Boxing up the "FAT" clothes, any of you do that??
 

Now the hard part begins -- keeping this weight off!! Did any of you ever do this? This is the stupidest thing I ever did -- didn't realize I was doing it until this time around:

When I'd lose weight in the past, I'd take my "FAT" clothes and box them up -- then it hit me, Holy HANNAH, I was giving myself PERMISSION to go back to "FAT Jo". But not this time, every time I went down a size, I donated the bigger size to a charity thrift store.. I have nothing (boxed or other-wise) that isn't the size I am currently wearing.

Wishing all of us continued success on our personal LC WOE journeys!!

I don't know.
When I lost weight before I kept my fat clothes for years because I was scared that without them to remind me I'd gain again.

It's the same this time. My biggest pair is quite loose, but the thought of throwing it away just really terrifies me.

Wow, really? I just felt if I kept them this time around, then I was dooming myself to failure. Like I didn't have enough faith in myself to keep the weight off.


Wishing all of us continued success on our personal LC WOE journeys!!

I spent some time going thru my clothes yesterday, and packed up a couple of bags of "fat" clothes to donate. Spring cleaning. :)

Nope ..I was always give them to charity...so it ALWAYS costs me BIGTIME when I gain.... what I did weird last time is I dumped all my sz 4's saying to myself...well Ill never get that low again..I am soooo kicking myself...now to stay here...it will take work and focus...I want to donate clothes because they've gone out of style...or because I replaced them with new sz 4s..not because Ive gained

We have good and inexpensive tailors here, so I've had many of my clothes taken in. Skirts, trousers, shorts...my husband suggested I save one pair to remind me, good idea for me because otherwise I could start paying mindgames with myself, doubting how much I've lost.

I need to do this... I pulled a bunch of clothes out of the closet that don't fit anymore, but didn't even get to the boxing up part. I was folding laundry yesterday, and came to the pants that I have been wearing lately but are already much too baggy - and realized just how big they are. Need to get rid of them too!

Wonderful feeling isn't it to Spring clean our "fat" clothes!!

Wishing all of us continued success on our personal LC WOE journeys!!

 

I figured the financial cost of replacing the "FAT" clothes would be another negative factor to regaining -- NOT that I plan to do that -- it's so not worth it!!

Wishing all of us continued success on our personal LC WOE journeys!!

Wish we had inexpensive tailors here! :(

There's only so much alteration one can do (try taking in a size 4XL to a size med or 8). I know, I'm a sewing teacher, you basically have to take the entire garment apart and use the pieces to redesign a new blouse or pants. Soooo NOT worth my time!!!

:idea: Holy Hannah, your husband had an awesome IDEA, I didn't keep a pair of "FAT" Jo pants :(

Wishing all of us continued success on our personal LC WOE journeys!!

That's what this WOE is all about, not only do the scales show us but also our clothes!! Congrats on having to get rid of your freshly laundered pants!!

Wishing all of us continued success on our personal LC WOE journeys!!

I give away anything that is too baggy when I try to wear it. And I do it right away so there are no second thought. If I were to gain weight I'd have nothing to wear but my nightgown!

So far, I'm not brave enough to do this.

I've finally pulled the fat clothes out of my closet - they were all mixed in with smaller clothes for a few months, but when I pulled out my summer stuff I piled them up. But I haven't even reconciled myself to putting them in a box in the basement yet, let alone giving them away.

I'm sure I'm not the only one here who has lost before, and regained. I have a very different mindset now than in the past -- all my focus is on staying attentive to my weight long-term, and letting the scale take the time it needs to settle at whatever weight that will be, but still, just chucking all the fat clothes feels too drastic. I did that in the past and then rebuilt a fat wardrobe.

Right now I'm toying with the idea of sealing up boxes and putting a date 5 years out - and in 5 years when I'm more confident of my ability to maintain my loss I can get rid of them.

Lost/gain weight my entire life...I understand completely where you are coming from, ParisMama. My mindset is different this time around as well -- hence getting rid of all my "FAT" clothes. Einstein said (and I'm paraphrasing poorly too): "Stupidity is repeating the same action over and over and expecting a different outcome." I figured that since in the past, I'd have kept my "FAT" clothes, this time -- out they go!! :) I refuse to regain and I will not have need for those "FAT" clothes ever again!

Wishing all of us continued success on our personal LC WOE journeys!!

I have been giving my "too big" clothes away for the very reasons Jo gave. I don't want to ease back into them. I do have a SIL who says I shouldn't but I like the idea of extra motivation.

As Mama Sebo said, I did keep one pair of jeans and pinned a note on them - "These were tight!" along with the date of starting Low carb eating. I pull them out now and then to remind myself of how far I've come.

I've been tossing my fat clothes in a pile by my door! I need to go donate them! Would make sooo much more sense then space!

I can't go reverse this time around!

AT IT FOR LIFE!

I donate my close when they get baggy on me. I don't plan on ever going back to that weight.

I always had 3 sizes of clothes in my closet my whole life. Now just one. I donated. I will admit that sometimes that one size feels a little tight and sometimes it feels nice and loose. But, yay, it's just the one size - finally!

That is so awesome about the note on your old large jeans! I am going to go to the thrift store and get me back a pair of my old women's 24 jeans and do the same thing!!

Wishing all of us continued success on our personal LC WOE journeys!!

erinleigh & Whofan -- yep we all seem to be on the same page! We are donating our "FAT" clothes and NEVER going back!! That just rocks!!

Wishing all of us continued success on our personal LC WOE journeys!!

Well, in my defense, part of my reasoning is the same as yours - last time I donated them as fast as I shrunk out of them, and although I maintained a good loss for many years, eventually I did balloon back up. So I'm trying to not do things the same way - and I really DO want to get rid of them, I'm more annoyed with the idea of keeping them then getting rid of them in fact, that's why the 5 year mark seemed a good line to hold. Plus makes me keep my focus on actively managing my weight for (at least) another 5 years. 7 months ago that was unfathomable, I wasn't sure I'd make it a few weeks... now, 5 years is starting to look like it's just a drop in the bucket of how long I'll need to stay checked in and managing my weight.

You all may have nicer clothes than I do! :lol: But I also thought that even if the unthinkable happens and I need that size again, they will be SO out of date and out of style that I won't want to wear them anyway. Don't think much of my stuff would make it to the 5 year mark. It's not like I am on the cutting edge of trends but women's styles change pretty quickly. Who would have thought we'd be wearing skinny ankle pants again?

I really enjoy clearing my closet of the things that are too big. It makes me grasp the amount of my weight loss even more. And getting rid of possessions I don't need always makes me feel lighter of heart too. Kind of like spring cleaning I guess. Like most things, you have to do what feels right to you. But for me it is as the OP said. I think having them around would be giving myself permission to fail. YMMV

I got rid of my clothes as they got too big- I took them to Goodwill or boxed up a bunch of the nicest stuff and gave them to someone in my office who had gastric bypass and had limited funds to buy new clothes. I told her that anything she didn't want to just give away. The stuff she liked the best- bathing suits (!) and leather jackets!(I loved those jackets too!).
I didn't want a safety net. I kept one pair of size 17 jeans(to see where I had come from) for the first 7 years- then realized I didn't need them as a reminder anymore.
Now I only wear clothes that I love, that really fit, and are in great shape. Before just finding something that sort of fit and didn't look bad was a success.
The first few years after losing the weight I had to FORCE myself to try on new clothes and new styles to see what looked best on my body. It was (and still is ) hard to buy clothes that fit and are not too big. I try to make shopping and wearing clothes fun. It's part of my rewards for maintaining. But even though it's over 10 years since starting this wol it's still a learning process for me.
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I wrote my success story about exactly that. Buying new clothes that fit well is fun now, but definitely a learning experience. I still think I'm bigger than I actually am after three years.

In JC Penny one time a sales associate asked if she could help me. I was looking for a black "pencil" skirt. She showed me where they were and I picked up a size 8 to take to the fitting room. She said "is that the size you want?". I was mortified and said "Should I take a larger size?". She gave me a quizzical look and said "No, smaller". Sure enough she was right, the smaller skirt fit. Another time I was having difficulty finding jeans I liked in a store. I asked a sales lady, who in my opinion was really skinny, for help. She said "You're like me, you need to go downstairs to the juniors department. You won't find anything to fit you on this floor". Whaaaaat? This not knowing what you look like is psychologically weird, but a nice problem to have.

And here I thought I was just weird. ;)

It is a strange feeling to be looking farther down the rack to the smaller sizes. After so many years it's not only hard to remember I can wear smaller clothes, I can also wear different styles - no longer am I stuck with clothes that look like gunny sacks.

Wonderful stories....

I have the same problem. We had a dress up event last winter and I was shopping for leggings to wear under a dress to make the temperature bearable. I told the clerk the ones I wanted were sold out in the large and x-large sizes so I was out of luck. She looked at me oddly and handed me the medium package. "Look at the size and weight charts on the back. I think you can do that?" I had to laugh. I was well within the medium range but would not have looked because I "knew" I was at least a large. Very nice but still hard to believe.

Going off what kitann said here...

I have another question?

I don't see myself as thin -- now I wear a size 5 jr pant/jeans and med top before I wore a tight women's 24 pants/jeans and 3XL or 4XL top.

Went shopping with my DD and she kept pulling clothes out of my hands, saying you don't have to hide your curves and you don't wear THAT size... I hold up the clothes I can wear now and I think to myself -- never gonna get my fat behind in those, and amazingly I do... weird..

In my mind's eye, I still see "Fat Jo". I have the same experience as you, kitann when I go clothes shopping, we are sooo programmed to wear clothes that are "tent" like to hide under. Yeah like I could hide being 250 lbs... :(

I don't have a good self body image (not meaning I am headed toward an eating disorder) but I can't picture "Thin Jo" in my head...

Any body else have that???


Wishing all of us continued success on our personal LC WOE journeys!!

hi Jo-
first, congrats on your hard work and the results. Now just hang in for the long haul! This site is AMAZING for support. There are lots of long timers here who are so inspiring.

I know I'm not fat, but I can't think of myself as 'thin'. I think of myself as 'normal'. I am very uncomfortable in form fitting clothes.I got a new dress last week to wear to a wedding this summer and got a size XL. I know I should be in a M, but that is too tight /form fitting for me. The areas I am very self conscious about are my stomach and my breasts. Even after loosing all the weight I am a DDD. One of my close friends works at Chicos and is always on my case to wear "clothes that FIT YOU"- she was not happy with the XL dress but said she knows I don't like to show off my curves. I do wear tight jeans now- but only boot cut and I never ever tuck a shirt in. I wear boot cut yoga pants- again with a shirt over- for exercise. I wear pretty baggy shirts too! So while I say I am comfortable with my body and even like it, I am not comfortable exposing my shape. DH would love me in tighter low cut clothes but not happening.
I don't really want to change - and I do think I look good in clothes and do buy the right size other than tops.
anyway...
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My daughter did that to me! Which is why I now have a couple of nice blouses and a skirt that actually fit. When she visits in July I think we'll go shopping. ;)