Question:
This may seem Trivial but....
I'm 6 weeks out and down 38 lbs... yeah for me, but here's my question, people are telling me that my clothing looks like it's hanging on me and I can tell it's a little loose but I don't feel enough to warrant new clothing, how long did you wait to buy some new things and about how often did you have to buy a new size down? Am I having some distorted body image b/c I just don't feel like I've lost enough for new clothing? Thanks! — Tabatha M. (posted on July 15, 2002)
July 15, 2002
I had the same issues. Yes your clothing does get big, but I did not want
to spend a bunch of money on clothes I would probably only wear for a month
or so. I usually skipped sizes. At size 16 I would wear 18 and 16 and
even some 14's if they fit. If you like, go to a second hand store and buy
some basics. Keep a look out at discount stores like Target and Kohls at
their clearance racks. You can usually get a few deals there. I usually
buy things that are very mix and match. When I get to my goal then I will
spend money on nice clothes that I will keep for some time.
— Lucky Gal U.
July 15, 2002
I know exactly what you mean! I still have "fat"
"heavy" and "thin" clothing in my closet. Yet my final
weight will be 60 lbs less than my "thin" size clothing. I don't
want to waste money so I am planning on keeping things minimal until the
weight stabilizes. Remember, there is a clothing exchange on this site and
you can get some nice things there too. Good luck.
— Thomas M.
July 15, 2002
OK, here's what I do. I can't stand to wear anything that doesn't fit me
properly -- I am the director of a home care agancy and really need to look
my best. I shop a lot at Ross, Nordstrom's rack, and Macy's when there's a
sale. I never pay full price. I wear my clothes "gently" and
take good care of them. Many of the items don't get worn more than 2 or 3
times. When I lose out of them, I sell them on eBay. Then I have more $$$
for new clothes in a smaller size! So far I've made about $600 selling my
used clothing (I'm about to put up my third "batch"). This way I
always have new, good fitting clothes to wear, subsidized by the ones that
just became too big! JK, RN
— Joya K.
July 15, 2002
Maybe I'm alone on this one, but I always feel better about myself when my
clothes fit. I refuse to walk around with my clothes falling off, plus I
feel successful when I wear a smaller size. I have less money, but I feel
better as I was able to wear a size down. I try to skip a size, but that's
not always possible. If you buy your clothes as tight as is decent and you
can stand to wear them, then you can wear them longer. Just my thought,
but you always deserve to look your best, even if it is one pair of fitting
pants or something.
— Elizabeth R.
July 15, 2002
I had an assortment of sizes in my closet, so I was lucky in that aspect
for a few months. I wore my size 18 and 20(the smallest I had) clothing for
a long time before I went out and bought, just a couple of things, that
fit. I went froma size 22-24 to a 16 in 4 1/2 months, so needless to say,
my clothes looked pretty droopy on me. I didn't go on a big shopping spree,
just went to wal Mart and bought 2 pairs of shorts for $9.99 each and then
went to K Mart and bought some nice but inexpensive tops. I am still
wearing these clothes. I will wait till they are droopy before I buy more.
I have to admit, when I bought the new clothes it made me feel a whole lot
better and look a whole lot better. It's hard to see the weightloss when
your clothes hang on you. You don't have to go out and buy a whole new
wardrobe, but you need to reward yourself for going thru this surgery. A
lot of people also go to thrift stores and they buy a lot of very nice
clothes at really cheap prices. Sometimes you even find clothes with the
tags still on. So go treat yourself and buy at least one outfit that fits.
You'll be surprised at how good you will look/feel!
— Kim B.
July 15, 2002
I never had a weight problem until I started gaining at around 19 years
old. I should have thrown those small clothes out but did'nt. :) So luckly
I did'nt have to buy any new jeans until today! (I'm 14.5 months post op).
I use to wear a loose 56 and my 38's are falling off... so I skipped a size
and went to a tight 34. But if you can find clothes your size (whatever
that is) at the Salvation Army Thrift shops, or any other place like that
then that is a good way to do it. As for me, I have no intention of paying
for NEW clothes until I get a good idea on what my final size/weight may
be. (I'm still losing, slow but sure). I know I would feel much better
about myself if I wore clothes that fit... but I feel much better about
saving the money! (I guess it's a guy thing). Ha! (El Cheapo here). Anyway,
I like to wait until things are sloppy loose before I spend money then skip
at least one size and go into the tightest thing I can wear. But to each
his own. You could'nt do this in some jobs where you need to look your best
so this does'nt work for everyone. ;)
— Danmark
July 15, 2002
Obviously, everyone is different. I have been a little slow on the weight
loss (59 lbs 10-weeks), but the inches are melting off of me. I have gone
from a 26/28 to an 18/20 already! I have had no choice but to buy new
clothes already. I try to shop the clearance racks at the mall or I shop
at discount stores like Wal Mart or Target. I try not to spend more than
$15 on any one piece of clothing. Also, I just bought 17 items from
Newport News online Clearance catalog and spent only $100! I bought a
little bit from all sizes (18 down to 10). Hope this helps.
— pam29922
July 15, 2002
This is the original poster... Thanks for all the good advice. I do have a
professional job and they do expect me to dress that way, but I think
between all your ideas and my frugalness I'll work out something good!
Your the best!
— Tabatha M.
July 15, 2002
There are some great resale/consignment shops in my town that saved my life
in this area. I took in big clothes and got smaller ones. When the smaller
ones got too big I took THEM back and got even smaller ones. I did this for
the whole year I was losing, from the startup size of 22/24 to my current
size of 4/6. I did have some clothes in my closet from earlier diet
"sucesses" (brief ones) but I blew through those pretty quickly.
Ome mistake I did make was to think I was done losing when I got to a
10/12. I bought a bunch of new stuff then becuase I had never been smaller
than that and I couldn't imagine getting any thinner. All that stuff ended
up at resale too. Good luck to you. hugs, Ann RNY 9/10/99 260/130
— [Deactivated Member]
July 15, 2002
Can we say Wal*Mart??? I work there, and I can speak from experience that
new pants/jeans cost between $7-18. T-shirts are often worn
"big" because of the style, but you really should get pants that
fit you well. I bought 2-3 new pairs every month when I was rapidly losing
weight. I justified this purchase because I was spending less on food!
You're WORTH IT! It's worth it for you to look good, and for you to feel
good about yourself, regardless of whether or not you consider yourself
skinny yet.
— Terissa R.
July 16, 2002
I'm still wearing size 16 and a woman's 16 pants and I'm a size 10 now!! I
guess I'm cheap, but I want to wait until I've had my tummy tuck to see if
I go down another size. Then I'll seriously think about retiring these
pants!!
— Patty H.
July 16, 2002
I took all my clothes (I work in an office as well) and sold them on eBay.
I made enough to buy a digital camera (had to borrow sis's until then) and
then I sold MORE stuff! I took money earned (less camera $$) and bought
NEW clothes. I also love Salvation Army, now that I can fit into regular
sizes, I look there, and at many, many yard sales!
— Karen R.
July 16, 2002
Jeesh! I have clothes in my closet from sizes 14-28! (Although the
smaller sizes are Years old.) It seems that I have lost enough weight to
wear a size 18/20, however, my belly is still a bit big for those so I'm
still wearing anything from a 22/24 to 26/28. I can't wait for my belly to
catch up with the rest of my body. Some day I will happily empty out my
closet so that I can restock it with all new clothes! :o)
— Jennifer A.
July 16, 2002
maybe this sounds old fashioned, but i found a really nice lady who i pay
to alter my clothes. she's a great seamtress and it only costs 10 to 20
dollars to get a suit or dress altered. if you have something you really
like, you would be surprised how much smaller it can be made and still look
great. replacing work and dress clothing with new stuff can be expensive.
it's much cheaper to have things altered than to go out and buy another
$150 suit.
— Jessica O.
July 17, 2002
I found that just by takeing in up the side sem and under the arms..just
straight sewing....helped alot and extended the time before buying new
cloths..course now I love buying new clothes!
— Sharon F.
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