I just started losing the weight and right now I still have quite a few items that were/are too tight to wear, so I will be ok for a while.
But I was wondering, how often do you buy items in a smaller size? Having to lose 70 lbs, I know I am going to go through a lot of different sizes along the way, and I'd hate to go out and buy new things only to have them not fit anymore in a month or two.
How have all of you losers handled the ever-changing body size?
I like to look nice and trendy...but unfortunately I had thrown away so much money on jeans and tops. I decided now that unless I absolutely need something I will get it at a thrift store or a consignment store. There are exceptions to this--like camis, bras, and underwear. I also check out the clearance section at stores. At New York and Co. sometimes you can get jeans for like 5 bucks. Nice jeans. I've been dropping sizes about every month, so it was really taking a chunk out of my pocketbook.
when they fall off i'll get something new. actually, i have various sizes of clothes already so i think i'll be able to go for a pretty good while without needing new things.
As you can imagine with 120lb weight loss I have gone through many different dress sizes along the way.
I would buy the next size down when they were just too baggy and they felt uncomfortable ( not uncomfortable in the traditional sense but the fact you had to pull trousers up constantly) as they were too loose. When I bought the next size down clothing I would buy not too expensive clothes and only the bare minimum I could get away with yet look nice and feminine. That would pan out at about 5 - 7 tops, about 5 bottoms ( selection of skirts and trousers). Then about 4 or 5 sweaters or cardigans but if you live in a warmer climate you might get away with such items. When I had finished with that size I would take those sets of clothes to a charity shop so someone could get some good use out of them. Though beware the nearer you get to your goal the less amount of lbs you need to lose to go down a dress size. The rate at which I bought clothes has speeded up from the beginning of my journey to now.
How did I handle the ever changing body size? I looked upon it as a positive that I was doing things right and in actual fact I loved the fact I was now in a size down clothing.
I have my favorite thrift store that I visit often and if something is pretty close, but I am not quite there yet, I will pick it up. I am not getting things smaller than about one size down, though. Sometimes I will reward/motivate myself with something really cute and on sale that I can hang on a hook in my room until I get there. I have a nicely taylored little jacket that I have been looking at for about a month. I try it on every once in a while to see if I am getting closer. One of these days I will button those buttons and it will fit across the back!
Otherwise, I am going through my old clothes that I have yo-yoed in and out of. But, like someone else said here, I think it is a good idea to get rid of those bigger clothes...it makes gaining weight again too easy if you keep them.
Also, I have not bought anything smaller than about the next size down as I am finding that my taste in clothing is changing as I lose and I don't really know what my body shape will be like as I lose.
Have fun clothes shopping! Try to get something you really like and spend a little money on it (if you can afford it). If feels so good to wear something you really love and that you KNOW you deserve!
I have lost weight and the biggest thing was the clothes expense. When I am at the highest weight I have been it takes me like 30 pounds to really change size the more I lose the less weight it takes to change size.
I take advantage of the online company called Transitional Sizes. It allows me to rent clothes for cheap till I am to the size I want to be. They also have great prices on new items. You can always tell if its never been rented because it would show a purchase price. So when I rent most of the items are brand new. The one thing I dont want to do is ever get a collection of sizes in my closet. Once I defeat the size Its out of my closet,
I didn't buy new clothes until a friend of mine pulled me aside and said "honey, you're swimming in those clothes - go buy some new ones". But then I was in denial about how much weight I'd lost. I'd never been able to lose weight before (never been committed enough) and so I couldn't really believe that I had.
I think I went from a 22/24 to a 16 before I bought new clothes the first time.
After I moved to a 16, I bought one pair of size 14 jeans, and then slipped down to a 12.
Right now I'm in a 12 in some things and a 10 in others, but I'm not planning on buying anything new until I'm solidly in an 8. I figure I can make do until then.
I am also buying the bare minimum to get by until I hit my goal weight. It's been very annoying, actually, because there are some DARLING summer things on sale at all my favorite stores, but I refuse to buy them now, knowing that by next summer I'll probably be a couple more sizes down. And I just can't bring myself to buy them in smaller sizes on the expectation that I'll wear them because I'm working out a lot and building muscle and my body shape has already changed, so I have no idea what will fit properly and what won't.
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Quote:
Also, I have not bought anything smaller than about the next size down as I am finding that my taste in clothing is changing as I lose and I don't really know what my body shape will be like as I lose.
Yeah. This is me exactly. ]
I'm going to have to buy some winter stuff now that the weather is getting colder and I'm hoping to get away with buying less than $100 worth to get me through the season, until next year.
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Last edited by PhotoChick; 10-03-2008 at 10:05 PM.
I bought stuff as my sized changed. At first I tried to make do with the clothes I had, using safety pins or taking things in myself. But the clothes just didn't look good. When I'm wearing clothes that fit properly, I look better and I feel better about myself. I don't buy a lot of clothing, but I try to make sure I have at least a couple of casual outfits and a couple of business outfits that fit right.
I buy a lot of t-shirts and casual clothes at Target, which is pretty inexpensive, especially once stuff goes on sale. Business clothes, I just had to suck it up and spend the money. I've definitely made more than a few purchases that I only got to wear a couple of times--usually business clothes because I don't have to get dressed up for work all that often. And I know I bought one pair of pants that I never got to wear--for a while there I was going through sizes pretty rapidly.
I did have a few things taken in professionally--that worked out well. You'd be surprised how much they can take a pair of pants in and it was a lot less expensive than buying new pants (they were work pants, so not cheap).
I've gone from a 28/30(W) to an 18, (no W...lol) So there have been a lot of sizes to fill in the gap. I have recently found an awesome thrift shop I spent $40.00 at and got enough to get me through Christmas. I also had saved all my nicer clothes as I out grew them, so I rely on some oldies but goodies to supplement. I will not wear baggy clothes. I have worked too hard getting to where I am, and I want people to see it... Tonight we went to a HS football game and I wore some slacks from Wal-mart, a blouse from Blair and a Blazer from the Thrift shop...shoes I splurged on at a nicer dept. store. Not counting shoes the whole outfit was less than $30.00 and I got loads of compliments.
When I started, I was at a size 22 (and it was tight). I was "lucky" enough to have one or two size 20 left over from thinner days (including dress pants!), and I still wore the size 22's until I really just couldn't anymore. I also ended up borrowing a couple pairs of size 18 jeans from my sister. My shirt size hadn't changed too much, so I did not have to worry too much about shirts during the summer, but I did pick up a couple of cute "disposable" jerseys at WalMart. I also hit up thrift stores, and bought a couple pairs of jeans at ON's $12 jeans sale.
I am lucky, because I work at a call center, so I don't have to dress up for work on a regular basis, but now that I'm down to a 16, I don't want to look as scrubby. I asked for clothing to my birthday, and my mom bought me new dress pants (I donated the size 20's to the previously mentioned sister) and I picked up some cute 1X (!!!!) shirts at Macy's recent clearance sale, spending less than $25 on shirts that should last me at least a few months before I can't wear them anymore.
Ok, that was a lot words, so a brief summary - I bought new pants at size 16, from 22 and new shirts at size 20 and at size 16. I have bought dresses at size 20, for special events. In the 2.5 months between the time I bought the dress for my sister's wedding, I went down to a size 16 (and depending on the cut, 14) dress.
I didn't buy new clothes until I was about 60 lbs down, at 150. I just couldn't stand the thought of "wasting" all that money on clothing that I would only be able to wear for a short period of time... You see, I have a very peculiar fashion sense, and since the fashions I like are so far out of the mainstream they're EXPENSIVE to buy on the internet. I would be miserable in cheap clothing that I didn't like, even if they did fit, so I stuck with the loose hangy clothing until I could buy a bunch of things that will still fit and look good even if I do lose a little more weight. Now I'm buying cute new things every chance I get.
It's hard. The first time I really *had* to buy new stuff, it was exciting. I tried to be careful, because I knew I wouldn't be in them too long. But I still feel bad about the money spent for things I was out of so soon. I'm a little more cautious now, plus I'm losing slower now . It helps that I have some things in my closet from previously weighing less, but a lot of those things aren't what I would buy now.
i currently have two pairs of trousers in my current size....
and a couple of pairs in the next size down....
im not sure if ill even get the next size down....
but im guna try....
Shopping is my reward for losing the weight. I loved shopping before I gained the weight. When I was at my high weight I hated shopping, it was just too hard to find anything that I felt good in. Now it's so much more fun. I am careful to buy most things from clearance racks so I don't feel bad about it. I love heels and I don't feel bad about buying them because my feet aren't going to shrink anymore so I'll be able to wear them at my goal weight. I'm going to donate things that are too big to the cancer society store, so I know they are going to a good cause too.
It took about 60 pounds before I started on new sizes. Isn't that crazy? Luckily I had saved clothing from a smaller me, so at first I didn't need to shop at a store, just in my attic.
After I grew too small for my old clothes at first I made the mistake of buying really nice new clothing for each new size, assuming it would last as long as my bigger sizes did.
Now I find that the smaller sized I get, the less weight it takes to get into a new size. My sizes change so rapidly these days. I'm learning not to shop too much. I buy a few high quality items for each new size as a true reward and supplement with cheap clearance rack items for variety.
I get rid of everything now as I grow too small for it. It's funny to give away things I've held onto for years. But my friends adore shopping my closets (yesterday a friend took a literal carload away) so that lessens the pain.
As I get rid of so many clothes I'm discovering I like having a smaller wardrobe. That's the plan for when I'm done losing weight, very high quality items - not quantity.
When do you buy new clothes?
I'd never been able to lose weight before (never been committed enough) and so I couldn't really believe that I had.
Tonight we went to a HS football game and I wore some slacks from Wal-mart, a blouse from Blair and a Blazer from the Thrift shop...shoes I splurged on at a nicer dept. store. Not counting shoes the whole outfit was less than $30.00 and I got loads of compliments.
I just couldn't stand the thought of "wasting" all that money on clothing that I would only be able to wear for a short period of time... You see, I have a very peculiar fashion sense, and since the fashions I like are so far out of the mainstream they're EXPENSIVE to buy on the internet. I would be miserable in cheap clothing that I didn't like, even if they did fit, so I stuck with the loose hangy clothing until I could buy a bunch of things that will still fit and look good even if I do lose a little more weight. Now I'm buying cute new things every chance I get. 
