I got rid of all mine except one pair of my biggest pants. I use these for motivation when I need to see how far I've come. I gave most of my clothes to friends and family. Sold some of them in my yard sale.
What perfect timing for this thread! I went on a closet cleaning binge over the last couple days. My Mom stopped by today and asked what I was doing with the pile of clothing. I told her that it was all too big, too big to even make it work for a couple more weeks, etc. She immediately told me NOT to get rid of it. Now, she's been a huge supporter and so encouraging through the weight loss so far, but it was so disheartening to hear her say that. It made me feel like she was saying that I'm going to gain it back, so don't get rid of the stuff. I've been walking around with a black cloud over my mood ever since. I think I'll listen to all of you and my own instincts and get rid of it anyway!
Kelly get rid of that black cloud, and get rid of those old clothes. Think about what you've already accomplished 42 lbs is awesome!! I think it's hard for some people to justify getting rid of stuff. I know my mom hates to throw anything that is still of value away. Go with your gut and get rid of it. I know I plan on donating mine when they get too big. The women's shelter thing is a great idea. I never would have thought of that.
I got rid of a huge majority of my huge clothing almost immediately, like as soon as I had lost about 20-25 pounds. It was great, so liberating. I am very lucky I have a place near me that you call them and throw it in a trash bag and they come pick it up and it goes to charity. I did keep a few things and now I am ready to get rid of those as well, I will take care of it immediatedly after Thanksgiving. Of course I am now left with the new clothing that I have bought which is 2 shirts, 2 skirts and 1 bra. But I plan on doing a little shopping tomorrow.
I remember telling my sister that I had given away my clothes and she was like "oh my G-d, you're crazy" and I was like thanks for the vote of confidence. But there was no doubt in my mind that I would ever need them again. Goodbye, good ridance, good luck, have a nice life.
*I did keep one or 2 skirts to show me what I left behind and I tried them on the other day, it was amazing to see the difference. It is a wonderful indicator of just how far you have come. And you never know, I might need them to show to Oprah when I go on her show. LOL
Last edited by rockinrobin; 11-20-2006 at 07:17 AM.
Reason: added a thought
Okay, I am so ready to clean out my closet and purge everything that's too big. There will be lots of space in there but that's okay. I'll fill it up in no time, I'm sure. Shopping is so much fun when clothes fit! Now I just need a nice of block of free time to spend in my room weeding. I don't want this stuff around and I am NEVER going back it.
Pam
Here's just another thought... While I am for not keeping clothes that are to big, I do have a number of very nice pieces that are special blends of colors, fabrics, leather or styles that I love that I know I would never be able to replace. I plan on keeping those and having them altered. Otherwise, just jeans or common stuff are donated.
I guess I'm the materialistic one around here -- I sold all my fat clothes in lots on eBay I didn't make a lot of money, when you add in the cost of listing the items but it felt like I was contributing in another small way to my family by losing weight.
And I definitely still have my size 20s for inspiration. Sometimes, in a sick way, I am sorry I didn't hold onto my size 26s from 6 years ago. The only thing that I will not part with is my wedding dress, which was a vanity sized 16. (it's not the white wedding-kinda dress -- this was from my wedding in Las Vegas and since I was A. 40 B. pregnant & C. on my third and final marriage, it was a beautful shade of cranberry-red )
Definitely get rid of clothes that don't fit! This is an expression of your commitment to permanent weight loss. Keeping the clothes because you think you might gain it back could be a sympom of emotional issues that have to be dealt with. I am convinced that 90% of weight issues are psychological. If we don't believe that we can lose it and keep it off, then we are almost guaranteed to fail. Tailor, donate, or sell the fat clothes and go buy some new, updated clothes that fit you today and make you feel wonderful.
I live in CA so I have a pretty small house with pretty limited closet space. So decision to get rid my clothes was made for me by my closet. Once I bought news clothes that fit, I had no room for the old ones and I had to get rid of them.
The only things I've hung onto are my business suits because I plan on donating them to an organization that provides professional clothing for low-income women and I just haven't gotten around to it yet (and if I wait until March, we can bring them to The Menswearhouse and my SO will get some sort of discount on men's clothing in exchange for them).
The only things I've hung onto are my business suits because I plan on donating them to an organization that provides professional clothing for low-income women and I just haven't gotten around to it yet
I was just going to suggest doing this! The donations they get tend to be from smaller women, so they ALWAYS have need for larger-sized suits and interview wear. If you're in the Bay Area in CA, a great organization that accepts these donations is Wardrobe for Opportunity.
Well, the dark mood is almost gone, and I think this weekend when I finally get all the clothes packed up, the mood will be gone for good! Thanks for all the inspiration! I believe the things will be divided into several catagories...ebay, local charities including those for women who need businesswear, and a few pieces to family members who have always liked them and may want them. Any way you cut it though, they're out of here!
I had yo-yo'd off and on for a couple of years, so I had some kindof "skinny" jeans in my closet. I needed a pair of older jeans for my Halloween costume and I pulled out all of my jeans and tried on each pair. Of course, the largest ones, the ones I bought last year when I was at my highest, didn't fit, so they went to the give pile. Then I tried on the so-called skinny jeans. Too big as well! I ended up wearing my new jeans (which didn't look as good in the costume, but it was dark!!). So I had 6 pairs of jeans to give away. MIL is losing weight also, so I let her have them all. She is really excited to be able to fit into all of them. She has a friend who hemmed them for her (I'm about 7 inches taller). She really looks good in them, too! As for my other "fat" clothes, I gave them to a charitable organization for re-sale. I hate having clothes at garage sales!!!
My actual problem is almost the opposite.....12 years ago, I was fat and pregnant and I thought that no way would I ever fit into some of the clothes that I had been saving for a few years. So I donated them. Then 2 years later, I weighed 128 and I could have worn the clothes......I ended up buying a lot of new clothes (I kept the weight off for about 5 years). Then the weight started creeping up, but I didn't get rid of my skinny clothes. I hauled them to my new house when we moved 4 years ago. Finally, I cleaned my closet and donated all those clothes. Now, I could be wearing them again!!! Silly me! I guess one should never get rid of the skinny clothes!!
I'm actually keeping most of my clothes. I wear mostly t-shirts, so those are being kept for lounge wear and working out, and my pants were all really expensive, so I can't bare to part with them. Not yet, anyways. Besides, if I'm going to get fat again I'm going to do so whether or not I have clothes in a larger size.
I didn't make a lot of money, when you add in the cost of listing the items but it felt like I was contributing in another small way to my family by losing weight. 
