What did you do with clothes that are now too large for you?

DancingMoosie

I went from a 10 to a zero. I let family members and friends go through all of my 8-10 clothes. Some items just have sentimental value, idk why. I still have a couple bags left that no one has "claimed". I just keep them in case my mom loses more weight and can't afford new clothes, or perhaps I gain weight later in life for some reason. It's not hurting me to keep them in storage. I have had to buy a few things up a size (2) since gaining a little and lifting. It's weird that I hardly bought any clothes on the way down because I lost weight so fast. I literally bought one outfit in a size 4-6 before needing to shop for 2s and then 0s.

hroderick

Mine are all donated because I'll never wear them again

Evelyn_Gorfram

SueSueDio wrote: »

Howard_M_Burgerz wrote: »

musicfan68 wrote: »

Howard_M_Burgerz wrote: »

hah! I've been wondering this myself. Do people keep their clothes that no longer fit just in case?

Just in case what? I think having that mindset is going to set you up to regain all the weight back. Get rid of everything and it is great motivation to stay at your new lower weight so you don't have to buy a bigger wardrobe again.

Yeah of course you're right. I never heard of anyone gaining back weight after dieting...

Well, yeah, it happens. But having nothing that fits you then leaves you with the choice to spend money you may not have on new (or second-hand) larger clothes, or reining in your eating habits and losing the weight again. It might be the difference between only gaining a few pounds before you realise you need to do something, or gaining back the entire 50/80/100/whatever pounds you lost.

I view it in the same kind of way as I did my emigration to a new country. A lot of people keep their homes in their old country "just in case". It gives them something to fall back on if things don't work out. Guess how many of them don't settle well in the new place and give up easily because they know they have a house waiting for them "back home"? (That's also the reason I never referred to the UK as "back home" after I moved away. It ceased to be "home" the moment I got on that plane.)

Wow. You are what I call - and it is a gender-neutral term of genuine respect - a serious tough guy.

Evelyn_Gorfram

I'm just starting a long weight-loss journey, and was/sort of still am so obese that most of my clothes are pretty baggy anyway ("body-con" in a 28W is not something anybody needs to see me in). I went through a few weeks ago and sorted out all of my too-big clothes. I'm keeping the nicer coats and sweaters until spring: they're too much of an investment to replace as long as they're still wearable, if a bit loose. And there are some gardening/messy-work clothes I'm hanging onto, and a couple "yep, this is how big I was" items. Everything else that was too big for me went, except -
- my small trove of really nice linen hot-weather clothing. It took me a while to accumulate those pieces, and I couldn't bear the idea of just letting them go. But this thread is giving me the courage and inspiration I may need to finally give them the old heave-ho.

musicfan68

Another reason I got rid of all of mine when they were too big is because I had a tendency to still want to wear them because i liked them or they were comfortable, and at some point, if clothes are more than a size or so too big, they just look really sloppy being too big and hang wrong. So it forced me to wear properly sized, fitted clothes.

SueSueDio

Evelyn_Gorfram wrote: »

Wow. You are what I call - and it is a gender-neutral term of genuine respect - a serious tough guy.

I have to admit, I'm not completely sure what you mean by that! I certainly wasn't unemotional about the whole thing (it was an extremely emotional experience, especially once I had to start getting rid of things in preparation for the move... I spent many days in tears!), and it's not like I've never missed anything or any people from the UK. I just felt that, to have the best chance of settling in a new country, it was important to see that country as "home" as soon as we landed rather than dwelling on what we left behind.

In the same way, to have the best chance at maintaining my lower weight I need to see this new me as "normal me" now rather than thinking about the bigger person I used to be. And that's very difficult at times, because I often feel fat even though I'm several sizes smaller than when I was obese!

Evelyn_Gorfram wrote: »

Everything else that was too big for me went, except -
- my small trove of really nice linen hot-weather clothing. It took me a while to accumulate those pieces, and I couldn't bear the idea of just letting them go. But this thread is giving me the courage and inspiration I may need to finally give them the old heave-ho.

Would you be able to have any of your favourite things altered to fit? I guess it might become expensive if there were a lot of items, but it might be worth looking into if you really love them?

Evelyn_Gorfram

SueSueDio wrote: »

Evelyn_Gorfram wrote: »

Wow. You are what I call - and it is a gender-neutral term of genuine respect - a serious tough guy.

I have to admit, I'm not completely sure what you mean by that! I certainly wasn't unemotional about the whole thing (it was an extremely emotional experience, especially once I had to start getting rid of things in preparation for the move... I spent many days in tears!), and it's not like I've never missed anything or any people from the UK. I just felt that, to have the best chance of settling in a new country, it was important to see that country as "home" as soon as we landed rather than dwelling on what we left behind.

I just meant that, in those many moments when you were carrying through the choice to leave - putting your house up for sale, quitting your job, stepping onto the airplane, etc. - it would take an awful of resolution bravery and "true grit" to put pen to paper and make your hand sign the relevant document, or to put foot to cabin deck and then let them close the cabin door. To be able to make yourself do that - to grasp the metaphorical nettle so firmly - takes a "toughness" that I respect and admire.

SueSueDio wrote: »

Evelyn_Gorfram wrote: »

Everything else that was too big for me went, except -
- my small trove of really nice linen hot-weather clothing. It took me a while to accumulate those pieces, and I couldn't bear the idea of just letting them go. But this thread is giving me the courage and inspiration I may need to finally give them the old heave-ho.

Would you be able to have any of your favourite* things altered to fit? I guess it might become expensive if there were a lot of items, but it might be worth looking into if you really love them?

Thanks; but, sadly, I don't shop so high on the hog that the cost of alterations wouldn't exceed what the items cost new. I bought them all in thrift shops and second-hand; so it's the "shop-equity," as it were, that I'm reluctant to let go of. I've kept those that I can alter myself, by taking in the waistband of a full skirt or something, but the trousers and structured shirts need more skilled alteration than I can do myself or justify paying someone else for.

(*ETA: I'm glad to see that you brought plenty of extra 'o's with you for words like "favourite." Spelling would be so boring if we all did it the same. )

Bobarchibald

sunshine84841 wrote: »

Keep or donate? If you are keeping them, why?

Put a simle and fell the pride and get ride of them. Keep an arta I held on to some pants

SueSueDio

Evelyn_Gorfram wrote: »

Thanks; but, sadly, I don't shop so high on the hog that the cost of alterations wouldn't exceed what the items cost new. I bought them all in thrift shops and second-hand; so it's the "shop-equity," as it were, that I'm reluctant to let go of. I've kept those that I can alter myself, by taking in the waistband of a full skirt or something, but the trousers and structured shirts need more skilled alteration than I can do myself or justify paying someone else for.

"Trousers" - not "pants"? I think there are videos on YouTube explaining how to do alterations if you were up for having a go, and I believe it was @Madwife2009 who posted some information a long while back on how to figure out how much to take them in. (I have to admit I never followed said excellent advice because I still don't own a sewing machine and didn't want to tackle it by hand!)

(*ETA: I'm glad to see that you brought plenty of extra 'o's with you for words like "favourite." Spelling would be so boring if we all did it the same. )

I refused to leave my spelling and pronunciations behind! (And thank you for the kind words too. )

reneew62

I gave everything away except some sweatshirts. When I finally decided to lose the 100lbs AGAIN I swear I had macy's in my closet clothes from size 10-26. I have decided I am NOT gaining it back again and I am NOT buying new clothes so one of my motivators is if my skinny jeans get tight I have to reduce calories and lose whether that be 1 lb or 5 I am never just putting on those bigger pants and saying tomorrow.

Copper_Boom

Thanks for all the responses, everyone! I've now donated all my pants that were a size too big so I can immediately check myself if my current size starts feeling tight (in the past, I've had a tendency to just reach for the larger size).

I saw this cool quote: “We cross our bridges as we come to them and burn them behind us, with nothing to show for our progress except a memory of the smell of smoke, and the presumption that once our eyes watered.” -Tom Stoppard

GreenValli

Took to Goodwill because it was in the same strip mall as my gym.

workinonit1956

GreenValli wrote: »

Took to Goodwill because it was in the same strip mall as my gym.

That was handy!

777Gemma888

Donated them. I had thought to keep some, as a reminder... Then I'd decided that reminders are mere mediums to get grossly medically morbidly obese again.

I'm due for a wardrobe overhaul. Am really stretching what I do have to its absolute limit. So, this set is headed to the rubbish heap. I'd prefer to burn them, only that I currently live in fire hazard country.

MelanieCN77

Altered those I wanted to keep.
Tossed the stuff I wouldn't wish on anyone.
Donated decent items.
Sold stuff I thought I could get a few $$ back from on Poshmark.
Gave to pals where appropriate.

corysmithsmail

This thread gave me an idea that I admittedly should have had a long time ago. I used to work in a psych hospital and all the clients for the most part needed clothes. I have been holding out far too long on getting new clothes. I've lost about 85lbs but haven't bought new clothes yet because I am super cheap and didn't want to have to keep buying clothes the more I lost weight. But being within 15lbs of my goal weight, and the fact that I always look sloppy in baggy clothes, it's high time to donate.

Maybe I shouldn't call myself cheap....frugal! I am fiscally conservative, that sounds better!

teresamwhite

nowine4me wrote: »

Hey @teresamwhite do you happen to know if most nursing homes take items, or are you allowed because you work there? I love that idea and want to do the same.

@nowine4me -anyone can donate clothing, craft supplies, accessories, bath items, knickknacks, baby dolls (this is a huge hit with Alzheimer's and dementia residents). Just call ahead first, and ask for the Activities Director...they're usually the ones that take care of those donations. The only thing you cannot donate is food, or other edibles, and regular candles (the electric ones are fine).

bigbandjohn

I kept 1 outfit. The rest I took to the Salvation Army Thrift Store (and other service organization thrift stores). They are one of the only charities where most of the money collected goes to the people who need it. The only exception are some suits which I took to a suit drive where people who are out of work and need suits for job interviews can get them for free.

I've earned over $1000 in tax write-offs - even at $1-$2 an item. Consider I have gone through somewhere between 8 and 10 sizes in the last year+. So much was bought, then donated 6 months later.

TheMinimalCurator

I get them altered if I really like them! No sense in getting rid of them if they can be altered. Plus, a seamstress can make them have a great fit, which in turn makes you look even better!