Reserving bigger clothes?

I've heard one tip for maintenance is to only wear clothing with minimal stretch so that any amount of regain is noticeable. If you typically wear stretchy clothing, maybe even keeping one size up is too much.

In the past I always kept all sizes (2-16 LOL), "just in case". I purged everything below a 10 when we moved in 2014 (before WLS). After WLS, I have purged EVERYTHING that is too big (4 or larger) as I vowed that this time it was going to be different (the same reason I weigh every day regardless of my transgressions the prior day).

First off, the smaller you get, the less you need to lose to go down a size... 25 pounds will likely be several sizes down if you do reach that goal. Keep that in mind!

I purged everything except for VERY FEW items I loved that are a size up from where I am (2 pairs of size 8's, a couple of large shirts). Everything else is gone.

Oh, and the obligatory pair of pants from my biggest so have as a reminder... a size 20.

This post makes me think about future work attire. I've joked that I'd love a job where I could wear scrubs, since they seem comfy, but maybe they'd be -too- comfy and I definitely prefer things more form fitting so I have that tactile feedback of where my body is.

I loved wearing scrubs to work, but even that gets old, and I found myself happy for training days where I had to put on "real" clothes. LOL.

Now that I'm wearing clothes for work that are not very stretchy and smaller sizes, I noticed my small regain (4#) VERY quickly.

I took all of my old clothes 42 waist pants, 18`` neck dress shirts and Xl sports shirts and gave them away to family,friends and the church. I can wear a size 32 pants but buy 34's so I have room for a bounce back. Same with shirts. I went from 221lbs to my goal of 165lbs. 56 lbs which is good enough for me in six months time. I figure I'll eventually level off at 175lbs.

I wear suits to work and was able to salvage some of them with creative tailoring. Someone also gave me a few suits that fit well. I bought a lot of stuff right after Christmas when clothing prices dropped.

I didn't realize how many clothes I had until I started giving them away. Now I have the minimum amount of clothes needed to change up everyday and my closet isn't stuffed.

Only reason I may reconsider what I am doing saving so much , my closest bureau and armoire are stuffed!! Hard to find things. Plus I have a lot of nice work clothing (jackes, dresses and skirts) and not working at the moment. That is Day by day though so will have to wait on them just in case!

I think men have it a little better in a business attire world because a few suits can worn and most people would never know if you're recycling the same suit in a given work week. Your ties need a little variety and you can mix and match your dress shirts a lot but in general you only need a few good suits. Women, mostly because of other women (we are so hard on each other) need to appear to be wearing a different suit every day. I tried to go with a "Steve Jobs" type uniform at my last job - black slacks, black shoes, mix and match sweaters in the winter or blouses in the summer, and black jackets. It was ridiculous how many people commented on my clothes. I tried going from black ("you look like you're always on your way to a funeral") to a mix of greys but still got the same result. Now I'm trying to get to a set of five to seven suits of distinct appearances with colors from brown and black to blue and patterns, skirts vs slacks, different length jackets, boot cut or flared leg vs skinny cut slacks etc... Then I have some blazers and skirts/slacks/dresses I can mix and match together. That is all before you take into account the material weight and if a style is considered seasonal. GAH! I'm in management and I work in an office with mostly women executives who all dress beautifully. I never expected to spend so much money on clothes - especially considering I've only purchased a couple of items new!

My non-work wardrobe is pretty thin - a couple of pairs of jeans, three or four small tee-shirts from friends, and mostly oversized sweaters! This past weekend there was a clearance section at WalMart and I purchased new undergarments! $2 a pair WHOOOOT!

I know all the thrift stores, and when they have half off sales LOL!

I still have this one embroidered tank that now would fit me as a dress. I just simply love it and can't get myself to throw it out. I had several items I really like tailored to fit me now. However, all the adjustments were so expensive, I'm not sure the clothes were worth it in the end.

I think each person should dress for the size they are now, but if you hold on to some cherished bits, it's ok.

ONE tiny suggestion...do not offer the clothes you've shrunk out of to anyone you know. I had a friend do this to me once upon a time and it caused a horrible mix of embarrassment and resentment.

However you look at it--yay!

I actually did offer some of my clothes to a friend, but it was done with a lot of discussion of feelings and stuff. She was SUPER thrilled, since she's also losing weight and in a challenging place financially at the moment. So.. it can be done. It just needs to be done with a lot of care :)