Weight Loss Support - What do you do with your clothes?

I have dropped a jean size (18 to 16), but I can still wear one of my 18's which was always a little tight.

I don't know if I should give away my other 18's or hang on to them just in case?? I am having a hard time thinking of getting rid of them all together. I also have some very huge nightgowns as well.

When did you decide to kiss those bigger sizes good bye? Maybe I will feel more comfortable getting rid of the 18's when I am in 14's??

It took me awhile to start getting rid of things. I got rid of the 26/28, 24, 22, and 20s all at the same time (sold on craigslist for CHEAP... and let me tell you, it is very emotional seeing people who are the size I used to be coming to take those clothes). Lately I am more comfortable with it and I am now wearing 14s and 16s and already got rid of the 18s.

If you can't wear them then it's probably time to part with them. Why keep them right? I decided to give mine to a woman's shelter since plus sized clothes are so ridiculously expensive. That part felt awesome. It was kind of sad with the memories but I've made new ones in the small clothes too.

I got rid of all my 26's and 24's!! I was excited to do it because I know I am not going back to those sizes. I have no emotional attachment to clothes so it was easy for me. Just see it as part of your journey and keep one pair of your largest size for some before and after shots. I kept ONE of my 26's because I look forward to the day when I'll be able to stand in one of the legs and take that after photo!!:)

My mother is the worst hoarder I know, so even if I try to throw things out, she will squirrel them away somewhere. I haven't faced the point where I've had clothes that are too big and had to get rid of them - though I am *almost* at the point where the jeans I'm currently wearing are too big. I think I'll be happy to get rid of them, though I doubt I'll be able to sell them - since I'm so short I've had them altered - I really doubt there is anyone quite as short/fat as me in New Zealand!
I am also worried that if I get to the point where there are clothes that are clearly too big, I'll be too scared to get rid of them *just in case* something happens and I fail. I'm not saying that to be negative, I do plan on losing and keeping it all off.. but I always have that niggling voice saying "just in case, just in case".
On the plus side, I have jeans in a size smaller than what I am, and 2 sizes smaller, so hopefully won't have to buy any on the journey until I reach my goal! Or maybe one more pair in the meantime..

There is definitely a level of commitment involved in getting rid of the too big clothes. It's like you're really admitting to yourself that you are losing weight and never going back.

This past weekend I sorted through my autumn/winter clothes and discovered that none of it fits anymore. It's very scarey to think of discarding an entire season's worth of clothing!

I plan to donate them, as of now I am keeping them in a storage box in my garage. I know they are there, but I also have jeans that dont fit me (too small) in the same box. So when I go to check on them I can see how far I have come, and how far I still have to go. I dream of being a 16, if I ever reach 14 I think I might pass out!! LOL

I have given away most of my larger clothes. HOWEVER... I have kept a pair of jeans that I got on my 24th birthday that I couldnt get on at the time... (I WAS SO UPSET). Now, I put them on just to watch them fall off every now and then.... it gives me motivation and shows me how far I have come.

I just got rid of ALL of my fat clothes at once last week. It was probably the most inspiring, overwhelming and surreal moment of this entire weight loss journey...I mean that.

I didn't realize that more than half of the clothes I owned were way too big until I started pulling things off hangers, trying them on, yanking them out of drawers and stuffing them into the big trash bag. I kept looking at the bag like...seriously?? Most of the clothes were not in good enough condition to pass on to anyone else or donate...I had absolutely worn them ragged.

I filled the trash bag until it was about to burst (it was a lawn trash bag) and then lugged it all out to the trash can. It was filled with size 18s, 16s and 12s...XXL and XL shirts, DDD bras and 18/20 and 14/16 panties and it felt darn good to bid each and every article of clothing farewell.

I think it's an important and motivating step. Whether you donate them, give them to a friend, use them as rags or just throw them out, I don't think you should keep clothes from your bigger days hanging around too long!

(That was long for a repsonse, sorry!)

Hanging onto clothes that are too big only means you have doubts about your ability to be successful. Get rid of the clothes and have a more positive attitude.

For the most part.

Sell old stuff that no longer fits on ebay. Buy clothes that do fit on ebay. It's pretty much a wash then.

I will treat myself and buy clothes every now and then, but lots is used from ebay

I got rid of everything from last Winter. It was a way to tell myself there is no going back. I sold the whole box for a cheap price. I need an ENTIRE winter wardrobe this year. I have absolutely nothing, not even socks! I am going to try to pick up some cheap wardrobe fillers from good used stores because I plan to be a bit smaller next winter and will probably have to give all of these away too.

I got rid of almost all my 3XL and 2XL shirts at the beginning of the summer and said good-bye to almost all of my 24's then, too. I donated them, I had some rather nice clothes actually and if I learned anything being that size it was that it's hard to find some cute clothes at places like GoodWill or stores such as.
I'm keeping a few things for my own sake. Whenever I feel down I put on my old pants and I realize just how far I have come.

I tend not to buy too many bottoms. I am always "I will buy clothes when I lose weight". And then I wear them until the are worn through and toss them! Anything too big GOES. Get it OUT! Off to the dump or donated.

I have a lot of clothes I am hoping to lose to fit INTO. Though, I do keep around some "fat pants". My stretchy, comfy, yoga-type pants for lounging in the evenings or weekends. But I even had to throw away some of my fat fat pants! I had some sweats I bought at 250 lbs. They have been too big for a long time. I finally ditched them in the trash. They were stained from paints (I like to do crafts!) and one pair I burnt a hole in... Lol!

I got rid of them all.
My mother likes to keep them all but I just told her "you can keep them for you and for whoever but don't ever put them again on my shelf". So in the end, she just gives them away to my cousin or throw them out. There are some very nice pieces but I always think to myself that I will always buy prettier one so why have to keep what I don't wear anymore.

The only thing I have kept is one pair of jeans - the biggest ones I ever had. Everything else has gone. I have a friend who is also losing, but bigger than me, and I gave her first refusal on anything she wanted - the rest went on freecycle.

My mother said I shoul keep them "just in case" but as I never intend to wear anything over a UK size 10 again, I decided not to.

There were a few suitably stretchy things I put in my maternity wear bag as it's not out of the question that there might be another baby in my future, but most of it went.

So I have a pile now in my room that includes anything 1X, XXL, size 18 and size 20. It is going to Goodwill tomorrow. Only XL and size 16 allowed from now until they are too big!

I got rid of them as soon as I couldn't fit them anymore. I was probably overly eager to get rid of too big clothes.

Right now I have only 8s, 10s and 12s in my closet.

One of the things that happened after I lost weight is that clothes lost some of their mystique for me. They became less precious. Because my size was now common, they weren't so hard to find, and I wasn't so emotionally invested in them, considering them treasure that I had to look high & low to finally come upon. So, while I care about them a great deal, I consider them highly disposable. There's never going to be a shortage of them. They go in & out of style very quickly. There are so many places where you can buy women's clothing -- so many retail outlets -- I mean, it's one of the biggest areas of consumer spending -- that I no longer think of any one item as absolutely irreplaceable. (Unless it's vintage.) So I have gotten into the habit of pruning my closets every other month of stuff I got excited about & then didn't wear. It's so easy to wave goodbye & to clear space for the next thing.

While there are many ways to reward yourself for weight loss, new clothes, (or new 2nd hand stuff) are a great reward. But I have to get rid of an item to get a new one. (limited closet space). I don't really like shopping, but it is more fun when I'm downsizing and when I feel good in my new stuff.
( as opposed to, this is nice and big and helps me not look as fat as I am)
I am enjoying my new fall wardrobe, although its a bit hot for some of my nice stuff.

I kept one pair of fat pants as well.
The rest of my 26/28s went to Goodwill
I tend to pull clothes out of the closet ONLY when they are so big they look ridiculous on me lol.
But there is a new pile on my bedroom floor of 20/22/24s that is slowly growing and is going to have to go soon.
I like donating them because I remember I used to be so jealous of my skinny friends going into thrift stores and finding super cute clothes. It seems like the only plus sized clothes at thrift stores are frumpy looking or something.
It makes me happy to donate my nice, corporate friendly slacks and igigi dresses because i know some woman is going to be halfheartedly looking through the racks and then is going to be so excited when she finds them =0)

Everything with holes, stains, or just plain ugly got thrown away. All underwear got tossed. Everything nice I saved. I have 12 dress sizes (30's to 8's) stored in totes in my attic. I have lost weight lots of times, and every time I have given away all my fat clothes, and every time I have gained it all back plus more and had to spend money I didn't have on new clothes. So at one point I figured they would stay there forever until I died (or gained weight back) and my kids could donate them or burn them...

BUT, I actually have been using a few of them lately. I read this article about a woman who goes into a thrift shop everyday and buys an old dress and then "refurbishes" it with alterations to make them more modern. I though, wow, I have a nice sewing machine and can sew pretty well, I should give it a try. So far I have taken 3 different skirts and cut them apart and made new smaller, and more modern versions. If's it's a nice fabric, (like raw silk or wool,) I plan on at least trying to do something with them as a new winter hobby. I have got many compliments on the skirts I have remade. I made them all into wrap arounds, but I plan on getting more brave and making actual fitted skirts for winter.

I bought an entire new wardrobe this summer, because everything was either worn out or too small (or both!) Then I started this diet - my timing is, as always, impeccable, haha.

As I outgrow (outshrink?) these new clothes I am planning to donate them to my local battered women shelter. They have a program that helps these women escape domestic tyranny; they provide counseling, help them find jobs, housing, etc. and a working wardrobe is a necessary part of the package. There are plenty of 2x women out there, and the idea that my new, healthier lifestyle would help another women start a new, healthier life holds an immense appeal to me.

I've donated a fair amount and thrown away things with holes or stains. It was easy to throw away my largest sizes or the clothes that I had bought and kept for years. However, donating clothes that I've bought along this journey are more difficult...i hate getting rid of clothes that are just months old. But, frankly, storage space in my house is at a premium so keeping old clothes I can't wear isn't possible.