How often do you buy new clothes?
 

I have only been doing atkins a few months and love the progress I am making. My question is... how often do you buy new clothes? My current clothes are getting awful. My jeans are so baggy, my belt on the last hole, and I went through 4 skirts before I found one to stay up for church this morning. MAYBE I am cheap but I really want to wait to buy clothes but with so much to loose I may be looking at buying a few sets along the journey...

Would love to hear your wardrobe replacement stories.

I dont' really need to buy a lot of clothes, I've just kept what I've got from years of going up and down. I have everything from a size twenty-four to size eight. I just get something new when I'm short or have worn through something. My plan is when I get to my goal weight, to buy whole new set. and permanently turf the rest!!!!! ttyl

hmm this is hard for me because i am a shopaholic... if i see something on sale i'll buy it... but i FREQUENT the consignment shops in my areas, In fact i just recently bought a TOmmy HIlfiger jacket ( still had tags on it)for 10 bucks

I think it is important to buy some new clothes so that you can feel good about how you look. Everyone, no matter what their size is, looks better in clothes that fit. I find that every time I trade in something baggy for something that fits correctly I start getting comments about my weight loss and how good I am looking. That positive reinforcement helps me stay on plan. Also, in my case, I have a professional job and I am expected to look neat and well-dressed. Therefore, I really can't wear clothes to work that are too baggy.

On the other hand, there is the issue of money. My solution has been to buy skirts with elastic in the side or back. With the elastic, I can usually wear them through three sizes and they still look decent. I have also been buying a lot of sweaters and knit shirts that fit me through a couple of sizes. With pants, however, I have not found any solution other than buying a couple of pairs of new ones every time I change size. I've been doing the laundry more frequently, so I can buy fewer pairs, and I have also been wearing more skirts to work than I used to so that I don't need as many pairs of pants.

The nice thing about not knowing what size I will be in any given season until the season starts is that I am never tempted to buy full price clothes when they first arrive in the store. I wait until it is time to wear the clothes and by then they are all on sale.

As someone who a year ago had to buy all her clothes from catalogues because the local stores didn't carry anything big enough for me (I started out as a size 30), I am really enjoying being able to walk into a store and find lots of things that fit. I know there are lots of people on this forum complaining about the poor selection in plus sizes. For me, being able to fit into plus sizes is a great achievement and I am thrilled about how much more of a selection I have now that I am no longer super-sized.

well i just went and bought a dozen or so items because i didn't want safty pins holding my clothes up while i was on vacation (or to unpack my sewing machine).. but I honestly don't have the money to get new clothes every time i drop a size sooo when i get a chance i might have to invest in a trip to goodwill and get some things to wear till i get to my goal weight - while saving up for a major shopping spree. who knows i might just buy the cloth to make it myself I have designed quite a few outfits I would totally love to have!

Crysania

I haven't bought any new clothes yet. Mine are pretty baggy but they are at least staying up for now. When they start falling off then I will probably go and get a few new ones to keep me til I get to my goal weight. I guess I could use all my old tee shirts for pajamas when I am at my goal weight. :)

I am a shopaholic. I usually buy something new every weekend. I look at it like this I have given up my daily trips to taco bell, KFC, burger king, Baskin & Robbins, and the candy aisle etc. etc. I can afford to buy some new jeans and still come out ahead of the game. I remember when I was fast fooding it..i went through money like crazy and never gave it a second thought.

There is also nothing better than trying something on in a size that you just knew you would never be able to get over your behind and it not only fits but fits kinda loose. Its a great feeling.

I, too, am a shopaholic, but lately I have been buying lots of stuff from eBay - I can buy gently used or brand new with tags for quite a bit less than I would at the actual shop. Plus, most of the time I just look at stuff that I can "Buy now" instead of bidding - saves time.

I mentioned in another thread that maybe we should start a clothes swap - wouldn't hurt.

I found a local seamstress that I go to every now and then to have things taken up that are just extremely too big. I've found that this is MUCH cheaper than going out and buying a new wardrobe when everything starts getting baggy.

Isn't it WONDERFUL to have things baggy instead of tight?!?!

I've really managed to cut way, way back on my clothing since I've lost a bunch of weight. Yes, it's nice to have a few new things to show off the improved figure, but I've also found that it's easier to simplify my wardrobe now that I'm smaller--meaning that I don't go into a total panic when I have a social or professional engagement and need something to wear. I no longer need to shop to hide my shape.

I definately have had to replace my underwear several times because they otherwise feel like diapers and fall off under my pants! But I sort of like bagginess of jeans and shirts...within reason.

Basically (and in direct answer to your question), I try to buy as little as possible right now. I plan to lose more weight!

Donald

I haven't bought anything yet, though I have thrown a bunch of things out. I love being able to get rid of those baggy, raggy clothes that I have worn for so long. I did happen to have 4 pairs of pants, brand new, that I am now able to fit into, so luckily I still have something to wear. I really don't want to buy anything until I have to. I have a trip home for Christmas that I plan to buy new clothes for and since I don't know what I'll look like by then, I'm just waiting. I can hardly wait to see what I'll look like by then!

Echo

I have also wondered WHY THE HECK we dont have a clothes swap on here! shoot just about everybody would be covered!

i am a shopaholic also....just spent $70 on new underwear :)

I had to buy new pants in several sizes since that is what I wear to work, etc. I go to the outlet malls esp. VHF factory outlet. They have Lee's pants cheap. Some I have paid $8.00/pr. vs $40.00 for the same pair at the Dept. stores. I usually buy 1 color of each-khaki, black, & navy. I do wash clothes more often. I'm about ready to go down another size-which will makes it a 4 pant size drop. I am having trouble with church clothes and dresses...hate to spend a lot on dresses since the ones I like are usually the most expensive ones on the rack. My closet looks pretty bare. Before it was packed and now it looks bleak, but I kinda like it that way.
MKay

Actually I developed a plan of action just today. When I started I was a 24 pushing 26. (Just had a baby) Now I'm a 22 but most clothes I buy are 22-24. Once I'm officially a 20 I will donate all the 22-24 clothes and just buy a few workable outfits until its time for 14-16's. At that point should be able to buy from a regular store and the clothes should be a little more inexpensive. Can't wait!!!

I've been shopping in my closet up until now. I had clothes from about 4 yrs. ago when I lost weight on WW(before I regained that plus A LOT more). Anyway, I'm down to the smallest size I had which should get me through the next couple of months, but I did recently buy a couple of things in the next smallest size for incentive. :)

Thanks for all the replies. I recently bought 2 pairs of jeans, They were 18's after years at 22-24. I also bought a new black skirt (1X) feels pretty good. My DH is happy I am finally trying to wear things that fit. Think I will hold off on tops and sweaters for a while until I really need them.

Happy shopping everyone.

I go shopping in my own closet. The other day, I took my daughter to school and her teacher commented about my retro-look. I realised then that my outfit was circa 1975 and I would have been right at home on the disco dance floor.

Nanci

I am a pack rat and still have all sizes in my closet, so I am good for "the ride down". I took all of my too big clothes (3 lawn and garden leaf bags full) to the goodwill drop and donated them. What some people may want to look into is taking their to big clothes to a consignment shop and trying to sell them and pick up a few new things there.
Every time you go down to the next size, take the stuff you bought previously back to sell to someone else and hopefully some of your other stuff will have sold and you can pay for the next size with that. I will post my clothes in a link here the next time I am ready to purge my clothes so that if anyone is in need, they wont be for long!! :)

I, too, am of the species homo-packratitis. I have clothes in sizes from where I was down to where I would love to be.

Now...by the time I get back down to those sizes the clothes will be back in style. (They do still wear zoot suits, don't they?) Bad news is they will have dry rot or Ethiopian Seat Sludge and I will not get to wear them any way. Guess if that happens I will open a shop selling Halloween costumes: Poorly Dressed Monster from the Haunted Discoteque!

I did break down and buy new underwear when I got tired of wearing droopy drawers. Loose pants are no problem. Underwear down around your ankles are no joy!

i have given away bags and bags of larger clothes. for a while i bought anything that would fit! now, i'm learning to be a little more selective. i am totally amazed that i can now go to a regular store....pretty much any store....and buy something to wear. i confess, sometimes i go to tj maxx or gap or something and just try stuff on! i don't even buy anything--it just is fun to try it on and know that i'm getting smaller than i ever hoped for! maybe that could be reward enough for you...it is working for me! if you have a VF outlet (vanity fair) anywhere nearby, it might be worth the trip. i have gone through several sizes of pants from there....but at $4.00 a pair, i wasn't too sad to give them away!

I was blessed. I had a girlfriend who just lost a bunch of weight and she gave me her hand me downs. I have done the same for a friend of mine who is losing weight too.
I also have hit consignment shops to get me an in between wardrobe to carry me through to the next size.
You can make a dress or skirt last you longer than jeans or pants. That's been discussed here. My job calls for a more professional attire too so I hit the skirts and dress more than pants. I was all too pleased when I bought my first denim skirt in sooooo long and it was above the knee.
One or two items as you are losing that are form fitting will definitely boost your morale. Especially when others notice your success.
I was elated to finally not have to go to plus size section any longer. The clothes even got less expensive.
Happy shopping!
Tanya

I had to break down and buy a few new things recently myself. Some of my dresses that used to fit comfortably now fall off my shoulders and the armholes hang down to my waist. I bought things that are tight in places (but are disguisable) so that I could wear them longer. I was surprised that I was not depressed by my shopping trip, (as I usually was pre Atkins) I was excited that I could wear something that wasn't the largest size in the store. I actually felt encouraged.

I think a clothing swap would be wonderful. If someone starts one I would be happy to participate.

Amanda

I started out at size 24. I just bought a few things in size 18 and it was great to have clothes that fit again. I don't want to wear any of my old baggy stuff anymore. I bought about 4 shirts for $10 a piece. Just shop around for some sales or look on ebay. I don't want to spend too much because I know before long I will need a smaller size. I figure when I get to 14 I will buy a couple more items. The boost in self esteem is worth it to me. I feel much better wearing smaller clothes!

still have boxes of stuff from the elevator ride up in weight that I am breaking out now on the ride down . . . just wore some "sedgefield jeans" from the early eighties . . . remember those? My Mom gets married in late Nov. I should be 60 pounds down by her wedding (from 321 to 261, pants should be down from 52 to 46) and am treating myself to a new suit, Brioni tie and custom made shirt from a shop in London I used to get my shirts made by. other than that I am wearing hand me downs from my old self to my new self until I reach my target of 100 pounds lost.

and I am giving away all the clothes I outgrow this time. No intention of fitting into them ever again!