When to purge older larger size clothes??

mgookin

For every piece of clothing I buy, I get rid of something that Is to big. A lot of my nice expensive clothes from torrid and lane bryant I do still have but I put them away in storage. I don't want to just send it to goodwill and I haven't found anyone I know that fits them.

seltzermint555

mgookin wrote: »

For every piece of clothing I buy, I get rid of something that Is to big. A lot of my nice expensive clothes from torrid and lane bryant I do still have but I put them away in storage. I don't want to just send it to goodwill and I haven't found anyone I know that fits them.

mgookin, have you considered selling online (locally such as Craigslist or facebook, or bigger sites like poshmark)?

I had very good luck with this. At one point, I actually had a garage sale that was 90% clothing in sizes 14-20 and it was a huge hit. Especially with the higher end and good quality plus stuff on offer...people came out in droves, seriously. I made a few hundred in a couple hours (although I don't wanna think about original price of the items hehe)

marissafit06

No problem with keeping clothes that are +/- 1 size around. I fluctuate pretty predictably throughout the year and I like having something comfortable to wear when I'm starting to get chubby. I am pretty in tune with my body and so am aware that it's time to lose weight.

CarvedTones

This is a tough one for me. I lost a lot of weight a few years ago, bought a fair amount of clothing at my new smaller size and got rid of most of my bigger stuff. I was running at the time and I ended up needing knee surgery and started gaining while recovering and got completely off track and gained back nearly all the weight. Fast forward to now and those smaller clothes fit properly again. I really think this time is different, but it's hard to pull the trigger. On the flip side, when I was discouraged a couple of years ago I almost donated the jeans I am wearing and a couple of others the same size because they depressed me when I was going through my clothes and came across them. Difference in weight is close to 60 pounds.

Momepro

When they start looking bad enough that you needed new stuff, get rid of the old stuff.

Kst76

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!

YosemiteSlamAK

I usually donate my old clothes. I have a problem with owning too many shirts, lucky for me, I have a couple friends that sew. One of my sewing friends was kind enough to volunteer to make me pillows out of some of my old shirts I just couldn't get rid of. When I reach my weight loss goal she's making me a quilt out of a bunch of my old shirts as well.

jrochest

HellYeahItsKriss wrote: »

Personally.. i wouldn't throw away anything until you've been in maintenance a few years... I threw away all my stuff and put weight back on.. lol mind you a lot of my clothes still seem to fit for now.. but.. i thought i was gonna be one of those people who would have no problems keeping it off.. and not be a statistic.. i was wrong.

I've not gotten through the entire thread, but this is my take on this too. In a lifetime of weight loss and gain I've donated or given away all my 'fat clothes' when I'm thin and all my 'thin clothes' when I'm fat, and lived to regret it every time. Like augustremulous I finally decided a few years ago that I would spend money on GOOD 'big' clothes rather than scouring Goodwill every time I grew out of a size (it helps that I have a decent income). As a result I have a pretty awesome professional wardrobe in a size 14, and those don't get donated EVER: when I can't wear them any more they go in the basement in boxes. There's many sad things about being bigger, but for me weight gain sorrow would be compounded if I had thrown out my DVF dresses and properly fitting, flattering pants. Finding stuff that fits and flatters your body type isn't easy when you're larger. I happily donate the in-between stuff, with the exception of some really wonderful 'placeholder' pants or jeans. It's much easier to find cheap and cheerful size 12s and size 10s than larger sizes.

Evamutt

I got rid of all my big pants, but wish I kept one for comparison. Got rid of most tops but still wore the warmer ones around the house during the winter but now that winters almost over I need to get rid of them. I'll have to buy all new ones plus summer ones & summer shorts. Went from size 18/20 to 12/14

Evamutt

During my wt loss in progress, I shopped at thrift stores so not to spend much $ on clothes that were temporary. I don't plan on ever gaining weight back. Gave the nicer clothes to my best friend, who is not losing wt. I gave her some really nice things

CarvedTones

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

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

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

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!

sueami1

I love the question and think it points straight to some self-critical, potentially self-defeating thoughts that run under the surface for many people. Thank you for asking it and reminding me to look at my clothing and why I am holding on to the size above me.

I think it's super helpful to look at the thinking behind "just in case" hoarding of any sort, but especially here, because for me, the underlying story is that I will only gain the weight back again as I have in the past. Until I pull that out, question it, and remind myself of why this time is different, it has power over me.

I won't feel confident and maybe won't do as well in maintenance until and unless I see this thought running in the background of my consciousness, and ask if it's really true.

This time *is* different. I can look at previous periods of weight loss and see why they didn't "stick." I can see clearly that I am a totally different person at this point in my life, with far more wisdom and perspective than I had in previous decades. I'm losing weight for different reasons (specific health risks and improved energy, though I have given myself permission to enjoy the aesthetic improvements as well.) And I really didn't understand how to have a healthy relationship to eating and food and losing weight until I ran across intuitive eating as a concept and the great advice sprinkled throughout this community. I have much better tools with which to craft a sustainable, peaceful, enjoyable weight loss and maintenance process and approach it without self-criticism and all-or-nothing extremism.

I'm going to purge my closet right now, in fact. Thank you!

OhMsDiva

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

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

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

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

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.