Getting rid of old/large clothes - too soon?

[LAJ23 70]

I'm 7 weeks post-op and am down almost 50lb. All of my clothes are too big (literally, from underwear & PJs to jeans & sweaters - nothing fits) and I've been buying things here & there so that I have stuff to wear to work, etc. My question is, what do I do with my TONS of old clothes that no longer fit? I don't have room to store them somewhere "just in case", and I almost feel bad about donating them or tossing them, because I still have that little devil in the back of my head saying "You never know! You might fail & be a fatty again!" I have a packed armoire, dresser & closet so I need to get rid of stuff to make room for new things. I don't have an extra square inch of space for storage, so I'm wondering if it's "safe" to get rid of these clothes, or should I wait. How long did you all wait before you finally got rid of your big clothes?

[Hop_Scotch 1,632]

Safe or not, I have been sorting through my clothes for a while, the minute anything is too big it goes in the giveaway to friends or donate to charity pile. I have already given two large bags away. I currently have one bag of each at the moment. I never realised how many clothes actually fit in my wardrobes and drawers. I am currently wearing clothes bought years ago (luckily I tend towards classic styles) that still had their price tags on them.

[LAJ23 70]

7 minutes ago, Hop_Scotch said:

Safe or not, I have been sorting through my clothes for a while, the minute anything is too big it goes in the giveaway to friends or donate to charity pile. I have already given two large bags away. I currently have one bag of each at the moment. I never realised how many clothes actually fit in my wardrobes and drawers. I am currently wearing clothes bought years ago (luckily I tend towards classic styles) that still had their price tags on them.

I feel the same way! I look at my armoire and see how much stuff is crammed in there, but I also realize that most everything is a size XXL (larger size = more material = takes up more space) and I can only imagine how many smaller items will fit in there. LOL! Also, a lot of my big clothes are barely worn, and I have a ton of them. I almost feel bad just discarding them, but as I said, I need the room! I tend to buy mostly classic clothing as well, but sadly, I don't have any stored up for a skinny day. Have to buy all new stuff as I continue to lose!

Edited October 7, 2020 by LAJ23

[ChubRub 1,709]

Get rid of them!! In the future, after you are at goal, if you gain a few pounds and your clothes feel tight, it will be incentive to lose the weight. Having bigger clothes as a Plan B, means that you have a Plan B. No Plan B! LOL!! Only Plan A which is success!!

[Starwarsandcupcakes 2,070]

I was just thinking about this today. I still have loads of 3/4X clothes and am now wearing a L/XL. Even my wrap skirts are too big and they were one of my favorite buys ever. 😭

But on the plus side, if I sell all my bigger clothes I can buy cute new ones! 🤩

[AZhiker 2,253]

No, do not save them "just in case!" Get rid of them! You are making a lifetime commitment to a healthier, thinner you. Keep pressing toward the goal and leave the old life behind. Determine in your mind that you are NEVER GOING BACK!!!! You will never need those old clothes again. Just save your largest pair of pants or jeans to remind yourself of where you were and where you are never going again!

[LAJ23 70]

8 minutes ago, Starwarsandcupcakes said:

I was just thinking about this today. I still have loads of 3/4X clothes and am now wearing a L/XL. Even my wrap skirts are too big and they were one of my favorite buys ever. 😭

But on the plus side, if I sell all my bigger clothes I can buy cute new ones! 🤩

I don't have the patience to sell stuff, LOL! I wish I did...I just cleaned out a few more things and found a $129 sweater with the tag still on and 4 pairs of jeans with tags, totaling about $200 - and I'm just starting! I bet I could get a pretty penny for some of this stuff. That said, a lot of our local online sale places (local FB garage sales, etc.) aren't allowing clothes back online yet.

[Starwarsandcupcakes 2,070]

14 minutes ago, LAJ23 said:

I don't have the patience to sell stuff, LOL! I wish I did...I just cleaned out a few more things and found a $129 sweater with the tag still on and 4 pairs of jeans with tags, totaling about $200 - and I'm just starting! I bet I could get a pretty penny for some of this stuff. That said, a lot of our local online sale places (local FB garage sales, etc.) aren't allowing clothes back online yet.

Oh wow. I didn’t even realize that some were limiting what you could sell. That’s crazy!

[sdjohnson7 79]

Try selling on Poshmark

[bufbills 316]

Get rid of them and don't look back.

[It's time. 145]

I managed though the summer with what I had in the larger sizes. Don't we all have assorted sizes? I just tossed some and donated some items. I still have a few items thinking it'll get warmer. Wishful thinking. Today I started a new "donate" pile of fall clothes as I try things on and will toss items that really are not worth anything. I went to Kohl's last week and bought two of everything and I love my new stuff , but will wait until I get closer to goal to buy more. Nothing better than a bra that fits!

[California Guy 131]

I recommend getting rid of all the clothes that don't fit anymore. This year, I went from a size 48 waist and bigger 3XL shirts to 40/2X. I ditched all my old clothes. Last week nothing fit again. I realized I was a 36/1X now. I cleaned out my closet again. Putting on smaller clothes and getting rid of the old clothes was one of the best rewards for the effort I put into the weight loss surgery. Think positive and commit to doing your part to continue losing weight.

[STLoser 1,099]

I'm getting rid of everything that doesn't fit. I'm almost 3 months post op. My best friend wears the size I did, and never buys clothes for herself. I love clothes and buy a lot, so I already gave her 3 big trash bags of stuff that's too big. I kept what ran smaller or isn't as loose to get me though for a while, but I'll give her all that too when it gets to big.
I donated tons of smaller sizes a year ago that I am kicking myself for now! I wish I had kept some of them!


Sent from my Nokia 7.2 using BariatricPal mobile app

[tarotcardreader 196]

5 hours ago, LAJ23 said:

I'm 7 weeks post-op and am down almost 50lb. All of my clothes are too big (literally, from underwear & PJs to jeans & sweaters - nothing fits) and I've been buying things here & there so that I have stuff to wear to work, etc. My question is, what do I do with my TONS of old clothes that no longer fit? I don't have room to store them somewhere "just in case", and I almost feel bad about donating them or tossing them, because I still have that little devil in the back of my head saying "You never know! You might fail & be a fatty again!" I have a packed armoire, dresser & closet so I need to get rid of stuff to make room for new things. I don't have an extra square inch of space for storage, so I'm wondering if it's "safe" to get rid of these clothes, or should I wait. How long did you all wait before you finally got rid of your big clothes?

Im down some. I plan to continue to donate mine to dress for success. Its a program that helps broke people be able to look nice for work or getting a job.

[Arabesque 7,413]

First, congrats on your weight loss.

As for your clothes: get rid of them. As ChubRub & AZHiker said you don’t need a back-up plan. A ‘just in case‘ plan implies you have accepted you will fail. You can & will be successful.

Every month, I’d clear out a wardrobe, a cupboard or set of drawers & then I’d start again. It was really rewarding to pack up clothing that was too big for me. I donated most things except for my really good clothes which I’m slowly selling or gave to my mum. I simply tossed somethings. One girlfriend got all the unopened packs of tights I had & another a brand new bra. I’m offering shoes in good condition but too big to my cousins then to the ladies in the office at my family’s business.

Edited October 8, 2020 by Arabesque