Letting Go of Old Clothes

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kizette
kizette Posts: 5 Member
in Motivation and Support
So my pile of clothes that are too big for me gets bigger and bigger every season. Whenever I'm getting dressed and I put something on only to find it's now too large I throw it on the pile. Tonight I decided to go through things I haven't worn in a while and make more room in my closet for new things. After doing all that, I carefully sorted "The Pile" into stacks of work pants, casual tops, work tops, etc. thinking I would give it away.

I was about to put it all in a bag and I couldn't do it. I am having a really hard time letting go of these old clothes. I've lost just shy of 70 lbs and I'm down from an 18 to a 10/12. It's taken a little over a year to get it all off and I'm still trying to lose more, but who knows what will happen in the future? I don't ever want to be that size again, but we all know that keeping the weight off can be just as hard as getting it off in the first place. I can't help but think "what if I put the weight back on and I will have thrown all of these perfectly good clothes away? Then I will have to suffer the pain of buying plus-sized pants all over again"

Most women don't want to get rid of their Someday-I'll-get-back-into-those-skinny-jeans, but I am having such a hard time getting rid my I-don't-ever-want-to-have-to-spend-money-on-THAT-size-pants.

Replies

  • cjack19
    cjack19 Posts: 158 Member
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    I have the same problem! All my "too big" clothes are in the spare room and I just can't get rid of them!
  • chevy88grl
    chevy88grl Posts: 3,937 Member
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    I went through the same thing when I hit my goal weight. I held onto them "just in case". Then one day I woke up and realized that keeping them was a safety net and seemed like an excuse to gain it back. "Well, if I gain it back, I'll have stuff to wear!". I don't want a safety net. I don't want to gain it back.

    I gave it all away. I bagged it up and donated it. I need to do it again because I have some size 12's and large shirts - all are too big. Need to get them out of here now.


    Donate them. Give them to someone you know. GET THEM OUT OF YOUR HOUSE!

    No safety net.
  • WhitneyT586
    WhitneyT586 Posts: 279 Member
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    Donate or have a yard sale. Get it out of your sight though because you don't want to hang on to any of the past that goes with the clothes. You've come so far and lost a lot of weight. Don't give yourself an excuse to gain it back. Give yourself a reason to keep it off!

    It isn't easy to get rid of things that you spent money on, but in this case, I think it is worth it to keep your health!
  • Elleinnz
    Elleinnz Posts: 1,661 Member
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    It took me a year to get rid of my fat clothes too...... what a great feeling to have nothing in my house to "fall back on"....
    Now if something is tight it means I have to get my behind in gear and get rid of those few kg's (lbs)
    Don't give yourself a safety net - donate them - there are people that is really thankfull to receive your clothes.

    Have a look if you have an organisation called "Dress for Success" in your area - they are always looking for good quality work clothes (especially in bigger sizes)
  • terriebmn
    terriebmn Posts: 5
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    First of all, congratulations to all of you for having the new wardrobes!!! My bf and I are both heavy and he keeps saying that he needs to buy bigger clothes. I keep saying why buy bigger clothes when we can solve the problem by losing the weight and invest the money in the new wardrobe of smaller clothes. I am hoping it clicks in :wink:
  • Pebble321
    Pebble321 Posts: 6,554 Member
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    Fling them - it's painful but it's better to do it quickly..... like pulling off a bandaid!

    I have a pretty limited wardrobe at the moment but I feel great in it!
  • Leiki
    Leiki Posts: 526 Member
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    Donate your clothes. Keep a record. Report it when you do your taxes. Use your refund to buy yourself replacements in your new size. Your new clothes will be cuter, because you will have a cute body to go with it.
  • love22step
    love22step Posts: 1,103 Member
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    I don't have that problem. I give everything away as quickly as I shrink out of it. I'm determined to NEVER go back. If I can lose it, I can keep it off. I NEVER want to be overweight again. I didn't like being that way. Now that I've learned how easy it was to lose, I'm sure I can maintain. Get rid of the old and make room for the new! If you don't have the larger clothes, you have one less excuse for gaining weight.
  • birdsmom1
    birdsmom1 Posts: 31
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    I know exactly what you mean. I have jeans that range from size 6 to 14. My weight has always been a yo-yo. It's is so hard to find jeans to fit me as I wear tall or long and hate jeans that are cut too low (I'm a Nana!). I hope this journey with MFP will allow me to shed some of the larger sizes. I WILL get rid of them this time!!
  • DAM_Fine
    DAM_Fine Posts: 1,292 Member
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    I still have mine, too. But then, I'm REALLY happy that I hung on to some of the clothes from years back when I weighed close to what I weigh now. Not only do they fit again - they've come back into style!! :laugh:
  • rsmblue
    rsmblue Posts: 353 Member
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    I had a hard time too, the last time I lost the weight... So, I started slowly... For every new thing I bought came w/a condition... at least one old thing had to go... And so it did... Little by little until it was almost all gone.

    Fast forward one year... Here I am again having to lose the weight (bcs all those new things dont fit), but you know what?! It was the kick in the *kitten* I needed to get back to wear I was a year ago. I REFUSE to buy a bigger size... I will wear these last few 'big' things, and look foward to wearing my smaller size again....

    Keeping all those big clothes is just a reminder of where you have been and you want to be where you are going. Losing weight is hard enough (mentally and physically); keeping it off is even harder... Why give your mind even more leverage (because that's what it gets every time it sees that pile of clothes)?!

    You can do it!!!!

    Just like I look foward, even more, to the point where I'm doing that 'trade off' again w/those smaller clothes because I know that I can do it...

    :)
  • wickedcricket
    wickedcricket Posts: 1,246 Member
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    We had a tornado here. Many people lost everything they owned except the clothes on their backs. I donated my 'fat' clothes to someone who needs them NOW.
    I don't know what my future holds either but NOT having fall-back clothes is motivation NOT to fall back for me.
    You have to do what you have to do. They did not give me security or anything. I was happy to donate them to someone who needs them worse than I do. And, God willing, I will NEVER need that size again.
  • NeuroticVirgo
    NeuroticVirgo Posts: 3,671 Member
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    Congrats on your loss. I decided a while ago I would get rid of my "fat" clothes the moment I didn't fit them anymore. I didn't want to give myself yet another excuse to get that big ever again. I also decided I will never buy anything with an elastic waist, its all fitted clothes or nothing! I want to get that big wake up call of "Oh crap I can't button my pants...maybe I should stop being a fat *kitten*". lol

    My only regret with getting rid of them, is not keeping at least 1 or 2 pairs of pants so that when I finally reach my goal weight I can do the funny pictures of kid in the pants with me!
  • Serah87
    Serah87 Posts: 5,481 Member
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    I agree with everyone.....GET RID OF THE OLD CLOTHES!!!!! :bigsmile:

    YOU have done an awesome job on your weight loss journey!!!! :flowerforyou:
  • zoe4friends
    zoe4friends Posts: 727 Member
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    Last weekend I gave 2 big bags of my clothes to a friend and still have some laying around, but I am having another friend come and do her pick this week and the rest I will just donate. It really felt good and motivating to get rid of them. Because now I have no excuses to go back.
  • carrietehbear
    carrietehbear Posts: 384 Member
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    I've lost a whole pant size already and watching my shirts get looser and looser on me. I donated some of my jeans to tornado victims this week but I'm having issues with giving away t-shirts. All the t-shirts I own come from special events with very precious memories attached. I know people could use them but I'm way too attached so I think I'm going to try to make a t-shirt quilt out of them.
  • Serah87
    Serah87 Posts: 5,481 Member
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    I think I'm going to try to make a t-shirt quilt out of them.


    Great ideal!!!! :smile:
  • dodger7977
    dodger7977 Posts: 108 Member
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    I still have all three gigantic tubs of clothes that are stuffed to the brims. I am still in the process of losing weight (as of now I'm down 77 lbs)

    I am keeping all the clothes for now. Not because I think i will go back, not because I NEED the security of knowing they are there. But because I want to donate them, but not a little at a time, but all at once. EVERYTHING. All the starter clothes I owned at the beginning. All the "temporary" clothes that I bought to see me through another size drop. The size 28/26 jackets, the size 24 pants, the 3x, 2x and 1x shirts... The size 16 jackets I just bought today to go with the New size 14 pants. The size 12 tops and the size 10 pants I will be buying in a few months... All of it will go when I finally switch over to maintenance. I may even have a goodbye party...

    I think it will mean more to me to drop off 6 large tubs full of clothing that is much too big and no longer needed. I will do the forever amazing after photos of me in the largest things to keep as a souvenir for this journey, but the clothes will go. Just not now. 3 tubs is just not enough to be real. The moment I let go of it all needs to feel real, real and final. There is no going back.
  • kizette
    kizette Posts: 5 Member
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    My only regret with getting rid of them, is not keeping at least 1 or 2 pairs of pants so that when I finally reach my goal weight I can do the funny pictures of kid in the pants with me!

    Hadn't thought of that! I'll have to be sure to keep at least one old pair of jeans for a photo op!

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