I met my goal weight about 2 weeks ago. But I always seem to gain back 10 pounds. I can't decide if I should get rid of all of my too big clothes so I "can't" gain back any weight or if I should keep the next size up to allow for a little weight gain. I kind of feel like I am selling myself short if I just expect myself to gain it back, but I don't want to be unwise by getting rid of everything either. We don't have a ton of money for buying new wardrobes.

My other question is...Should I splurge on an expensive pair of super cute jeans or should I stick with my finds from Ross and the clearance racks at regular stores? Again I don't have a ton of money for buying a new wardrobe, but I really want something that is to die for!

Well, my own experience is that if you are kind of between sizes, you shouldn't let go of the larger size just yet. As you settle into maintenance, it's not unusual to regain a little bit, and it would be a shame not to fit the lower size as well as you would like. And if you don't regain anything in a few months, then you can let go of the larger size then.

I wouldn't keep any really larger sizes--I got rid of the 18s, 20s...

As for the other thing--I don't know what to tell you! I'm not the kind of person who wants to spend an exorbitant amount of money of clothes...

Jay

I say to get rid of the largest size...and do give them away. Either donate them to a friend or a women's shelter.

I have been buying alot of clothing at thrift stores (got a brand new pair of levi's for 6 bucks!) or target. Don't get too many...you are gonna shrink out of them, too!!

Congratulations!!

HI!
I think girls already gave you the sound advice! You should rid of just of the biggggg clothes, not the clothes that is a little bit bigger. And you know - we all have days when we would like to dress in a baggy T-shirt so dont throw all them away...be rational...if they bother you, you can put them in some bag and out of the sight in storage ...I do that...and when I need them I take them out...

I got rid of all the bigger sizes. Women's clothes being as crazy as they are I do have roomier and smaller size 6s (and a few bigger 4s), so I'm fine on bloated days. I want it to be inconvenient and annoying to actually need a bigger size.

I buy just about all my stuff at thrift and consignment shops. I have picked up some nice labels there. I did splurge last winter and buy myself an Anne Klein wool coat though. If you can afford it it's nice to have one really nice piece to celebrate your smaller size, though certainly not required

IMO, not having bigger clothes won't keep you from regaining weight by itself. I mean, not having big clothes didn't keep you from gaining to begin with, did it? And not having small clothes didn't keep you from losing, right?

Clothes are JUST clothes. I keep a couple of sizes up from where I am now, pushed to the back of my closet. Because you just never know.

First, congrats on getting to your goal weight!!

I think this is a personal decision based on how you approach weight loss and maintenance. You said, "I always seem to gain back 10 lbs." Does that mean you are giving yourself permission to gain those 10lbs? Does that mean your goal weight should really be 10lbs higher than what it is? Or does it mean that you need to think about what you can do differently *this* time to prevent gaining those 10lbs?

For some people having larger sizes in the closet isn't a big deal. For other people having larger sizes is implicitly giving themselves permission to gain weight. I think you should think about your own approach to weight loss and maintenance and make a decision that reflects that, rather than what most other people do.

Like MindiV, for me, having certain sizes don't have any effect at all on how my weight situation is going. A few years back, I gave away all my larger sizes to Hurricane Katrina victims and I"m so glad I did, but then, I gained all that weight back (and then some) and it really sucked to have to guy more plus sizes. This time, I plan to give away some of the plus sizes that I don't need, but I will keep a few pieces, folded away in the closet. I don't have any plans to gain the weight back again...ever. I have completely restructured how I think about food and how I handle things, but I am a food addict and by no means do I think I"m immune from gaining the weight back again.

Regarding the jeans...it's hard to answer that question. Who doesn't wanna look hot? A pair of jeans can be so versatile and can be worn for years and years without going out of style. However, I don't know your situation exactly with regards to finances. If I were you, I would start a little savings jar for your dream jeans. Every week that you don't gain the 10 lbs back, maybe put some money into the jar. Then, over the course of a year, you will probably have saved enough for your dream pair and you might feel so great about it! I say get the jeans, but use them as a reward for your hard work and patience.

Ooops! I hope it's ok that I posted here! I didn't realize I was in the Maintenance forum! Actually, I can't wait to join this area one day! Anyway, sorry for my premature entry!

Get rid of the too big clothes. Keeping them means that you doubt you will maintain your goal weight ! Why ? As for getting new things , get one thing at a time. I became a terrible shopaholic after getting to goal. After years of wearing those ugly xtra large clothes. I didn't get them all at once , though. One piece at a time with careful shopping will get you a great new wardrobe to go with your great, new body

Sizes are sooo variable. I'd say go more on how things fit. As you can see from above, most of us have at least 2 sizes that fit well. You certainly want to get rid of the way too big stuff, except maybe one or two pieces so you can remember where you were. And not go back there!

I like Bargoo's approach - one piece at a time! For me, hot jeans wouldn't do it, but we're all different. ANd you can get some really good deals at thrift and consignment shops. My SIL who has never weighed over 110 in her life buys all her clothes there, except shoes.

If your lifestyle means you can wear jeans most days, I would definitely go for it. You'll get a lot of wear from them and feel really great. Of course, you might just find those really hot jeans at Ross or Marshall's.

I haven't yet gotten rid of my old stuff out of pure laziness, but I plan too. I need the space! I would keep things that were just a little too big, for *those* days.

And I agree about giving yourself time to settle into your happy weight. You may find that's it's actually 5 pounds higher or lower than where you are.

If I were going to spend some money on "one perfect thing to wear" it would be a great pair of jeans. You can wear them just about anywhere. And you will feel wonderful wearing them.

(In fact, I recently did just that!)

I only keep clothes that fit my ideal weight or within 5-7 pounds over. The really big clothes are long gone. But, I don't like really tight clothes, either. Most of my clothes have a little give in them.

You can always put some clothes into an "indecision box" and put that box in the back of the closet or the garage. If you don't need them within six months, give the box away.

Congratulations on reaching your goal!

Of course it's OK if you post here, Lucky! In fact, I actively encourage you to post here NOW because your issue (if I'm remembering right from your other posts) isn't losing the weight, it's keeping it off. Anyone is welcome here at any time in their weight loss journey and it seems like the Maintainers forum might be the right place for you.

I can wear my size 4 pants over about an 8 - 10 pound range, which not so coincidentally is my maintenance range. As a matter of fact, how my pants fit is a lot better gauge of maintenance success than the scale. So the fact that there's a ten pound weight range means that there's wiggle room and a little leeway for vacations, holidays, and when my focus lapses. But if I would ever gain more than that, I'd have absolutely nothing to wear (other than the size 22s in my avatar -- I'll never get rid of those!) For me, it keeps me on the straight and narrow to know that I can't size up and a whole wardrobe of gorgeous clothes would be unwearable if I gain too much weight.

But I agree with the posters who think it's a good idea to give yourself a little time to settle into a stable, maintainable, comfortable goal range before you get rid of anything (unless it's enormous). You really do need to live maintenance for a while before you can decide what's the right place for you.

Congratulations and we're glad you're here with us!

Thanks Meg! I will definitely pop in here from time to time....but I can't wait until it's official! Thanks for all of your wisdom and support.