NSV with negative impact !

baycat107

OK..about a year ago, a male friend asked why I wore my dresses so long. I looked in my closet and he was right. I had all this outdated clothing that was comfortable, but not very stylish. The truth is, I kept this clothing because I was waiting to lose weight to buy new clothes.

Thinking that was stupid, I went out and bought a new wardrobe, with a new look. I felt good. Now, after losing 25 pounds (with 20 more to go), these clothes don't fit right. Some don't fit at all. I know it's good they don't fit, but I love these clothes. They weren't expensive, but they weren't cheap either. It's frustrating. I mean my whole dressy wardrobe looks like feed sacks on me. What would you do? Have them altered or just buy new clothes? I know this sounds dumb, but I feel guilty that I bought all these clothes and now they don't fit. I'm probably just venting, but what would you do?

bjfmade

If you like them, have them altered for the time being. Then you can get a new wardrobe later or add a few pieces that are a little bit snug as you find them on clearance!

erzille

Alter whatever you can...and give away the others....I am in the same situation...NICE JOB!:flowerforyou:

bry_all01

have them altered

Qarol

It's best to look good at whatever weight you're at now...so whatever you can do, alter them, buy some inexpensive replacements

Beezil

I feel your pain... I was really happy about a month ago when I was fitting into all my old "cute" clothes. But now everything is too big on me or just fits plain awkward. It is frustrating!! I am simply waiting for Christmas and I've asked everyone for gift cards to my favorite stores. lol. I dunno what else to do really! I'm broke so I can't go buy anything right now. My sister loaned me some of her old clothes, temporarily, since she used to be smaller than me. Some of them fit, some of them don't. But I'm working with what I've got. If there's anything you really love of the clothing, I would get it altered if you can! Otherwise, any excuse to shop is a good one. LOL

sjtreely

I'd take them to a resale shop and see if you could get a little money for them or have them altered it it's not too cost prohibitive ... meaning if you can buy new for close to the same amount, I'd go for new clothes.

kronesa

Congratulations on your progress! I'm in kind of the same boat, only I didn't buy new clothes before. All of my work clothes were kind of tight to begin with, and now they're getting big and baggy. I'm loving this change in my body, but a bit frustrated with the clothing aspect of it. My sister-in-law (who got me hooked on MFP!) took me to Target this weekend and voiced rationale for buying cheap in-between clothes. It made sense. So, that's my suggestion. Either that, or check out the consignment shops in your area, you might find some great deals from people who were in the same situation as you! Good luck!!

_Johanna_

You are worth new clothes. If you can afford them, get them. You have worked very hard to be where you are.

What I did: I went to a several stores (ended up at Marshalls) looking for clothes that looked good on me and I bought a handful of items that were cheap, but could hold me over until I hit my goal weight as I know the clothes I have bought in the last two weeks will most likely look like feed sacks on me in another couple months!

You have no idea how much better I feel about how I look and how great I feel, walking down the hallways in the office at work, knowing how obvious it is that I have dropped 30 pounds - because the clothes I am wearing flatter my new figure! You deserve to have that feeling too! You are definitely worth it and did not work this hard to look like a sack of potatoes

toots99

I'd take them to a resale shop and see if you could get a little money for them or have them altered it it's not too cost prohibitive ... meaning if you can buy new for close to the same amount, I'd go for new clothes.

I was going to suggest a resale shop too.

rachelhohenbrink

I know how you feel. It's so hard to keep yourself in clothes that fit while your losing the weight. Look like your going to have to buy new clothes. Usually atleast 2 times while on your weight loss journey. Just try not to buy as many since you will be losing more. Sounds like you dress up a lot for your job. So I would buy mix and match seperates so that you can mix them up for a different look and it looks like a different outfit. Ya know skirts, pants, blouses and jackets. When I go shopping I have such a hard time buying new clothes because I know they won't fit for long. I have been losing weight from having a baby and so I had a vast array of sizes to work my way back down through, but sometimes when I have nothing that seems to fit I just say okay I wlll lose x amount of weight and fit into next size I already own. Good luck on your journey.

AnninStPaul

First, good for you for getting in style!!

Second, I'd have a few things altered and wear the heck out of them until they're too big, buying a couple of new pieces to make it work. Then move on to the next set.

Not everything can be altered -- so just pass those along to someone else.

Congratulations!!

Behipped

I would have a few pieces you really love altered. Unfortunately, some fabrics/cuts don't alter well, so choose key items like blazers and dress pants/skirts, which tend to be more expensive and their fabrics conducive to altering.

Do you shop at thrift stores at all? If you have some patience, you'll be able to find some dress clothes for the meantime, until you lose those final 20 pounds. They are really an invaluable resource. Otherwise, I would check places like Old Navy and JcPenney. They may have some inexpensive pieces to get you through.

Good luck! It is frustrating, but it's absolutely fabulous that your clothes are too big rather than too tight! Great job.

flimflamfloz

Yeah same here...

What I do now is I just buy a couple of each thing at each milestone (two t-shirts, two jeans, two everything, possibly more shirt though for work), to look good when I am going out and for social events. Cheap ones preferably (look for sales around your place).

And I wear the slightly larger stuff otherwise.

LivLovLrn

buy a few things that fit you now (there are lots of NICE second hand stores out there that have good clothes for little money), and have the clothes that are too big altered to fit better. No sense buying an entire wardrobe if it isn't going to fit soon, and no sense wasting your nice wardrobe. You could get one or two new things at a time and give one or two away as you get closer and closer to your goal weight/size

Angie80281

I've found some great "new" clothes at Salvation Army, Goodwill, and other local thrift shops. A lot of the shirts I buy are only $3 or $4, which is a lot less than you'd pay for new clothes or tailoring. Of course, if you have a few favorites in your current wardrobe, tailor tham as necessary, but not everything.

lisasdoinit

a bunch of friends of mine had a clothing swap.. they are all in different stages of weight loss, so they just dumped it all on the living room floor and everyone went through stuff and tried it on..worked really well!

jlemoore

Give them away, buy smaller, and move on. You are worth it. Yes the clothes are nice, but get them out of your closet. You don't need to be eating to fit into them again!

lottycat

Get the Stuff you REALLY love altered and eBay the rest. Use the money to buy new ones x

sharonus

You have 20 pounds to go, so I would wait to do any alterations since that can be really expensive and you're not going to be this weight for long! Take the ones you REALLY like (be honest) and put them to the side until you get within about five pounds of your goal weight. Then decide. If you don't like them that much, take them to a consignment store and see if you can sell them. In the meantime, go to Goodwill or a consignment store to find some clothing to wear now (if you need it). You can find some nice stuff there!

Since I've lost the weight, I've found a lot of the clothes I had just don't fit right anymore. They're too big on the shoulders, too long, or just not flattering. I was always trying to find clothes that hid my imperfections (hello tummy!). Even though that's not much of a problem now, I can see that since my arms are thinner, a lot of my shirts don't sit on my shoulders like they should.

You're more than half way to your goal which is AWESOME! Make it a gift to yourself at the end that you will have a wardrobe of clothes that fit the new "you". It doesn't have to be a ton of clothes! Just some separates that mix and match and make you feel good!

MzMiller1215

I have this problem too and still have about 15 pounds to go. I prefer not to waste my money on getting my clothes altered because even after alterations, I won't be able to fit them in a couple of months. I've had great success going to consignment shops and thrift stores buying very inexpensive name brand clothes that fit me at the present. Once I reach my ultimate goal, I am going on a HUGE shopping spree!! Yeah!! :happy: :laugh:

countrygirl_717

Taking them to a resale shop is a good idea, at least for the ones you wouldn't or couldn't alter. Then at least you can get something for them and put it towards better fitting clothes. AND those resale shops alot of times will have some awesome looking clothes to buy too, for much cheaper prices!

kmbrooks15

Alter what you can and start saving money for a whole new wardrobe when you meet your goal weight. I'm down 16 pounds and am already going to need to take a few things in. I have about 54 more pounds to go, so I know I'm going to have stages where I have to buy a few pairs of pants and such. But I'm avoiding buying as much as possible because I know I'll have to get a whole new wardrobe once I hit my goal weight.

Once you do hit your goal weight and have to get rid of those clothes, find a consignment shop and see if you can get some money for them. Another good option would be to donate them to a women's domestic violence shelter, especially if they are nice clothes. Many times, those women are trying to interview for jobs and get back on their feet without their husbands and shelters often need nicer clothes for that purpose. That's what I'm planning to do with my nicer clothes from work when I'm ready to get rid of them. The casual stuff will probably go to Goodwill or Salvation Army, but the nicer stuff will go to a women's shelter so that hopefully someone can use it for work or interviews.

SueInAz

I think you've gotten some great advice so far. Don't forget stores like Ross, Marshall's and TJ Maxx, if you have one in your area. My sister just got a new job so she dragged me into Ross this weekend looking for suits. (I really never shop there because the lines are usually long at the one near me due to border-crossers looking for good American deals.) I ended up finding two cute pairs of colored jeans for $15 total.

SueInAz

Once you do hit your goal weight and have to get rid of those clothes, find a consignment shop and see if you can get some money for them. Another good option would be to donate them to a women's domestic violence shelter, especially if they are nice clothes. Many times, those women are trying to interview for jobs and get back on their feet without their husbands and shelters often need nicer clothes for that purpose. That's what I'm planning to do with my nicer clothes from work when I'm ready to get rid of them. The casual stuff will probably go to Goodwill or Salvation Army, but the nicer stuff will go to a women's shelter so that hopefully someone can use it for work or interviews.

This is a great idea! We have a charity here called "My Sister's Closet" that operates out of the local YWCA and its specific purpose is to provide nice interview clothing to women in need. They have drives here at my work every 6 months or so and I've donated a few nice button down blouses and pants in the past (we wear business casual.)

I'd encourage anyone who can to donate clothing to organizations like these.

chubbychristianchick

Do you have an upscale consignment shop? Here we have a shop that only takes name brand, hot fashions, or trendy vintage... you take your clothes that are to big and trade them for smaller ones... or you could donate them to Goodwill and get a reciept then you get a tax write off?

baycat107

Thanks for all the great advice. I think I will have a couple things altered and give the rest away. Just need to shop for a few new clothes & some bargains to hold me over. Just wanna look good in what I wear. Thanks again.

ginandtonica

Why do you love those clothes so much? They represent the old you! Put them away until you hit your goal and see what you can do with them then. Better yet, sell or donate them...no fat clothes means to getting fat again! Then, girl...go shopping. Try on some new clothes and see if you are still in love with those old ones. I love JCPenney for bargains...hit those clearance racks for some basics to get you through. Maybe get some fun jewelry to jazz them up. Forever 21 has some fun, super cheap things. You deserve to look your best all the time, not just when you reach the finish line!

dlaplume2

Maybe you could find a consignment shop and exchange them there. You will sell them and get money for them. You could in turn buy some used clothes, then you won't feel so guitly having different clothes.

heathersmilez

Put them all in a photobucket account and sell them locally on Craigs List. You'll get $10-20 at least per item which will help. Anything not worthy of selling, donate.

geri1955

do they have a clothes swap in your area??? I know some places swap or buy them off you!! if not and if u can possibly find a seamstress these days then just alter them!!!! maybe ur local cleaners has their own seamstress!!!!