I am torn. I really want to throw away clothes that are clearly too big for me but as a 24 year old woman I wonder if those clothes will come in handy when I am pregnant in the next 5 years. I know I won't throw my scrubs away (for work) because they do not go out of style and many pregnant women wear larger sizes in scrubs instead of maternity. But the other clothes I just feel guilty tossing them because I think of all the shirts I'd have. So, I need some opinions because in the back of my mind I am thinking that it might be bad luck to have that comfort of owning larger clothes. Ahhh. Help me.
Are you or have you thrown away clothes that you have outgrown? What should I do?

Donate 'em. Coming from another 24 yr old, when the time comes for maternity gear, worry about it then. Cross that bridge when you get there.

I had held on to my old clothes the first time I lost weight. I ended up fitting into them again...then surpassing them. I feel bad about getting rid of so many clothes this time around but in the end, I'm glad I did. It keeps me on track. The only clothes i have left are what i can fit now and those that are smaller.

I agree with Brittany.

I'm 25 and I lost a significant amount of weight when I was younger and held onto the clothes as a "what if" and having that question over my head made it a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Not having those clothes will keep you on track and will keep you focused. You will have no other option but to keep losing weight or maintain and that's the goal. You can reach it!

Besides, in five years, a lot can change. And I don't just mean style.

I'm of the opposite opinion. I have lost weight before and have donated all of my clothes only to have to go and buy them again. This time, I'm keeping them...I figure I can take a look at them as reminders of where I was and since what I did last time didn't work, maybe this will. I have a food addiction, in reality, so if I keep them or not....it doesn't have a huge impact on how I eat.

Donate.

Even if you have to rebuy them back when pregnant -- worry about that when you get there and give yourself the opportunity to be pregnant and choose flattering things, not just your old outsized stuff. How many times will a person be pregnant in life? I know it is a small thing, but small things can mean a lot.

And in the meanwhile you can enjoy all the freed up storage space!

My only other suggestion is to repurpose. Teach yourself to sew and enjoy deconstructing all the old clothes/free fabric!

A.

I agree with everyone who has said to donate them. I donated all of my clothes as I lost the 100 lbs. and now I only have 1-2 sizes in my closet. I have no room to gain weight and there is nothing there reminding me of how fat I was. I don't need to be reminded, I can remember it oh so well!!

I divorced my first husband because he was an abusive jerk. I don't keep a picture of him to look at every time I walk in the house, I remember that oh so well too. Get rid of the clothes. Just my 2 cents.

I've been torn too, because our budget is so tight that if I regained, I would have no money to buy larger sizes. I know that running out of clothes to wear does NOT motivate me to stay slim. Instead, the anxiety and frustration tend to make things worse.

But I also didn't want to keep them, because that felt like I was saying to myself that I didn't trust myself to stick with the weight loss.

For me, the perfect solution has been selling them in consignment shops, and donating the clothing the consignment shops weren't interested in (most of them were still in great shape, but might have been missing a button or in need of other mild repairs - and the really scruffy stuff the charity thrift shop throws in a rag bin and sells by the pound).

If I would change sizes (whether up or down) I can use the money I earned to buy new clothes.

I've been lucky even at my highest weight to find clothing at the second-hand stores in town. I usually sell at the higher-end consignment shops (because they sell at the highest price), and while I shop at all the second-hand shops, when I buy, it's usually at the charity thrift stores (because they sell at the lowest price and the money is going to a good cause). I also shop at online plus-size stores in their clearance section (and with online coupons).

In the larger sizes, pickings are slimmer, but I've still managed to get about 1/3 of my wardrobe from second-hand stores, just by checking them frequently. Very rarely do I ever pay ful price. About three times a year, I get coupons for Lane Bryant and/or Fashion Bug Plus. This year, within a two month period, I got three coupons with a $15 (that could be spend on anything $15 or more, and it $25 off $75). The first two coupons I spent on clearance tops and spent less than $14 to get 7 tops (they were each $30 tops that were selling for $5.99 on clearance). The second coupon I used it to buy 2 really nice underwire t-shirt material bras and a dressy top. It came to just over $75 so we paid $50. Because the bras were on a buy one, get half off, and the blouse was also marked down, I saved more than 50%.

Several months ago I bought some elastic waist knit pants for casual wear and winter jammies, and paid only $2.99 at OneStopPlus.com

Expensive clothing may be worth saving, and even having altered, but even expensive brands can often be found in the thrift stores. I was really lucky last year to find several pieces that looked like they'd never been worn. For only about $15 I got about $600 worth of clothing (I can't say that I "saved" $585 because I would have never been able to afford those pieces on my own budget, but even if I had bought tops and pants at Walmart I would have paid about $100).

If you're losing a lot of weight, I think you can make this decision later. Box up the clothes as you grow out of them. When your weight is steady and you're ready, go through those boxes and see how you feel about it then.

I just had a baby, and I'll tell you- maternity clothes are their own breed. They are made just right for a growing belly, something larger "normal" shirts just aren't. You may find your style drastically changes when you lose weight, and you might not want to wear shapeless shirts just "because they fit" when you're used to more tailored cuts. I boxed up my maternity things as fast as I could and got all of them out of the house! I want another baby, probably in 3 years, but I plan to be 100 pounds less than I was when I delivered so I'm going to need different maternity clothes then. If by some miracle we get pregnant on our own before then (when we'll have to try with medicine) then we'll manage and I'll just buy clothes in bulk off craigslist and shop the clearance racks, especially at Old Navy and Kohles, they have shirts for $2-4 each sometimes!!

But again, this decision does not need to be made now. Box them up and put them away, probably for a year or more. Then go back through and see how you feel then.

How about throwing out the ones you never really liked and boxing up the rest? I did that with my smaller clothes shortly before I decided to lose weight (yes, sod's law was working overtime there).

Throw away the worn out or ugly ones. Donate the others.

I would donate or sell them online. I have been there a number of times always "growing back into them". As I lose weight now, I get rid of everything that is too big. I want to maintain my weight forever when I am done, not just for a short time. I agree with above poster who said when you're pregnant you will want close that fit for pregnancy not over sized clothes it just makes you feel large not cute like you should when you are pregnant.

I've done some careful deliberation (with the advice you all gave) and I think I am going to toss the ratty old t-shirts in which I have shed many tears in and donate the few nice tops I have. I don't think I will want to fit into my "fat clothes" when I am prego as it would remind me of bad days and it probably wouldn't fit right. ThAnKs!