Losing my wardrobe

Note: I haven't had my surgery, just waiting on the insurance company for approval.

During this journey I've read everything. You will lose some hair, you'll have saggy skin, you will need to take vitamins for the rest of your life, pizza is a no-go. The scars from the laproscopy won't phase me, nor will the eventual scars if I have plastics done.

There is just one thing that makes me incredibly sad. And it isn't even about food.

It's about clothes.

I like to think I was always fashionable, even at my highest weight. I liked to look as good as I possibly could. Maybe to "disguise" how big I was. I don't know. But I've always received compliments on the outfits I choose, how I coordinated them with jewelry and makeup. Choosing flattering colors and fits. It helped me keep my head up on the surface, even if I was embarrassed over my weight on the inside.

I don't know how I'm going to handle having to get new clothes. For a lot of you this is an exciting thing.

 For most of my adult life, after I got out of my 'goth' phase in my early 20's, I've been right around the same size (20/22), and have dressed myself accordingly to camouflage the fat. I have some cute outfits, and as I was doing laundry today, I realize I'm going to miss them. 

I have no idea how to dress for a new body. One that doesn't need a relaxed waist, wide-calf boot, or a shirt long enough to cover my butt. I don't even know where to shop if it doesn't have "plus size" in the title.

I'm petrified by this, and of everything I've prepared myself for, this is the hardest thing. I know it sounds vain, but I think part of it for me is that when I was growing up there were no stylish fat-girl clothes. I was a mess as a teenager, and picked on not only for my weight, but for my distinct lack of fashion. That's changed over the past 10 years, and now there are tons of choices.  But a part of me is scared of becoming that fashionless girl again. I feel like I'll be starting back at zero, and it has led to some self-sabotaging thoughts and actions that I'm trying to work through.

Am I alone in this or did anyone else have these feelings going into surgery?

MissH

You'll find new stylish clothing, even if it comes from the thrift store. I always dressed well, or as well as I could. As I lost weight, I still had style. I had a much smaller wardrobe in the losing phase because it was throwing away money to purchase lots of things. I accessorized, because jewelry and scarves fit at any size

You may find that you have a completely different shape after weight loss, and none of your current styles are flattering. For example, before I gained most of my weight, I was top heavy and wore a smaller size on the bottom. Then I gained tons and was shaped like a barrel. Then after I lost my weight I was surprised to discover I have an hourglass figure. So even had I kept my old clothing, some of it wouldn't be flattering to my new shape.

It is an adjustment, but you can make it. You can still keep your hair and makeup and nails, if you do them, to your current standards. You could always keep one beloved piece, even though it gets far too big. I kept a blouse that I loved. I have no intention of ever wearing it again, but I kept it for comparison purposes.

One of my go-to excuses for being "big" was "Oh my ribcage is too big for me to ever be truly skinny". I know. It's terrible.

It'll be interesting to see what type of figure I have other than "round". Go you on having an hourglass figure!

I love clothes. LOVE THEM. It is so much easier to find cute and stylish clothes in smaller sizes. I went to the Goodwill the other day (I'm still in a rapid weight loss phase) and found a bunch of really cute stuff that fits me. 

I have lost 70lbs all together so far, and I still have to wear wide calf boots, so I'd hold onto those babies. :) Or sell them to me if they are size 10! ;)

Why not take the clothes to a tailor & have them taken in?, especially if there are a few pieces you don't want to part with. I'd figure it be easier than have them taken out! LOL

I didn't even think about this! My M-I-L is a whiz with a needle and sewing machine.

It seemed harder to give up the clothes than the food....LOL......I was sooooo mad at myself for awile with all the things in my closet that were too big, because they still had tags on them.....i went through my closet three weeks after surgery.....nothing fit anymore! So I brought them too a consignment shop....hopefully I will walk away with $400-$500.00 dollars the owner said....yes I had that much to consign......but Ill have money come the spring to buy prettier and smaller clothes!

I am really ambivalent about this whole thing myself.

On the one hand, I basically had a uniform of clothes that were comfortable, flattering, and made me feel good about going through my day. I didn't agonize getting dressed in the morning. I had a bunch of the same pants, the same shoes, and I just rotated through different tops. It was easy.

Now, especially that I'm in the weight loss phase and my size is changing every week it seems like, I'm struggling every morning to get dressed. On the one hand, I am wearing cuter things (I'm delighted to wear 24s! When you can only wear 32s or 28s, your options are so limited that you can't even shop at Lane Bryant). I can shop at major department stores and retailers. I feel much more polished and put together. 

But every day getting dressed is just major drama, and drives my husband insane. I can't tell what fits or is flattering. I don't have a uniform. My wardrobe is cobbled together from thrift stores and hand me downs and nothing quite goes together. I know it's temporary but I don't like having to spend so much time worrying about what to wear the next day. (It doesn't help that we just got a blast of summertime weather! My summer clothes definitely don't fit anymore, I need it to be fall!) 

You might want to look into Gwynnie Bee?  It's like Netflix for plus clothing.  :)  Stitch Fix seems like an awesome thing to do once goal is closer.  I can't wait for that, personally.  

I've always been a t-shirt and jeans type of person.  Post-op, I quickly switched to long, flowing skirts with elastic waist bands.  Finding pants that fit correctly was too hard for me.  :P  So I just gave up and invested in skirts that would take me through the entire weight loss journey.  It's so much easier!  So now my style is hippie skirts and t-shirts.  Strangely enough, I get compliments.  

You'll get there.  You'll find a new style that will be super awesome. :D

I was looking at Gwynnie Bee but I thought it was for plus-sized clothing only. I'll give it another look! 

The bohem look sounds like a good way to go. I might just invest in maxi skirts and dresses then to get me through!