when to get new clothes?

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hamlet1222
hamlet1222 Posts: 459 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
At what point on a weight loss journey do people buy new better fitting clothes? It seems a waste to do it when you're half-way to your goal.
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  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
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    It took me 52 weeks to lose 52 pounds. No way in hell was I going to walk around in ill-fitting clothes for months while I lost weight. I bought them as I needed them.
  • amgreenwell
    amgreenwell Posts: 1,268 Member
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    when a coworker says "those pants are super baggy on you". I went straight to marshall's and bought myself a couple pair that fit well...and 4 sizes smaller than my original pair
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
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    amgreenwell wrote: »
    when a coworker says "those pants are super baggy on you". I went straight to marshall's and bought myself a couple pair that fit well...and 4 sizes smaller than my original pair

    That's my favorite store. I love Marshall's.
  • nordlead2005
    nordlead2005 Posts: 1,303 Member
    edited October 2015
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    I'm down 30lb and have not bought any new clothes yet. My wife keeps trying, but the pants are lose at the waist and tight on my legs, so I need to go try some on in the store and get the right cut.

    I have no intention of buying new clothes until I hit 45lb down (my goal weight). I'm also a guy, and most of my shirts were too tight anyways.

    EDIT: honestly though, but them whenever you want. If I had a lot more to lose (say another 30lb) I would probably buy some pants now rather than later.
  • acheben
    acheben Posts: 476 Member
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    I bought new work clothes once my current work clothes were too baggy to look presentable at work. I was able to stretch my casual clothes a little longer since jeans and t-shirts are more forgiving.

    Wearing clothes that fit well really helped me stay motivated.
  • advisingwench
    advisingwench Posts: 53 Member
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    I've been trying to hold off, but lately my work outfits have become really frumpy looking... they're just too loose to be flattering. Today I resorted to a black Michael Jackson-style jacket with velvet trim from the 80s that I've been hanging on to for use at Halloween (I've been too large to fit into it until now.) When I'm cutting 5" thick shoulder pads out of decades-old clothing simply because it's the right size, it's time to go shopping :p
  • segacs
    segacs Posts: 4,599 Member
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    I bought a few things along the way as I needed them, but I mostly wore what I had, or used my sewing machine to try to alter things to get a bit more wear out of them. I started my weight loss last October, so for most of the winter I was wearing big, warm winter clothing, which was fine even at a little bit baggy. Also, after I dropped the first 15 lbs or so, I was able to dig into the back of my closet where I had all my "skinny" clothes and bring them back out and wear them for a while. That was fun for a couple of months, but then they quickly became too big on me as well.

    Last spring, I "treated" myself to a big shop in the US when I was there for a long weekend and thought I was only 5lbs away from my goal. Unfortunately, I actually ended up losing another 15lbs since then, and went down another dress size, so half of what I bought is now too big on me. But a lot of it still fits, so whatever.

    Now it's October again, and I'm in the frighteningly expensive position of having to replace ALL my winter gear. New winter coat, new fall coat, new ski suit, new winter boots (regular instead of wide-calf, yay!), even new ski boots since my feet shrank by about a half size. This is a matter of several thousand dollars, all told, which is a hit that my bank account can't really afford right now. So I'm taking it one step at a time and hunting for bargains.
  • mbaker566
    mbaker566 Posts: 11,233 Member
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    i buy as needed
    i just bought winter running clothes and new work pants. otherwise, stuff was too loose
  • verptwerp
    verptwerp Posts: 3,659 Member
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    Congrats on your weight loss ! When I lost 25# my jeans & shorts started to fall off of me ..... my husband put extra holes in my belts. At a 30# loss I heard the word "baggy" ..... I donated those clothes & bought INEXPENSIVE jeans & shorts to get by. At a 40# loss I gave my winter coats away. It's all good ! And my boss popped for new scrubs :)
  • Lounmoun
    Lounmoun Posts: 8,426 Member
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    I recently bought new shirts after losing 25 lbs. My old ones were starting to look sloppy. The new shirts will be okay for quite awhile... certainly until next year. I have 25-30 more lbs to go so probably by the time I am close to my goal I will need to get something smaller again. I didn't buy expensive clothes.

    Maybe you could swap clothes with someone who has also changed sizes or hit up the thrift stores.
  • ColinsMommaOC
    ColinsMommaOC Posts: 296 Member
    edited October 2015
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    I was too stubborn to throw away my clothes from before I gained the weight so lucky me I won't have to do too much shopping along the way (well until I get to the clothes I was wearing in college... I don't have many professional options in that size). I have enough clothes to get me from here to about another 70lbs lost.
    I would consider changing out any work pants that become saggy or baggy. Any shirt that bunches at the waist when you tuck it in. Like someone else said jeans are more forgiving so wear those until you can pull them off without unbuttoning.
  • Kalikel
    Kalikel Posts: 9,626 Member
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    I buy them as I need them. Going from size 24/26 to size 10, I've gone through a LOT of clothes. I've learned that when I find something I like, I should buy it in several sizes so that I don't have to kiss it goodbye when I drop a size. Had to say goodbye to to too many clothes that I liked when I started this whole thing.

    But I wear them as I fit into them. :)
  • Ashtoretet
    Ashtoretet Posts: 378 Member
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    I bought some more work out clothes because I wanted more variety but that's been it so far. I'm down 48 pounds and have been waiting for my special employee discount event (next Monday) to happen. So I will buy a new work outfit on Monday since my coworkers keep telling me I need to show off my work a bit. Then I have a vacation in December back to my home state where it's much colder, so I will buy a couple things in December. I'm hesitant to buy a lot because I still have 44 pounds to go.
  • msiamjan
    msiamjan Posts: 326 Member
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    I make do with thrift store cheapies, until I'm at goal and stabilized. Then I'll buy new. But, I do buy a few things as treats--and I buy one bra that fits and wear it all the time until it's too big.
  • seltzermint555
    seltzermint555 Posts: 10,742 Member
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    I found it helpful to buy new stuff along the way. Often secondhand was a good way, and clearance racks. Common sense goes a long way too...don't buy like 14 business suits and 2 new winter coats when you still have more weight to lose. Certain items can serve double duty with belts and different layers and such. But things like jeans and t-shirts are so easily replaced, and make a big difference in one's appearance midway through a large loss.
  • Meganthedogmom
    Meganthedogmom Posts: 1,639 Member
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    When I started feeling really frumpy and having to pull my pants up all the time. I felt super uncomfortable. That's when I bought some new clothes. I hate to do it, but I have to continually buy new clothes, as this keeps happening. I only buy a couple pairs of pants at a time though.
  • 123juliaj123
    123juliaj123 Posts: 75 Member
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    I have been buying clothes from charity shops until I feel I am at a weight I will stay with. As they get too big I give them away to the charities again, I find you dont need a lot of clothes and its good to find how much easier it is to find things you like as the sizes get lower and the clothes are more available in my size.

    Its tricky though because I thought I was at target weight but then I decided to lose another 7lbs so Im still not ready to buy a lot of new things
  • VykkDraygoVPR
    VykkDraygoVPR Posts: 465 Member
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    nordlead2005 wrote: »
    I'm down 30lb and have not bought any new clothes yet. My wife keeps trying, but the pants are lose at the waist and tight on my legs, so I need to go try some on in the store and get the right cut.

    I have no intention of buying new clothes until I hit 45lb down (my goal weight). I'm also a guy, and most of my shirts were too tight anyways.

    EDIT: honestly though, but them whenever you want. If I had a lot more to lose (say another 30lb) I would probably buy some pants now rather than later.
    Finding pants that fit right is a chore when you are thin, but have big legs. I just had to get used to skin tight pants, because anything else was just baggy everywhere. I actually found that mall stores had the best fits (Holister, Express, American Eagle). They tended toward thin, but muscular cuts, rather than just rail thin. Boot cut helps, as does buying pants that are one size too long, and just hemming them (or wearing them with boots).


    @hamlet1222 I like to buy clothes as soon as I can wear a size down and rock it. It really depends on how big you are, versus how big you were. I went from a size 44 down to a 33. I had to buy new clothes often. This time, I won't, since I'm going from 38 (only had one pair of 38's, and I still have some 36's).

    I actually fit into a looser pair of my 34's last night. Not wearable (buttonable, but just barely), but it's awesome to see progress down. I hate being fat. :D
  • JodehFoster
    JodehFoster Posts: 419 Member
    edited October 2015
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    every two sizes I lost, I replaced a few necessary clothes items...for work & play, not an entire wardrobe.
  • Nuke_64
    Nuke_64 Posts: 406 Member
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    I've lost 50 on my way to 75 (I'm 5'6"). People only started to notice my weight loss when I stopped wearing my XL shirts/17.5" neck shirts and 38" pants that were originally too small and instead wear Medium or 16" neck shirts and 34" pants--plus I get the slimmer fitting ones. Baggy clothes look bad and will hide your progress. I'm having a hard time now holding myself back from buying more. I hope to get to the 30-32" pant size range and I guess a small shirt--never thought of being a small.

    Wearing the new clothes has made me feel so proud of my accomplishment I can't help but pose in mirrors as I walk by them. My motivation has only intensified and well worth the money spent.

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