6 more pounds to lose, can I go ahead and buy clothes or will they become too loose?
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tabby_123
Posts: 80 Member
Hello, MFP community! I've been on a long weight loss journey. I have lost 106 pounds and only have 6 more to go. I am in desperate need of new clothes. I have no jeans that fit, and I have very little work clothes. If I go ahead and buy clothes in my current size (size 8), what are the odds that they will be too loose when I lose the last 6? I'm fighting for every pound lost at this point, and it could be a months before I reach my goal and can't go that long without any clothes. I appreciate everyone's insight!
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Replies
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First of all - CONGRATULATIONS! That is an awesome achievement.
The thing with clothes is, the smaller the sizes, the less pounds between them, if you know what I mean. When I was losing, you had to loose 15-20lbs. to go from a 14 to a 12, or so it seemed. The difference between an 8 and a 6 could be 5-10lbs. Depends on the brand, cut, etc. What i found helpful when 'between' sizes was going to thrift and second-hand stores. We had a well run and well stocked Good Will near me at the time and I got some really nice work clothes there. This is over 5 years ago and I still have some of it!8 -
Congrats on your impressive loss so far!
I wouldn't buy a ton of clothes, but you do need something. Stretchy jeans should be fine. Etc.5 -
I'm going to second second hand/thrift stores and stretchy clothes. At 6lbs to go, I really doubt you'll drop an entire size but if you're at all between sizes now you could end up with a Situation.5
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Congrats, that's awesome!
For clothes, whether the last few pounds will make a difference depends of the fit/cut of the clothes.
For most tops/blouses/shirts, it shouldn't make a difference unless they are really closely fitted.
For pants/skirts/dresses, I'd choose items with a little bit of stretch for now instead of anything too structured.
When I lost weight (not as much as you did), buying new clothes was one of the best things about it. It took me a few years before I got rid of my old clothes, "just in case"...thankfully, I never needed them again.4 -
Imagine a roll of paper towels. Brand new out of the pack. You take off one or two towels, the roll still looks pretty much the same. But fast forward a week, you've been taking off a towel or two each day in the normal course of things, and suddenly the roll is a lot smaller, because each sheet covers more of the roll as you get closer to the tube.
Weight loss, especially in the 100-lbs-lost range as you are (congrats btw, that's awesome) is a lot like that - at the beginning, you might need to drop 30, 40, even 50lbs before your clothes start fitting differently or you need to go down a size. But here at the end, those 6lbs may indeed be the difference between a size 8 and a 6, or even a size 4. Don't go out and get a whole new wardrobe just yet, but if you need something to avoid looking like you're playing dress-up, thrift/discount stores and stretchy materials are still going to be your friend for now.15 -
First of all...106 pounds! That is amazing! I say go ahead and buy some new things, but maybe not a full new wardrobe. 6 more pounds should not make or break the purchase. Besides, you have more than earned this! I had to get a new pair of jeans today because I could not take a few steps without my old ones falling down past my butt crack! I was wearing a pair of 18/20 and it was hiding my progress. Getting a pair of size 12, pulling them on easily and actually having a bit of room in the seat was a revelation. Now I, and everyone else, can really see the results of my hard work. Think of new clothes as a reward. You are going to feel like a new woman when you do! You truly are inspirational!6
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old navy clearance section has jeans under $54
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I agree with much of the above, but would add this: If you go try on the most appropriate size for your current weight, how does it fit? Is there a bit of ease in it, or is it a little more fitted? Any off-the-rack clothing size is an approximation for our body, not (usually) an exactly exact fit. If you find clothes that are comfortable now, but on the snug side of comfortable, more likely that they'll still fit fine 6 pounds down, maybe on the loose side of comfortable.
Also, consider style of some initial purchases, if you're worried about this. Non-stretch jeans, in that regard, are a little unforgiving. Stretchy leggings or stretch-material pants are more forgiving. Pants/slacks with belt loops are a bit more flexible size-wise than those without, since you can adjust the belt. There are some nice pants styles now with elastic/drawstring waist, and IMO some of those relaxed styles look fine on a slim person. I have some nice relaxed linen pants for summer with an elastic + drawstring waist, in what I'd consider the "business casual" range of appearance, which IMO look nice, are comfortable, and that sort of thing will look about the same at X weight or X weight minus 6 (or even minus a bit more).
There are similar considerations for tops, like how fitted they are vs. flow-y; whether there's a waist tie at the back or some feature like that, etc.
I think that we get used to thinking that loose or flow-y styles are more appropriate for people who are trying to hide a little heaviness or features they don't like. I can understand that you might be eager to move to more fitted looks, as a slimmer person. Nonetheless, I think well-chosen more relaxed silhouettes and flow-y-er things can look nice on a slim person, too, and are a bit more accommodating if you lose some additional weight.5 -
I agree with much of the above, but would add this: If you go try on the most appropriate size for your current weight, how does it fit? Is there a bit of ease in it, or is it a little more fitted? Any off-the-rack clothing size is an approximation for our body, not (usually) an exactly exact fit. If you find clothes that are comfortable now, but on the snug side of comfortable, more likely that they'll still fit fine 6 pounds down, maybe on the loose side of comfortable.
Also, consider style of some initial purchases, if you're worried about this. Non-stretch jeans, in that regard, are a little unforgiving. Stretchy leggings or stretch-material pants are more forgiving. Pants/slacks with belt loops are a bit more flexible size-wise than those without, since you can adjust the belt. There are some nice pants styles now with elastic/drawstring waist, and IMO some of those relaxed styles look fine on a slim person. I have some nice relaxed linen pants for summer with an elastic + drawstring waist, in what I'd consider the "business casual" range of appearance, which IMO look nice, are comfortable, and that sort of thing will look about the same at X weight or X weight minus 6 (or even minus a bit more).
There are similar considerations for tops, like how fitted they are vs. flow-y; whether there's a waist tie at the back or some feature like that, etc.
I think that we get used to thinking that loose or flow-y styles are more appropriate for people who are trying to hide a little heaviness or features they don't like. I can understand that you might be eager to move to more fitted looks, as a slimmer person. Nonetheless, I think well-chosen more relaxed silhouettes and flow-y-er things can look nice on a slim person, too, and are a bit more accommodating if you lose some additional weight.
This.
I went through a stage where I felt like I'd lived in shapeless things and didn't want to hide behind clothes anymore, and it took me a little while to move past that but most of my wardrobe now has some 'flow' and it is still comfortable, accommodating and does not make me feel like I'm hiding anymore.
And it's definitely still flattering.
Honestly the primary thing is it's flattering because when fat all those 'loose' and 'oversized' LOOKED like I was trying to hide something and failing. Now it just looks right.4 -
1. Great job!
2. Yay! New clothes!
3. It depends on your height/shape I'd say. I'm 5'3" and if I lost an actual true 6lbs...I think it might affect how my clothes fit me. But if you are taller than that, it might not. And if ya girl needs new jeans then ya need new jeanzzzzzzzzzzz =D3 -
Congratulations on the amazing 106 pound weight loss!
I would definitely buy some clothes now that losing 6 pounds won't affect the fit that much, like knit (not compression) leggings, shirts (that aren't tight in the arms), bras, sweaters and even coats. Jeans and fitted pants may make a difference, depending on your current size. For example, at my size now at 5'8 even a gain/loss of 5 pounds definitely changes how my jeans and fitted pants fit, even compression leggings, but doesn't really affect other clothing items too much.
I've found in the past that when I've bought pants or clothes "for later" when I "lost the weight" it increased my anxiety to lose the weight, which backfired in the end.1 -
When at goal weight your weight might fluctuate up or down 5 pounds in a day or whatever is normal for you. Might gain a fraction of an inch somewhere but it disappears in a day or two so won't really make a difference in final size selection..
For my shape Levis and Arizona jeans fit the best. Experiment with what silhouettes fit and flatter you and which brands tend to consistently fit you better. Go to a store and try on different brands, sizes and styles to determine what you like. Then pick two or three main colors to build your wardrobe around and save the trendier colors for accent pieces to get the most bang out of your money. Happy shopping!
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You could drop a Jean size still. Some garments have a little give. I find stretchy dresses fit for quite a while even when I gain or lose weight. You can always add a cute belt if it is a little bigger later on. With only a 6 pound loss left, I suspect winter sweaters and coats will still fit.3
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Put a line item in your budget each month for clothing, and if you don’t use it all, let it ride to the next month 😉👍0
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I got some knit jeans on TJMaxx for $19.99 a pair. Very stretchy, super flattering. I never thought I’d like knit jeans but I ordered six more pair. (I live in jeans and leggings).
Can’t add the link here but they were the Seven7 everyday knit jeans. And yes Seven7 is how they are in TJ’s search engine.
High waisted enough to hold in the loose skin from weight loss.0 -
springlering62 wrote: »I got some knit jeans on TJMaxx for $19.99 a pair. Very stretchy, super flattering. I never thought I’d like knit jeans but I ordered six more pair. (I live in jeans and leggings).
Can’t add the link here but they were the Seven7 everyday knit jeans. And yes Seven7 is how they are in TJ’s search engine.
High waisted enough to hold in the loose skin from weight loss.
Here ya go:
https://tjmaxx.tjx.com/store/jump/product/Everyday-Knit-Denim-Leggings/1000689901?colorId=NS2060465&pos=1:1&Ntt=Seven7 &bsp=1
I have some knit jeans from LL Bean that I adore. Will have to try these on.1 -
I wear the same clothes (size 4 US) at 114 lbs that I wore at 120 lbs. They are just a little loose now. I'm 5'3". I suppose I could try on a 2, but my local stores rarely carry any clothes under size 6, so even my 4s were ordered online, and I just don't have the bandwidth to order and return clothing right now.0
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It depends on the cut of the clothes and how you lose the final weight. Bear in mind, too, that your body shape might continue to change even when your weight stabilises, particularly if you have an exercise habit. I've just had to get rid of a lot of clothes that were on the big side but wearable a year ago. I haven't lost weight since, but I have lost inches due to my training regime and the clothes started to look obviously too big.
In your situation I would keep anything that looks OK and buy the bare minimum of things that look good now. I think it's important to reward yourself with some things that you enjoy wearing and feel good in, but go easy if you have budget restraints, because things could change quite a lot.
Well done on the excellent progress so far.3
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