I lost about 30 lbs., and all my pants are baggy...I still have about 50 lbs I need to lose, however, I was wearing a size 22/24, and last year I purchased a pair of Lee Khaki pants size 18/20 and can now finally fit them...however, I am scared to start buying clothes in a smaller size...I just feel like I will wake up and the 30 lbs will return and I have a bunch of too small cloths.

chiarij

When I lost weight, I gave away all my larger sized clothes. I no longer needed them. Your weight won't magically return and for the last 18 months or so, I was largely maintaining my weight loss. Now I am starting to lose again and when I lose 50 lbs, I'm giving away all my current clothes because I will no longer need them.

Gaining 30 lbs doesn't happen overnight. One thing that has helped me is that I weigh myself regularly. I know when I am gaining weight. If I found a few lbs creeping on, then I work to make them disappear.

Pay attention to yourself and your body, don't let that 30+ heavier person return and she won't.

Being in between sizes can really bite. I have everything from a 10 to an 18 in my closet (not including all the maternity in XL!) As I go from one size to the other I clean out my closet and put all the too big (or too small) away in the garage. I've never been quite as big as I was after DS #2 so I had to buy the largest size I've ever worn after he was born...and I will keep them just in case.

I donate my too big clothes (call the local boys and girls club, or kidney foundation.. they'll come pick them up right from your doorstep!) as I undergrow (HAHA) them too... that way I'm not tempted to slip up because I know I'll have nothing to wear!! I did keep some of my maternity clothes... but I doubt they'll fit me ever again because they're all size 24's... I HOPE they don't ever fit me again!!! The downside is... I finally found a pair of capris that I LOVE and bought them 2 weeks ago and they're already getting too big in the waist... I guess I'll have to go grab a few pairs in smaller sizes haha!

I've really had trouble giving away my old clothes, too. I still have a closet full of clothes that are 4 sizes too big. I finally bought some new clothes, so I had to bag up some of the old stuff to make room for them (but I haven't actually given away the bag yet). I feel really attached to some of my old clothes, especially the items that were my favorites and that I felt good wearing. Even though they are way too big and I could never wear them, I just can't bear to let them go. I looked so hard to find those clothes (I was a hard to fit size and very fussy about fit) and wore them so often, I feel like they are old friends that supported me in my darkest days.

It is a good idea to buy some clothes that fit, though. I've noticed that I don't look as good in my clothes that are too big; when I'm wearing them I am not as happy with my appearance and don't feel like I've made much progress. I look much better in clothes that fit and therefore feel much better about myself. While I don't want to spend too much money on new clothes until I get to my goal weight, I do think it is important for my motivation to have a few items that I look great in.

I used to have a huge clothing addiction so when I lost weight, I sold some of the better items on ebay and gave away.... nearly 20 garbage bags of clothes. I also gave away around 50 pairs of shoes as my feet also lost a size. I don't think I'll be having children but if I do it is quite a few years away so no reason to keep my clothes as I lose weight.