Breaking Up with my Too Big Clothes - should I do it?

I spent MUCH time this week on Operation Clothes...hours and hours.  Pulled out and sorted everything that is too big (sizes 18 thru 14), and brought out clothes in storage  that now fit and can placed back in the rotation - woo hoo - new clothes - sort of!

The Consignment pile, the Donate pile, the toss pile, the Check with a Friend to see if they want it pile. There are 3 bedrooms completely covered with clothes - it looks like a clothes volcano erupted!

But here's the issue --should I really get rid of them just yet or wait until I reach goal/maintain a bit? I have a history of yo-you dieting, although this is the greatest amount I've ever lost, and has been the most consistent and intense. (The previous trend was to lose 20-25, then gain back 30+. I've now lost 60, with 30 more to go.) I have clothes ranging from sizes 4-18. (And seeing that in writing is just alarming - how did I let myself balloon that much in 10 years?)

Many of these clothes are good, not so cheap work clothes.  My brain tells me that I need to just get rid of them so that there's more pressure to not ever allow little gains once again spiral into big gains --if things get tight, its time to address getting on track immediately and not 3 sizes later.  

But then the emotional side of me is having a mini-melt down - -what if , just if, this isn't the last time I battle the weight - -that's a ton of money to just toss! I feel soooo much more in the groove and positive about this being a real change, but on the other hand, I'm going thru this process while in a bit of a bubble (was laid off and using the time to get healthy).  What happens when I go back to work and all of the stresses and time realities around work, long commute, many work related eat out temptations return? (Being out of work has also been a great excuse to back off of some the worst social temptations, which is my biggest problem - its a great excuse to cut back on dinners out and happy hours.)

Help - what has been most effective for others out there? (one idea that I'm toying with is to keep whichever size is just 1 bigger, and rid of everything else above that) thanks!

Basically the clothes are a safety net incase you fall and gain the weight back.... But how does that alter your thinking and how does that motivate you/? Keeping the clothes is the same as telling yourself: its ok if I gain the weight back.

So get rid of the safety net because you're not going to let yourself fall! As long as you're on a healthy food diet with exercise you should have no problem getting the stuff out of your house. For good.

I will vote for getting rid of them.  Really, you don't want to go back, have no intention of going back, why leave that crutch laying around?   Get rid of all of those over sized cloths and then go out and reward yourself by buying a few really great pieces that fit just right, right now, to make you look and feel great as you move forward!!!

Congrats on your loss!!!! 

Original Post by charleneraymond:

Basically the clothes are a safety net incase you fall and gain the weight back.... But how does that alter your thinking and how does that motivate you/? Keeping the clothes is the same as telling yourself: its ok if I gain the weight back.

So get rid of the safety net because you're not going to let yourself fall! As long as you're on a healthy food diet with exercise you should have no problem getting the stuff out of your house. For good.

BINGO! I vote to donate them to Good Will or something similar!

This is such a tough one!

I totally see the value of getting rid of the baggage.  Starting clean and fresh and so on.

But I got rid of all my too big clothes when I lost weight a few years ago and found myself needing to buy those same sizes less than 2 years later.  I initially packed them away but a friend convinced me to rid myself of them and at the time I totally agreed.  But then I was broke trying to clothe myself again once I'd gained weight back.  :(

So my best compromise is to bag them up and put them in storage - somewhere you won't see them every day, but they're there just in case.  And give yourself a time limit of when you plan to give them away, whatever seems reasonable to you.  That way it'll be one final liberating step - cleaning out the storage.

I have already got rid of my bigger clothes and I am still losing so at the moment I do not have much. defiantly get rid of the old clothes !

Making that decision was a biggie for me. I felt very committed to my new lifestyle, but you are right, it's a lot of $$ to toss. The thing is, it's only a lot of $$ is you actually need them again...if not they are just dead weight.

I asked my mom what she thought. She said "better save them just in case". I felt like CRAP because clearly my mom did not believe in me and thought I'd just yo yo back up. I asked my boyfriend, he said LET"S TOSS THEM! (He's been my biggest fan and has believed in me from square one). I asked my CC friends and they said TOSS EM AND NEVER LOOK BACK!

I asked a lot of people...and in the end I realized that the TOSS EM advice was making me feel a lot better about myself than the keep em advice. So we sorted and packed and hauled off to consignment and goodwill and garbage, and holy cow was it ever incredibly freeing. There's nothing like it...embracing the new you and letting go of the past, relasing yourself from those big-girl clothes, really being free of them. I realized how heavy they had been on my psyche, laying around in my closet.

Now I am addicted to tossing the clothes. I go through my wardrobe every couple of months and re-cull, trying on everything to see if it is still wearable. It feels bittersweet when favourite items are too big, but they get tossed too. My wardrobe is a lot smaller now, but I can wear every single item in it. It's an amazing feeling. I am trying to not buy too many new clothes though, since I know they won't fit either in a year!

I would toss them out.  It will give you an excuse to shop for your new body and keep you motivated to stay at your current size.  Forget the money factor.  Just think of it this way- someone that is bigger than you will get a very nice blouse/pants/skirt at a bargain price :).  You'll be doing yourself and that someone else a favor by tossing them.  I had a lot of fun tossing out the "fat clothes", but not nearly as much fun as putting on my skinny clothes and having them fit again :).

I keep one size up from my current to cover fluctuations, but everything beyond that I got rid of.  I want gaining to be painful.  I don't want to be able to ignore it and just find something a bit bigger if I start to slip.  I am never going to wear a size 20 again.  I don't want anything that size around.  (Actually, I did keep one pair of pants around just to remind me that I CAN get that big).  Never again!!!

Ditch them!

God I can't wait to be in your position...

I know where you're coming from... I've got 4 sizes of pants sitting in my closet, and not enough of my current size.  I haven't had the guts to toss them yet.  But I also don't plan on wearing them again, either.  So far, I've bagged up the biggest of them, but they're still there.

I don't have a history of yo-yo dieting; this is my first time with a effort at weight loss.  Maybe keeping one size up would be ok...

Clint

Get rid of them. I am getting rid of mine as I lose. highest was 26/28 to 30/32 women's sizes, now I am in 18-20 (XL or so). best thing to do is get rid of them. It can be very hard though. you keep thinking about how much money you spent on them, how they are still so good, and what if's... don't keep what iffing... get rid of then. you will feel very liberated. think about all those people out there that are bigger and can't afford to buy new. THEY NEED THEM... THINK OF IT THAT WAY.  I had consignment pile, yard sale pile and friend pile. since I had two huge closets in 2 different rooms full it took a while.  one day I had hadit with the huge pile of clothes taking up the space, called my cousin adn told her I had enough clothes to fill her suburban up and if she would come get them that she could get what she wanted and give the rest to her friends and teachers at the school where she worked and church people.  she said that 5 people in addn. to her were able to have total new wardrobes from that. I was so overwhelmed.  after I lost about 50 lbs I started buying clothes to fit, not longer wearing the oversized stuff. andas I lost more I would buy more that fit. it helps you to see that you are making headway.  most of the clothes I bought were new for the most part, some still with tags, but bought very cheaply.  I now need to have another yard sale or load up and take some more clothes to donate........ I will not keep them around because I am not going to yoyo anymore. of course I didn't yo-yo for the last 15 years... I just YO'D..... UP.  I FEEL TOO GOOD NOW TO GIVE THIS UP. CHANGING EATING HABITS IS KEY, GETTING REAL... SENSIBLE LIFE PLANS THAT IS WHERE IT IS AT. GOOD LUCK, AND BELIEVE THAT YOU WILL DO IT THIS TIME AND YOU  WILL...

Get rid of them! Well keep the size 4s and 6s after you hit goal. I only say that because holidays roll around and the tummy gets a little fluffy every once in a while and waist bands binding stucks. I kept 2 pairs of size 4s for my heavy weekends. Just sayin. :) I've gotten rid of clothes sizes 26-4. I'm in a size 2. Oh happy happy. My mom has kept most of my clothes and is NOW following in my footsteps. She's into my old size 20s and some of the 18s! Go mom.

Out with the old and in with the new. It's time to get rid of your old clothes and once you hit maintenance you can invest in your new size.

Toss them, you will feel better about yourself and just think of all the space that you will have.  Let them go and let someelse enjoy them.

Tossing them means that you have faith in yourself and your future.  Take the leap. 

Not a tough one atall!!! DO IT!! Get rid of them! You deserve it. And it's great motivation to maintain your weight. At worst, you have to buy new clothes.

I would keep one favourite outfit, just for nostalgia's sake, then send the rest to charity for someone who will enjoy wearing them!

- Or if the money is making you sad, why not ebay them?

Well done and good luck - I'm just starting out myself, so I've got a lot of admiration for how much you have achieved. xx

I used to keep the clothes that were too big.  I even bought a black belt and a brown belt so I could continue to wear my jeans that were too big.  Then I just decided that I needed to get rid of the stuff that was too big for me, basically because I was sick of seeing some of the stuff.  I had kept some of my "skinny" clothes, and I keep them in the cedar closet in the basement.  Every once in a while, I like to go "closet shopping" in the cedar closet...it's a great motivator.  I say, pitch the big stuff, it will keep you more focused.

I keep some of them.  Sometimes the emotional attachment is to the garment, not the size.  When I'd gone from an 18 to about an 8, I took an old pair of work slacks and made a "slack dress" out of them.  It was the best feeling ever. But I love sewing.  I take my old sentimental clothes and make new ones that are more fitted and flattering.

But as far as keeping the clear up there sizes, get rid of the ones you don't really care for.  I keep a size up just in case I don't want to be strangled by my clothes for a day with water weight or whatever.  My work clothes are almost all baggy because I just prefer them that way.   But I kept too high of a safety net, and gained back 20 pounds.  I could, 'cuz I had clothes that let me.  Once I'm out of them this time, I never want to get back in!

What I am doing is using my sewing machine to alter my big clothes that are really good and/or expensive, to fit my new size, that way I don't feel like I'm are throwing away money, or take them to a professional tailor. 

i've lost 120 lbs, with 50 more to go. i don't have a single thing that fit 120 lbs ago. hell, i don't have anything that fit 15 pounds ago. i refuse to accept that stuff will ever fit my fabulousness again.

you need to get it into your head that this time is for keeps, and get the doubt out of your head. that doubt will cause you to fail. you don't wanna fail; you wanna win! so tell that voice to pack up and ship out. you will lose all the weight you need to, and keep it off. throw those damn clothes away!

My opinion is that if you have enough clothes in your current size, give away the old ones.  The only reason why I still have my big clothes is because I'm trying to save what little money I have for spending on things I actually need (food, text books, gas).  My bigger pants I just wear with a belt or let hang on my hips.  I look stupid but I have my money.  Eventually when I go back to school and start my school job again I might go out to the stores and ravage the clearance racks. :P