Keep the Clothes or Ditch the Clothes?

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Replies

  • LisaInUP
    LisaInUP Posts: 63 Member
    Donate them and sell all the expensive clothes on eBay

    This!
  • juliedozier
    juliedozier Posts: 184 Member
    I was terrified to ditch the clothes but I am so glad I did! No excuses ... no clothes to go back to! DITCH THEM!
  • laserturkey
    laserturkey Posts: 1,680 Member
    Give them to charity so someone less fortunate can benefit from them.
  • spirytwynd
    spirytwynd Posts: 141 Member
    Get rid of what doesn't fit. Charity, Goodwill and the Salvation Army can always find someone who can use it. You could also slip a card in some of the pockets with the URL for this site on it. Maybe it would help someone who gets your used clothes find a healthier path to the future. I don't want to sound ugly and certainly wouldn't want to cram anything down someone's throat, but you have found a happier life and feel better - perhaps this is a way you can share. As a friend of mine likes to say, "If you find someone without a smile, share yours!" Congratulations on your progress, keep driving on to your goals!

    Lank
  • nygrl4evr
    nygrl4evr Posts: 196 Member
    Keep one or two of your biggest items and donate the rest. No looking back keep looking forward. This is what I am slowly doing. I do not want any excuses to go back to where I was.
  • kmm7309
    kmm7309 Posts: 802 Member
    I held onto mine for far too long. In fact, wearing the baggy, oversized clothes actually hurt me more than helped. Because I had clothes, I didn't buy clothes that fit, and my self-esteem suffered for it. I could only see myself as the size I started at until I let go of those larger clothes and purchased smaller ones. I didn't even realize the effect that smaller clothes could have on my weight loss outlook until I indulged. I kept one pair of jeans and one shirt that I used to love, but they are there to represent how far I've come, and they are packed away. I thought it would be daunting to get rid of clothes that I loved and relied on for so long, but it was freeing.

    Besides, clothing donations are a tax credit!
  • Aello11
    Aello11 Posts: 312 Member
    Donate or sell any nice items... anything not worthy of donating --- throw away, burn or turn into cleaning rags

    (I like burn -- it is a bit theraputic)
  • Hellbent_Heidi
    Hellbent_Heidi Posts: 3,669 Member
    I just remembered to post this shirt modification thread today...kind of a cool idea to get more mileage out of some of those tops you might still love....

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/945347-cool-modification-to-those-too-big-shirts
  • chele1028
    chele1028 Posts: 248 Member
    I just cleaned out 10 bags of clothes from my closet last week and donated them to Goodwill. Felt great, then I went and bought 5 new workout shirts in a smaller sizes! :drinker:
  • spirytwynd
    spirytwynd Posts: 141 Member
    Just another tidbit to toss in. At one point during WWII, several high ranking advisors told Gen Patton that he needed to withdraw in retreat before advancing enemy forces. He refused. In light of the cost in lives and materials to reach his current position, he declared that he refused to pay for the same ground twice! He ordered his forces to dig in and they successfully repelled the enemy attack. So throw away your "path of retreat" and get rid of the oversized clothes! :-)
  • LifeChanged2000
    LifeChanged2000 Posts: 176 Member
    Just another tidbit to toss in. At one point during WWII, several high ranking advisors told Gen Patton that he needed to withdraw in retreat before advancing enemy forces. He refused. In light of the cost in lives and materials to reach his current position, he declared that he refused to pay for the same ground twice! He ordered his forces to dig in and they successfully repelled the enemy attack. So throw away your "path of retreat" and get rid of the oversized clothes! :-)
    I really like this...Thank you for the new perspective :D
  • jeansuza
    jeansuza Posts: 148 Member
    I sent everything to salvation. Didn't keep anything to remember the good ol' big days. Weren't nice souvenirs... The hardest part was getting rid of medium clothes that were bought on the way there. I so much wanted to wear them and now, they don't fit well anymore....:(
    But let's buy new things , even in a thrift shop, to maintain motivation and improve self-esteem!
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    Get rid of them...way to easy to feel your pants getting tighter and just slip on an old, larger pair. If you feel your pants getting tight, it's time to re-evaluate and take a look at what's going on in RE to your overall lifestyle. I personally have no intention of slipping back to where I was...it's not so much a matter of the way I look for me as it is my health and some really nasty implications if I didn't change a lot of things around about 6 months ago. My motivation is to stay alive...so going back is not an option...my kids are only 3 YO and 8 months, so I need to hang around for awhile. Looking good is just a nice bi-product of all of this.
  • brook97378
    brook97378 Posts: 38 Member
    I am about ready to go a size down in pants, and I think I am going to only keep one pair of my current pants and donate the rest. The reason for my wanting to keep them is definitely not so I could ever wear them, lol, I never plan to put them on again. I want to keep them so that when I reach goal I can hold them up next to the pants that I wear at that time and see the side by side difference, a visual of the weight lost.
  • brook97378
    brook97378 Posts: 38 Member
    I love this! :)
    Toss them but keep the biggest pair of pants so on a day where you think "I feel fat today" you can put them on and be reminded of how far you have came!!
  • upnorthmj77
    upnorthmj77 Posts: 38 Member
    I'm thinking either donate, or sell them on ebay and buy new! :flowerforyou:
  • slick_fox
    slick_fox Posts: 85 Member
    I lost 40 pounds (goal weight) and I had a hard time getting rid of my clothes. As a child and teenager I did not have very many clothes and therefore I believe that is why I had an attachment.

    I finally had a girl friend who had lost weight and I had her come over and just handed her those clothes BUT I was told my MFP friend to keep those special clothes I had an attachment to and I did..

    Well it worked!

    Good luck!
  • ditch and reward! :D
  • bearwith
    bearwith Posts: 525 Member
    If you keep them then you are saying that this weight loss is only temporary. If you a lady and it is likely that you will have more kids - keep them. Otherwise give them to friends who deserve them and you can enjoy them wearing your lovely clothes. I would get rid of them. I have hit maintenance but refuse to buy anything above a 12. I was a size 18 two years ago and used to buy size 22 just to be comfortable. Nobody could believe me because my height and build allowed me to carry it off.
  • lncgurley
    lncgurley Posts: 37 Member
    I keep one size up and down..i love the idea of no fall back plan, but in reality it didn't work for me. This way I don't wake up and not have clothes, it gives me a wake up call and I have time to go back to the size I just left...this approach works for better for me and certain times of the month don't make run to the store for clothes, LOL!
  • metermaid11
    metermaid11 Posts: 31 Member
    I will probably hang on to most of my shirts since we are planning on having another baby- that way I won't have to buy maternity clothes :)

    But after that, yes. Getting rid of everything except one pair of my largest size pants, just to see how far I have come.
  • I bagged up about 10 bags of too-small clothes to donate to Goodwill and they ended up sitting in my basement for about 2 months. In that time I lost a little more weight, and when I went shopping at Goodwill, I saw some and wish I had kept them.

    As far as bigger size clothes, I put a lot in a bin in the basement for if I go back up in size, get pregnant again, or can maybe give to a friend.

    I also have a bit of a clothing hoarding problem. I didn't have a lot growing up so have hoarded clothes since childhood! Yes.. that is a post for another day!
  • LeslieC1970
    LeslieC1970 Posts: 160
    From my past experience I recommend that you donate them or put some on consignment. Keeping larger sizes in the past only enabled me to put back on the weight again. I am back at this again and I am donating clothes as soon as I am out of them.
  • kaubin97
    kaubin97 Posts: 56 Member
    ^Same as above, I donated all of mine as soon as they were too big on me. I'll never wear them again. BUT- keep one pair! At your biggest size. You'll want it when you reach goal :)
    ^^^ This. I went thru my closet and filled 3 garbage bags full for donation of clothes that are too big & I will NEVER fit into again :) However at my largest I wore a size 16 pants, I took a pic not that long ago (see my profile) of my size 16s next to my new size 10. Well I'm now down to a size 6 and I wish I still had those size 16s to take a new picture of from 16 to 10 to 6! Oh well, I'm just happy I made it.
    congrats to you on need new smaller sizes :)
  • dunnodunno
    dunnodunno Posts: 2,290 Member
    Good Morning MFP! I am trying to figure out what to do. I am starting to notice a HUGE difference in the clothes that I have in my closet. I am starting to buy smaller sizes in a few things, but as I out grow my clothes I am torn by do I keep them or do I get rid of them? What have others done?

    I asked my cousin this very question on our run last night, and her answer was "Be Proud and GET RID of THEM!"
    It makes me nervous but then again I want the success of not thinking backwards. Please Help! What do you think?

    I would get rid of them. You can donate them to a thrift store, sell them at a yard sale/Craigslist, or give them to a friend who may need some new to them clothes.

    If you want you could always keep a few clothing items & slip them on every now and then to show how far you've come in your weight loss journey.
  • LifeChanged2000
    LifeChanged2000 Posts: 176 Member
    Thank you all for being so helpful in answering my question! I have cleared out the closet, the clothes I have out grown are all in a yard sale for this weekend. Whatever does not sale will be donated to a local thrift store. I have purchased a few new items to replace a few that have left, but refuse to buy to many in hopes of being down another size soon. I started this adventure in January wearing a tight US 18 pant, 1x-2x shirt depending on maker. I have replaced items with a US 14 pant and L shirt. YAY!!

    Thanks Again everyone!! You are all awesome and all very helpful!
  • elizabethmchenry9
    elizabethmchenry9 Posts: 28 Member
    Get rid of them!!! It will keep you motivated to stay at your new lovely size :-) I keep one or two things so I can judge how far I've come, but I am in the process of getting rid of the rest
  • I'm pretty handy with a needle and thread :D There's thousands of projects on Pintrest for repurposing. I never did wear t-shirts but when I get those freebie ones I turn them into reusable shopping bags, and a lot of tops can have the hem brought in. I like bigger shirts for that because you can get that cute tight-waisted, loose arms look.
  • squatsandlipgloss
    squatsandlipgloss Posts: 595 Member
    I get rid of everything AS SOON AS they get even slightly big. No way back for me this time!! I do keep one pair of jeans, because I want to wear them and take a picture when I hit goal :)
  • ozigal
    ozigal Posts: 173 Member
    A friend of mine who has been though all of this already and kept her weight off for 4 years so far, gave me some really great advice. She said that as you buy smaller clothes, throw the old ones away. Her reasoning was that if you keep the larger clothes, when you reach your goal weight and if you begin to put on weight it is way too easy to just take a larger size out of the cupboard and wear those. If you dont have them you cant do that and it means that you become more aware if you do start putting weight back on.

    She also said that it's a good idea to keep ONE pair of jeans and shirt from when you first started so that you can always remember how far you have come.