Interim Wardrobe

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vegwrangler
vegwrangler Posts: 143 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I'm getting to the point now where my "fat pants" are falling off and I'm regretting the drunken haze in which I discarded all of my "before" clothes.

This is why you should never drink and donate to Goodwill. Just sayin'.

Thing is, I have another 40 or so pounds to lose. I have a really hard time justifying spending money on clothes that I'm just not going to fit into in another few months. Especially since my boobs have gone into "Hunger Games" mode and have volunteered as tribute.

Any suggestions for good transition purchases to make? I only need jeans for work and 3-4 casual outfits for my days off.
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Replies

  • lemonlionheart
    lemonlionheart Posts: 580 Member
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    Thrift store :)
  • paulawatkins1974
    paulawatkins1974 Posts: 720 Member
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    I have this same problem! I've lost 32 pounds. Thrift stores!
    ETA: Go back to goodwill and get your clothes back lol
  • Ninkyou
    Ninkyou Posts: 6,666 Member
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    Clearance is your best friend.

    I've gotten alot of clothes on clearance in each size I've dropped down into and haven't paid more than $7 for any piece.

    You can also shop at Goodwill if you don't mind 2nd hand.
  • notsochunkeymonkey
    notsochunkeymonkey Posts: 16
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    Thrift stores, Old Navy, Wally World, TJMaxx, Marshalls - clearance racks.

    eta: Do not throw stuff away - I hate to say this, but I donated all my clothes on the way down to a total of 110 lost and now I'm back to needing to lose 29 pounds after two years... and sigh, having to rinse and repeat. The temptation to rid yourself of the interim clothes is strong - but your wallet may regret it later.
  • sun_fish
    sun_fish Posts: 864 Member
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    Thrift stores, Old Navy, Wally World, TJMaxx, Marshalls - clearance racks.

    In addition to this, I also did some alterations myself as I have decent sewing skills. Belts and safety pins work wonders too.
  • leggup
    leggup Posts: 2,942 Member
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    Target for the staple tops (3 crewneck shirts, 3 tanks, 3-4 cardigans), Old navy for bottoms (2 pairs of jeans, 2-3 stretchy cotton skirts, 1-2 forgiving cotton dresses). Boom. Wardrobe.
  • ew_david
    ew_david Posts: 3,473 Member
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    This is why you should never drink and donate to Goodwill. Just sayin'.

    Go back and get someone else's drunken castoffs!
  • ayron102
    ayron102 Posts: 17 Member
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    If I may just add one thing to consider... I don't know your personal story, but I'm thinking a lot of ours here reflect mine. So, I'll give you my thoughts about my previous yo-yo clothes change sizes:

    - it can be really easy to think "i'm in the middle. I need the interim wardrobe on my way to the pinnacle of my success!" and then get some really cheap, crappy clothes. I've done it. I lost 30 lbs once and then really started to look shabby (I've invested a lot in real nice looking, big-guy clothes for my standard weight of 330... ) - So when I went down a few sizes, I looked like quite the slob that didn't have his act together. But who cares, those clothes were THE CHEAPEST I could find. And I was only going to be there for a few weeks anyway, right?!

    Well for me at least, that back-fired. I kept looking at my name-brand big guy clothes and then feeling bad about how I looked when I went to work. Someone even commented at work that I had lost my style.

    Well if we know anything about people with weight problems - or at least a morbidly obese 30 year old single guy, we have GREAT SELF ESTEEM -(sarcasm abounds).

    I started back-sliding fast.

    Now, I'm not blaming my back-slide on my ugo-temp clothes. But they certainly didn't help. So, if I have one bit of advice/thoughts for you, it is this:

    Be cost conscious, but do not sacrifice your style and how the clothes make you feel. You're getting smaller! Clothes should start to make you feel HAPPY that you're wearing them. If you pick up something and say "that'll do" - maybe it won't. Let this interim wardrobe be a tool for you. Don't skimp.

    Best of luck - and now I can't wait to take my own advice on my new journey - and let's both celebrate soberly giving away our old big-guy big-gal clothes soon. :)
  • Kel1677
    Kel1677 Posts: 76 Member
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    I can't wait to fit in my smaller summer clothes! I bought a pair of capris that are to small but it's a goal! I have them hanging up in my bedroom. I hate the clothes I wear now. I was buying 2x t shirts to hide the weight I gained but that is just making me look fatter. Yesterday I wore a tighter fitting t shirt to work and people actually commented that I was losing weight. That was total motivation. I have been shopping at Walmart and getting either stuff on sale or on the clearance racks. I shop online for a better selection.
  • Kel1677
    Kel1677 Posts: 76 Member
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    Btw this gave me the idea to go through my drawers and closet today
  • notsochunkeymonkey
    notsochunkeymonkey Posts: 16
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    I was buying 2x t shirts to hide the weight I gained but that is just making me look fatter. Yesterday I wore a tighter fitting t shirt to work and people actually commented that I was losing weight. That was total motivation.

    This. I have bought some things that were actually too big recently and thank goodness I have my daughter around to holler at me - back they went because they just made me look heavier. Strike the balance between comfy and ridiculously too big.
  • HobbitSithLord
    HobbitSithLord Posts: 34 Member
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    Clearance racks are fantastic. Especially right now, they're already starting to clearance out spring and summer stuff. You can find stuff for not much more ($2-5) on the clearance racks at Target/Old Navy/TJ Maxx/Marshalls etc than you would a thrift store. I bought three shirts the other day at Target for less than $3 each. Keep an eye on Old Navy too, because every few months they'll put all their clearance stuff on sale for 50% off the clearance price. I got a $40 sweater there for $3 a while back . . .
  • pfgaytriot
    pfgaytriot Posts: 238 Member
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    Goodwill was my best friend for the longest time. I couldn't have stayed clothed without the place. Also, shop clearance racks at major stores and, if you have any of these available to you where you live, go to Ross, Marshall's, TJ Maxx, outlet stores, Gabe's, Rugged Warehouse, Burlington Coat Factory, Citi Trends, etc.
  • lastspen
    lastspen Posts: 106 Member
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    I've been selling some of my old clothes on different groups on Facebook. It's also a good place to find used clothes at a good price. I've also been buying clothes that are a tad too snug on me so that I have some shrinking room. Dresses are your best friend because you can wear them at varying sizes versus pants.
  • JustSomeEm
    JustSomeEm Posts: 20,197 MFP Moderator
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    I think aryon has a great point - DEFINITELY get some cute clothes in your interim size. That does not mean that you need to break the bank, though. Clearance racks and thrift stores AND goodwill will have some great clothes in your new size. :) Awesome that you're having this problem, OP! Way to go!

    I will add, though, that I had several sizes to lose, and while I'm grateful for the problem, I'm getting really frustrated with replacing clothes every few weeks/months. LOL! I ended up getting a few interchangeable outfits at each new size. If I stayed at that size for longer, then I'd buy some extra clothes. I tend to pick up a new pair of pants and shirt every week or two. BUT, I'm not spending a ton on clothes since I'm going the thrift store/wally world clearance rack route. :) Once I get to goal size (one more size to go... unless I decide to go for a 6...), I'll drop money on brand new, freaking awesome clothes.
  • AmyRhubarb
    AmyRhubarb Posts: 6,890 Member
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    Definitely thrift stores. Shop around - some are better than others as far as the quality of stuff they put on the racks and the prices they charge. When I was transitioning through sizes I found some great brand name jeans at one of my local shops for about $3 each.
  • heather_hearts_travel
    heather_hearts_travel Posts: 864 Member
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    Thrift! eBay!
  • Thorbjornn
    Thorbjornn Posts: 329 Member
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    I dropped two pants sizes and one shirt size; I put all those clothes away and went to K-Mart and JCPenney for some cheap interim clothes. I was told at WW to get rid of the bigger clothes as motivation and incentive to keep the weight off. Maybe there is some wisdom and truth in that, because I have since gone back up one size. I'm not planning to go up to the original size, because I'm aware of what I did wrong... got fat, dumb and unhappy.
  • elliej
    elliej Posts: 466 Member
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    While I agree with stocking up on cheap/"disposable" clothing don't feel like you can't treat yourself to a nice top or whatever, you still have to work and live and if you're wearing cheap ill-fitting clothes you may not feel so awesome about your achievements...

    One area to DEFINITELY invest is the bra department. Bad fitting bras can lead to ugliness in otherwise perfectly attractive human beings

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