Normal to mourn?

Ok guys, is it normal to mourn when you have to get rid of the clothes you no longer fit into? I have been the same size for the last 5 years and have put alot of effort into my wardrobe. I just spent the last hour trying on skirts and pants to weed out the ones that just won't work. I am soooo sad now and it looks like there is nothing in my closet. I can't even bring myself to do shirts now. Does everyone go through this? :(

Absolutely.  While I was THRILLED to get rid of most of the fat clothes and fit into smaller sizes, there were a few items that had sentimental value and I hated to part with them.  But part with them I did and I don't regret it - the feeling didn't last long once the clothes were gone.

Also, don't waste money buying a lot of interim clothes.  I made do with resale shop stuff, conference clothing exchanges and other OH friends who were getting rid of their too-big clothes.  And my fallback was Wal Mart and doing a lot of laundry :-)

I am just now starting to build my wardobe back up because I think my size has stabilized at where I am going to be.

Post the sizes you're needing and I'm sure your group down there can hook you up with lots of great stuff.  Mourn it for a moment...soon you will be dancing in the street as stuff doesn't fit anymore and you are BLOWING thru clothes!!

Keep at least one outfit for comparison.  I kept the shorts and shirt I wore in my pre-op pictures and my favorite picture is the one of me at one year holding them.  It shows how far I've come.

  Funny story, last night my dresser drawer wouldn't close so I had hubby remove it for me.  Low and behold there was a pair of size 11 panties wedged back there.  I now wear a 6.  Made me smile and him laugh hysterically.

I saved one pair of 22W's so I could hold them up in a pic - now I just need to get Kyle to take it for me.  They are RIDICULOUSLY BIG !!!!!!  I saved them for the same reason - to remind me of how far I had come.

I know how you feel.  I wore my favorite pair of pants until my friends told me enough is enough.LOL  They were so big I was rolling them up in the waist.  It gets easier to get rid of the big clothes though.  I think it's that initial go through that is the hardest.

I can't speak for everyone but I know that there were some things that were VERY hard to get rid of.   I did keep 1 t shirt, 1 pair of jeans and 1 pair of shorts to keep as a reminder.


Hugs and blessings ~~~ Vivian

I totally relate to what you're saying.  It was heartbreaking to get rid of 20 years' worth of clothes because of the huge investment they represented.  I work in a profession that requires me to dress nicely, so I had $75,000 in that closet if I had a penny.  (Partly because large-size clothes are so much more expensive than "normal" sizes.)

But as others have said, the heartbreak didn't last.  It's great to have so much empty space in there to fill up with newer, more fashionable, smaller clothes.  And I never get tired of the knowledge that everything in the large-size stores is just too big now, darn it ... those stores are NOT the places for me anymore!

So really: I congratulate you on the corner you are turning in your life.  You are going to love the place where you're headed.

I always could find something at Catherine's  and
have shrunk out of their clothes. It is fun to get
smaller clothes but so difficult to know what looks
good. The first dress I got for our son's wedding
was labeled a 'hoochy mama' dress-the second
one brought remarks of I looked like a mermaid-
the last one I told them it was an 'all sales are final'-
so I didn't even want to hear the comments.
So yes it is sad to shrink out of your old favorites
but it is also hard to feel comfortable in the new
clothes.
Anita