When to purge older larger size clothes??

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Replies

  • CarvedTones
    CarvedTones Posts: 2,340 Member
    I answered before, about 6 weeks ago. I still wrestle with this. I am pretty convinced that this time is different, but still feel held back by previous failures. I kind of want to donate it to make it harder to repeat the past mistakes. OTOH, I want the confidence of doing maintenance for at least several months at this weight.
  • nxd10
    nxd10 Posts: 4,570 Member
    You look SO much better after you change your wardrobe. I went to Goodwill for some, altered my favorites, and bought new basics one or two pieces a month. Pants and bras most important. Then some easy shells. Then other stuff.
  • amelialoveshersnacks
    amelialoveshersnacks Posts: 205 Member
    When it's time to let go, you'll know. How you let them go is up to you. Personally, I organised a wardrobe swap with friends and family before passing them on to 2nd hand shops. I ended up with a few pieces that I wouldn't have considered otherwise and a great excuse to catch up.
  • seltzermint555
    seltzermint555 Posts: 10,740 Member
    I'm always blown away by people who can successfully have a wardrobe swap without hurt feelings and drama and problems. I guess if everyone is really close in size & fairly "average" that could work?

    I dunno. I feel like my girlfriends are generally a pretty laid back bunch and not obsessed with size or thinness but it would be a total nightmare with everyone having minor crises over their bodies!
  • OhMsDiva
    OhMsDiva Posts: 1,073 Member
    I can relate to many of the posts. I started at a 5x/6x, 32/34 on a good day. 3 years later I am a 1x/XL on top. My bottom is a whole other story. I had and have many clothes in size 5x that I never wore for whatever reason. I have sold quite a few pieces on Ebay. When I was that size I know how expensive and sometimes how difficult it could be to buy clothes in larger sizes. I also regularly donate to a local womens shelter and big brothers/big sisters. I give clothing to family members that can wear them.
    I love to shop, so for me it does not matter much about giving away clothes. When I first lost about 100 lbs I went crazy shopping, not thinking ahead. Then I ended up with many brand new clothes in a size 22/24. I cannot do thrift stores, so Ross is my best friend. If I buy a blouse for $10 I am not upset if I do not want it anymore.
    What I do is when I buy new clothes, I take some clothes from my closet to give away. So far, so good. It is hard to let go of some things. Not because I think I will need them again, but because I really like some of them and I paid good money for them Nevertheless I am teaching myself to let them go.
  • briscogun
    briscogun Posts: 1,138 Member
    edited April 2018
    rainbow198 wrote: »
    As I went down in sizes I stored the large clothes in containers in my basement. I have plenty of space so they were out of sight out of mind.

    Bingo! This is what I did as well. I guess if you really want to burn that bridge and get rid of them you can, but I tend to fluctuate a bit here and there so I thought it better to hang on to them for now.

    If you are only going down one size I wouldn't get rid of everything but if you've made a drastic change (like 5 or 10 sizes) than why not? Ditch 'em!
  • anyWendy
    anyWendy Posts: 97 Member
    I've gained and lost significant amounts a few times. I've recently changed my approach to saving clothes: whether they are the right size now, too large, or too small, I only save clothes that make me feel good. Usually these are quality pieces in flattering styles.

    I don't have a full wardrobe at every size, but I do have a few pieces at most sizes from 6 to 16 (currently about a 10) that I plan to keep.

  • CarvedTones
    CarvedTones Posts: 2,340 Member
    edited April 2018
    This thread is swaying me toward collecting the big stuff and donating it sooner rather than later. I am talking about stuff I wore when I weighed 60 pounds more than now and looked really bad once I had lost 15 or 20 of it. Some of it is stuff I got then to bridge for a while, but that is mostly cheap utilitarian grade.
  • Cbean08
    Cbean08 Posts: 1,092 Member
    I get rid of stuff. My apartment is very small and I have a lot of clothing, including heavy winter coats, boots, and other thick accessories. That stuff takes up a lot of room. I try to clean out my closet about twice a year and get rid of things that are too big, that I don't wear, don't need and don't want. Clothes are replaceable anyways and I'm always getting new stuff throughout the year from birthday and christmas and regular gifts from mom. I figure, if I get rid of something and then later decide I wanted it back, I'll go buy another.
  • HDBKLM
    HDBKLM Posts: 466 Member
    Kst76 wrote: »
    HDBKLM wrote: »
    Add me to the list of those who started donating stuff upon it getting 'comically big'. I've bought a few pieces to replace those but generally the state of my wardrobe has shifted in the direction of quality over quantity (although I haven't reached goal weight yet so when I talk about quality I'm not exactly talking about a Chanel investment).

    That shift in itself has felt good; that is, having a smallish wardrobe where everything always looks great rather than the paradox of a closet full of stuff but nothing to wear. I'd call it a second reason to get rid of your too-big clothes, not just fear of gaining back.

    For reference (but not a specific recommendation), I'd say I have about 12 days worth of clothes at the moment without repeating anything except jeans, leggings, and tights (i.e., 12 days of dresses and shirts), and I've taken about 6 of those big blue Ikea bags to the drop-off receptacles in my city. Quite a sense of liberation.


    I love your profile pic!

    Thanks!
  • DamienAngelica
    DamienAngelica Posts: 281 Member
    I donated everything save my goal jeans. They're a size 10 and I'm now a 6, so they're too big, but for months I kept trying them on, watching the progress of how they fit. Now they sit, neatly folded, in the bottom of a drawer.

    I'd say keep anything that has an emotional attachment (like my jeans or maybe a gift from a special person), but other than that, donate them so someone else can use them and enjoy shopping for your new body.
  • Keladelphia
    Keladelphia Posts: 820 Member
    I donated all of my larger clothes as soon as I reached maintenance. I figured it would be easy to let myself start or continue to gain if I could just start wearing clothes I already had in my closet. I figured if all of my overweight clothes were gone and I had to start to to buy larger sizes again instead of just wearing larger sizes I own it would be more of a smack in the face to get my butt in gear again. It's seemed to work so far.
  • BattyKnitter
    BattyKnitter Posts: 503 Member
    I haven't lost enough yet to go through my closet but I plan on tossing/donating whatever is too big when I get there. I did that the first time I lost weight and even though I gained that weight back and more, I don't regret getting rid of them, I wouldn't have wanted to wear the old outdated clothes anyways.
  • madwells1
    madwells1 Posts: 510 Member
    As soon as possible.

    I always have yo-yo'd never thinking about ramifications if something didn't fit as I had sizes ranging a broad spectrum. If something started to get snug, I would just size up. Note that I was so crazy that I had the SAME clothes in different sizes.

    I noticed that once I actually ditched all the clothes that were too large, I have no options when my current pants start to get snug. Results in a quick behavioral change for me, and keeps me on target. Strange that it took me so long to figure out something so simple.
  • andreaen
    andreaen Posts: 365 Member
    GIVE THEM AWAY!

    Going back to that size should not be an option. Never plan to fail!
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  • kdbulger
    kdbulger Posts: 396 Member
    I get rid of the too-big stuff pretty much right away. Most of the stuff I'm leaving behind wasn't stuff I was really proud to be wearing, so if I were to gain back the weight, I'd like to respect my body enough to dress it better.

    But really it comes down to space for me. I just don't have extra space to store things that I can't actively use.
  • NetiOne
    NetiOne Posts: 56 Member
    dhoffinator wrote: »
    I have drawers full of clothing for 3 sizes up and am afraid to let them go! Started weight loss journey 13 months ago and in maintenance since April. I don't need the space back but wonder if keeping the clothes is like admitting I will be back there in larger sizes some day! When is it time to let go?

    Let them go and embrace the new you!
  • seltzermint555
    seltzermint555 Posts: 10,740 Member
    Cbean08 wrote: »
    I get rid of stuff. My apartment is very small and I have a lot of clothing, including heavy winter coats, boots, and other thick accessories. That stuff takes up a lot of room. I try to clean out my closet about twice a year and get rid of things that are too big, that I don't wear, don't need and don't want. Clothes are replaceable anyways and I'm always getting new stuff throughout the year from birthday and christmas and regular gifts from mom. I figure, if I get rid of something and then later decide I wanted it back, I'll go buy another.

    I am trying to do this more & more, instead of saving things "just in case". I do get rid of stuff VERY frequently and go through my closet every season. But I still find myself not wearing some of my newest, best items because I am "saving them" for some stupid reason. You would think that losing my clothes & accessories in a tornado would have taught me not to do that, but I still do it sometimes.

    Just this past week, I got rid of several trendy items from 2-3 years ago that just aren't working in 2018 and I really should have worn them more 2-3 years ago but I was "saving them" for some stupid reason and they only got a couple of wears. I'm trying to see price-per-wear more lately.
  • kenyonhaff
    kenyonhaff Posts: 1,377 Member
    Every once in a while I'll dress up nice just for the heck of it. Even if the destination is just Wal-Mart. It's amazing that how you dress does to a surprising amount effect how you feel about yourself. Nice clothes don't have to be uncomfortable or even over the top fancy. Even just wearing a nice skirt instead of yoga pants.

    I think the "saving the nice clothes" may be a holdover from when Mom wouldn't let us wear the party dress to school or out to play or something.
  • seltzermint555
    seltzermint555 Posts: 10,740 Member
    kenyonhaff wrote: »
    Every once in a while I'll dress up nice just for the heck of it. Even if the destination is just Wal-Mart. It's amazing that how you dress does to a surprising amount effect how you feel about yourself. Nice clothes don't have to be uncomfortable or even over the top fancy. Even just wearing a nice skirt instead of yoga pants.

    I think the "saving the nice clothes" may be a holdover from when Mom wouldn't let us wear the party dress to school or out to play or something.

    My mom kind of MADE me dress up all the time as a kid AND I dress up quite a bit almost every day, so I'm not sure if that's it for me :hushed: I need to look presentable at work and then I have a couple of hobbies that involve public speaking & wearing vintage (2 different hobbies)...I think for me it might be more of a throwback to the years when I struggled financially, in college let's say. I needed to save my best black pants for interviews and couldn't really afford more nice-fitting ones. Time to give up that habit.

  • Snowflake1968
    Snowflake1968 Posts: 6,980 Member
    I purged all of my clothes that were too big when I lost weight the last time. I have since gained weight back and only have two pair of pants that aren't uncomfortable to wear. By running out of clothes it gave me the kick in the butt I needed to get serious again about my weight.
  • workinonit1956
    workinonit1956 Posts: 1,043 Member
    edited April 2018
    DamienAngelica wrote: »
    I donated everything save my goal jeans. They're a size 10 and I'm now a 6, so they're too big, but for months I kept trying them on, watching the progress of how they fit. Now they sit, neatly folded, in the bottom of a drawer.

    I'd say keep anything that has an emotional attachment (like my jeans or maybe a gift from a special person), but other than that, donate them so someone else can use them and enjoy shopping for your new body.

    This touched me. I have a pair of size 10p jeans that I used as a goal and I’m currently wearing them very comfortably. Size 10 is the smallest I’ve been as an adult at 5’ 2.5” but this time I will keep going until I get to my “real” goal of mid-BMI. I’ve always stopped/accepted right around this point when I look “ok”. Calorie counting has made this new mindset possible for me. Simple but still amazing :)
  • workinonit1956
    workinonit1956 Posts: 1,043 Member
    @HDBKLM, here’s to both of us pushing through together!
  • HDBKLM
    HDBKLM Posts: 466 Member
    edited April 2018
    workinonit1956 wrote: »
    @HDBKLM, here’s to both of us pushing through together!
    Adding you ...

    ETA: I thought I should add something more fruitful to the thread: Today is actually the first day I realised that a piece of clothing I actually really like is too big. I put on an A-line dress that's one of my favourites, and by not being a fitted cut it borderline looks like it could be intentionally oversized as if in a bohemian way. But the point is that I'm just now facing the choice of what to do with beloved pieces for the first time as opposed to the 'filler' pieces I bought when I was at my highest, which I couldn't wait to be rid of.
  • CSARdiver
    CSARdiver Posts: 6,252 Member
    I went from a 44 to a 34 waist size and did a purge a few years back. Donated everything to a local shelter. I still kept a few pairs of pants that were a few inches larger just in case, but never needed them.
  • workinonit1956
    workinonit1956 Posts: 1,043 Member
    This discussion inspired me to put several size large tops in the Goodwill pile this afternoon. Felt good and more room in the closet!
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