How is everyone handling buying new clothes?

[MaineJackie 3]

I need to wear professional dress for work and I have just about "outgrown" my entire wardrobe. I spend the money on two pair of dress black pants that fit well.....for me, it is important that they fit well.

I buy tops on close-out racks. I don't have the greatest selection right now so it is a struggle. The part that I am struggling with right now is that I don't fit into any of my "suits" or any of my jackets. It is too expensive to buy a jacket to only out grow it in a month or two.

I think by fall, I will be close to the size I will end up at.......so I hope to go buy nice jackets for next fall and winter. It is a bit easier in the summer to pull off my professional level dress as I can wear a nice blouse or a light sweater.

I have one pair of jeans....and they right now are getting too big! Since we are still in the midst of winter here in Maine, I wear a lot of hoodies right now, so those are okay being big (although I have downsized from a 2X to an XL)

I missed the clothing exchange this fall at my bariatric center, but hope to catch the spring one! I unfortunately took all my outgrown clothes to Goodwill a few weeks ago though. I have a very small closet so I had to get it out of here.....

Jackie

[JMinDallas 1]

I hit goodwills and resale shops. I haven't bought anything brand new at a regular store except for a very few things (like undies and bras), and they were on sale and with coupons.

You can find tons of nice things whether it be jeans, shirts, skirts, blazers, etc. You have to go through and make sure in good condition, but for the most part I've found a lot of really nice stuff. I find you need to find good stores in right areas. Some have no good selections, or clothes that my great grandmother would have worn when she was a kid! But others have really good stuff. Even just for jeans and shirts its paid off. Now I'm hunting for summer clothes since I have none.

I love to shop, so I find if you pace yourself right you can get great clothes for not a lot of money.

[HeatherinCA 10]

I buy clothes, just less. Pretty much I shop the same, I just don't buy a lot of jeans, I have some in all different sizes, they all still "fit" for the most part... I mean shirts will still fit even if I drop a size or two. My hoodies and tees are a little big, but it doesn't really bother me.

[jboo518 1]

Well, Spring is approaching, and 45 lbs later, there is no way my pants are fitting from last year. It is a great thing, don't get me wrong! But I am trying to figure out what to do about buying clothes for the Spring and Summer without having to spend too much money, since hopefully by next year at this time, I will need smaller sizes, and will have to buy again!

I can get away with summer since, I am a teacher and do not work for the summer. Therefore, I will be happy living in my favorite Hanes tees and shorts that I buy from Wal-Mart. But I still need to get through the school year in the Spring, and need to buy a few things to get me through.

I can get away with my shirts, as I often wore full cut tunic shirts. But I have to get some new pants for sure! I tend to buy the elastic waistband and roll them over to get them to stay up!

Anyway, I just wanted to hear what you are all planning to do!

well lucky i have a friend that had the band last yr, so I get her hand me downs. But through my bariatric team they do a thing once a month I think, were you bring your big clothes and trade with clothes that fit you. A bunch of ppl bring all different sizes and I hear theres alot of nice clothing. I haven't gone yet cause I'm 2wks away from surgery, but I have a friend that had bypass and she goes every month and said its great. Maybe this is something you could start in your area with some support from your team!

[Mommyto1 1]

I've been buying basic items that I could wear for a longer amount of time. Leggings, button down shirts, etc. I tend to buy things when they're on sale, so prior to surgery I had bought a few pairs of pants and shirts that were on sale and too small at the time. Now, I'm able to wear those things. All the clothes I've bought have pretty much been from Target, Walmart , Old Navy or Avenue. I won't buy something unless I know I can use it for at least a couple of months.

[stateofzen 46]

Clothes shopping seems to have replaced food as my newest addiction

My rule has been not to buy anything that fits me perfectly "now"-- I buy things that will physically fit on my body, but that I won't wear right away because it's too small. Then, I'm always growing down into my closet. In pants, I try to do "every other" in sizes. Luckily, I had saved some pants in the size or two lower than the 22/24 I was in at surgery so it was awhile before I bought any. I bought jeans at 18, then made do when I grew out of those, and now have a few pairs of all pants in 14 since the 18s and 20s are falling off me now. I now "fit into" size 12 but it's not a pretty fit and I think I'm going to try to skip 12's anyway.

I mostly shop clearance at TJ Maxx, Target , banana Republic and Gap outlets, and department stores (Macy's and Belk's have great clearance sales). I buy nothing full price, ever. Still, the ways things are going (yay!), I'll have bought at least 2 or 3 full brand-new wardrobes by the time I'm done losing (boo!).

[honk 780]

I am a slow loser so if I do buy something I get it to fit or slightly small. I work remotely so I don't don't dress for work. This means that 95% of my clothes are to big. I am pear shaped so I am 2-3 sizes larger there. I find knit pants look like they fit longer as you loose weight.

[patyann 14]

Clothes Mentor - same concept (and company) as Plato's Closet but for women.

[Kalipso2 25]

shopping is my new addiction too! i started my journey in april 2008 and each spring and fall since then i've had to replace my entire wardrobe, shoes included!

i'm seriously out of control! to the point where my one credit card company lowered my credit limit to the amount i have charged on it even though i pay on it religiously every month.

my entire taste in clothes has changed too. not only am i wearing more form fitting clothes, i'm wearing patterns and bright colors! i LOVE getting dressed every morning compared to dreading getting out of my pajamas 70 pounds ago : )

[Mel Mel 0]

Basics! I buy one or two pairs of jeans and a few tees when I change sizes. I wear a uniform for work so at least i don't have to replace a casual and work wardrobe.

[AquarianCrab 8]

My weight has always yo-yoed, so I had some clothes packed away under my house. Last week my husband brought in the two with the biggest sizes, and most of those were too big as well. I hauled in 4 more bins and went through them and spent the weekend washing them and filling my closet after I emptied it out.

I wish our support group would do clothing exchanges.

I agree with the person who suggested skirts. They just get longer as you lose.

How on earth can someone fit in a 20 at 270 pounds? I'm down to 220 and just got down to 24, with a couple of 22s mixed in. I'm so envious. You are doing an awesome job!

I also put up a post on the New Jersey Bandsters thread for anyone in South Jersey who needs career casual clothes (I'm a teacher) to email me. I'd love to give them to someone else on this journey. If I can't find someone who needs them, my mom offered to help me sell them at a yard sale (she has 4 long clotheslines to hang them on). The money will be used to buy a nice summer outfit to do my shopping in (I'll wear baggy stuff at home), and then some items for the start of the new school year in the fall.

[nomorejellybelly 77]

I shop at Goodwill. You can find really good stuff there, very inexpensively and you can find stuff that is still really good quality and in some cases they still have the tag.

[reverie 49]

Clearance racks, though I'm hoping I'm at my final sizes: S shirts and size 4 jeans, though some 4s are loose.

[LapBandBobbi 8]

I've been going to the Goodwill. Not only do I shop there, I donate as well.

Funny thing... I went to JC Penney to buy a belt on my lunch the other day because my jeans were just too big. So, I picked up a size "L" and put it around me and thougnt, no I better go with an "XL". When I got back to work and put it on, it was almost too big. I had to put it on the last notch. It's still hard for me to get it in my head that I can fit into something smaller than an 'XL".

Good luck to you all! Happy shopping!

[TracieCat 8]

I am another one that has been a clothing hoarder, I still have things in my closet and drawers that I was wearing when my husband and I were dating 20 years ago. haha. Anyway, because of that, I have a multitude of different sizes ranging from what I was a couple of years ago at my heaviest, all the way up to a few latest purchases I made in the last few months, just some shirts I bought used on Ebay. In any case, I haven't really needed to buy anything yet other than those few shirts I have picked up, but I am in DIRE need of underwear and bras and need to pick up some soon. My poor underwear hang off of me and I look hilarious and my bra straps wont stay up on my shoulders. I wouldnt have even picked up the shirts but we were planning a Valentine Trip to Canada and I wanted something new to wear. Funny thing is, I ended up wearing my older shirts anyway. lol.

I was in a 5x at the time of my surgery, I am now fitting into some of my 3x tops, some are still a bit tight but I am getting into a good many of them, along with the various 4x ones I have. Pants are another story, I am still wearing the 4 and 5x's in those, they are getting pretty loose but I am going to have my Mother throw in a few stitches so I can at least make them last a bit longer before I need to open my wallet to buy much more.