Scared to Throw Away Fat Clothes

(Dawn) #1

Well…keto fam, you get to vote. I have officially “under” grown my fat clothes. My pants fell off yesterday. Fell.Completely.Off. They dropped to my knees. My husband and my son were both disgusted. My sweet daughter rushed in to help me pull my pants back up. Apparently no one likes seeing my flower themed granny panties.

Anyhoo- most of my stuff has elastic or spandex, so I can still fit it, but it looks like a big circus tent. So here is where I need your vote. Is it time to throw away my fat clothes? Full disclosure, I have NEVER, EVER thrown away my fat clothes because I have never felt confident that i would keep my weight off. After years of yo-yo dieting and CICO dieting, I have some obesity PTSD that makes me believe I will always gain the weight back. I have never lost this much weight before, and this time feels different. Keto is different. I am still scared that I won’t keep the weight off. But my husband says that I have to believe in myself and force myself to look forward and never look back. But clothes are EXPENSIVE, especially size 3x triple spandex, triple elastic, tummy hiding slacks. If I get fat again, I won’t be able to afford to replace them. I don’t really have a budget for smaller clothes either but I can buy a shirt or two here and there from Wal-Mart. I am in a pickle and not sure what to do. You vote. Do I throw the fat clothes away? How do I find the courage to believe in myself?

(Canadian Beauty) #2

Okay so here is my opinion and you may not want to hear it. I have been dieting for the last say 25 years. For the first time, the last round of weight loss I thought, let me do it, everyone says, “throw out your fat clothes”. I did it, gained weight, had to spend more and buy new clothes. For me a deterrent to not eating something is not the thought of will my clothes fit in the morning. So I will NEVER throw out clothes again. I could cry over the beautiful clothes I gave away. So when I lose weight this time, I am going to hang on to my size large clothes for ever!!

#3

Oh, well done!

My opinion: Life is too short to go around looking like a deflating circus tent.
Chuck 'em.
Or give them to a charity for other people to make use of.
Then go out and buy yourself a couple of new items that fit, will last, and that you like.

I bet you get so many compliments that you will then want to buy more.

(Alison) #4

Get rid of them, you’re not going back! :slight_smile:

(Jennifer) #5

I’m down 80 pounds (will be a year Feb3) and Will. Never. Go. There. Again!

I donated it all, except for some comfy sweatshirts that I can lounge in. But I went from a size 20/22 to a size 12/14. I have kept the clothes one size up, but will probably donate them at some point because I still have 20-30 to go and will probably go down another size.

#6

Congratulations on your success!

My wife spent significant time over the weekend purging her closet of clothes that are too big and delighting in old clothes that now fit. I, meanwhile, still have TONS of clothes I’m reluctant to let go. Maybe, perhaps, I’ll do it once I’m a year in. January makes it only six months for my wife and I. So, maybe. Maybe.

(Liz ) #7

This is a tough one!! Congrats on shrinking out of your pants, lol, you are too funny!

If you have room to store them I don’t think there’s any psychological detriment to keeping the larger sizes. Others will disagree, I’m sure. But I would take them out of the closet & store them elsewhere. Hopefully you can slowly get new stretchy pants in your new size. My stretchy pants that fit me at 212 still fit at 170 :woman_shrugging:

Personally, I did give away my biggest clothes because I know for absolute sure this is it for me, my last weight loss journey. Fasting is my secret weapon this time.

I was in 14s when I started Keto but had some practically new 12s in the drawer from the half second I was last a lower weight. I’ve lost 40 pounds but the size 12 jeans fit fine. I got rid of all the 14s because I’d worn them out anyway.

My budget isn’t quite as tight but all I’ve really bought is T-shirts & 2 bras in smaller sizes because I can still work with pretty much everything else.

I’m waiting for another ten pounds gone before I go shopping for new jeans. It’s complicated! I say do what brings you the least angst.

(Pete A) #8

I would store them if you can, and when you need inspiration you could pull them out and see how ridiculously large they are!

(Darlea Marneedi) #9

I say get rid of them. You know how to take off the weight and unless you have a desire in the recesses of your mind to be the bigger size there is no reason to keep them.

(Duncan Kerridge) #10

Throw them, you’ll not be needing them again. Keeping them gives you something to easily slide into if you fall off the horse. That can’t be a good psychological strategy. Having said that, I regret not keeping just one or two things for a comedy ‘look at what I used to wear’ photo once I reached my goal.

(Felix) #11

Keep the ones that give you good memories, or that you love the feel of. But if there’s something that gives you bad vibes, whisk it off to the donation box. I’ve been slowly purging my closet, and keep Japanese organizer Marie Kondo’s words in mind; does it give you joy? If not, out it goes.

Getting rid of all the clothes at once makes me very anxious, but a few here and there, so that the new clothes fit in my closets and aren’t overwhelmed by clothes that no longer fit me, is great. (size 18 to 10!!) It’s a similar process to losing the weight–getting rid of what holds me down.

(Dawn) #12

Wow 18 to 10! thats impressive. How many pounds was that?

I LOVE Marie Kondo. I organized my entire house based on what gave me joy. I even have my closet is color order. It’s pristine, but full of fat clothes. So I guess now it’s time to do it again and get rid of the fat clothes

(KCKO, KCFO) #13

I went through this recently. I kept a couple of pairs of pants in size 10, I was wearing size 6 when I did that. I have put them in the basement, they won’t be in my closet to haunt me was my logic. Now I have moved down to size 4s. So I am keeping the 6s and getting rid of the 10s. I have kept a few larger tops that don’t have sleeves. I just went thrift store shopping and bought some winter tops. All were Ms or Ss. I haven’t worn smalls since around grade school in a top. Big “girls” run in my family and they come on quickly and all of us are top heavy gals. I have even had to buy new bras, can’t bare to throw away the larger ones, talking serious money here. But I have put them well out of the way. If I don’t need them in another 6 months, I will be donating the over sized clothing to a women’s shelter.

So I guess I am saying take the middle road.
Get rid of anything that will fall off of you, I had a pair of shoes fall off while going down the stairs.

Keep a few things “just in case” but not where you see them all the time. If you feel you are getting off track you can dig them out and remind yourself of where you don’t want to go.

Find good thrift shops near you to get clothes that will fit, you now. Many of them have tag sale days for 50% off on many items. You have a ways to go till you are done. Don’t walk around looking like a kid in her mother’s clothes. A few pieces can go a long way, get mix and match stuff so you don’t need as many pieces.

All the best in your Journey to the New You.

I like the idea of only surrounding yourself with things that bring you joy.

#14

I understand the struggle! I lost 30 lbs in 2012 and threw out all my fat clothes. I could totally be wearing those right now.

Others have already said it, but I will echo, my plan is to store my too big clothes for a while until I am sure I don’t need them anymore. Then that way, nothing lost if nothing gained (see what I did there???).

(Trish) #15

I went from a size 18 to a size 3 about 15 years ago, had a physical job. Life changed, job changed to a desk job, herniated a disk, got divorced, got cancer, had multiple surgeries over the 15 years and six weeks ago I was wearing size 15 and weighed 208. Not to be a downer but sometimes you have no control over stuff. If you truly would be in a pickle trying to buy clothes, I would box them up and put them at the farthest reaches of the under the stairs storage…just in case.

(Heather Miller) #16

@Goal179 Having gone from size 22, 3x (March 2017) to currently size 10 I feel your indecision. I have been donating things and keeping just a bit as I go down each size.

Do you have consignment stores nearby. Can you sell things on line? Then you can buy some the same way in your new size. Don’t buy too many because with this WOE you will need another different size before you know it! Buy a couple pairs of new to you pants and a few tops…it will make you feel so good about yourself. You have worked hard and you deserve to look and feel great!

#17

I agree that giving away clothes is hard. I bought a belt that had holes all around it so as not to ever need throwing it out, never mind what circumference I was. After establishing a keto lifestyle I am now confident, for the first time, that I won’t be needing the larger clothes again and celebrated my first milestone by donating my nicer clothes to the local charity and cutting the belt to size. It’s a rather free-ing event and I’m rather looking forward to doing it again when I reach my second milestone. I hope you get the opportunity to experience this feeling - it really is very satisfying.

Keto Belt

(Felix) #18

Quite a few pounds! Don’t want to jinx it quite yet by declaring the number. I’m quite tall so I’m not sure I’ll go down much farther in sizes–the shoulders aren’t going to get much less wide, nor nearer the ground. I did buy new clothes even when I can’t really afford it. Getting used to the new body is helped a lot by the new outfit. Otherwise I get the same problem in the morning, nothing fits! For a better reason, but still not helpful when it comes to looking good and appropriate for the workplace. I want my closet to work for me, like a well organized tool shed, so changes happen. The bigger clothes can go live with the summer stuff, as need be.

I’ve found adjusting to the new sizes mentally takes a while too. Parts of me are missing, and that’s a shock. My lock screen on my phone is me in skinny jeans (not worn in public yet!) to get used to the whole idea. Next up is being less wide than I’ve ever been in my adult life. I don’t even know what that will be like. The change in proportions is a lot to wrap my brain around. I look odd in pencil skirts? How did that happen? I’ve gone from traffic cone shaped to T shaped, with these shoulders. Now looking at butt-size-increasing exercises.

If you can do it, shop! Second hand can yield some marvels, I’m thinking. But at any rate, don’t think about getting rid of clothes as some bet against regaining, tempting fate. Do whatever gives you joy.

(Lynne Hurley Perry) #19

Take a pair of pants and get medieval on them with a pair of scissors. Be joyus! Have fun! Just tear’em up and don’t look back!

(Tee) #20

Congrats! Save an outfit, and donate the rest. Then when your “skinny girl” is released, you can put them on and celebrate your accomplishments. Take the words out of your mouth “if i get fat again”… replace with “i will never go back to my old ways.” You must be feeling pretty great right now – AWESOME job!