Weight loss with clothes

e1420
e1420 Posts: 2 Member
edited November 21 in Health and Weight Loss
I am around 6 months in my weight loss journey, and have lost over 2 stone. However, I keep feeling as if buying these new clothes I want and need is going to be a waste as I still have around a stone to go until I reach my goal weight. New clothes I brought around last month are now feeling slightly loose. What can I do?

Replies

  • lisajanewalker717
    lisajanewalker717 Posts: 15 Member
    Can you have your current clothes taken in and made smaller?
  • Penthesilea514
    Penthesilea514 Posts: 1,189 Member
    Shop at thrift stores or second-hand stores until you reach your goal weight.

    This is what I do.
  • bobshuckleberry
    bobshuckleberry Posts: 281 Member
    A friend of mine cleaned out her closet and gave me some smaller clothes. I also shopped in thrift and discount stores. Don't spend big money until you are on maintenance.
  • Maxxitt
    Maxxitt Posts: 1,281 Member
    I'm one of those folks who'd rather have a couple of things that fit well than a bunch of stuff that doesn't. So in my initial weight loss journey, I purchased new clothes strategically along the way - not a whole new wardrobe, but enough so that I could look put-together for professional reasons and a pair of jeans that actually fit. They usually lasted for a few months or more as I lost additional weight. I gave away/recycled clothing that was more than a size too big, and by the end of a year I had a small wardrobe of things I loved. Shopping sales made it totally doable and I think that overall I spent LESS money on clothing than I had before the weight loss journey because I was being so picky.
  • seltzermint555
    seltzermint555 Posts: 10,740 Member
    Shop at thrift stores or second-hand stores until you reach your goal weight.

    This is what I do.

    Me too. Capsule wardrobes can be extremely helpful, too. Everything is pretty much mix-and-match and goes together. With a pared down capsule wardrobe, you don't have 16 pairs of jeans, 9 pairs of black pants, etc. It's the less-is-more philosophy.

    I credit the constant changing of my sizes during a major weight loss with a better understanding of what I actually wear and what works for me. I did (and continue to do) a mix of thrift store shopping and very strategic purchases from "regular stores".

    For example, I will spend much more time & energy seeking out a new winter coat and ensure that it's still going to look good if I go down two more sizes. In the past I was only wondering, does it fit and do I like it? Weight loss can make you more savvy in these areas, which I think is great.

    I don't know your gender or preferences when it comes to clothing, but I have also found dresses to be amazing for weight changes. I have bounced around a 10 lb range on maintenance and was "up" at the beginning of this Spring and it was great to wear some of my favorite smaller dresses with cardigans and no belt. Now that I'm back down weight wise and have been more active, I'm back to wearing them with a belt and no sweater. Same goes for when I was in the middle of losing large amounts, I could typically wear a size 18 dress at size 14 with a belt or some minor alterations.
  • Tacklewasher
    Tacklewasher Posts: 7,122 Member
    Thrift store.
  • mrsmlkp248
    mrsmlkp248 Posts: 8 Member
    I have had to replace my wardrobe twice so far since losing weight (have lost 27kg so far and 2 to 3 dress sizes).
    As I am still losing I don't want to spend a small fortune every couple of months so I just focus on needs that I can mix and match and wear both to work and on weekends.
    My wardrobe is pretty bare and I don't have alot of options but I am saving the big new wardrobe spend for when I reach my goal.
  • krael65
    krael65 Posts: 306 Member
    Leggings and tunics worked well for me. Tunics can be worn through multiple sizes. I find inexpensive 'staples' at Walmart type stores.
  • MegaMooseEsq
    MegaMooseEsq Posts: 3,118 Member
    Knits have always been my friend.
  • VelociFit
    VelociFit Posts: 32 Member
    I'll chime in with another vote for thrift shops. I've also had a lot of luck by mentioning my clothing woes to good friends--a couple times, they've said "Oh hey, I have ______ that might fit you, if you want it!" At least half of what currently fits me came to me that way!
  • crackpotbaby
    crackpotbaby Posts: 1,297 Member
    eBay

    Search for brands you know will fit you. But a few nice things cheaply.

    Repeat when you lose more.
  • Meelisv
    Meelisv Posts: 235 Member
    edited August 2017
    It really depends how much you have to lose. It can be really expensive.
    Of course being a male, it was probably simpler for me.
    Still, my t-shirt size went from 6XL to M within 3 years and during that time I either threw away or or gave away 8 200 litre garbage bags full of clothes, which I had to replace.
    Of course I didn't want to buy anything "nice"/expensive until I was close to my goal size. Good thing was that as sizes went smaller, selection and prices of clothes that fit me went way better.

    As for second hand stuff, weirdly in our corner of Europe, cheap shops like H&M and similar have often better prices for new clothes than in second hand places.

    Also, as I started watching what I eat and stopped buying random snacks, I had more money left over for clothes.
  • amtyrell
    amtyrell Posts: 1,447 Member
    I have been switching sizes a lot. For me picking the slightly tighter size and only buy what you need has been key so for example I currently don't own jeans just 2 pair or shorts and t shirts for social, 3 workout outfits, and work stuff.
  • luvdablz
    luvdablz Posts: 2 Member
    I have lost 128 pounds and before i reached my goal weight, I would buy at thrift stores. It is amazing what great quality clothes you can buy for just a couple of bucks. Good luck to all!
  • scarlett_k
    scarlett_k Posts: 812 Member
    I'm just doing what I always do and buying (usually) cheap clothes that I feel comfortable wearing. My trousers are £6 a pair so I'm not going to be sad when I donate the bigger sizes to charity and buy new smaller pairs.
  • Find somebody at your current size to give your clothes to when you lose weight. Find somebody SMALLER than you who is also on a weight loss journey to inherit their clothes as they lose weight. My sister is losing weight as well, but weighed less than I do to start with. I get all of her clothes as she shrinks out of them. I give all the clothes I shrink out of to colleagues at work. It's a win-win!
  • seltzermint555
    seltzermint555 Posts: 10,740 Member
    edited August 2017
    I will say, practice caution when it comes to giving/offering your too-big clothes to others. That can come off rudely, even when the person is clearly the correct size and maybe a different body type (i.e., athletic 5'11" friend looks thinner & better in the size 14 shorts than I did at a curvy 5'8") People can still get offended really easily and sometimes it even seems to mess with their self-image. For example, me and a friend thought it might be fun for a group of girlfriends to have a big clothing swap and I could tell a lot of people were just really shy and uncomfortable about it and have preconceived ideas of themselves as being "little" or "too big" and so on. It just wasn't good.

    I now tend to think donating to charity shops is probably the best idea. BUT I will add that when I was first losing many sizes rapidly, I had a large, nice wardrobe of size 22/24 clothing (including professional and name brand items) and I had a lot of luck with selling those on Craigslist to individuals in "lots" of similar items. It was actually worth my time because each lot was at minimum $20-40. I wouldn't have bothered trying to sell a single top for $5 to a stranger. I also had a big garage sale at one point early on. I just advertised size 16-20 casual clothing for low prices and a couple dozen women took over my garage and left it EMPTY in two hours!! I spent the cash for fun stuff on my wedding trip. Later, the sizes were changing more slowly and I had started to buy fewer clothes and more secondhand stuff, so I completely switched over to the donation route.
  • xvolution
    xvolution Posts: 721 Member
    If it's just pants, then you could get by with wearing a belt for now. It's what I currently do (I wear a size 44 waist now, used to wear 48s).
  • MegaMooseEsq
    MegaMooseEsq Posts: 3,118 Member
    xvolution wrote: »
    If it's just pants, then you could get by with wearing a belt for now. It's what I currently do (I wear a size 44 waist now, used to wear 48s).

    Just make sure you're not going overboard with this - my spouse was going to leave the house in a pair of jeans so baggy the button was hanging well below his belt. It was not a good look.
  • CaliMomTeach
    CaliMomTeach Posts: 745 Member
    You are right. It is a waste. I did it and regret it. Wait it out as long as you can, or spend very little money on the transitional clothes you buy.
  • staylo1313
    staylo1313 Posts: 47 Member
    Have a yard sale and sell your clothes that are too big and use the money at thrift stores... our area also has Facebook sites where you can sell clothes.
  • nowine4me
    nowine4me Posts: 3,985 Member
    Buy a few staple items that fit along the way, like a pair of jean and black trousers. You'll feel much more confident.
  • ACanadian22
    ACanadian22 Posts: 377 Member
    Sell the clothes that are big now and buy a fraction of ones you want while on your journey
  • earlnabby
    earlnabby Posts: 8,171 Member
    e1420 wrote: »
    I am around 6 months in my weight loss journey, and have lost over 2 stone. However, I keep feeling as if buying these new clothes I want and need is going to be a waste as I still have around a stone to go until I reach my goal weight. New clothes I brought around last month are now feeling slightly loose. What can I do?

    I bought basic things (underwear, bras) to get me through each size. I only bought a small number and washed them often. For dresses and tops, I bought items that would look good even if they were a bit large so I could wear them through a couple of sizes. Pants, shorts, skirts, etc, I would only buy if they had elastic I could take in, loops for a belt (especially jeans), or drawstrings.

    The only thing I bought to fit was my swimming suit. I work out in the pool so I need a suit that fits reasonably well. I would buy one that was a little snug, then get a new one when the old one was loose enough that various parts would jiggle.

    Tunics and sweaters get me through several sizes and cover up the fact that my pants are too big and cinched in by a belt.
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