When do I get to buy new clothes?

littlegem65

I have been thinking about this same issue…I have lost 49 pounds and am able to slide off every pair of jeans and pants that I own without unbuttoning them. My winter coat is 3 sizes too big, as well. However, I have 30 more pounds to lose and will probably hold off a bit longer so that I don't end up with clothes that are still too loose. You could always "pop some tags" at a local thrift store in the mean time…

mamadon

Honestly I've gone through all the sizes. I think it took a couple months though from what I remember. I went from a 3x , then 2x to a 1x, 18/20, 14,16 to a current 12. I call all my clothes right now temporary clothes lol.

infamousdrew76

Its a good idea, unless you're made of money, to stick with an absolutely minimal wardrobe until your sizes stop dropping. Only buying things as needed when clothes become unwearably big.

Eventually sizes will stop dropping (or seriously slow) and things will start to last a long time.

There is no sense in buying a bunch of stuff you aren't going to wear more than a few months.

Very sensible advice...but you're talking to a woman!

rlibbin

I think it partly depends on your body type but I think it took awhile before I really needed a smaller size. I have survived with only a handful of outfits and, thankfully, a few "hand me downs" from friends along my journey. Now that I've finally reached my goal weight, it's time to go SHOPPING! Hang in there!

Ldbg289

I bought new pants about 20 pounds in, then again about 35 pounds in and believe it or not I have to look for new pants again. I started at a 16 knocking on the door to 18 and now a 12 is unbearably big on me but I didn't have the time or money to buy new pants, maybe next time . Or maybe I'll hint that if my Christmas gifts have not been purchased yet....new pants might be nice.

mommarobb

I was down about 25lbs before I really noticed a change in how my clothes fit. I recommend the thrift stores. I find having clothes that fit me right make me feel better, even if I only have 3 pairs of jeans that do. You may also find good used clothes online. We have a swap site on facebook for people in the general area that always has good deals on it. Something to look into?

maybeazure

The more you weigh, the more you have to lose to go down sizes. I think I probably didn't lose a size until I had lost 30 pounds at least. But my pants were mostly still wearable, so I kept them for awhile. After the first size though they seemed to go faster. I started at a size 24. Now I'm a 16.

codycsweet

I started at a 20 in May and now I'm a 14. I had 18 and 16 in my closet bt hadn't been in a 14 for 8 yrs so last week fr my birthday I went and got new clothes and was so excited that I could shop in the misses section. I am hoping not to really have to buy more till 10 thinking a i can use a belt when I hit 12 but well see because being able to have a few things to go shopping for is an awesome feeling right now.

BTW I've lost 40 and have gotten rid of all my clothes that are too big

xbritnex

I'm kinda the opposite. My whole closet for the most part is from when i was 130-155 lbs. I had more muscle at 155 so the clothes fit about the same. As I slowly gained 30 lbs up to 180 I refused to buy new clothes. I have be in shape my whole life and didn't want to accept that I was bigger and my clothes didn't fit anymore. I have bought maybe 2 pairs of pants to fit my bigger body and not much else. I have basically been living in tshirts and like 1-2 pairs of jeans and sweatpants. I always told myself I would lose the weight, I didn't want to have all these bigger useless clothes. Anyway I have a whole full wardrobe of clothes for when I lose the weight.

FirecrackerJess

I have bought two pairs of jeans since I started to lose. The each got bigger as I lost more. I bought a pair of 20 size jeans and they were snuggish on Black Friday, they are loose now... but I loved them, and wanted them. Gonna just wear a belt. Hell I will take these jeans in if I have to, I like them that much. However aside from that, I don't think I'll buy more jeans for a while or any other clothes since I'm not working right now.

Ideabaker

I am at a weird stage right now, I have lost a little over 25 pounds, and everything is to big... but I feel like it will be awkward to walk into the store and grab a size 4, 6, 8, and 10 in the same pants to see what the heck fits!

I have done that most of my adult life! Don't feel awkward... with the inconsistent sizing in different brands, the workers in the shop are likely used to it. Plus, when you go to put the pants that didn't fit back, they all go back in the same place. You might be surprised to find you fit a couple of sizes, depending on the maker.

DACsWife87

Buying new (smaller) clothes has always motivated me to lose more weight.

For this reason, I tend to buy clothes as I go.

My weight fluctuates a lot, so this also ensures that I'll always have something to wear at the different weights.

My closet ranges from size 0-6. Lol

Ready2Rock206

I cannot wait until I can buy some new clothes! I really need work pants, but hate to buy clothes in the same size I wore before I started this... Oh well - saving money at least! Not even close to changing sizes yet!

padams2359

Ok boys and girls, here's a thought. Get your clothes altered. No one sees what the size label is, except if you wear Levi's, and it is printed on the tag. For the price of one pair of pants, or a shirt, you can have 3 of them tailored to fit perfectly to your build. I never really noticed that things were too big until one day I went to put on my belt, and there were no holes where I needed them to be. That is when I bought new pants (in the boys dept). That made an old man feel really good. The first time I had to ask for slim-fit shirts was pretty amazing also. I went from buying large shirts, mostly to hide my weight, to mediums, I had some, to medium slim fits, and at that, some slim fits were not cut small enough.

It doesn't get any easier the more in shape you become, especially for guys. My boss has been into fitness for many years. He is in a size 50 athletic fit coat, which still has to be tapered, and a size 34 pants. You are not finding that suit off the rack.

Unfortunately, jeans are not something that can be easily, or cheaply altered because of the heavy material, but fairly new clothes that you really liked tailored to fit you properly will make you feel 10X better than new clothes.

aquarabbit

I just hit 20 lbs lost and JUST NOW went down a size in jeans. And I agree with above. Alter alter alter! Not only is it cheap to pay someone and have it look great, but there are so many tutorials out there in Internetsland about how to tailor or rework big or old clothes. I had an old maxi dress that I loved, but It was just too darn big on me now. It had an empire waist, so I turned the top part into a shrug wrap, and tailored the bottom a bit to make a high waist maxi skirt. That's going a bit further than most people probably, but having some basic sewing skills can save a lot of money and the result is clothes that fit you like a glove!

Edit: Oh, and don't let anyone but a pro deal with your jackets. I learned that the hard way.

alisonlynn1976

It's been about 20 pounds per size for me.

dezb64

It took about 30 lbs before I dropped a size. I didn't go crazy buying clothes so I just wore them baggy until they almost fell off. Sometimes I shop at Savers (thrift store) otherwise I would go broke on clothes. As I get close to my goal it seems to be almost every 10 lbs is a size.

latoldy

I am with the thrift store idea. I went from a size 2x to a size 14 already. Since my pants were falling off I bought a couple new ones two weeks ago in size 16 now they are too big already. Opt for gently used and save yourself from throwing out too much money. 48 pounds lost and 40 more to go. Then a shopping spree!

ktsmom430

I wore a tight size 24W for the first 6 months. Did not buy any new clothes until then, I just used a belt. The first pair of new pants I bought were size 18, and I can remember being ecstatic. I was actually buying out of the plus size department.

After that, I was going down a size about every about 10-12 pounds. I am now wearing size 8.

HollisGrant

For those that have lost weight already, at what point did you drop pant sizes? I know it's not cut and dry, and muscle and fat can change you body shape ect ect ect. Point is, I've lost 19 lbs so far, and I'm not noticing a big difference in my pants. Yes, they fit slightly better, but I'm so looking forward to buying the next size down. (or 2!)

It probably depends on your body type. I read somewhere on MFP that many women lose 30 pounds before they go down a pants size. That was true for me. I lost 30 pounds before I went from a 14 to a 12. Then another 10 pounds before I went to a size 10.

I don't know where you live, but In the United States sizes are not universal -- you might fit a size 10 for one make of clothes and a size 6 for another. I've shopped at a thrift store while I'm losing weight and found great jeans for less than $4 a pair. It's not worth spending a lot of money on clothes when I plan to keep losing weight. I'm down to my last 5 pounds now, which all seems to be in my stomach and hips.