new clothes!
 

la di da

I just bought myself a new pair of jeans. Still a size fat, but my old ones were dead.
I had a gift certificate from Old Navy (I know, I know... bad corporation...) from last year's birthday, and finally got around to using it.
I also bought myself a cool red polar fleece vest. You know, the extra-large was too damned small, so I hunted and hunted until I found an extra-extra-large. It's still a little tight, but I'll grow into it. But doesn't that just p you right off?! I mean, I'm fat, but I'm not ENORMOUS!! Who wears these little things?! Why is it I can buy a pair of jeans big enough to fit me, but the XXL vest is tight?!
curses.

Okay, and the other exciting thing is, I decided to go through my closet and chuck a bunch of stuff. I got rid of 4 big bags full of clothes. Ugly fat clothes that I never want to see myself in again (like leggings), and ridiculously small jeans that I'm never going to fit into again.

I feel GREAT!! The whole thing was very therapeutic. I highly recommend the experience. Buy yourself a new article of clothing and get rid of some of those ugly fat clothes. Those raggedy ones that we think are all we deserve.

If we look good, we will feel good! And if we feel good, we will eat less!!

Okay, that's my theory for today. It'll probably be useless tomorrow, but today... it was good.
:dance:

Oh, I totally agree with you, Ellis! I have resolved that as soon as I "outgrow" (or should I say "undergrow?) an article of clothing becuse it is too big, OUT IT GOES! I am not saving any of my fat clothes, because I am never wearing them again!

I am holding off on buying new clothes for now, as I still have plenty that fit, and I sort of want to wait until I can buy a drastically different size... which kind of goes against the point of your post... but I DO agree with it... I'm just kind of funny that way... :)

Good for you, Choci!
And I agree... why would you buy new clothes until you're a little smaller? :) I just HAD to have a new pair of jeans, though. My old ones were all ripped in the butt, and I'd actually started wearing some ugly old track pants in their place. blah!!
I guess that was one of my thoughts. I feel slimmer and better in jeans, and when I wear sweats all the time I feel DISGUSTING, and eat more and more and more...

I work at home, and it's easy to slip into the "comfortable slob look". Naturally when I am a waif, I will look good in slobs, but in the meantime... :D

I make myself wear jeans sometimes, even after reaching for the sweats. It reminds me what my goals are and helps me take additional pride in my appearance. Which gives me the self confidence and motivation to be the best dieter I can be!

I THINK I CAN!
Miss Chris

Congrats on the new jeans! I don't even begin to try and understand Old Navy's sizing.

I received a few gift certificates for the holidays and I am saving them until I am a 14 or so. I cannot wait. Hopefully it will happen during the summer.

I'm with ya Ellis...
 

I have been giving away all of my size 18's and even a few 16's to my sister. And given that I love to shop for clothes, I always have to buy stuff to replace it. However, I have sworn not to buy any new clothes until spring... well... at least March. I've been losing pretty consistently and it will be a waste of money for me to buy any cold weather clothes. YAY!! :D

Exactly, Chris!! The only problem is, if I don't wear my jeans on a regular basis, I realize how uncomfortable they really are. Compared to my sweats. :D

I bought a size 16, Madeleine and Sojo. :) Stretch. The darned things are sized "Short", but they're still too long. I need Ruthie to come and hem them for me.

Sojo, I can't imagine you EVER being a size 18! You just don't look like a fat person. Ummm, that's a compliment. ;)

do dee do dee do dee do dee (Twilight Zone music)

Too weird Ellis! Guess what I have been doing since I got home tonight? Cleaning out my closet and all my drawers and doing laundry!!!! What a coincidence :lol:

I put 2 bags of clothes and 1 small bag of scarves, gloves etc. in the charity donation bin in the laundry room of our building.

You are right, it was very therapeutic to get rid of all that old ill fitting stuff! :) Plus I couldn't see the clothes I could wear for the clothes I couldn't wear and was always complaining that I had I had nothing! Feels like I just found a whole new wardrobe, does this make any sense :?: I also discovered that I own 12 plain black skirts :yikes: time to put some colour into my wardrobe ~ I tossed seven of them :)

BTW I don't own sweats for the simple reason that I feel slobby in them and they affect my mindset :shrug: I actually feel more comfortable in jeans. When I want to Schlep around the house I have lounging pjs and fuzzy slippers :D

:lol: Too much, Mauvais!
Listen hon, next time just drop your old clothes on my verandah, will ya? ;)
I was thinking the same thing about MY wardrobe... I found a few "new" things in there. And you should see my dressing room... it is SO tidy!
And yes... I noticed that my wardrobe is very "dark" in colour, but that's okay... it's what suits me best. :D

HAHAHAHA....
 

Ellis, trust me... I fit very well into a pair of 18 pants not so long ago (although still usually a 14/16 top). I've got hips and a bootie and thighs and DD breasts and I'm only 5'1"... not a good combination at my former 198. Thankfully I have a lot of muscle and gain weight proportionately, which helps. But I am so thrilled... today the scale flashed a 185 at me for just a moment (it was hovering between 185 and 185.5). These pounds lost have really made an amazing difference. And I'm noticing that my cursed second chin is starting to recede... :cp:

GOOD FOR YOU ELLIS!!! Wearing old pants with a worn out crotch (my usual thing) just DOESN'T make you feel very good about yourself, does it? Nothing like new jeans and a bath to help you feel better!!!

Who said anything about a bath? :lol:

that's a joke. you picked up on that right away, huh?

Your having a bath in your new jeans:?: ( ;) :lol: )

I know Ellis.....too much too soon!! (Hey! I'm sitting here with greasy hair, smelly pits, and my now NOT so new jeans need washing!!!)

Hey Dentrassi - you can be our postergirl!:D

Did the closet thing in December, isn't it amazing how many clothes we hang onto that we *know* we'll never wear again? I'm with you ladies on the jeans - couldn't be without them. I have a black pair that are my pant-o-meters. They fit for about 2 days last summer, but by spring I wanna be comfy in them!

Wildfire's Husband: "Wildfire, why did you spend $200 on new clothes today?"

Wildfire: "Because Ellis told me to!"

:D

Got some fabulous bargains...2 pairs of jeans (one size smaller than I thought I needed! :dancer: ), a long brown skirt, two peasant blouses, some funky tan suede boots, and a pair of knee-high leather dress boots...all for $200!

Thanks, ellis!

YAY WILDFIRE!!!!

Don't mention it, Wildfire. ;)
Hey, good for you, sweetie! What a boost you must feel. I think some wealthy rat should give us each/all about a thousand bucks to spend on ourselves. :yes:

Wildfire,
You go girl! Wow, new clothes. Can't wait. I got a new skirt for New Years, that was the last I bought for myself! Next month will go get something for me, after some of the bills are looked after first though. Maybe some new shoes, sneakers, high boots, and eventually a new swim suit for spring. Want to lose another fifteen or twenty first. Gotta stop eating junk again though. Ahhhhhhh!
Hello! My name is Virgina, and I am additted to FOOD!
Hugs all
Virginia

Yay Wildfire :cb: New clothes always give me a boost too!
It must have felt really good to get the size smaller than you thought you would too :)

Ellis- where are we going to find some wealthy schmuck to get $1,000.00 from? When you find them sign me up too :lol:

Virginia- keep those those new clothes in mind when you get near junk food-you are only 15 lbs away from getting them! :D

I have decided that everytime I get a new piece of clothing I will throw out a piece of old yucky clothing that I have been hanging on to. That way I won't be hanging on to old stuff "just because" and I can justify my new purchase to myself :smug:

Clothes shopping in my closet
 

Hello!

Do any of you have a stash of tight clothing in the closet. I do. It's good stuff too. I'm looking forward to bringing it out again. Right now I'm looking forward to my size 12's being loose...then I can where some of the 10's and 8's that are just waiting for me.

:)

sandi

Tight clothes...
 

Yes... I could open a retail store out of my closet specializing in sizes 8 to 18. :lol: But I have been giving away the 18's and some of the 16's as soon as they became loose. As great as this is, it is killing me because some of the clothes I purchased within the last several months and they weren't cheap. I have a few boxes of skinny clothes and even some still on hangers that I hope to shrink into soon. I'll probably be bummed when I open the boxes because the clothes will be out of style. :dz: But hey, when I fit back into a size 8 (its been about five years!) I will deserve a new wardrobe anyway. I can't wait!!

Mauvais, if I weren't so darned fat, I could just stand on Gladstone Ave and hook somebody. ;)

Sandi, my dressing room is FILLED with small clothes!! I'd say about 1/6th of my clothes fit me. The rest is waiting anxiously. :lol:
I used to keep it all in boxes, but I'd rather SEE it! It gives me more incentive.
And I DID get rid of all the faddish stuff. Everything small in my closet is a classic. :D

I got rid of SOME of it.....like the size 4 flares from the 70s!! But I still have a lot of stuff that is too small. Like you all say, hope to be wearing it soon!!!

SIZE 4!!!!!!! My Mother was a size 2 and I couldn't stand it! But I still like you despite your past, Den! And - flares are coming back in. Marnie was at Bob's party in flared pants and a top with flared sleeves. I thought she was retro until I remembered she is downtown Toronto and a designer.

I just pitched out a pair of baggy sweats that make me feel like a street person! More to go - I actually have some stuff I've never worn that is too big. Those were from my Size 24 or 3X days.

I have bought some new stuff in a 20W or 18W which really gives me a lift. I wish we had a social life so I could get something glam! However, I still do have that piece of turquoise heavy silk that could be made into a casual shirt/jacket. Hmmmm.... And a length of soft green gauzy cotton to make a sort of flowing top and pants. And then there is that blue printed cotton that could be a jacket with a quilted lapel or yoke. The creative juices are flowing!

By the way, chicks, when pitching stuff remember that it's pretty cold out there if you are homeless. I have a couple of coats bound for the shelter if it ever stops snowing! (Going to fish out those sweats!)

WOW!! Wish I could sew Ruth!!! (BY THE WAY....GO LOOK IN LESBIANALTERNACHICKS....)

I hear ya Ruthxx! There is a clothing donation bin for a local charity in the laundry room of my building and I put anything that I am getting rid of that is in good condition in there. :) I hate throwing out anything that someone can get some use out of.


I have a few pieces of material that I bought 2 or 3 years ago that I haven't made anything out of yet :rolleyes: I will try to get around to it in my copious amounts of free time :lol:

Ok, I have to jump in here. I just recently bought my first pair of jeans in 20 years. Yes, I did say TWENTY. I never even try on clothes, I just always reach for the XL or XXL or as many Xs as possible! So, I had no idea what size I was in "real" sizes. I took a few pairs into the room and ended up with a smaller size than I expected! I almost did a little happy dance right there in the store.

They haven't drastically revised sizing charts in the last 20 years....have they?

:( I bought a bunch of new clothes when I hit a size 8... Gave all that did not fit to the good will and some friends... NOW, +20 pounds nothing fits again, and I just lucky I stashed some of my bigger, nice clothes in the back of the closet because otherwise I would be naked (horrid thought) and I will not, repeat will not buy anything to fit because I will not gain anymore weight and will lose what I gained back....


Sound convincing? Think my hips and thighs were listening?


Amy

Hi girls!

I'm still alive, but buried in work and wedding planning responsibilities. But Ellis' post about clothes was just too good to resist!

I'm a big believer in the power of looking good to feel good.
Nothing like some new clothes to make a girl happy. :)

Now if *I* could just find some red knee high boots that are big
enough to accomodate my calves!

Sabrina

This is so bizarre, because on Monday I decided to clean out my closet... It's pretty small, (big for an old house but tiny by modern standards!) and I share it with John with all the clothes he has held on to for the past 20 years. How many plaid shirts does he need?????

This whole clothes thing has changed radically for me over the past 6 months... Started working and had nothing to wear! Plus simply tired of what I had been putting up with.

In the past 15 years we've been pretty poor, and I've been pregnant 4 times... plus all the nursing and before and after stuff. Stayed at home and wore too many leggings and large T-shirts. I started bying used clothes pretty heavily 5 years ago, and amassed a closet ful of questionable bargains... I'd say out of everything I've purchased maybe 5% has been a treasure.

It all started in September when John bought me a long jean skirt for my birthday... and then I bought new jeans at the Gap. Stretch Black Jeans. I love them. They were my first pair of new jeans since 1989. And that same day the Gap had denim jeans on for 19.99, so I bought a pair of those too. That was the start. My next pay I bought shoes for work. Then a long tan sweater. And I really haven't been able to stop.

Monday I went through my closet and tossed bags and bags of old stuff... and arranged my new clothes, intermingled with some really funky treasures from Value Village and Sally Anns....

I love my clothes and I know it's shallow. Perhaps I've entered my shallow years. :)

I think I've hit my comfortable size, 10ish, but will have to be really careful not to go nuts and gain any more back.

:)

Lois

Lois, I know exactly what you've gone through, and I'm so happy for you being able to start buying yourself a few things now. :yes: I've always stayed home with our children (despite my former "screw-kids" plan to be a big bread winner, once they came along I became a "I'm damned if I'm leaving MY babies with a sitter just so I can earn a few extra bucks!"), and until a couple of years ago, we always seemed to be POOR!! (yet happy! heh heh) Our circumstances are much better now, and it's nice to have a little bit extra to occasionally treat ourselves to a meal, some clothes, etc.
You're NOT shallow. Enjoy yourself!!
10... you lucky girl! Good for you, sweetie!!

Sabrina, you'll get those red boots. They're out there... just waiting for you. :)

Geez it's cold out there. This country should NOT have people living on the streets. :mad: There's something very wrong with our society. Good reminder, Ruthie.

I've been going through clothes too...gave my large Cotton Ginny T's to DH, who looks very cute in them (they are sort of enormous unisex navy or black Ts), and lots of old big stuff is going to Goodwill (where actually I have found some amazing things such as my fave grey-blue soft merino wool cardigan).

I don't understand sizes at all - they are all different for different makes. I think I am between sizes actually, in Gap or Limited pants...and I found Eddie Bauer jeans that SAY they are 12s but I can hardly get them zipped up (they feel like 8s really). I still wear a lot of elastic waists (Adidas, Northern Reflections) but with string to adjust them up or down. Though actually wearing stuff that zips and buttons is a better incentive to fitness. Though one pair it has been 9 years since I could wear them and now they don't go with anything in my closet! But I won't give them away as they are a yardstick for me. I keep out a few pairs of pants to try on, just so I can see where I am at.

Ideal for me is having jeans with a zip bit also a teeny bit of side elastic! They are hard to find secondhand though, in a good brand.

I love love love buying clothes for myself - secondhand but top quality! I love the hunt! When I was a kid and teenager we only shopped once or twice a year for one or two items - otherwise it was all homemade and not very fashionable. So now I am making up for that!!:lol:

Lidian

I love second hand shopping too, Lidian! My Mom discovered "The Neighborhood Services" store when we were young teens, and I was able to find myself all kinds of jeans and stuff!
And as a single income family, I don't know what we'd do without the second hand stores! ...Yes I do. We'd be shopping for cheap and nasty new clothes. Instead, I almost always find expensive, well-made clothing second-hand. Stuff that looks good and wears well. And I can get about 30 items for 80 dollars, instead of 2 or 3 new ones for 80! :)

Naturally we're relying on people who shop "new" and discard frequently, and I'm very grateful to them. They obviously have far more money than WE do. :yes:

My parents still shop there on occasion despite their rise in wealth over the years. I think it's addictive. They were there one day, and Mom had a little chit chat with another customer over some "goods". Afterwards she said to my Dad, "You know darling, I just realized... I just had the nicest conversation with Rita Celli." :D (for the American girls, she's one of our radio and tv hosts)

Hmmm, DH has tomorrow morning off. Maybe after our workout we'll go to the Sally Ann. :) And I have several huge bags to drop off there!

Ellis, I know I could never dress my kids in nice stuff from the Gap, Roots, Reebok, etc etc etc without shopping secondhand - why buy the cheap stuff new when you can get something only a little worn, or not at all, for so much less?

I have a friend who was saying she couldn't find snowpants sold without the coat too, and I suggested some of my fave 2ndhand stores where you CAN get great snowpants (or anything else) any way you like, but I could tell she just didn't want to go that route. I don't get it! I used to buy new and have hardly any good clothes and now I can get us all great stuff! Got DH some brand new Eddie Bauer stuff for Christmas, and a beautiful polartec top, and PJs, all for a total of about $35.

I donate lots too, to 2ndhand stores - long may they be in business!

Lidian

Yes, Lidian... some people are queasy about second hand shopping. Maybe it's just as well. More for us. :D
Eddie Bauer... yup... that's the only place I'll buy it for my DH! And I love the clothes... they last for YEARS!

DH and I went today after going to the gym. We didn't have much time, so I just looked at the books. I DID see a nice looking navy collarless blazer as I was walking in... I grabbed it... $5.99. And I bought about 30 books. My bill came to $19.44. :D The blazer alone would have set me back 60 bucks new.

I too love second hand. I just bought my daughter a pair of Sun Ice ski pants, for $10.00 at a second hand consignment store, and I bought my son two beautiful winter coats, one was $3 and the other $4, at Frenchy's. Do you have a Frenchy's in Ontario or for that matter into the states? I love it. Can get some great buys there.

Great deals, Virginia!!

Frenchy's, huh? Nope, never heard of them. We have Value Village. The Salvation Army (cheaper than VV, but with less selection). And a bunch of independants. Like "Phase 2" in the Glebe.

Yes we also have a Salvation Army and about 40 minutes away into Moncton, NB there is a Value Village, but I find it a lot more expensive than Frenchy's or Salvation Army. Second hand is the best!

I love second hand too, but can't find as many plus sizes...did better with it (and funkier) when i was thinner.....