Like Jessless, I've done this a few times. I have lost a fairly significant amount of weight...Gave away all my fat clothes, gained the weight back and had to go purchase new fat clothes, (With my head hug low in shame.)

So this time I have saved everything except for any clothing with rips, holes or stains...or just plain ugly. Underwear also got tossed. I've dropped 12 dress sizes, (size 30 to a 6) so as you can imagine I have quite a load. I have them all packed neatly in totes in the attic.

At one point I decided my kids could sell them/donate them at my estate sale, (When I die...) But I have now found a fun new hobby that I'll be using many things for, (only items made of really nice fabric). I am really glad I decided tro keep them.

I'm refurbishing them. I have made a few "new" wrap-around skirts out of a couple big skirts/dress for summer, and now I have a few winter skirts all cut apart and pinned on a patten to make "new" fitted skirts. Just waiting for another rainy day to finish them up. The fabric is absolutely gorgeous, and I loved these skirts even when I was fat, so I'm really excited to have new ones made from them. Nice fabric is a fortune to buy, so I'm saving some $$ and sharpening my sewing skills. I also saw some throw pillow ideas in a magazine that I might make with a few of my old blazers and tops. It's fun.

Just a little warning though, if any of you try this and go out and buy a patten...beware. They do NOT vanity size on most patterns. I wear a size six in most every store I go into, BUT I wear a size 12 in McCall's and Simplicity patterns. YIKES!

I get rid of them, and it's very important to me that I do.

My therapist who worked with Overeaters Anonymous for over ten years told me that she saw the people who hung on to their old size clothes were more apt to gain the weight back than the people who didn't, and that's something I can easily understand.

The second I buy something new, I throw out what doesn't fit me anymore. If I put on a shirt that doesn't fit - in the trash it goes, IMMEDIATELY.

For me this is a permanent change and there is absolutely no need for me to hang on to those clothes. They don't fit me, plain and simple, and they won't ever fit me again.

It's part of my process, and I wouldn't have it any other way.

The four or five times I've lost large amounts of weight I've done it both ways, and it really didn't make any difference in terms of regaining. Not having clothes to wear didn't prevent me from regaining, it only meant increased stress and credit card debt, doing laundry more frequently and/or avoiding going out in public unless absolutely necessary.

Saving clothing wasn't as helpful as I expected either (whether it be smaller or larger clothing), because when I got back into a particular size, it seemed that I was shaped differently, and the clothing didn't fit right - or styles had changed...

My strategy this time is to sell my clothes as soon as they get big enough to look sloppy. Consignment shops are very popular around here, and the plus sizes sell quickly. Because I'm a bargain hunter, I even occasionally get back more than I originally paid (since consignment shops get half, that means those clothes sold for more than twice what I paid).

I can find a lot of nice clothes that way too. There's not a lot in my size, but I've found some really pretty things. Most look like they've never been worn (some still had the original price tags still on).

I donate them to charity and family & friends. At first its kind of scary getting rid of them because you aren't 100% sure you're not going to need them but once you do, you can't wait to drop another waist size or pant size and get some new clothes. My philosphy is that if I am stupid enough to put myself through this again, I deserve to have to drop a few dollars to get new stuff Do whatever makes you comfortable though. I will say it's kind of like burning a picture of an ex friend or boyfriend after a messy breakup. Kind of empowering.