Shopping woes!
 

Losing weight is wonderful, and I'm by no means complaining. I just hope that others have gone through this and figured something out haha.
There isn't a need to buy a ton of clothes every time you lose a few pounds. I've lost almost 60 pounds and I've been forced to buy new pants a couple times because loose and baggy are two different things.

I've hit the mall the last couple of days to find a decent pair of jeans and I have no idea what size I am. I head to JC Penny, look for the plus size clothing, grabbed a few pairs of different sizes and a 16 fit me perfectly. I was excited however these pants are nothing I could buy and git rid of in a month or two. My search continued...at least I knew could try the 16s on. Three pairs later at JC Penny and about 8 pairs at all of the stores I went to and I was exhausted, jeanless and SO frustrated because the 18s are too big, 16s too snug. It doesn't stop with jeans as you all know. My bras, and shoes are out of sorts too.

It's hard to keep up with the lack of funding to find/change your size in EVERYTHING! As great as the weight loss is, it's also hard to think of myself as any different when its just as hard if not harder to shop.

Sorry if this sounds petty, everything is just a huge mental adjustment.

Thank you! :carrot:

You're at a bad size right now. ;) You're not only between sizes, you're also between the two categories plus-sized and regular. That was a miserable place to be. At that size I had a really hard time knowing whether I was a 16, a 16W, an 18...a 14W? They all ran together and none of them were quite right ever. You're not far now from conquering those sizes! Size 14 was a safe haven for me, away from the chaos. ;)

I have been outfitting myself mostly at thrift stores and even then I tread lightly. For Summer I am making due with a couple pair of capris, one pair of shorts and a few decent shirts. That's it. For Fall, I intent to get two pair of pants (khaki and navy) and a few decent shirts. That will have to do. People at work are just going to have to get used to seeing me wear the same thing day after day. ;) I'm not going to spend a fortune on this in-between stage.

Good luck!! Shopping at this stage is as wonderful as it is frustrating! Congratulations on fitting into the 16's!!! Isn't it marvelous?!

I've been in exactly this place for years now - it's my main reason to lose weight! Sizes here are different, but I'm exactly between normal sizes and plus sizes, so when I grab something from the first category, the buttons won't close, and if I grab something from the second category, I could go and use it as a tent...

I've read quite a lot of threads about this dilemma on here, I've tried to find some for you for inspiration and so you'll know you are not alone:
http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/weig...oversight.html
http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/look...n-clothes.html

Maybe you could have some of your clothes taken in? Saves money and frustrating shopping time. And don't forget: the stress will soon be over. ;) Good luck!

I've abandoned buying new clothes because I think it is a waste right now. I've dropped two sizes and need some new clothes soon, but I shop at the thrift stores. The clothes are very inexpensive, in pretty good condition (some are new!) and a thrift store near me offers a lot of clothes my size. I'll probably shop there for the majority of my clothes during this journey, with the exception of splurge and special occasion clothes. It is frustrating to be in between sizes too!

I also shop thrift stores. Value Village usually has some nice clothes. I also like discount outlet stores (Giant Tiger and Winners here in Ontario). I hear you on the in between sizes. I was in this range for quite a long time before I lost some weight. It was so frustrating. Even now, I have a hard time clothes shopping because I am not sure what size I am. I am always picking things that are huge or too snug. Its worth it when you do find that one thing that fits just right ;)

All I can say is the well fitting clothes are a must for me, the keep me motivated and help me to see my progress. When things start getting baggy I feel fat and frumpy. Everytime I've had to replace my wardrobe (I in fact just did this this last weekend) I feel AMAZING. If you have access to an outlet mall check it out. I have a huge one near me and have been frequenting it.

Originally Posted by ncuneo:
All I can say is the well fitting clothes are a must for me, the keep me motivated and help me to see my progress. When things start getting baggy I feel fat and frumpy. Everytime I've had to replace my wardrobe (I in fact just did this this last weekend) I feel AMAZING. If you have access to an outlet mall check it out. I have a huge one near me and have been frequenting it.

I totally agree ;) In the beginning I wore my old clothes until they were too big but then I just felt sloppy. I figured, I'm trying so hard to make myself look better, I might as well enjoy my new body and not look sloppy in these old clothes just to save a few bucks. I tend to buy a few new and used outfits for every 15-20 pounds but I try to shop as cheap as I can then donate the clothes back to the place I bought them when I am done with them. It makes me feel really good about myself and my progress.

Thank You for Addressing This Issue!
 

I really appreciate the fact that you brought this up because this is one area that I really need to pay close attention to. Here's why!

For example, I have recently lost 35 lbs. I have this one pair of light grey elastic waist knit shorts that I used to wear all the time. I was sitting in my favorite chair and I made a joke to my hubby and BF about how far I could stretch the waist now and just how much weight I could put "back in there". I didn't mean that I would but that I "could". He grimaced. It wasn't "funny" to him at all. I realized that sometimes we are hurting others as much as ourselves when we hang onto what is "comfortable". That really made me rethink about hanging onto the "old and familiar" just because it feels so good to wear something "comfortable". I tossed them in the garbage (paint stains or I would have donated them).

This is the one part of losing weight that has me the most fearful of. Getting my old body back. I have been in the plus sizes so long that I really don't know how I will feel once I hit Misses again. I often wonder what kind of fashion style I am. If you have spent a lot of time and energy working on accepting your large size where do you drop that stance and reclaim your newly emerging figure? Talk about paradigm shift!

However, one other "incident" caused me to have a different perspective as well. There were two people on tv (Oprah) who had lost over 100 lbs each and they both emphatically said that the fat clothes have got to go! By having them hanging in the closet it is just too easy to fall back if you have gained a few pounds. So, although I have a lot of fear I also don't want to regain this weight. I want that more than hanging onto the old and familiar.

After I heard and saw that, I went into my closet and every old size I was that I had hung onto for the next season (fall-winter) I donated right away. That means there is no turning back for me. And, the sizes that I do have for the upcoming fall-winter are the next size down (many which I haven't worn since I moved here 6 1/2 years ago). I'm scared because this really raises the bar for me. If I don't want to go out butt-naked in the streets then I'd better get down to those sizes (about 10-15 lbs the least) by fall.

Change, even good change, is scary but like others here have attested to, it is very important that we see and feel the changes we are making in our efforts to slim down and regain our "best version of ourselves".

I needed to hear this as much as you did. Here's to seeing our waist again. :carrot:

I'm lucky in that my partner's largest sized clothing is just about where I am now. Since she has lost weight with me, I can just steal her clothes; its like shopping, only its in my own closet.

However, I completely understand the frustration. Its annoying to lose weight and STILL have trouble with clothing. Old Navy often have sales where you can get clothing really cheap.