When do I get to buy new clothes?

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

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.

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

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!

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.

It will depend on how tight your clothes were when you started. My 16's were very tight but I was still wearing some as well as some loose 18's, when I started. After 10-15 lbs my 18's were way too big and my 16's were much more comfortable. It was probably another 20 pounds before I started wearing 14's, and another 20 after that when I got into 12's. At a total of 60 pounds lost I can find an occasional size 10 that fits, but I'm solidly into 12's.

It's also going to depend on how tall you are. 19 lbs lost for someone who's 5'5" is going to be very different than someone who's 5'2 or 5'9". I'm 5'5".

Someone may have already mentioned this but I would go to thrift shops. They have a great selection (many name brands) for next to nothing. I have become a major fan of thrift shops along this journey and now that I am in "maintenance" I still go (they can be soooo addictive). Best wishes to you. :-)

I have found that for small frame women 10-15 pounds can be a size. For me at 5'8" it takes 20-25 pounds to go down a size. hope this helps

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.

Just wanna say congrats on going from 24 to an 8. That's awesome.

In my experience, it takes the longest to drop that first size. All the pants I had been wearing were old and stretched out - I started at size 16 and refused to be a size 18, so I didn't buy new pants for a long time. Something new in the same size was tight before I started. And I am pear-shaped, so it takes a lot of weight loss to notice changes in pant size. At 230 I was a very tight 16. At 190, I was a loose size 14.

In my experience, it takes the longest to drop that first size. All the pants I had been wearing were old and stretched out - I started at size 16 and refused to be a size 18, so I didn't buy new pants for a long time. Something new in the same size was tight before I started. And I am pear-shaped, so it takes a lot of weight loss to notice changes in pant size. At 230 I was a very tight 16. At 190, I was a loose size 14.

Wow. I'm 5'6", 155 pounds, and I'm a 14. At close to 170, I was a 16. Where are you buying your clothes?? It just goes to show you, it's not the absolute size number or weight on the scale that matters, but the relative sizes and relative changes in weight.

In my experience, it takes the longest to drop that first size. All the pants I had been wearing were old and stretched out - I started at size 16 and refused to be a size 18, so I didn't buy new pants for a long time. Something new in the same size was tight before I started. And I am pear-shaped, so it takes a lot of weight loss to notice changes in pant size. At 230 I was a very tight 16. At 190, I was a loose size 14.

Wow. I'm 5'6", 155 pounds, and I'm a 14. At close to 170, I was a 16. Where are you buying your clothes?? It just goes to show you, it's not the absolute size number or weight on the scale that matters, but the relative sizes and relative changes in weight.

I am somewhere between 5'7 and 5'8, so I am a little taller. And I have always seemed a bit dense compared to others. I probably tend to buy brands that run large, since size 14 - 16 is the cut-off for plus size for many brands and I always have refused to buy plus-sized clothes - partly due to the stigma of it and partly because they don't seem to fit me correctly (like I should have a smaller frame and higher body fat %).

Go shopping at a thrift store! It is fun, not an investment, and when you shrink out of the clothes, you just send them back to they can be a blessing to someone else. And it always feels good to be wearing clothes that fit you properly, no matter what size is written on the tags.

I can't remember exactly but I'll guess somewhere around 20-30 pounds lost before I needed new pants. My weight loss starting from the top down - my face, chest, some belly then BAM, all of a sudden my jeans were so loose that my co-workers teased me a bit. Sometimes it actually pays to go shopping for the next size down just to see. A couple of times I've tried the next size down just to see and found they fit me eventhough my current pants seemed to still fit ok. You just never know!

Keep an eye on the sales and check out thrift stores and consignment shops for your in-between sizes. Give most of your bigger clothes away but considering keeping a "before" outfit so you can really illustrate the difference.

What I did to save money is use a belt. It would hold up my baggy pants for many lbs of weight loss. I didn't buy new jeans until closer to the end since I like American Eagle jeans (which are expensive, at least for my budget).