To Shop or not to Shop

LisaRoloff

Ok, dumb question maybe, but.....

I have a LOT of weight to lose, like in 200 plus pounds. (Although I set up the tracker for 200 at 1-2 pounds a week so hopefully that will make safe and long lasting) Obviously there are going to be lots of different sizes of clothes going on as I work my way down. Here is my question: do you wait till you're all done to purchase the really nice wardrobe or do you get a few reward outfits as you lose knowing you will shrink past them just cause you deserve something good? I would love to get my whole wardrobe from holyclothing.com when I am done, but I would almost feel guilty purchasing stuff along the way knowing that it will hopefully be too big in time. Sort of wasteful. What do you all think?

Funship

Sometimes an occasional new outfit along the way really helps to encourage you to keep going on your fitness plan! It doesn't have to be expensive, just flattering to the NEW you.

rosehips60

Goodwill (but you have to go often and do a lot of sorting) and consignment shops are good for clothes that you will not be keeping for long. Good luck

Alligator423

I buy new clothes. It helps me feel good and look good! I also lose at a very slow pace, though, so I get some use out of them.

AmazonMayan

Thrift stores at least for jeans. I have lost a decent amount but still have over 100 to lose.


At the bigger sizes, I'm not going down sizes as fast (even with many inches lost) so some things I tailor to look better in the interim. I'm wearing skirts and summer dresses (with light jacket if weather is cool) a lot since they are much more forgiving as I lose.

Eta: I'm not buying many new things at all unless they will look good both while fitting and when they get loose or can be tailored and still look right. My reward clothing has been workout items like nice running shoes and compression shorts, etc.

jemhh

I get clothes as I move down in sizes. I've been at this for 16+ months now. I can't imagine walking around in ill fitting clothing this whole time. Feeling like a sloppy dresser is demotivating.

jenncornelsen

i agree. i am going through the same dilema. i have no shorts at all. i need some but am hoping to still lose. so i will go to the thrift store but may buy one nice pair for night out or whatever. i agree if u can afford to buy one or two nice outfits every couple sizes. that what i did and ive gone from a size 20 to a size 8. u always want acouple things u can feel great in

Alidecker

I lost 100 pounds, I made clothes work as long as I could for the most part. I usually ended up buying about every other size on the way down. I would buy a couple pairs of pants and wear them a lot, I did not have a lot of variety in my closet as I was losing weight. I bought inexpensive clothes knowing I wouldn't be wearing it long. I did buy a couple of nicer items as a reward, you want to feel good about your progress and your old clothes won't help with that

gothchiq

For interim sizes I hit up the thrift stores. There's some really nice stuff in some of them. Having stuff a little loose is okay but when you're just floating in the clothes, I see no reason why you should have to dress like that until you reach your goal.

RodaRose

I can get stuff tailored down a size or two so I can wear the clothes longer.
Otherwise, plan on buying clothes that look and feel great on you. You only need a few pieces because you will be moving down to the next size soon.

gothchiq

... Oh and YES to holyclothing!!! Lotus Traders is nice, too, for that natural cotton boho style.

smr09012

I'm nearly 40 lbs down and I'm still shopping. I know that it's something that keeps me motivated, so I'm not willing to give it up. I have a few pieces that I know I'll have tailored when they become unwearable, but some I know I'll just give up/give away to make room for smaller things.

I'm not sure if it's in your budget, but GwinnieBee.com is like netflix for plus sized clothes. I WISH I had enough extra cash, but I joined the gym instead.

juleszephyr

I lost 118 lbs in total. I made a promise to myself that I would always have a pair of jeans that fitted me - enter ebay and charity shops. I bought a pair size by size and tried to get a few things that were adaptable to supplement this along the way. It helps keep you motivated and once you get to goal you can shop till you drop...

enterdanger

jemhh wrote: »

I get clothes as I move down in sizes. I've been at this for 16+ months now. I can't imagine walking around in ill fitting clothing this whole time. Feeling like a sloppy dresser is demotivating.

This. totally. Even as a fat girl, I want to look put together.

peachyfuzzle

I absolutely had to buy a couple of new pairs of work pants since they got so big that they had ears hanging off the sides when I put my belt on. It looked awful. It would be the same way with jeans, but it's summer, so I'm back wearing my old shorts.

I plan on shopping for XL clothing here pretty soon, but I'm only going to get stuff from the Thrift Store because I should hopefully be outshrinking them by christmas.

Lounmoun

I have only bought 1 new pair of leggings and new underwear so far. Most of my clothes still fit okay. However, I have pulled a few items that were too tight previously out to wear and that felt pretty good.
I say get some clothes as you need and want them. I can't imagine waiting until you have lost all 200 pounds before getting anything. Try a thift store or ebay for some less expensive items. Some things like dresses might be easier to wear longer.

DKG28

I have to buy pants that fit along the way because I work in a professional environment. Still good on tops, as I had quite a few that were a bit snug. For me, clothes that fit right are an important motivator. But I only buy staple pieces, like nice black pants that I can wear everyday. But the temptation to go splurging on new clothes before I make goal weight is huge, I gotta say. If you can, I'd suggest buy a few inexpensive things along the way to have something that fits and to help you appreciate your weight loss. Save up for the good stuff later.

IAmTheGlue

Buy clothes as you need them. Hit up thrift stores if you can to save a few bucks if you need to. I'm a cheapskate. My husband is like "just go to the mall and buy some nice clothes" but when I can go to Goodwill and get like 2-3 pairs of jeans and 2-3 shirts plus a new purse for around $25, I am a very happy gir! I have some very beautiful clothes that I'm sad to see go and continually seeking out nice replacement pieces keeps me happy.

If you have never been to the Goodwill or a thrift store, I advise you to at least try it. You can find very nice, barely worn brand name clothes. Some of it still has the tags on!

segacs

If you have access to a sewing machine, you can often make things work for you just a little bit longer to save some cash. I've taken in quite a few items and extended their life by a size or two as a result.

I also just did a Big Shop to buy all kinds of new spring and summer stuff a couple of weeks ago. I had been intending to wait until I reached my goal weight, but I'm within 5lbs of it and I couldn't pass up the opportunity to shop while I was south of the border in New York. I'm sure it will all still fit once I take off those last 5 pounds, which are going slowly anyway.

stealthq

You're going to want to get some new things as you get smaller. I'd keep them pretty inexpensive because if you want to look like you've lost weight as you go, there are going to be a LOT of wardrobe changes. Probably fewer in the larger sizes (a guess) then when you get to smaller sizes.

This can be a good time to play with the cheap but trendy items. You know, the stuff that when you buy it, you know it isn't made well enough to last more than a season, two at most. But while it lasts, it's really cute

If you want to spend on something, try to pick something with stretch that'll look good even if you're a size or two smaller than ideal for that item. I've got a blouse and a couple of skirts that still look good after dropping from an 8 to a 2, for example.

LisaRoloff

gothchiq wrote: »

... Oh and YES to holyclothing!!! Lotus Traders is nice, too, for that natural cotton boho style.

going to check out that lotus traders now. Yeah, I may not be goth, but does an old witch come close?

LisaRoloff

juleszephyr wrote: »

I lost 118 lbs in total. I made a promise to myself that I would always have a pair of jeans that fitted me - enter ebay and charity shops. I bought a pair size by size and tried to get a few things that were adaptable to supplement this along the way. It helps keep you motivated and once you get to goal you can shop till you drop...

LOL I couldnt tell you the last time I actually had a pair of jeans that I was comfortable with the fit of. One of the things I am going to do as soon as the dust settles a bit around here is get some electronic patterns from wildginger.com. they have pattern programs that cost less than standard printed patterns and I just plug in my current measurements and I can print the pattern from my home printer. I was thinking thrift stores and making most of my stuff on the way down cause that way I "should" be able to pull seems and just cut down the fabric to the next size and remake, but the really nice stuff like on holyclothing.com.... that is just beautiful and I wish like all get out I could get patterns for their stuff.

TimothyFish

It'll probably take you more than two years to lose that much. If you don't buy clothes, you're going to have a lot of weeks with your clothes falling off.

LisaRoloff

TimothyFish wrote: »

It'll probably take you more than two years to lose that much. If you don't buy clothes, you're going to have a lot of weeks with your clothes falling off.

only if I'm really lucky. no, actually I was talking about the really nice stuff. I know I'm going to be hitting thrift and used clothing stores along the way.

999tigger

Then the really nice stuff id wait for, unless there is some other reason. For instance work clothes should fit or ve caoable of looking smart depending on what your occupation is.

BlxxdtheFrxxk

When I make iit into a new pant size I buy a cute pair of pants the next size down. It gives me a gauge of what size I am on the way down and I have a continuous reward handing on my bedroom door. I buy at walmart though so I'm not breaking the bank but I think it's important to have at least 1 outfit that makes you feel fabulous at any size.