This is a question for all those who have reached there goal weight, or have lost weight and can shop in different stores now. I walk through the mall and go past places like American Eagle, or go into Macy's and see DYNC clothing and think those clothes are so cute. I wish I could wear them one day. Even if I got down to my goal I still wouldnt fit into them. I think it's the idea that I've always been over weight and it was always plus sized clothing for me. It's all I'm used to. I've never been able to wear anything but Lane Bryant or whatever is in the stores tiny plus size section. So my question is, will I really be able to fit into those clothes? Is it really possible to get down to a size 6 having one time in my life been a size 24? Even though I am losing weight, it almost seems impossible. Is there a brand or store you never thought you would fit into?

Believe that you can fit into little clothes because you WILL be able to!

I didn't buy many clothes while I was losing weight -- I begged and borrowed because I was changing sizes so fast. So when I reached my goal, nothing in my wardrobe fit except socks. Not even my shoes! I literally had to buy a whole new wardrobe.

Like you, I always wore plus sizes. I started off weighing just a little less than you do and wearing size 22 pants. In less than a year, I was wearing size 4. It was hard to wrap my head around my new size in the beginning and like most people who lose weight, I headed for the larger sizes automatically. But after intensive retail therapy (), I finally got comfortable with the idea of normal sizes.

What was a lot harder for me was figuring out what styles of clothes were flattering. At first I reflexively bought the same style of clothes that I had always worn when I was heavy. You know, camouflage clothes -- oversized shirts over long Tshirts, nothing tucked in, nothing form-fitting, nothing that didn't cover my butt, the dread pleated pants. It took me a while to realize that those clothes looked terrible on my new body and I needed to develop a whole new style. It took a lot of experimenting and trying different clothes on to figure out what looked right on me. And heaven knows I made a lot of missteps along the way.

But seriously, what could be more fun that being able to shop in those little sizes we never even dared to dream about?

You'll get there! We have lots of maintainers here who have started out in double digits and now are down into the low singles. In fact, we have members who are having trouble finding clothes that are small enough instead of big enough. How crazy is that?! And so many of us are clothes junkies now. One of the popular features of the Maintainers forum is our clothes shopping threads, talking about the new sizes, stores, and styles we can wear now. Pop over and check them out sometime:

Fall Clothes Thread

Squee - Ann Taylor Sale

Shopping, Shopping, Shopping!

Spring Clothes Shopping

We can't wait until you join us on the clothes threads!

Ah yes!. I am finally squarely (er, curvingly) into regular sizes. I still haven't wanted to do much shopping because I'm still losing, albeit slowly. I'm hoping by late spring I'll be pretty settled out so I can buy things I never grow out of . I have some advantage in that until my thirties, I was size 8-10. But now it's been the better part of a decade in which I've not been dressing well as I gained weight, and then moved into plus sizes. But I've been out a few times to try things on. I can say it will be a lot of fun, this retail therapy

You'll get there. It does feel kinda surreal at first. And it slowly gets better. It's fun to realize you're starting to feel like *this* is your usual, not your previous weight.

One nice thing about this process is that as you replace things slowly, you can shift to being much pickier, and having fewer things but really great things. Not always expensive, but not based on the only-buying-dirt-cheap-at-this-huge-size mentality. Good fit, better quality, great style. I've always wanted that kind of wardrobe, but it can be hard to let the high quantity junk go. It just seems much easier to let that junk go now!

I bought myself a little chocolate brown suede jacket...sort of "western" styled and a pair of dark brown boots to go with a new pair of sexy jeans and a really form fitted button down chocolate brown shirt -- as I stood looking at myself in the mirror, I looked almost rangy and lean and sexy. TOTALLY WEIRD!

I used to be mostly an Eddie Bauer and L.L. Bean kind of girl...and I still am. I love vests and long sleeve T-Shirts, khakis and cordoroy skirts -- but now they fit my form and aren't bought a size too big so nothing shows.

I have started shopping in American Eagle...but actually I find their clothes not as nice as Eddie Bauer's...I think I'm getting old. I just went to Macy's and bought a pair of Size 4, low rise, boot cut jeans from Inc. They are some smokin' jeans, and when I put them on it is a little mind blowing that that is my butt in there...when six months ago I was having trouble getting that butt into Size 14 Khakis from Target. I actually walked through Forever 21 a couple of weeks ago, but I didn't buy anything. I am very conscious about buying clothes that make me seem like I am trying to hard.

Mostly it is Eddie Bauer, Anne Taylor, Inc., Nordstrom....even Coldwater Creek (That is where the little suede jacket came from...).

It is fun that most things look good when I put them on...and I look for things that SHOW OFF my waist instead of hiding it.

Oh, my I have become a clothes horse! Trust me, you WILL be shopping wherever you want when you reach your goal. I briefly flirted with a size 24 (mostly 22s) and am now a solid size 4-6 (even a few 2s).

I am a bargain hunter, so I shop at a lot of discount stores. I mostly shopped in these stores before, just the women's section instead. The really great thing is - instead of one or two "acceptable" choices, they now have lots of things in my size. Particularly on the sale racks

Some of my favorites: Ross, Marshalls, TJ Maxx, Sears, JCP, J Jill, Ann Taylor Loft, Filene's Basement, Belk, Coldwater Creek Outlet, Kohls, even Walmart, Meijer & Target.

One good place to shop at while you are on your way down, is goodwill stores. Find one that is near a wealthier end of town and you will find a *lot* of higher end or decent stuff there and in very good shape. Much of it has never even been worn (I see store tags on clothes there all the time).

By shopping there, you won't be paying a fortune for clothes that will be too big in a few months time, and you get to experiment with different styles and brands to see what flatter you best as you get thinner. For me, pleated pants have been tossed the way of the dodo, and my legs now look nice enough to show my knees in a skirt

I'm closing in on my halfway point for my weight loss, and I have to say, I am thrilled that all the 'cute' clothes are now within reach. I'm a 14-12 now, and I started out as a 18-16. I figure I'll probably settle out as an 8, but I will have to see what happens to my size as I get to my goal weight. I almost never saw 'regular' clothes in my old size and now, I am finding many regular clothes are made up to 12 or 14 and I had a blast buying new clothes a month ago (well, most of them were sort of new - I shopped a lot at goodwill).

BP

i think i am putting the founder of Old Navy's kids through medical school. most of my clothes are from there... inexpensive (yet decently made), colorful, and cute? i'm there.

I'm not at my goal yet, but I'm solidly in a size 10-12, down from a 24.

My stores of choice are a lot like Schumeany's:
Eddie Bauer, Anne Taylor, Nords, Coldwater Creek.

I'll also throw in there that all of my pants lately have come from The Limited, and I've recently found some really cute stuff at White House Black Market.

I'm trying very hard to limit my buying to things that are on sale as much as possible. I'm hoping to lose another 2 sizes at least this year to get to my final maintenance weight ... so I don't want to spend too much. Yet.

But I'll tell you what, to me, will be the sign that I've made it ... when I can go buy a cute flippy dress at Anthropologie. That's sort of my ultimate goal for clothing - an Anthropologie dress for this summer.

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Hey PC, I just bought a black suit from the Limited and a beautiful silver and black tank from White House Black Market to go under it.

While I always shopped at Macy's in the plus sized corner for my TIGHT size 22's I would glance longingly at the good stuff. We think a lot alike - I looked at DKNY stuff a ton. It seemed impossible, truly. I suppose I thought transforming my body THAT much was unlikely.

Guess what? It is possible, I wear a size 6 in my DKNY jeans - it happened, it's happening! Know what else? DKNY runs big in my experience. You'll be wearing it soon.

I longed for cute jeans. Nice jeans - not ones that looked like the size of a bedspread. At one point in my weight loss I bought a tiny pair of couture jeans for a goal prize (wore them last night!) I felt so skeptical - they looked so small. I also wanted to be able to wear high heels, boots, little skirts and especially I wanted a drawer full of nice bras and soft PJ's from Victoria's Secret. It all seemed so impossible and far away. I often have to pinch myself now - realize I have that stuff and can wear it.

There's so much exploring I still have to do with clothes - stores to shop at, brands to try. I haven't, mostly because I don't realize yet that I'm able to. I was small in my 20's, but broke - so I didn't have a ton of shopping options. I'm looking forward to fashion in my 30's! It's going to be a fun (and costly) adventure, to be sure.

Ohhhh ... that's so something I have looked forward to, as well.

I have bought some nice undies, but right now my boobs are still too big for the really cute demi-cup lacy bras that I crave. One thing that keeps me going is the thought that someday after I reach my goal I'll have a breast lift (and maybe a reduction, but we'll see what's needed by then) and I'll have the cute, perky boobs I want that will allow me to wear the really sexy stuff that I crave.

Victoria's Secret is my "I can't believe I'll ever get there" store, in that sense.

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This is a great thread!

I am bottom heavy and I like the way I'm shaped. Having a smaller bust and waist has always made me appear to weigh less than I actually have.

I have gone from a size 28/(3-4X) bottom/22/24(2X) top at my highest weight of 278 lbs. to an 18 bottom/Ladies XL top.

I was shopping for an outfit in September to wear to a wedding and went into Macy's. Since I still drifted to the plus sizes, I had to ask for help from the saleslady. She told me she wore a 14/16 petite and that I looked as though I wore the same size. It was hard to fathom as she was so small. I went to the petite section, picked out a beautiful blue floral print 2 pc. top/skirt outfit and tried it on. It is a size 16 and I actually took the top in a couple of sizes to flatter my smaller waist.

I look at people who are the same size as I am and think how small they are, but still see myself as being much larger. I have shopped at Fashion Bug for years on the plus side and it was really scary going to the other side.

I mainly shop at Fashion Bug and thrift shops because I don't want to spend a lot of money on clothes while I'm losing weight. I'll do that when I reach goal.

Bras - now there's something that I might need a miracle for! I have no idea what proper size I was at my heaviest, but I know I was wearing poorly fitted 38C bras, and old and streched all to heck ones at that. I had extra boobs squishing out all over the place! Now I'm a properly fitted 36DD and those cute lacy ones are still out of reach - they mostly stop at C. I really, really, really hope I'll deflate a bit (ok, a lot) more but I doubt it. I was an early and big developper, and during my skinny-minny teen years, I had huge boobs. I doubt I'll be able to get reduction surgery or a lift once I'm at my goal weight, because I'm one of those unlucky people that form huge keloid scars.

BP

Good information here. I love Goodwill and Salvation Army because I don't plan to be in a size for too long so why spend $$ on something I won't need for too long.

ever since i got back into the 100's, I can now fit in old navy jeans. Before I could only fit in maternity pants, my favorite place to buy them was at Target. I feel great that I can actually fit into Jean without an elastic band!!