HELP! My Closet Can't Take It Anymore!

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  • sylviatx
    sylviatx Posts: 156 Member
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    Dump them. It is soooo freeing.

    I've taken to buying my clothes at thrift stores, I'm very particular, you would never know it to see me at work. I find very nice brands that are very gently used, and those are the only things I will buy. I mean, if I'm passing through a size in a couple months, why would I want to pay full price? And I pack up a sack from my closet and dresser to take and donate every time I go. It feels great.

    The one piece of clothing I am keeping is my original size swimsuit, I plan to take a victory picture in it at goal weight before I trash it.

    #firstworldproblems

    We are lucky. Let's remember that.
  • kr1stadee
    kr1stadee Posts: 1,774 Member
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    You need to lose the "what if" thought process!

    Say "I don't need these any more. I WILL NOT wear these again!"

    Sell them and use the money for more clothes! But maybe keep one pair of your biggest pants, as a reminder of where you've come from, and where you don't want to be again.
  • just_me_mindy
    just_me_mindy Posts: 210 Member
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    I keep one or two pieces of clothing that are from my "bigger" days and I have given away the rest. The clothing that I have that are a bigger size, I place in a drawer or something so I don't continually lean on the as a crutch or a reinforcement that it is okay for me to gain the weight back.
  • Mischievous_Rascal
    Mischievous_Rascal Posts: 1,791 Member
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    A friend of mine got her fave jeans and other pieces tailored to fit her new body. Looks amazing and it saved her some cash, too.

    I've also been to a few clothing swap parties, and you can get some great (free) stuff and not feel bad about tossing your old clothes.
  • Kerri_is_so_very
    Kerri_is_so_very Posts: 1,005 Member
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    My rule is I keep 1 size up (basically anything that is just a little too big...hard to go off of just sizes since there seems to be so much brand variation). And really, how many of those jeans do you just LOVE? I bet you could box/donate at least 1/2 of them and never miss them. Consignments are always looking for plus sizes (at least in my area) and that is great on the pocketbook for sizing down as you replace items that no longer fit. I box them and put them aside and if I don't miss anything in 6 months time I know I'll never miss them.
  • alglenn2013
    alglenn2013 Posts: 97 Member
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    No used clothing shops in my area, but fortunately I know how to sew. Most of the clothes are out of my closet sitting in the sewing room waiting for alterations! Today is the last work day before a one month vacation. :bigsmile:

    I wish I could do this! I can't even sew a button on straight! Hmmm, maybe this could be a new goal for me. I like new goals!

    OP, get rid of them. Don't leave yourself the option of going back. Maybe take a few of the more worn out ones and make them into something useful, like a rag rug that reminds you how far you've come every time you walk on it.
  • VorJoshigan
    VorJoshigan Posts: 1,106 Member
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    You don't need to get rid of them altogether. There's a crazy pic in my profile of all the clothes I saved up and donated this year.
  • OnTheWayToPerfection
    OnTheWayToPerfection Posts: 115 Member
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    I had this "fear" too and I mentioned it to someone one day.
    She said, "You need to get rid of them. Don't let your body go back to that size."

    Get rid of them for a long-term goal!

    Love eBay!
  • 9jenn9
    9jenn9 Posts: 309 Member
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    Not sure how expensive your jeans are (some can go upwards of $150), but it might be worthwhile to put some aside for the tailor and sell the rest to consignment. It'll offset the cost of tailoring. Since your plan on continuing your loss, buying new each size drop is super pricey! BTW, who needs so many pairs of jeans????
  • umieto
    umieto Posts: 46
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    Lean body, lean closet!

    Really though, parting with things is always difficult because they are never just things. Even socks that are worn throw have memories attached and separating those memories from the physical item that they are attached to isn't an easy task. But, as has already been mentioned, it's all about distance.

    If you can't bring yourself to just throw things out, start off with separating them from the rest of your stuff. First, make a 'fat section' in your closet, then bag those clothes up in the bottom of the closet, then move them to a loft or garage or anywhere away from daily sight, and eventually you'll be able to completely get rid of them without any emotionally effort. It's systematic desensitisation, and it's the same way a phobia can be treated. Go as slowly as you need to, stop if you must, but never take a step back.
  • amaysngrace
    amaysngrace Posts: 742 Member
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    Well, I have a tiny closet and the fat clothes were taking up space, so I went ahead and donated them. I knew by doing this that I would not be tempted to gain the weight back! So, you should go ahead and donate the fat clothes to make room for the new clothes. I also take all my winter clothes and bag them up and put them in the basement, to make even more room for summer clothes! Plus, I don't want to ever be fat again, considering it felt like I was permanently strapped to 50 pound weights and that was a very uncomfortable feeling, and that in itself is motivation enough for me to say no to ever being fat again! I don't even want to see fat clothes near me!
  • jenna808
    jenna808 Posts: 79 Member
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    I agree that you should at least bag them up and get them out of your closet. I did that and it took me almost a year to finally donate them, but I realized there was no reason to hold on to them because I promised myself I'd never be those sizes again, and I knew if I kept them I would use them as an excuse if I started to gain weight again. But they're gone, so if my current clothes start getting tighter I know I've got to kick it up, and also I'm a cheapskate haha.
  • gmmendenhall
    gmmendenhall Posts: 24 Member
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    I got a large metal trash can and burned one pair of my largest jeans. Then sold almost all of the rest.

    I did save three dresses and two shirts that I absolutely LOVED and sweetly asked my aunt to alter them for me when I reach my ultimate goal weight. I will also admit that I cut the size tags out of those items, so that I will never see an "XL" or size 12 tag again. Mentally even knowing that they had been altered, I don't think I could see XL without freaking out.
  • LoreleiEvil
    LoreleiEvil Posts: 65 Member
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    Space bags? Shrink those suckers down and box them up.
  • chunkydunk714
    chunkydunk714 Posts: 784 Member
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    Damn, I wish I had that many clothes :cry:
  • jonilynn70
    jonilynn70 Posts: 145 Member
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    Wait until your feet shrink TOO and you have to get new shoes. I had no idea that was one of the things that happened and I only lost 20 lbs!!!
  • conniemaxwell5
    conniemaxwell5 Posts: 943 Member
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    Keeping them only gives you permission to put the weight back on. Get rid of them! Why do you fear putting the weight back on? Make a decision that you will never go back to those clothes. It's scary - I've gone from a size 18 to a size 12 and I understand the fear of putting the weight back on but at some point you just have to say, 'No! This is the new me and I will not go back!'

    Cleaning out the closet is a great way to change your mindset too. Once the clothes are gone, would you prefer to buy new smaller clothes or new bigger clothes? I like buying smaller clothes so it's incentive to stay on track!
  • SiempreBella
    SiempreBella Posts: 125 Member
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    You could give them to me LOL
  • ReinasWrath
    ReinasWrath Posts: 1,173 Member
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    I keep all my baggy shirts and work out in em. They work well as nice comfy gym clothes plus I'm sure there's something symbolic in there about wearing the old while creating the new lol.

    The nice shirts I cut up and re-stitch so they're fitted. There are tons of no sewing tutorials on youtube to do the same thing ;D I have this one shirt that I had since I was a teenager and I plan on making it into a short dress after I hit goal weight ^_^
  • bajoyba
    bajoyba Posts: 1,153 Member
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    I had a lot of clothes at my biggest. I think I kept buying things because I was always searching for items that would fit perfectly and make me feel awesome. Pants were especially hard to find, so if I found a pair that fit and looked halfway decent, I bought them.
    It was a little hard to get rid of stuff at first. I had a couple of favorite go-to stretch jeggings that I wore with everything... lol What I do every couple of months is grab anything that I think is starting to get big on me and try it all on, one after another. If it's a little loose but looks like it can be helped with a belt or by wearing it a different way (particularly shirts and dresses), I keep it. But if it's really just too big and you know you can't or won't wear it as is, get rid of it.
    Once my favorite things started getting really baggy on me, I realized I just didn't feel as good in them as I did when they fit. I felt sloppy and frumpy in pants that I constantly had to pull up. For now, I shop the clearance racks and buy things that fit as needed, and I have just a few pairs of pants that I cycle through. If you haven't already, get yourself a couple of new things that fit you perfectly as you are now, and that might help you move on from the clothes that are now too big for you. :smile:

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