the levels of bad cholesterol and increasing the levels of good cholesterol in your body.  It is finally good news for all of us pear shaped, hour glass, curvaceous women.

Just because we wear plus size clothing does not mean we can’t look good in it.  There are many ways to wear clothing that is flattering to the full figured woman.  First it is very important to know what body shape you have.  Everything you wear should be based off of the type of body you have, you should be able to properly place clothes and accessories on your body.  Once you have this down it will be easy to give your body the hourglass figure that is known to be the best eye candy to the human eye. 

• Dress with dark colors. Dark colored clothes from head to toe make for a slimmer figure.  To get rid of the boring look of all black top your outfit off with a bright colored accessory.

• Dress in clean lined clothing. Clothing with too many details visually adds pounds to your figure. 

• Dress in vertical detailed clothing. Clothing with vertical pleats and strips, zip fronts and cable patterns visually subtract pounds from your figure.

• Dress in accessories to your size. Accessories should be big, like wide belts, thick jewelry and big bags. 

• Dress in long scarves.  This winter season invest in scarves that will hang.  The dangling look vertically makes you appear longer. 

• Dress in a body shaper.  Wearing a body shaper underneath your clothing will smooth out any unwanted bumpy areas.  Body shapers were not just made for plus size women; even a size two model will wear a shaper if needed.  It’s a quick fix for those little problem areas. 

Knowing what shape your body falls into means you can pick the best clothing to flatter your figure.  No matter what size you are, choosing the wrong clothes can ALWAYS make you appear bigger.