Question:
Has anyone Had trouble organizing clothing!

Okay...I have not seen this subject covered...I am having the most awful time organizing my clothes as I am losing weight....some I hate to give up and I really don't know what size I wear (different brands are different sizes)!!!! I think I am going crazy...am I alone in this? Any suggestions?    — Oldsoul (posted on July 18, 2002)


July 18, 2002
I know what you mean about different brands being different sizes in reality. I'm still pre-op (date 8/20/02) but I have already taken an inventory of all my clothing & written down sizes & have it stored in my computer. When the time comes, I may organize my clothes in my closet from fattest to thinnest or something like that so I can make a progression from one thing to the next. Also I'll have a visible goal (gee, when I can wear that rose t-shirt with the applique, I'll know I'm really getting somewhere...!) or some such thing. My problem is, I'm currently about a 3x--4x & most of my wardrobe is in the 2x range. So after I get out of plus sizes, I'll be shopping the 2nd hand stores frequently I imagine. Hope maybe this is helpful!
   — Robin W.

July 18, 2002
I am at this time wearing size 16, 14, & 12 dependent upon the brand and the style of the clothing. It is difficult to know what size to look for and is trial and error. I must say having been a 24/26 I am very much enjoying the frustration. Celebrate the new you in different sizes.
   — [Deactivated Member]

July 18, 2002
Hi, I am postop just 6 weeks and am already wondering about organizing my clothing and finding stuff to wear. I also have a slightly different clothing problem. My family and I are going on a carribean cruise in January - which is great except I have to buy summer clothing now for the cruise and have no idea what size to buy!
   — Pam W.

July 18, 2002
Most of the time you can wear a range. I went thru several ranges: 22/24/2X then 18/20/1X then 14/16/XL then 10/12/M/L now 6/8/S/M. I moved all my clothes that were TOO BIG to another closet or gave them away so I wasn't tempted to wear them. I moved anything that was too small to the back and tried it on periodically. As I moved down sizes I kept removing the bigger clothes and adding smaller ones.<p>As far as buying ahead, just buy smart! Estimate and then make sure what you buy has elastic waists so it fits you for a wide ;) range. I bought some stretchy t-shirts that lasted me a good 4-5 months and have a skirt that I bought when I wore a 16 that I can still wear now because it is elastic waisted and heavy enough to hang straight.
   — ctyst

July 18, 2002
After about month 3 post-op, I had no choice but to finally "retire" some clothes. I bagged up 6 (yes, I said 6) hefty bags full of cloths and gave them to charity. About 2 months later, I went through another clothing spurt and did the same thing again (again with another 6 bags of clothes). I'm starting to get to the point that I really don't have much left in my closet that's "big". I would say go through your closet every 3 months and pull out clothes and try them on and get rid of the ones that are too baggy on you. As far as buying new clothes, I find that I have to try on EVERYTHING!!! I used to be the type of person who would walk in and just grab my size off the rack. Well now since my size keeps changing, I have to go in and try on every item of clothing so I can see how each brand fits me and then I keep a list of brand makers (Lee, Levi, Tommy Hilfiger, etc) and what size fit me. Right now I seem to be in a size 8 (this is the FIRST time in my life, I've seen that number on my behind!!) but I can see myself maybe going to a size 6 after I lose another 10 pounds. Remember, half the fun of losing weight is looking for new clothes in smaller sizes!!
   — Patty H.

July 18, 2002
Oh, what a dilemma to have! LOL! Pre-op, I never kept any clothes I couldn't fit in anymore. I just figured there was no way I would be small enough again to get back into them. I wish I did keep them! I personally, don't like to look sloppy with baggy clothes so If I swam in them a little, I put them away. I would go thru my closet about once a month for awhile. I've kind of slowed down on going down in sizes so I'm not shopping as much. My Dh and pocketbook are happy about that! I always shop at discount stores like Ross, Nordstroms Rack, and even Value Village for shorts and tshirts. I can't see spending alot of money on something I may get to wear once or twice. I lost count of how many hefty bags I got rid of. It was hard to part with some of my larger clothes that I wore all the time. WHo would've thought it would be hard to let go of a piece of clothing? Maybe its really about letting go of our security blanket that is our MO bodies? Who knows. I did keep one pair of jeans (size 26) and a favorite shirt (size 26) to "remember" where I was. I now sleep or do yardwork in my big 3x tshirts that I can't seem to part with.
   — Kris T.

July 18, 2002
funny you should ask....today i went to the mall for my first official post op shopping trip. Yesterday i was at my 2 month anniversary! I have lost 46lbs but....i was still dissapointed in the stores. I have givn away so much of my pre-op wardrobe. i still have some things that are baggy but not falling off yet if you know what i mean. and of course I have the size 9's i saved from 10 years ago just in case!!!LOL! im probably a size 15 now which of course they don't make so i was very frustraited in the stores today. too small for fat stores, not tight and firm enough for the regular stores either. oh well....perhaps i should stop all this typing and go back on the treadmill?????? good luck and have fun. I know what the other lady means about vacation clothes. Tomorrow i am going up north (i live in miami) to visit my mom who hasn't seen me since my surgery! and in 3 weeks i am going on a cruise to alaska~ SO, planing clothes in advance is hard to do!
   — robyn R.

July 18, 2002
I am still a postie (August 5th...17 days...) but I have already started getting ready for the clothing thing. I went through my clothes and weeded out only what I wear now and boxed everything else up according to size (by holdng them against each other and memory of what I wore at the same time as other clothes...don't trust lables) I have saved clothes all the way back to a 14...(wishful thinking, lol...i'm a 22/24 now). I figure that I will go through and as i fit into the next box, i will give away the box before. I will need supplimental mall visits to help out when I hit a 16. (oh, darn)
   — Laurie V.

July 18, 2002
Ahh, the clothing dilema...I have enjoyed Goodwill, Church thrift shops, yard sales, resale stores so much that I have gone through dozens(hundreds?!) of pieces of clothing since surgery. I now cannot buy anything unless it is on the bottom dollar sale! But what fun I am having!!! I am now 14 months post, 165# less of me, and down from size 26-28 to 14-16. Keep up the good work folks! Elaine
   — Elaine P.

July 18, 2002
Yeah, having the same prob. But I love it!! I am wearing 12's with a few 10's, 14's, and one 16 sprinkled in my closet. What a range!! But I have a system that has really worked for me. All the pants that are too small are folded on the top shelf with the smallest on the bottom. So every once in a while I will try on the top ones to see if they fit yet. When they fit, they 'graduate' to a hanger while I can wear them. When they become too big, they go into a basket or box (it changes when full) that I have on the floor of my closet. When it is full, I get rid of it. I do keep dresses that are too small on a hanger in the back of my closet. I enjoy watching the clothes 'cycle' through. In the begining, I remember having to get rid of some really nice stuff. Before tossing it into the basket, I would look at it for a second like it was an old friend, then say 'see ya' and not even consider looking back.
   — Cheri M.




Click Here to Return
×