I'm sure there's been chats about this before... but I can't figure out what on earth to do with my closet. I gained 25 or so lbs this past year - yuck. I'd before worked to get down to a size 8 in pants, maybe still 10-12 on top. But I'm top heavy, I can still wear the size 10 pants, some of the size 8 but the tops... I gained my weight in my stomach and upper body so nothing hardly fits. But I'm on my way DOWN again to STAY this time. I'll always be larger on the top, it's just my figure.
So I'm wondering what people do inbetween sizes? I read someone said that they just don't buy larger clothes once the weight is lost? I did THAT and then slowly I had a bunch of size 12 pants/jeans again this last year - and truth is I should have forced myself to lose weight when I went even 5 lbs over to stay in size 10 or size 8 pants right?
So I'm thinking I'll box some clothes that are too small and hope I'll fit into them in 3-4 months again. But the BIG stuff - I've lost about 7 lbs in a few months - I'm going to toss for life... or does anyone save some "fat clothes" just in case? Then I'd have box B of fat clothes?
I'm 5'9, and used to be so tall and thin could wear anything. I'm nearing 40 so I'll have to admit that with age it gets harder - already I'm having to stick with certain colors that really work for me, and watch fits more and more. That's just life. But this closet of sizee 8, 10, 12, 14, large, xl etc clothes... I need to simplify again somehow. Box or get rid of some.
I just can't wait to fit into smaller jeans, I run a casual business so I can get by with jeans and blazers a lot of the time. I'd like to stay size 10 for life this time. And collect various name brands of jeans that really fit right.
I'll tell you what I've done during the lose/gain cycle... I have been as high as a size 14 & as low as a size 6. I have lost the weight.... & I have gained the weight.
Instead of buying clothes (& breaking the budget!) everytime something doesn't "fit properly" - I head out to my local Goodwill store & shop there. I once bought 25 outfits for under $100. A lot of the clothes were BRAND NEW, still had tags hanging on them! - It is a much cheaper way to keep clothes that fit. And when the closet starts busting at the seams, I just pack up a bunch of stuff that doesn't fit, and I DONATE it to Goodwill.
I give away the too-big, and keep the too-small stuff separate but try it on regularly, because you might drop weight quickly enough that you shrink right through some of those items.
I, too, frequent thrift stores for the losing-weight sizes. One pair of $70 jeans that I got to wear about three times before they were too big taught me that lesson!
Don't forget ebay, either! I sold all my fat clothes on Ebay a couple of years ago and wound up with $600 to take to the mall to buy new skinny clothes with It was great! You can also find great deals on stuff to buy--I probably buy 50% of my clothes on ebay. I love it--I never have much luck at thrift stores.
As for the fat clothes, I was very glad to have sold mine. I'd gone from a 14 to a 6 when I sold all the fat clothes, and when I started to put on weight again last year, I was finally forced to face up to what was happening because I wasn't fitting into my clothes and had no in-between clothes in my closet. There's nothing like an I've-gained-weight-and-need-to-buy-new-fat-clothes shopping trip to help to STOP and REVERSE any weight re-gain!
Toss them out, sell them on ebay or take them to goodwill. Don't keep them because you're NOT going to need them again.
I boxed up some of my favorite smaller clothes that i "hoped" one day i'd get back into. They are still at my ex-husbands our trailer, so soon, i may get to go by there and find them and try them on. Now that I really am losing weight, I may get to wear them again...if they aren't too terribly out of fashion!!! But what I have been doing with my "too big for me clothes"....i bag them up for the salvation army. I DO NOT intend to need them ever again. Matter of fact, i really need next year to dump ALL of my clothes and just start over. lol. Any ways, I recommend to box up the too big for you and the really too small for you stuff. Label them on the boxes what sizes they are. Keep one size too small for you in the closet to keep trying on to keep motivating you to keep going!! Good luck!!
Recently, I've given away (or thrown away, when tye were too worn out) my largest clothes. I too feel like keeping them, even if boxed in the cellar, would sort of be akin to allowing myself to regain weight. Since I really don't have much money at all, buying new 'fat clothes' would be MUCH more of a pain than making the extra effort of losing some lbs again.
I admit that I hadn't done that two years ago, and had kept the fat clothes. It sure didn't help me in not regaining, so meh. Screw you, unwanted pounds. I'm not throwing extra cash into keeping you on my hips.
I posted about the issue of what to do with my old fat clothes a lot when I first got down to my goal weight. Everyone convinced me to get rid of them because keeping them around gave me a fall-back plan that I shouldn't have. In other words, if I gained 5 pounds I needed to jump on that right away and not having anything to wear would help motivate me to do that. I did end up giving all of my fat clohtes to Goodwill. Some of my better stuff I sold at a consignment shop. It was hard to do but it really was the best thing I could have done. I got up to 149-150 a month or two ago and my favorite jeans were snug. One pair I couldn't even wear because the muffin top was so bad. All the weight was right there in my middle. Talk about a wake-up call! There was no way I was goign to buy bigger clothes so I got right back on my eating plan and have almost lost all the weight. I've lost weight before and always gained it back and I think part of the reason is because I kept my fat clothes and could always just throw on something that fit. Now I don't have that much in my closet but I love ALL my clothes and growing out of them would be a disaster.
I say get rid of your fat clothes as soon as they become too big for you and save the small stuff that you like and hope to wear again in a box or in a separate section of your closet so you can try them on regularly to measure your progress.
Good luck!
Pam
I was wondering what to do with all my clothes that are too small, yep there's nothing like a shopping trip to buy fat clothes to motivate oneself. The last couple trips I had a really, really hard time finding clothes. At least I got some exercise walking through the stores, better than sitting.
I'm sort of in between sizes now. Pants I can wear 10 and some 12's are big, but the majority of clothes I own are too small, so I am going to keep the smaller clothes and throw out the bigger stuff, and I will have to suffer wearing the 4 outfits that fit, maybe that will motivate me.
Ok, I'm moving in a few weeks so I'll just throw "fat clothes" in big fat black garbage bags and will take them to the thrift store. I yo-yo'd and I'm NOT doing it again. I'm doing the 5 lb rule, if I go over - once I lose this weight again - then it's back to serious exercise and eating. I do best with a paper journal writing down exercise and eating. But this time I really did gain 20+ pounds in not much over a six month period sitting around depressed this winter - divorce stuff. I'd worked so hard to lose weight a few years ago after my boy and this is hard work again. But 7 lbs down I can already feel clothes fitting better. I love jeans and that'll be my motivation. I still have some skinny designer jeans - and I'll fit into them again - and get rid of this belly for good. Yes I'll dump forever my fat clothes - and I like the idea - if I start getting fat, head to the thrift store until I lose rather then spending money on more fat jeans (levi or dkny fat jeans are the best though I have to admit for bellies and inbetween sizes and they are cheap, but I bought NO expensive designer fat jeans). And I'll go ahead and dump the super skinny stuff - and the stuff that doesn't fit my figure. I have larger shoulders then hips and I can't wear a lot of prints and silly things on tip even with weight loss. Then I'll box some clothes in a to be worn soon box (hopefully 3-6 months), or I'll just hang them in back of my closet for inspiration - some of the good ones anyways.
I'd keep some of the things that are closest to your size, cuz, let's face it, you never know. I have several pants that I bought in January cuz I had grown too big to fit in the ones I had so I needed them. Now I'm shrinking in them but I still am using them cuz I like them and I can wear a belt until they just get, hopefully, really too big.
One of my co-workers lost over 40 pounds and she gave a lot of clothes to another co-worker, most of which were hardly worn or never worn. The 2nd woman wears them often. I don't know if you have anybody like that that you know, who won't feel funny or embarrassed about it. Other than that, I would donate them. Where I live we actually have a church that leaves leaflets in our mailboxes with the days they'll be riding around looking for clothes donations left on the stoop. I've given them quite a few bags over the years. I gave them a lot of my size 16 business suits a long time ago when I no longer needed them, size-wise and job-wise...it made me feel good to think that other women could wear them to go on interviews or to go to work. I've never thrown out good, clean, wearable clothes...I'd much rather someone else who needed them have them. In fact, I'm waiting til I'm at or closer to goal to really sift through my basement closet and see what fits and what I can donate.
Last edited by trekkiegirl; 06-28-2007 at 07:57 PM.
Instead of buying clothes (& breaking the budget!) everytime something doesn't "fit properly" - I head out to my local Goodwill store & shop there.
Count me in this boat! I get lots of brand name, with tags, or almost brand new clothes from the local second hand shops. Good Will, Value Village, and sometimes the Salvation Army. If you live in NW Washington you'll notice we have a ton of boutiques with very unique and very nice clothing- like The Mad Hatter. When I am done, I donate them back. I take care of myself, take care of my clothes, and it makes me feel good to have a variety of clothes at affordable prices when weight is influx.
Someone should start a clothes swap website for those losing weight - or there should be a club here! Has anyone done that? I took serious designer names to the thrift store a few years ago, and now I'm going to do it again. I don't want to sell on ebay, it takes too much time. So thus the reason why thrift stores have designer clothes that sometimes can be hardly worn, some people don't want to mess with consignment shops and ebay! But when one is losing weight seriously it's entire wardrobes - maybe a website wardrobe exchange for those losing serious weight?
Organizing my clothes - various sizes
It was great! You can also find great deals on stuff to buy--I probably buy 50% of my clothes on ebay. I love it--I never have much luck at thrift stores.
I gave them a lot of my size 16 business suits a long time ago when I no longer needed them, size-wise and job-wise...it made me feel good to think that other women could wear them to go on interviews or to go to work. 
