I so understand this phenomenon. I put off buying clothes for so long because I refuse to buy the size that I am! Yet, I have two boxes in the closet and half my dresser full of clothes that I "will" fit back into if I only lose 20 pounds. Sigh.
But from what I can tell, even if you pay for the pricer clothes at Layne Bryant - they fit well, which can have an enormous influence on your attitude. My sister finally got some decent clothes, and a DRESS... and she feels amazing, it has boosted her self esteem tremendously to be able to wear nice clothes and feel good wearing them.
.... so, don't underestimate what a nice outfit might do for you!

I'm trying on some clothes but I always tell myself that each dollar I save can go towards my goal weight wardrobe. I see so many beautiful (pricey at least to me) clothes that I want to save up for, that I am pinning the clothes that are getting loose till I get there.
I tried not to, I tried to think "I deserve nice clothes no matter what weight I am at" but at the same time, I don't feel like I am punishing myself. I'm not angry with myself, unless I am just upset in general. I'm just a dramatic person who wants a "big reveal" in a hot wardrobe, but I make so little per year so I will save up for that.
EDIT-I finally got the nerve to try on my old clothes a week ago-ones that I bought in the middle of losing from the first time I lost weight. Wow. Reminder of how long it was ago-the clothes look silly on me now cause they were for someone much younger! LOL. Anyways, I will toss them, it was amusing to see since I was waiting so long to fit into them and now they are clothes that just look dated and too young for me.

I just buy stuff in second hand shops so it's cheap and I can change it a lot if needs be. Have you looked for some trousers in one of those shops? Sometimes you can get brand new stuff :)

I've found stuff at Goodwill from Nordstroms with the tags still on it. I also had a bunch of clothes from high school and early college I'd been holding onto but I purged it and sold the more expensive things on EBay. Why? When you lose weight and get older your body can change where your weight sits, so those things might not look good anyway! And it was making me depressed to look at them every time I cleaned my closet.

I had no luck finding pants at TJ Maxx, the biggest size was a 16! If I could fit into a 16 I wouldn't have this problem. I did however BOGO free at Lane Bryant for some new bras that fit great. It's a good start even though as much as my husband likes my DD's that I never have to buy a bra that big again. Now for some pants that don't make me feel like lumpy frumpy.

Well incase anyone comes back to read this, I conquered my fear and spent about $90 on three new pairs of pants today via ebay and deals that Torrid's is having on denim. Charcoal dress pants, black denim dressy pants, and one pair of jeans. And they are in extra tall. I was SOOO damn tired of wearing my stupid *** baggy stretchy waist pants. Worth it I think. Hopefully next year I'll be in photos of one leg of them.

Yeah you will!!!! You can totally do it! Just keep going!

Also, yay about the new pants!!! I was on team "go-ahead-and-get-some-new-stuff-in" so I'm very excited for you!

I agree with Toastedsmoke. Dressing well is important at any size. I've lost about 15 pounds and I want to lose another 30 pounds. I have some really nice clothes, so I plan to keep much of my current wardrobe and alter the clothes to fit as I lose weight.

I recently broke down and bought new clothes. I had trouble with going overboard though. (I don't know when the last time I was excited about clothes shopping)

I realize its silly to purchase lots of clothes in 'tween sizes, but after the 3rd person in one week told me that I looked like I was wearing someone else's clothes, I realized it was time.

A lot of the weight I've lost so far was in my midsection/back, so clothes hung on me in a funny manner. Everything I've purchased for summer, I made sure to get as small as I could (within decency) with drawstrings or belt loops so that I could cinch it as long as I could.

It's a shame, because I just cleaned out my closet, 4 trashbags to goodwill, and 1 bag of clothes that were passed down to other friends who are losing weight too. The bad part is that both of my friends are more pear-shaped, and I am more rectangular, so none of them could wear the yellow LB jeans I had just bought last fall. :(

I'd check into consignment stores in your area, as I wish I had. It's frustrating as anything to be tall and heavy. Too bad we can't arrange a clothing swap!

Its bizarre, as I've seen many unhappy posts about being a size 16. I *just* got to an 18, and bought a pair of 16 crops today (woot). But I still have a pair of my 26's to refer back to.

Everyone wants to have something to look nice from time to time. Sometimes its just 1 article of clothing. I had a high/low bias-cut shirt I bought at my heaviest, and although I was my heaviest, it made me feel on top of the world because it flattered my figure well. I was sad to part with it. Some day we reach the point where we feel frumpy and disgruntled. I used to think that by default, going bigger in size meant covering my trouble spots. Boy was I wrong!

Don't lose hope. It's hard, because clothing can be expensive, but you'd be surprised at where you can find something inexpensive that still makes you feel nice.

I found this top on Walmart's website, which surprisingly, I'm rather pleased with. $11. I liked it so much I bought it in red, white and I am trying not to purchase the blue one (sorry if those links don't work out) I wear them with a shrug and a cami.

I've taken to wearing something old with something new, so that at least 1 thing I have on "fits" as it should.

I can't recommend any good shops as ours in the UK are different, but I do get where you're coming from. I practically lived in the same baggy outfit before I started losing weight and also had a wardrobe full of "will slim into" clothes. They've all gone to the charity shops now (or on ebay) as I'm past all of them.

We have a shop here called Primark (commonly referred to as Primarni) which is brilliant for cheap, disposable fashion and it's been great for buying bits as I've slowly shrunk and didn't want to go too mad. Not sure if you have it in the US, but have a look if you do.

I totally understand. i am in the exact same situation.

lol ofcourse i feel ya girl!

so at my heaviest, i was wearing around a 16 (probably an 18-20 in reality lol), so it took me a while to shrink out of that.

then i hit 14s, and went a little mad and bought some clothes, then...... ha i didn't buy clothes until i magically fit into an 8.

ya, 14, to an 8. when you finally start getting peices that fit, that's when people start making comments.

the funny thing is, a lot of my current clothes are what has been given to me by my 50 year old mother (who is fairly stylish, but more conservative). these are all of my office clothes (i am 24). i have now bought some day-to-day peices, but i am still hoping to shrink down to a 6 or so, so I am waiting!!

I buy clothing with lots of seams. I'm a lot busty so when I buy for fit there, I need to tack in thru my mid section. This is also my plan for as I lose weight. I also plan to buy one or two pieces at the correct size with each size drop. I'd rather have 1 perfect top then a closet of things that don't make me smile.

BCOutlet.com is a great site for amazing bargains in plus, superplus, and regular sides.

If you check facebook or register when you sign in, you'll also get coupon codes that can save even more. Standard coupons that are easy to find are free shipping, 30% off highest priced item, 20% off entire order. Sometmes there's even better deals.

My last order I used a fee shipping coupon and bought seven pairs of pants (2 capri and 5 standard length) for under $21 (they were 2.99 each).

And best of all they were in a soft t-shirt knit with a drawstring waist. I bought the same style before so I knew they were cut very generously, so I bought a 2X (I'm currently a 3X). They weren't uncomfortably snug, but they fit more like a legging. Now, they're a bit looser, and when I really am a 2X they will fit loosly, and the drawstring might even allow me to wear them when I fit into 1Xs.

I LOVE drawstring waists, but the fabric has to be very soft and drapey or they look ridiculous when they start to get big.

I also found a really neat top at target that has a under-the-bust tie AND drawstrings at the shoulder seams. As I lose weight, I'll be able to tighten the drawstrings and the stringy belt.

I also bought a strapless sundress with elastic smocking at the bust. I love this style of dress. JoAnn Fabric and even Walmart carry this type of fabric so no matter what size you are, or how little you sew you can buy the material and make a dress. You just buy the fabric to fit around your largest measurement (for me my hips) and then you sew one seam and you've got a dress. I always wear mine with a top or jacket because I hate having my upper arms exposed.

Because of the elastic smocking these dresses also tend to fit for over a longer period of time.


Goodwill and other thrift and consignment shops have been a godsend for me too. They don't usually have much in my size, even now. But even when I wore a 5X, I could usually find at least a piece or two every month (if I stopped in once a week to browse). If you can get friendly with the staff, some will even call you when they get in stuff in your size.

I resell my clothes when I'm done with them, and usually can get enough that I can afford to buy clothes that fit whenever I want to. Sometimes I've even made a profit (a sweater I bought for $4 sold in a consignment shop for I believe $16 so I got $8 and doubled my money).

I've thought of actually trying to make a business out of buying clothes at Goodwill and selling them at the upscale consignment shops, but I've never actually gone through with it (whenever I find something that isn't in my size, but I think would sell, I chicken out thinking of the wasted money if I'm wrong).

Hi ladies! i hear you! i was in the same boat, even though I not too overweight, I could find clothes that fit me well, but still had nothing to wear!!! i never looked completely put-together. And looking over the internet pictures, I saw great outfits on ladies heavier than me! but whenever I tried to repeat the look t never looked good.. :( was so frustrated at myself that at 33 years old I am still could not complete my outfits, and each shopping would end up with clothes I didn;t even like or would ever wear. Then I read many blogs and e-book about style gathering bits of information and applying them. I was able to see immediate improvements. I even invested in the e-course on finding personal style and buying right things for your closet (best $50 I ever spent!). I realized that there are no bad shapes, but rather lack of love for your own body and knowledge how to dress your body, so it looks its best. I learned how to buy high quality pieces (and spend less), I can decide within one minute what to wear and always look great! I am even looking forward to going out, because I don't fee conscious about how I look! I started having comments from my girlfriends similar to "i hate you, how can you look so put-together". This wasn't an overnight transformation - it involves some work (and it is fun!) and commitment, but it is so worth it! The best part, I learnt how to scan clothes and filter out what is even worth my attention. Surprisingly, there is a very small percentage of clothes - so shopping doesn't feel overwhelming anymore.