Clothes during transition

nxd10

I have been in maintenance for 3 years and don't hang out on the General Diet and Weight Loss Forum any more, but . . .

One of the issues that came up when I was losing was when to buy new clothes. This is a particularly big deal if you're cheap (me) or have a lot to lose (my sisters, brother-in-law, and husband - all doing great on MFP). I just wanted to drop in a couple of thoughts:

1) You look and feel way better with clothes that fit your new body. I am tall so I could still wear my big clothes having dropped 40 pounds. But they make me look fat. I couldn't believe how much better I looked when I got clothes that fit my new body.

2) I bought most of my 'new' clothes at Goodwill. If you go regularly you will always find something that looks brand new in your size for like $4. Think of it as a closet. Dump the old clothes you don't like and buy new ones that make you look good. You'll go through different sizes. Keep buying what fits - you'll be surprised. And remember that in used clothing stores that different age clothes have different sizes. What fits me at Goodwill I might be a 6 or a 12, depending on how expensive the brand is and whether it is new or 20 years old. So try things on.

3) You can alter your favorite old clothes. I had some gorgeous 'flowy' clothes that were expensive and I still wanted. I took in many of my favorite pants over 6". They look great. There are lots of good Youtube videos on altering clothes that are simple. I cut lots of side seams on shirts and added darts. I added plackets, princess seams or little ties on the back of some blouses. Saved me lots. Easy to do.

4) Those ads for Gwynnie Bee that rent clothing? I haven't used them, but my sister LOVES LOVES LOVES them. It's like Netflix for clothes. You get some. Wear it. Return what you don't like and buy what you do. If you're losing weight fast and are large enough to fit into their sizes, that could be a fantastic option for you.

Just a thought. And btw, it has been 3 years since I hit my goal weight and - as I told my husband (who is just restarting MFP this week) - there is not a DAY when I am not really happy I lost the weight and am not really really happy I have kept it off. Good luck!

deannaaaaaaaaa

This is a great post! Something I would add is a clothing swap! My 2 friends and I all decided to lose weight together. First, this allowed us to all cycle clothes between us. As we all lost weight in different areas, we all benefited my getting new clothes from the others. It also helped us all feel less guilty about getting rid of some of our favorite shirts and dresses that no longer fit- our friends deserved it because of all their hard work, and the item usually looked so much better when it was on someone it fit properly!

Once all three of us "outgrew" something (a.k.a. had lost enough weight that it no longer fit any of us), we had a clothing swap. We kept a box by our couch and threw any way-too-big clothes inside; when it was full-- PARTY!!

sunnyazgirl

nxd10 wrote: »

I have been in maintenance for 3 years and don't hang out on the General Diet and Weight Loss Forum any more, but . . .

One of the issues that came up when I was losing was when to buy new clothes. This is a particularly big deal if you're cheap (me) or have a lot to lose (my sisters, brother-in-law, and husband - all doing great on MFP). I just wanted to drop in a couple of thoughts:

Thank you! I have lost 95 pounds in the past year and still have 65 to go. I agree that you feel much better in clothes that fit, although as you said, some clothes are good for 40 pounds or more. I haven't been to GoodWll, I will give it a try. I am shopping at Ross a lot and finding some good things there for cheap. Also, I wear capri's here in Arizona year round and discovered a style of JMS capris carried at WalMart for $15 that I love. Their sizes run small, so I have been able to wear them still. However, I just got into the smallest sze they carry. so in a while I will have to look for another basic capri. I have about 5 pair now in various basic colors and just wear dfferent cheap Ross' tops with them. I also look for clearance items at nicer stores like Macy's. I just got a couple of really cute tops there for $5 each. I will be adding Goodwill to my shopping routine, though!

nxd10

There are so many good clothes there. Especially if you go often. I just look for good fabric and cut and buy what I like, without looking for anything in particular. And I also donate all my too big clothes there.

Great idea about swapping with friends! My sister just sent me a bunch of clothes she is too small for. If she loses a little more weight I can send her my old clothes.

blossomingbutterfly

I guess so far I'm lucky in the sense that I have clothes already in my drawers that were sizes too small from me from before I started losing weight. So I am good till about 3/4 of my way to my goal weight. I think that's my saving grace for this!

Good tips though. I remember it being daunting spending so much money on smaller clothes the first time I lost weight.

kshama2001

# 3 is a point that people might overlook - yes, favorite clothes can often be altered.

I use freecycle.org to give away clothes but getting clothes has been too hit or miss so I don't bother with that anymore.

lorrpb

Goodwill has been my lifesaver for clothing during my journey! At this point, I return what I shrink out of--most of which was purchased at GW--and replace it with "new" pieces. Some retail stores give their leftover clearance items to GW, so many of my pieces are truly brand-new. I've gone from 3x to 16 and I'm not done yet. I've bought a few pieces at retail stores when I need something specific that I can't find at GW.

ariamythe

The Salvation Army thrift stores in my area are amazingly good places to get cheap clothing while losing weight. I was turning in old stuff and buying new stuff on the cheap.