When to purge older larger size clothes??
Replies
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Add me to the list of those who started donating stuff upon it getting 'comically big'. I've bought a few pieces to replace those but generally the state of my wardrobe has shifted in the direction of quality over quantity (although I haven't reached goal weight yet so when I talk about quality I'm not exactly talking about a Chanel investment).
That shift in itself has felt good; that is, having a smallish wardrobe where everything always looks great rather than the paradox of a closet full of stuff but nothing to wear. I'd call it a second reason to get rid of your too-big clothes, not just fear of gaining back.
For reference (but not a specific recommendation), I'd say I have about 12 days worth of clothes at the moment without repeating anything except jeans, leggings, and tights (i.e., 12 days of dresses and shirts), and I've taken about 6 of those big blue Ikea bags to the drop-off receptacles in my city. Quite a sense of liberation.10 -
I sold some of my old better quality clothes to buy some new sized clothes.( apart from 1 pair of jeans which will be used for the inevitable photo at the end of my journey where i can stand in one leg of my old jeans!!)- i have dropped 4 waist sizes in 6 months, so the clothes i am reselling are virtually new. i am of the mind set that i will never again be the size that i was!!3
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My thoughts:
Holding on to clothes you don't wear for whatever reason is also holding on to an old version of you.
If it's a really awesome piece, have it altered by a seamstress/tailor so you can wear it today.
Having a drawer of stuff you don't use also means you're not making room for something better. I don't know about you, but I'd love to have a free drawer available for use.
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donnalhoff wrote: »I have drawers full of clothing for 3 sizes up and am afraid to let them go! Started weight loss journey 13 months ago and in maintenance since April. I don't need the space back but wonder if keeping the clothes is like admitting I will be back there in larger sizes some day! When is it time to let go?
Get rid of them now, there's no going back
I sold a lot of mine on ebay, never regretted it and now have a wonderful new wardrobe of clothes which I keep adding to. I was sad when some of my loveliest dresses had to go but I prefer the more svelte me 
ps I had a few altered but they never looked the same, but it could be an option.4 -
I’m on year 6 of weight maintenance. This was the first year I gained enough weight to want bigger pants. I had to take a year off from the gym to rehab my shoulders. It worked they feel great. BUT I put on 20 pounds. So I bought bigger pants. I knew I’d eventually lose it. In fact I’m halfway there. I started orange theory a month ago. Yes my shoulders are getting crunchy again. So lowering the weights for my shoulders. I told my trainer I needed the baby weights. He laughed and said they are not baby weights just lower weights. I liked that. Point is if later down the line you need bigger pants buy some. Then get back on plan. Never give up healthy eating and fitness.5
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Personally.. i wouldn't throw away anything until you've been in maintenance a few years... I threw away all my stuff and put weight back on.. lol mind you a lot of my clothes still seem to fit for now.. but.. i thought i was gonna be one of those people who would have no problems keeping it off.. and not be a statistic.. i was wrong.3
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I didn't dump everything in one shot because I didn't want to replace it all with stuff that might be too big as I lost more. As I bought smaller stuff, I got rid of a similar amount of my largest stuff, keeping the total of staples like shirts, jeans etc the same.5
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I took mine to a clothing resale place (I'm a bit of a clothes horse and had plenty of "gently used" stuff lol) and used the store credit to buy a few things that fit. The "exchange" felt cathartic. Good luck!3
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donnalhoff wrote: »Thanks for all the feedback. It is hard letting go of clothes--not entirely sure why--I have no problem purging my house of things I don't use otherwise. Hopefully someone else will get some use out of them! I am packing them up tomorrow and dropping them at Salvation Army. This will feel so good when I am done I am sure.
Maybe you felt like keeping them in the same way that I kept all my skinny clothes when I grew too fat for them. There was that hope that you'd still find them useful again if you change weight.
Maybe you still think old clothes will be useful, but haven't quite got to the point of cognitive assonance where the rest of that reasoning isn't healthy (if you change, but to be heavier).
Don't worry, they will still be useful to someone else.2 -
I have gotten caught by giving away clothes, then needing them when I gained or lost weight, so I tend to hold on to them forever. ATM I am at a really low weight for me, 120, which I can maintain because I am running consistently at about 40 mpw and training for long races a couple of times a year. I told my husband the other night that I wanted to get rid of some of the clothes I can't wear any more and he said, "Do you really think you'll be able to maintain this weight if you aren't doing the long races?" I know he's right, though it kind of hurt to hear it. I have a limited income, so buying a new wardrobe every few years isn't an option. At the same time, looking in the closet and seeing a lot of outdated baggy clothes just makes me depressed.6
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I'm doing a No Buy year where I don't buy anything non-consumable unless it is a need, not a want. So no new clothes unless I don't have any that don't fit or the old ones are worn out/can't be worn. The only way for me to get any new clothes this year and keep my goal of No Buy is to lose so much weight the old clothes don't fit. I love thrifting for new clothes soooo. . .yeah. It's great motivation for my diet!
As to when I get rid of things that are too large, I do it right then unless the item is something I really, really like. I'm a thrift shopper and where I live clothes run about $7 to $.99 an item, with an average price of about $3.50, at the thrifts, so even if I'm wearing all Department store and upscale brands I haven't invested a lot of money in them. If I lose weight and buy new clothes, I cast off the things that don't fit because I know I won't want to wear those things if I gain weight again.
The only exception to this is in my hiking and running clothes. The styles for those change slower than other styles and I have certain cuts of shirts and pants that I like, and I'm most comfortable in things that are technically too big when I'm out by myself, so I will keep things two or three sizes too big for me. (When I'm hiking with a group or traveling on a hiking adventure I "dress up" in clothes that aren't worn and do fit, LOL.)5 -
snarlingcoyote wrote: »I'm doing a No Buy year where I don't buy anything non-consumable unless it is a need, not a want. So no new clothes unless I don't have any that don't fit or the old ones are worn out/can't be worn. The only way for me to get any new clothes this year and keep my goal of No Buy is to lose so much weight the old clothes don't fit. I love thrifting for new clothes soooo. . .yeah. It's great motivation for my diet!
As to when I get rid of things that are too large, I do it right then unless the item is something I really, really like. I'm a thrift shopper and where I live clothes run about $7 to $.99 an item, with an average price of about $3.50, at the thrifts, so even if I'm wearing all Department store and upscale brands I haven't invested a lot of money in them. If I lose weight and buy new clothes, I cast off the things that don't fit because I know I won't want to wear those things if I gain weight again.
The only exception to this is in my hiking and running clothes. The styles for those change slower than other styles and I have certain cuts of shirts and pants that I like, and I'm most comfortable in things that are technically too big when I'm out by myself, so I will keep things two or three sizes too big for me. (When I'm hiking with a group or traveling on a hiking adventure I "dress up" in clothes that aren't worn and do fit, LOL.)
Me too. I hate the feeling of baggy clothes and love to shop at Goodwill. I buy things one size down and put them in a special drawer until I can wear them. Then I shop for the next size down.
I'm bagging up some nice things because 1) they were new or almost new when I bought them and 2) I only wore them a few times. No way I would do that with $100 jeans, but for $3.99 a pair, I can always have clothes that fit.4 -
I've been keeping one size up, but anything more than that I've been donating. I'm comfortably fitting into 14 size jeans, so the 18s all made their way into my Goodwill box.
I've been having a hard time finding work clothing at secondhand stores, so that's been more of a struggle than I thought it would be. I've found lots of jeans and T-shirts, but I need dress clothing for work. I bought two new pairs of dress pants and I'm just doing laundry more often to compensate, haha. I don't want to break the budget with new clothes if they're not going to fit in a few months anyways!1 -
What? Wear them until they wear out, then use them as rags when you're fixing your car. Most underwear only seams to last about 10 years, but a tshirt should be good for 20 years in normal wear, jeans seam to be a bit hit and miss, 10 years is an OK number wearing them a few days a week. Hoodies, jumpers, coats pretty much last a lifetime.6
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As an accomplished seamstress (been sewing for over nigh on 20 years): Resizing clothing is very very hard specifically if it isomer than one or two sizes. The changes in sizing and form are too significant really.I'm learning to sew so I can resize some of my old clothes and the rest I will probably donate.
Personally I really can't be bothered and start fresh with new fabric, takes less time, fits better
What I have done with clothes too large is to take them out of my wardrobe and put them in storage for few months Usually they end up being donated afterward6 -
Men's clothing is generally cheaper than women's (for reasons that I don't understand), which should make things easier. But, the styles don't change all that much, which makes it even more tempting to keep stuff forever!
I try to turn my clothing over at a reasonable rate. I like what @richardgavel said about keeping a set amount of clothing in total, replacing items rather than adding more.
Still, my weight band is about 5lbs, and some pants that fit well at the bottom are a bit snug at the top. I try to accommodate that in my collection of sizes.
Really old clothes (2yrs+) should go, particularly if they don't fit. Maybe I should start writing a date on them!1 -
Jthanmyfitnesspal wrote: ».
Really old clothes (2yrs+) should go, particularly if they don't fit. Maybe I should start writing a date on them!
Lol! Love the date idea, but since I’m wearing clothes my mother purchased in the 1990’s and passed down to me, I’m so not one to talk.5 -
Jthanmyfitnesspal wrote: »Really old clothes (2yrs+) should go, particularly if they don't fit. Maybe I should start writing a date on them!
I don't get this at all. Assuming a person wears classic styles, which I do, what's the difference between a 2 year old pair of jeans and a new pair. Or an expensive Irish wool sweater. I can look at the new ones in a catalog and they seem to be exactly the same as my old ones.
I can see this philosophy (maybe) for trendy multi-level hems and such, but for most basic clothes, no. I've always dressed to please myself, not the latest fashion magazine. I was delighted when I could go 'shopping' in my closet for smaller clothes I loved when I lost weight.
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i have 3 different waist sizes listed on my ebay at the moment--- i waited a year before listing any but now i list when i drop 2 sizes- admittedly i started at 62" waist and am currently at 46" - i know many probably won't have that many sizes to drop... but my focus is on lifestyle change so hopefully won't need the bigger sizes again.... plus you can fit so many more items in the same wardrobe space as your size shrinks!! 2
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I got rid of them as I went along, either giving to charity (goodwill), selling on eBay or giving to friends/family. I bought most of my clothes second hand as I was losing and still do now I can reliably buy something in my size and know it will fit.
Went from size (US) 16 to size 61 -
Keep your favourites. Absolutely keep your favourites. If worse comes to pass, you're going to want clothes that at least make you feel good, one way or another. I went from 260 to 190 and then gained it all back due to an unforseen change of medications, after I'd purged my closet. It was terrible, and made me feel horrible about myself.7
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When Hernan Cortes came to Mexico, he met initially with a lot of success. But trouble followed, and many of his men started grumbling about going back to Spain. Cortez burned the ship. They would either succeed, or die.
Throw out or donate your fat clothes. Sink or swim.15 -
When Hernan Cortes came to Mexico, he met initially with a lot of success. But trouble followed, and many of his men started grumbling about going back to Spain. Cortez burned the ship. They would either succeed, or die.
Throw out or donate your fat clothes. Sink or swim.
Wow. Cortes sounds like a grade A jerk to me.
No comment on keeping/discarding clothes from me, I can’t figure it out for myself.0 -
When Hernan Cortes came to Mexico, he met initially with a lot of success. But trouble followed, and many of his men started grumbling about going back to Spain. Cortez burned the ship. They would either succeed, or die.
Throw out or donate your fat clothes. Sink or swim.
Wow. Cortes sounds like a grade A jerk to me.
No comment on keeping/discarding clothes from me, I can’t figure it out for myself.
He was a first rate scumbag: genocidal, racist, religiously fundamentalist and utterly hypocritical. But his point is well taken
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I've lost over 80lbs at this point. I still have a ways to go but so far I've gone from a size 20 to a 10. I've purged my closet multiple times so far. Things that are too baggy and look sloppy get the boot and it helps me identify holes in my current wardrobe that were harder to see because I was masking them with things I never wore. I'd say toss things that no longer fit and look forward to replacing old favourites with new ones.8
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Personally, I'd get rid of all but one or two items so that you can look at them when you need to see your progress. I kept one pair of my old pants and gave everything else away.
This, pretty much. I’ve kept two favourite dresses and a couple other hard-to-find items for comparison and Just In Case, but everything else got ditched as soon as I could. Now I like taking old clothes to the charity shop, it’s a sign of another step closer to the ultimate goal.0 -
Keep all the clothes for sewing projects!
That's what I tell myself anyway. I also have all my kid's clothes. And a bunch of my SO's old work duds. Material scavenged off retired carseats (make waterproof sports sacs), Army uniforms, and boxes of designer shoes I can't fit into after 3 pregnancies. Hmmm... I may need professional help.2 -
recently took a huge batch of 20 excellent slacks, corduroys, knakis, jeans to Hospice... some still had the dry cleaners plastic bag on them.. sad to see them go.. . but glad I'm a smaller waist.. they were looking like clown ware heheh I figured with all the wine country fires here, they will get scarfed up right away to help some men out... lord knows I got my days at the office ware out of them.. but they were still like new.5
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Keep all the clothes for sewing projects!
That's what I tell myself anyway. I also have all my kid's clothes. And a bunch of my SO's old work duds. Material scavenged off retired carseats (make waterproof sports sacs), Army uniforms, and boxes of designer shoes I can't fit into after 3 pregnancies. Hmmm... I may need professional help.Keep all the clothes for sewing projects!
That's what I tell myself anyway. I also have all my kid's clothes. And a bunch of my SO's old work duds. Material scavenged off retired carseats (make waterproof sports sacs), Army uniforms, and boxes of designer shoes I can't fit into after 3 pregnancies. Hmmm... I may need professional help.
So...how big is your fabric stash?
He or she who dies with the most fabric wins right?
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I'm currently a UK size 8, been the same since last May - although have been unsuccessfully trying to lose a bit more weight. I have kept all my old clothes and will hold onto them for a while yet.
I've lost weight many times before and regained it all back, with extras. The last time I lost a lot of weight and got down to a UK size 4, I threw out all my old clothes, everything I owned and then literally within a few months I had gained so much weight I didn't fit in my new clothes anymore. It was heartbreaking to regain all the weight and it made my life even worse having no clothes that fit and no money to buy even more clothes.
I'd hold onto them but just put them away somewhere. I keep mine in an outbuilding, all boxed up. Within easy reach, but not cluttering up my wardrobe.6
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