My clothing dilemma

Go get clothes that fit.

I get tons of stuff from thrift stores for cheap, and I find skirts and dresses most adaptable to size fluctuation.

I can't do clothes that are baggy on me. They don't make me feel good.

About 90% of what I own at the moment has come from Goodwill, and other cheap thrift stores... I have designer brands, lots of them, that come from Goodwill.

Scope out the different ones too, because different areas of town will have different quality of clothing... and have patience as you go, because at first there won't be as many items in your size, but as you get smaller, there will be a TON of things to go through...

It soon becomes an addictive feeling to find the true bargains! I LOVE thrift shopping now!!!

For me when I was 91 lbs heavier there was not a lot of nice clothes out there. I basically was dictated by what was available not by what I wanted. It was all ugly crap. So now that I'm a size 8-10 I buy new and what I like and what fits properly. So no I'm not going to wrap up a circus tent with a belt and wait to be smaller. I buy accordingly to the size that I am. I was miserable most of my life by not looking the way I wanted so now that I'm smaller I wear proper fitting things.

My supervisor just told me to go out and buy some new office pants (in a round-a-bout nice way). I told her that I'd been ordering warm weather clothes on thrift sites but cannot seem to justify buying new dress slacks to wear for just three more weeks.

I bought Lee jeans with an elastic waist in an XL which I wore before surgery and even now (they do sag in some places). I also bought a LG at the same time and will now transition to them. I bought each for $9 a pair (day after Thanksgiving deal). Both were bought at Walmart. They have now gone up in price but I love them. Well worth $20 and have larger sizes.

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Riders-by-Lee-Womens-Plus-Size-Si mply-Comfort-Denim/54905362?variantFieldId=actual_color#abou t-item

Hope this helps.

-Jan

Take a good, long, hard look at yourself in the size 24 pants. That should be enough to send you running to goodwill. If it isn't, have you noticed co-workers not looking directly at you any more? Guess why. Goodwill. A couple of pairs. A few tops, too. Why look sloppy and weird when, for a few dollars, you won't have to?

I went and bought a pair of size 20 jeans tonight from Goodwill. Then I saw they had some Twins baseball shirts/jerseys and I need to buy anything baseball-related when it is there.

I am getting ready for VSG - I'm at my heaviest weight of 223 now (5' 2") and just had two pair of pants that fit well and several tops. My friend who has lost weight gave me a ton of her old clothes in a variety of sizes xl-2xl - nothing was too big, but plenty was too small. I've put it all in my closet and cleaned the whole thing out getting rid of anything that I didn't like from my entire wardrobe. Now I plan to "shop" in my own closet as I lose the weight and share the trove of clothes that are too big with friends at work. I'm swearing off buying any new clothes until I am at least 40 pounds lighter. I did have to buy a bathing suit for a pre surgery trip to Florida and the Caribbean, but it just about killed me to do that, not only because I feel fat and unattractive in it, but because I know that by next summer I will be able to wear a new one!

Maybe you could organize a clothing swap at a bariatric support group meeting.

Treating yourself to a new pair of pants could also be a reward for your hard work.

Good luck!

I would not spend money on that size. If you are able to continue to rely on dresses, skirts until your fit into those 18's that is what I would do.

I went from a 26 to an 8 and did the stupid thing buying every size along the way. I spent way too much money on sizes that I was out of in a matter of a month or two. If I had to do it over, I would do what you are and use dresses or skirts until I hit several sizes smaller.

Do you know anyone who has a sewing machine? Pants are easy to take in a few sizes (after the back pockets meet in the center, then it's time for new ones.) T-shirts can be taken in up to a limit, anything with a collar is more difficult.

For pants, I put them one inside out and safety pin them up the side and or back seam, then sew up the side seams to take in a lot, or just up the back seam if they do not need much adjustment.

Anything I bought before goal weight was a big waste for me - when you are thinner, even 5-10 pounds makes a big difference in how clothes fit. I thought I was at goal weight at 165 and bought alot of clothes, but my body was happier at 145, and the 165 wardrobe is too big. In the old days I could gain/lose more than 20 pounds and everything still fit.

I felt that wearing clothes that fit (even if you only have 2 -3 outfits at a time) was important for my self-image. I was able to mentally adjust to my new body as I dropped pounds. Even with that it took a few months after goal weight until I instantly recognized myself in the mirror.