Losing weight and buying new clothes

schell81
schell81 Posts: 187 Member
in Chit-Chat
I'm almost 1/3 of the way to my goal and my work clothes are too big, my workout clothes are falling off, and my underwear shifts in ways it shouldn't be :embarassed:
What do you do about buying new clothes? They (hopefully) wouldn't fit for too long if I bought them to fit me today. With the christmas season coming up I'm going to splurge on some nice dress pants and a dressy shirt for the parties and wedding I'm going to. Otherwise I'm at a loss.

Replies

  • ohnoetry
    ohnoetry Posts: 129
    I just finished my first big purge of over-sized clothes and feel your pain!

    A friend suggested to buy belts as you keep going. I actually went to a thrift store this weekend and bought a couple of pants that are too small for me now, but will fit soon as I keep losing. You can find some pretty good stuff at thrift stores without having to break the bank!
  • acstansell
    acstansell Posts: 567 Member
    I've had to buy clothes three different times in one year. Belts will help for a while, but you'll eventually look like your holding a sack together with string as the waist band will get all bunchy. Plus, baggy pants make you look saggy in the bottom which is a look I can't stand.

    Watch for outlet stores or major sales. Try thrift stores or consignment shops.

    But, also - don't be afraid to splurge on yourself. If you've lost enough to revamp your wardrobe, wear the clothes you've always wanted to wear - putting them on can be motivation to stay in them.

    Speaking from the woman who wore a denim pencil skirt, a grey danskin shirt, and red moto jacket yesteday - with knee-high rider boots. would have never dressed that way 60lbs ago.

    Clothes can be fun - embrace the wardrobe change!
  • juli_jones
    juli_jones Posts: 101 Member
    thrift stores are the answer - I go to the ones in the nicer areas of town and local towns and I find that I wind up buyiing nicer brands than I would actually buy for myself. I have gone from a 20 to a 12 in 6 months and everything I currently own (except for a pair of jeans and a shirt that I got at a discount store) has come from the goodwill/waterfront mission and helping hands. My wardrobe is cuter and more stylish that it has EVER been.
  • Dark_Roast
    Dark_Roast Posts: 17,689 Member
    Thrift stores are your friend. Take a day that you will have the time to sift through all the crap to get the good stuff. I found a great little skirt that was 'just a bit snug' a month ago that fits perfectly now. I'm glad I bought it for $4.80!
  • Denise1224
    Denise1224 Posts: 150 Member
    thrift stores are the perfect answer ... I haven't lost pounds but have lost an inch and a half so far so I did have to buy a few new pieces (I went to goodwill) :-)
  • KCoolBeanz
    KCoolBeanz Posts: 813 Member
    Unless it's something that's absolutely necessary, I pretty much refuse to buy anything that isn't a) an awesome deal off the clearance rack, or b) from a thrift store. Good luck!
  • TriClaudia
    TriClaudia Posts: 51 Member
    I'm in the same predicament. My solution was alterations and a couple of new wrap dresses. The wrap makes them very flexible. I'll probably pick up a new pair of black pants, but I'm being conservative for now. I'm still "plus" sized; so I'm not confident about finding much in thrift stores.
  • mhotch
    mhotch Posts: 901 Member
    My workout clothes all had a tie at the waist. At least the tie kept the pants from fallling down. Tops, can be a lilttle big.

    I kept my wardrobe to a bare minimum until I reached goal. Outlets stores, Costco, TJ max, and a few pieces from Goodwill, I picked up a few things with tags still attached.
  • Kelsbellz
    Kelsbellz Posts: 142 Member
    I just dove into the back of my closest and pulled out things that I used to wear that haven't fit in a while. Now they are a little loose. :) Pays to be a pack rat, lol. :bigsmile:
  • lkm111
    lkm111 Posts: 629 Member
    Mine is a combo of what was in my closet that used to be too tight and buying what I could. However, anything I bought had to be TIGHT! It gave me motivation to keep losing, and I had newer clothes that eventually fit "right". I also only bought things on sale. Considering how hard I am to fit, this is what has worked for me so far.
  • rubix08
    rubix08 Posts: 33 Member
    I agree that thrift stores, or any place that sells cheap clothes is what you should be looking into. When I started my weight loss I was wearing a 3x shirt, borderlineing a 4x and after a few months everything was just hanging off. I waited as long as I possibly could stand it before going to Walmart and (this was at the beginning of summer) buying 6 t-shirts, 3 pairs of shorts, 4 workout shirts/shorts and some new undergarments. I saved extra money for this trip so that I could essentially restock my closet for the summer but most of these things would now have to last many more months. Now that the weather has gotten cooler I have bought 2 pairs of jeans and 2 jackets but that's about it. All the t-shirts are the same and while they are a bit looser than before they still fit ok.

    You may be stuck wearing clothes that don't fit super comfortable for a bit but every once in a while I find that buying even one t-shirt help keep me motivated because I can see how much progress I've made, and is still being made.
  • DawnieB1977
    DawnieB1977 Posts: 4,248 Member
    I'm at a kind of in-between weight at the moment so i'm sticking to dresses, rather than buying new clothes. My UK size 16 (US12) clothes are falling off me, but my old clothes are a UK12 (US 8) and although they do up, I have a slight muffin top which I don't like. I don't want to buy new clothes when I am so close, so I like dresses, as even when they're a bit loose you can put a belt round them. Most of my dresses are a US 10 (my hips always used to be bigger so had to get a bigger size for trousers).

    I'm slowly managing to wear old clothes of mine which is great!
  • kborton1122
    kborton1122 Posts: 914 Member
    When I started losing weight I started shopping at thrift stores (Goodwill, Sarvation Army, etc). I had never shopped for clothes there before but was pleasantly surprised that I was able to find very nice things. And it's much more friendly on the pocketbook than going to the mall. I've gone from a size 24 to a 12 right now and couldn't imagine if I had to buy all brand new each time my size changed.
  • Diyah13
    Diyah13 Posts: 76 Member
    Second-hand clothing stores was the way I went.
  • MindyG150
    MindyG150 Posts: 1,296 Member
    thrift stores are the answer - I go to the ones in the nicer areas of town and local towns and I find that I wind up buyiing nicer brands than I would actually buy for myself. I have gone from a 20 to a 12 in 6 months and everything I currently own (except for a pair of jeans and a shirt that I got at a discount store) has come from the goodwill/waterfront mission and helping hands. My wardrobe is cuter and more stylish that it has EVER been.

    THIS, save money and buy used :)
  • skankamaggot
    skankamaggot Posts: 146 Member
    Thrift stores! Find one with a wide selection of clothes and sizes with a fitting room.
  • cdpark617
    cdpark617 Posts: 316 Member
    If you can afford it, no matter where you do it, buy clothes that fit you. It will make you see that the work you are doing is paying off.

    Properly fitted clothes can be a great motivator!
  • RMLMoore
    RMLMoore Posts: 130 Member
    Embrace dresses - especially wrap dresses. They will carry you through several sizes way better than pants do, can be belted or accessorized and look good over leggings too. Thrift stores are good and Target usually has some too.
  • ccnjc4e
    ccnjc4e Posts: 142 Member
    Check the clearance section @ your favorite mall stores. I work @ Old Navy and we have shirts there for 2.49. There were a bunch of shorts for 1.47. I bought 2 pairs of Yoga pants for .21 each.
  • jcstanton
    jcstanton Posts: 1,849 Member
    I do alot of second hand (thrift stores, yard sales, consignment stores) and clearance sale shopping, and I only buy what I absolutely HAVE to have to get by. The only exception is if I have a special event (like a wedding) coming up, but that's rare. Undies, I just buy as needed.


    Edit: Shoes on the other hand, I buy compulsively. LOL
  • Kismet_35
    Kismet_35 Posts: 28 Member
    I am quite the clothes horse and I continually get rid of clothes and buy new clothes even if they are just slightly too big. Good fitting clothes are key for me. If I look and feel good I am more likely to stay the course. I have found that a few classic pieces intermixed with pieces from places like Ross, TJMaxx, Target, and clearance racks is the way to go. If we had a good thrift store in my town I would shop there too. Buying cute clothes that I feel sexy and cute in has helped me not to overeat.
  • PaveGurl
    PaveGurl Posts: 244 Member
    About 90% of my wardrobe is thrifted - it makes a BIG difference :)
  • free2live72003
    free2live72003 Posts: 186
    I lost 160lbs+ so I feel your pain.

    I had to replace underwear, dress clothes, casual clothes, pajamas, bathing suits, and even shoes.

    "Goodwill" became my best friend- I have now leveled off at a size 10-12 but I still sometimes buy things at Goodwill and have gotten many compliments on many of my outfits from there. Buying items for $2.50/each allowed me to have a broader selection in my wardrobe while I was losing weight.

    Where I live in Tennessee, the first Saturday of each month Goodwill has everything on 1/2 off, so that is typically when i shop getting most items for about $2.50. Go early to get the best selection. Also, I found that if i luck out and find name brands, barely worn items at Goodwill-- i can turn around and when they no longer fit I sell them back at the Clothes Mentor consignment store for the price I paid for them or even more, so I paid essentially nothing to wear them for awhile. That's a good deal, right!?

    While I was losing weight I also opted to buy my clothes at a size a little on the tight side, so that I could wear them longer.
    And I wore them until they were loose and people started commenting on my clothes being too big. Then I would go back and get the next size that felt tight. So, this usually meant i bought new clothes every other size or every three sizes. I occasionally had a friend take in some of my clothes so they fit better, but i found that they still didn't fit well and i preferred the clothing from Goodwill.

    Every so often i would go into a regular store and buy a nice new outfit that fit beautifully just to keep myself motivated. But, I work in a management position and could not afford to buy all new dress clothes for work--so, Goodwill helped alot. I also received hand-me-downs from friends who were also losing weight but were a smaller size than myself.

    Hope this helps--good luck!
  • felblossom
    felblossom Posts: 132 Member
    I just dove into the back of my closest and pulled out things that I used to wear that haven't fit in a while. Now they are a little loose. :) Pays to be a pack rat, lol. :bigsmile:

    This! I hate throwing away clothes, even if I haven't been able to wear them in ages, so I look forward to checking out what I've got in the back haha :) I have also refused to buy clothes in bigger sizes unless it was an absolute necessity. I haven't worn a pair of jeans in over a year, though I've got like 20 pairs that are just too small for me.

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