{Orchard Corset Satin CS-201 Waspie}
I've receive a lot of questions lately, so I'm happy to present some answers to your recent inquiries!
How do you know if you're lacing too tight?
I always say, my #1 rule is to listen to your body. It is much better to take things slowly than to try to force your body to respond more quickly. This will only ultimately lead to the necessity to move even slower. It's also a trial and error, and sometimes an hour to hour sense of gauging. I won't deny that wearing corsets requires some amount of patience, but there is also some lenience in the sense that there are no formal "rules." In one day I sometimes wear 2 different corsets and loosen/tighten each a couple times. You'll know you're tying to tight if you have any pain at all, or if you have a high amount of discomfort. Actually, there should be very little discomfort except for just simple a lack in mobility. You should feel pressure of it's squeeze, but honestly I don't allow for too much discomfort. So, listen to your body and adjust your laces accordingly.
What is your diet? Do you simply waist train or do you eat specific foods and avoid others?
I'm excited to talk you about this a little bit, because I've undergone a bit of a "nutritional enlightenment" throughout the past 5-6 years. After living in Italy for 2 years, I realized that the American way of life is generally incredibly unhealthy. When you live in Italy (not just visit and eat out at the restaurants) you come to realize just how valuable fresh ingredients are. We spent countless meals inside the homes of Italian families, from Rome to the small outskirts of Rome, to the Castelli Romani, to the heart of Tuscany and beyond. Before moving to the city center, we lived in a small town among rolling vineyards and olive trees. Growing ingredients and cultivating grapes/olives were as common as having rose bushes on our own suburban lawns in the US.
To make a very long story short, my husband and I could not go back to our previous way of living once we returned to the US. Now we are probably 80-90% package-free, as I believe that almost any (yes, including 'organic') packaged and mass produced product contains far less nutrients than made from scratch or from the ground. I'm proud to say that we truly live this way, and we've never felt more energy. We also rarely are sick, even with colds. Also, I've been able to maintain a healthy weight with only city life as my gym. We have a monthly meat CSA straight from a safe, local, humane farm that goes into a large portion of our eating. We either do vegetable and fruit CSA's or shop at our local farmer's markets for all of our vegetables and fruit. Any food that isn't meat and produce we make from scratch - Naples style pizza dough, pizza sauce, hummus, pitas, pastas, etc. We relax on all these guidelines when eating out, but we do try to choose restaurants that use local ingredients and often avoid large chains. Everything with balance, however, and of course we splurge once in a while!
So, what does diet have to do with corsets?
I believe you should maintain a healthy diet before introducing any sort of abnormal practice to the body. You need to make sure you are getting all the nutrients you need for your inner workings to function properly. As I've said before, corsets won't necessarily make you lose weight, but they can alter your waist shape as paired with healthy eating and living. Another important dietary need is plenty of water, as I've heard that corsets can slow down body hydration. This is especially important when I'm out at an event and sipping on cocktails. I try to consume as much water as I can and sip my drinks slowly!
Thanks for all your questions and I hope this helps with some recent curiosities. See you all on Monday with a new outfit post as usual!
Xo,
Rachel