When do you buy new clothes?

SpecialSundae

I've been bargain shopping a lot. I buy clothes in charity shops, Primark and go to clothes swapping/swishing parties because I keep dropping through the sizes.

It's not good for your morale to keep on wearing clothes that are far too big when they're hanging off you. For a while, it's awesome to go "heck, this used to be tight" and then you stop seeing the difference and start feeling fat again.

CharChary

I go to Goodwill so often anymore and buy clothes haha..
I have really lovely second hand stores all around me though. People donate the nicest stuff to them! Since losing weight, I LOVE so much how clothes fit me, so I started buying stuff when I started noticing how much better I looked in them. Why not? especially since they're so affordable. I am not far away from my goal weight at all though and these are all tops that I can fit at my goal weight. As for pants? I will probably end up donating them when back when they become too big.

DianneP6772

I am right where you are when i first started even shopping for clothes. Here i wear mainly shorts and my shorts were really baggy at 30 lbs lost. I still wore them as i had nothing else. I often shop at Kohls as they have great sales - so i went and was shocked.
Before starting my size was a 12 -pushing to a 14 (which i wouldn't buy!) I found two pairs of shorts - different brands - that fit in a size 6 ! Shock of my life! I have never been a size 6. (must be the vanity sizing that everyone on here talks about!)

Anyway - i felt great and look SO much better/slimmer - in my new shorts! I also found some nice black slacks. So i went home and tried on almost all my "fat" clothes. Most now are sitting in a box - out of sight. I wish i could donate them. I can't quite do that yet.
I am 68 and have never been this slim so its definitely Hard to do.

So - yes - shop - get some new clothes. Its uplifting and yes you will look so much better in them. You don't have to go overboard and replace everything yet. But get some basics that you can wear a lot. I haven't worn any of my old clothes since - except for tops which are large - but doable.

Enjoy - 30 lbs gone is quite an achievement - you deserve it.

Kookyk9s

well I lost 102 lbs and I think its about time I go and buy a new outfit !!! guess I was being cheap

OMG your clothes must have been falling off you or held up with baler twine and bungee cords. Unbelievable that you have not yet bought any new clothes!

rjb1311

hmmm.... that's an interesting idea. I think making the first step... to try them on will encourage the positive thought process.

rjb1311

I did have some clothes stashed from about 6 or 7 years ago that I bought online. unfortunately, the clothes were too small and I was too lazy to return them.

So, I wore some of the clothes last Friday and there were quite a few people that commented on the weight loss. When I wear the bigger clothes it isn't as noticeable.

I think what I'm getting at, is I knew the correct answer but needed a few of you to smack me a round a little bit.

Thanks!

FXOjafar

It's simple for me. If my pants fall off with a little wiggle of my butt, it's time to hit the sales!

splashtree2

I wish I had waited till I hit my final goal....kinda mad for settling.

i don't have to give up clothes only if i gain a size then i'm dropping only the unwanted fat

seltzermint555

I just want to echo the same thing most others have said, baggy too-big clothes do you no favors. This past spring when I'd only lost about 17-20 lb, I was wearing my size 2X tops and 22 pants and they did not seem crazy-big on me, to me. But little by little I started to get depressed at my reflection. Things that once flattered me no longer "worked" and one of my coworkers even said something about my pants being way too big. It was hard at first because size 18s didn't even come up my thighs but 20 was pretty baggy. After I lost another 15 lb though the 18s fit like a dream. Sometimes I think you have to wait out some awkward phases to buy new clothes.

Now there is almost NOTHING in my wardrobe that was there one year ago at this time (I was 60 lb heavier then). It wasn't easy to dump all that stuff, I had emotional ties to a lot of it. But I truly do feel like there is no going back now. My largest jeans are size 18. My largest top is 1X. I am not going back. Right now in my mind, 1X and 18 are okay even though I have L and 14-16 in my closet. But eventually I plan for even the 1X and 18 to be "banished". I still struggle sometimes when I face a plus sized clearance rack, with thinking 22/24 or 2X is going to be "okay" for me. Old habits are hard to break.

LBinSF

Buy some cute new clothes and put the 'fat clothes' in the basement in shopping bags! (you won't need to go back to them but they're there just in case...)
Another thing you can do while you're losing is have a tailor alter them so the ones you have fit better in the interim.

On Sunday I discarded/ donated 1 giant bag filled with fat clothes.. I cannot believe how GIGANTIC the jeans I used to wear are! Truly - of EPIC proportion! I also got rid of some old skinny clothes as well and cannot believe how TINY they are! (and at that time I used to mistakenly believe I was fat because that was what my mother was telling me).
The funny thing is that I have felt EXACTLY THE SAME at all of those sizes (5'9" and range from size 6 to size 20). The only thing that shifted (during the weight gain years) is that what I perceived as "normal" in other people got a LOT bigger during my obese years... Nowadays, I don't think about weight much at all and I see people's personalities 'shining through' rather than judging them by their body sizes. It's a much more relaxed situation. Before (when I used to be thin), I used to always mentally calculate how much weight someone should lose. It was automatic and was something I learned from listening to my mother's harsh judgments of other people's bodies (and mine - even when I was a normal weight).

jpolinisse

When there's a sale.

burlingtongrl

I am going to clean out my closet tonight and tomorrow I'll take a trip to goodwill to donate them. Thanks for the motivation.

seltzermint555

I am going to clean out my closet tonight and tomorrow I'll take a trip to goodwill to donate them. Thanks for the motivation.

Yay!!

I think over the long weekend I'm gonna try on my spring/summer clothes with a critical eye and donate a lot of stuff. Maybe some of it can work with layers this winter but I know I'll need basically a new wardrobe by Summer 2014.

Arbeidslyst

So, here is a question for the psychologists out there.....

I've lost about 30 pounds since I started on myfitnesspal. The clothes are getting big but I keep wearing them

I've lost some weight before and always put it back on. Is this some sort of self-destruction mindset... I don't bother buying new clothes because I'll just end up putting weight back on? I don't think I'm thinking that but maybe subconsciously I am?

comments???

When I was at my biggest I hated to buy cloths, pants in particularly. So I just didn't. That means that when I started losing weight I made a clean start. I threw out everything that was old and no longer fit. Right now my wardrobe consist of two pair of pants that I bought new, one that I had in the back of my closet and hadn't fit for years. For tops the situation was a much better, mostly because buying tops wasn't that scary.

I'm not going to go wild and get an entirely new wardrobe, but I am determined to feel good about myself and what I'm wearing, and that means slowly updating my wardrobe. If I end up gaining the weight back, then so be it. I'm going to work my hardest for that not to happen, but I can't pretend that the changes that I am making for myself doesn't deserve some recognition from myself.

Note: I'm sorry for all the editing, my spelling is horrendous.

seltzermint555

Quoting another post: "When I was at my biggest I hated to buy cloths, pants in particularly. So I just didn't."

I was totally the opposite. At my largest is when I owned the most clothing, the most expensive, high end plus clothing available, and the most trendy accessories/jewelry/shoes/bags. It was an over-compensation type thing for me, I think.

Now I struggle at times to find a good balance. I do not want to be that woman who gets to her goal weight (or close to it) and just wears workout gear and no jewelry. hehe

KeViN_v2pt0

As soon as another president hooks us up with another tax credit. Until then I am stuck with these burlap sacks and garbage bags.

KetoBella

I have several sizes to go down before I reach my goal and I am sick to death of wearing the old stuff and needed to find how I could look nice but not waste money going down in sizes. I discovered an online clothes rental business for plus sized girls that goes from size 10 to size 32. You can pick from 3 garments to 10 at a time. Think like a Netflix for clothing. When you are done with something you send it back and they replace it with something else you put in your virtual closet. I plan to keep exchanging cool stuff for the next few months while I am downsizing. I know you can't link to it but if you are interested the company is Gwynnie Bee. Just google it. I love it!

padams2359

In May, I bought a Seersucker suit at Brooks Brothers (I live in the south, it's a requirement). The coat was a 40, and the pants were a 35. I was not buying something I would have to diet to get into. I wasn't ready yet I guess. I never took the tags off because I didn't have a reason to wear it. In September, I went back and asked if I could swap the pants for the size I needed because of the material, I didn't think it could be altered to the right size. Swapped them out for a 30. Talk about feeling good about yourself. The look on the sales people's faces, and the other customers was priceless. All the info about the suit was on the receipt, so it was obvious I wasn't lying.

Jaydec70

I don't know how much you have to lose, but in my case I am keeping stuff that is loose but still functional only because I don't want to buy too much now since I'm not quite halfway to my ultimate goal. Reframe to success in your outlook and it won't matter if you keep or lose the old ones!

liloldDee

I buy something new every few weeks regardless of my size so I will continue to buy but in smaller sizes. I don't consider it a waste because I don't spend lots on clothes and there's only so many runs through a washing machine an item can take before it looks worn. If I saw something I loved and it was more expensive I would buy it and get it altered when needed.


I love buying clothes, especially when losing weight, it's great motivation. I have lots of clothes in different sizes in my wardrobe, I kept the bits I really love, it's going to be fun getting reacquainted with them when the time comes :-D

fishermanmatt

I waited a long time to buy new clothes. I think I had lost nearly 150 pounds. My old stuff looked bad because it didn't fit and I was constantly adjusting it because it would slid down. For me I think a lot of the reason I held out so long was because I was afraid I would fail and gain everything I'd lost back.

Turning that corner and tossing out the fat clothed and buying new stuff was a big confidence boosting moment for me. It was like me telling myself that I would succeed and knowing that it was true. Ive gotten rid of everything. I mean total wardrobe replacement. Wearing the new stuff I feel more confident. Being able to buy clothes in a regular store (not a big & tall) feels great too. Anything in good shape was donated. Stuff like jeans and dress shirts are being made into a quilt.

I now buy stuff I like in season or in a smaller size because I know it will eventually fit. The only downside for me has been to my wallet. Buying new stuff gets expensive. Combining that with the fact I'm going out more than ever to concerts and games, my finances are about as bad as they've ever been. It's a great trade off because I'm happier and having more fun than ever.

pawoodhull

So far I've gone from a size 34 to and 18 and I replace when I've gone down at least 2 sizes.

yankeefamily05

I have bought new pieces here and there. But they are new to me (from goodwill and salvation army) this post reminded me that I have some more cleaning out of thy closet to do!!!!:)


I say buy the clothes!!! Just do it!!!!I have lost and gained the same weight back THREE times now, the only difference now is that I got rid of all of my size 20's!

erikmsp72

After I lost about that much weight I bagged up a bunch of the clothes that truly, clearly were too big, and I donated them to a charity drop-box in the neighborhood. Epilepsy Foundation, I think it was. But once they went in the big metal bin, I couldn't get 'em back, you know? That was helpful for me. No going back.

And then I went shopping! But I did my shopping at a nice thrift store -- so, $8 for a brand-name sweater that fit me; win! And it felt new to me. And people noticed, which was fun.

I'm still shopping at that thrift store, actually. Much much cheaper than if I went to the retail store, and it's a bit like a treasure hunt -- sometimes you find a great item, sometimes you just go on home. But it's great during weight loss.

mjkpe

When a lady in church commented, "Get some new pants", I knew it was time. She is overweight as well and added that she would love to be told that for the same reason, (losing not gaining).

I went to the thrift store and found a pair that were snug, (40" now, was 46"). Jos. A. Bank jeans looked brand new for only $8, (over $50 new).

Go get them and look at "snug" as encouragement or incentive to stay on course and not a demon waiting to point out your failure. Hoping the best for you!!

jnmaddock

You guys are weird! BUY THE CLOTHES!!! lol nothing motivatate you like feeling like you wasted money!!! I bought new clothes when I lost 40lbs! If i even gain five more I'm like " OH NO!!! MY CLOTHES WONT FIT!!! THESE ARE BRAND FREAKIN NEW!!!" and down goes the weight again.

What she said...

I'm on my third change of wardrobe this year and I sent all the old stuff to charity. No way I dare put on and have to go out and buy bigger again!!!

nccarolb

I've lost 60 lbs (so far) so I HAD to get new clothes! However, the majority of my clothes come from thrift shops--the others come from the clearance racks. I, too, find brand name clothes that I couldn't afford to buy retail but still have the tags on them. I have some of my old clothes just because I'm too lazy to finish cleaning out my closet. Most of them went when I did a wardrobe swap with my daughter because she had gained while I lost. I get so many more comments on my weight loss when I wear clothes that fit so that's a real boost to my morale and encourages me to keep going. Get some new clothes!! I'd suggest new pants and a good belt that you can use to "shape" your tops. I can't imagine trying to keep up 20/22W pants on my now size 14M behind!

tlacox1

I agree with what many others are saying. Go to thrift shops and buy a few things. I am one that refuses to buy new clothes because I know I will end up having to buy more as the weight comes off. I have a few things that I was able to get back into from when I was smaller before and those are actually starting to get big on me as well so most of my stuff is falling off of me but still determined to wait.

To make a long story short, my mother brought me a sweater yesterday. It was beautiful but looking at it, all I thought was, "There is no way that will fit me! It looks so small!" After trying it on, not only did it fit but it looked amazing! I will now be hitting some resale shops to get some more things that make me look as good as this sweater. Especially since I can't wear baggy jeans with this fitted sweater!

Rozydreams

I love shopping for new clothes. I buy from the clearance racks to keep costs down. It makes me feel good to have clothes that fit and look good. It also motivates me to keep going to get down to the next size. I've gone from 3X-2X to L sometimes M!!

I also highly recommend getting a bra fitting. I was feeling pretty depressed about the state of my girls but it wasn't the girls at all it was the waaaay too big bra! It made such a difference to get fitted!

I've donated all the clothes that are too big. I'm not going back so I won't need them again. It was a mental hurdle I had to jump. The clothes were like a security blanket I had to let go of and put faith in myself I can do this and I can keep it up!!!

DeterminedToLoseIt02

I haven't lost enough to go shopping but I already hide in clothes that are probably way too big so by the time I've lost even 20 pounds i'll be drowning in my current wardrobe