Shopping till you drop in the UK

[Angeline]

Hi there!

I should be moving in the UK in the coming months. I was wondering where I could go there to shop for clothing in big sizes.

I wear a size 14 or sometimes a 16. Not sure how that translates into European sizes. Here in Montreal we have a few shops that sell nice things for the husky girls. By nice, I mean non-dowdy. There are a lot of big sizes shops here, but a lot of them have the kind of clothing I could only see an old lady wear, either that or mumus !

Trying to see if there is a chain of stores or some particular stores I might check. Not sure where in the UK I am going to end up. Might be Scotland, or it might be Northern Ireland. It's all up in the air at the moment

Thanks for input !

BTW, can you find "speciality" ingredients there like Splenda, Gluten flour and the like.

[LittleAnne]

Hi Angeline

So you are a shopaholic! I believe that sizes 14 and 16 in Canada are 16 and 18 in the UK. Most shops here stock clothes up to size 18 as standard, so you should not have any problems. Alot will depend on your taste.

Splenda is now on sale here in the supermarkets, only in the last few months though. There are no general low carb goodies on sale, but suspect this may change over the next year or so. You can buy gluten free flour in supermarkets, but have not bought any recently, so don't know if that is what you mean. Also we don't have almond flour we have ground almonds which are more grainy.

Don't forget to let us know when you are coming over to the UK so we can welcome you.

[LisaUK]

I have all sorts of web sites I can give you when you get here for the specialty ingredients.

Ann - that gluten flour is called vital wheat gluten over here. I've got a website for that too! lol It's just plain old gluten that you can add to the protein powders and htings so that yeast works right. I think.

[issa]

Hi Angeline

Just adding to wot's been said...

Shops are pretty good with clothes, most stock up to 18-20 but there are a few good ones which stock over sizes 20, Etam and New Look being my fav, a shop called Evans do try But most of their stock is a bit dowdy for my liking.

As for foods.. if u can find LC then well done! we are still way behind our cousins on the otherside of the pond, but here is a website I found which has loads of info about LCing in the UK...

Vital Wheat Gluten (http://www.low-carb.org.uk/gluten.htm)

Where can you buy Low-carb products in the UK? (http://www.low-carb.org.uk/wheredoiget.htm)

Hope this helps :)

[dixiebugg]

Having made the transatlantic move in the other direction (UK -> US), I would recommend that you stock up on clothes before you go, as they are generally more expensive in the UK. The name of one good chain for plus size clothes that springs to mind is "Evans".
Also, it might be a good idea to arrange for someone to send you low-carb 'care packages', if you can! Hope you have an easy move.

[lburnikell]

I too like new look they have a fab range of clothes but now I am into 16-18 I can kinnda shop most places, I used to shop in Evans but I its expensive and kinnda frumpy

[Dawn Renee]

Aha - a fellow Canadian!

We moved to West Sussex from Vancouver over 4 years ago. We've really enjoyed it, and hope you have a good move. I had the same sort of questions when I got here - but finding out about all the new things is actually quite fun.

Best of luck on your move - keep us posted!

Dawn

[tholian8]

I have been living here for 2 years but still do nearly all my clothes shopping on the other side of the pond. It's SO much cheaper, and the styling is way more up-to-date in the larger sizes.

FWIW, I started out in a US 22 and am now down to US 14/UK 16.

Splenda is no problem to get here, and I think I've seen gluten flour available in health food stores. But be prepared NOT to see any of the LC meal-replacement bars, shakes, and other convenience foods that are easy off-the-shelf purchases in North America (particularly in the US). They're just not here yet and probably won't be for at least a year, especially as LC is getting very bad press at the moment.

There are UK mail-order sources for LC food, but you will pay a premium. At least they are in-country now, even if not on supermarket shelves, so people aren't getting hit with obnoxious customs fees anymore! I have to say, though, that the lack of LC convenience food has forced me to base my eating on fresh meats, cheeses, eggs and plenty of fresh veg. I travel a lot and it is a pain, but I think I'm getting better nutrition than I otherwise would be.

Emily