When did you get rid of your old clothes?
 

I lost my initial weight 10 years ago and my 22s are long gone. But now that I'm wearing 8s I have bins of size 14, 12, and a few 10s that I shouldn't be wearing (some are still okay). The thing is, I don't trust myself to maintain this new low weight and I'm afraid to get rid of the old clothes just in case.

How long did it take for you to get rid of your old clothes when you hit goal? I was thinking a year, but they are really taking up a lot of room! I was contemplating stages of donation. Maybe the things I like the least being donated first while holding on to the clothes that were my favorites and workhorse clothes for work. I'm still a little sad about these favorite clothes and wish that I had them in a smaller size.

Hi Kristn,

First, congratulations on your success! Awesome accomplishment! :clap:

I lost my weight many years ago as a teen and was thrilled to get to buy all new clothes in new styles and get rid of the old ones, but as an adult who's made an investment in a nice working wardrobe and isn't sure she won't need those clothes again someday, I completely understand your hesitation to donate all of them at this point. Great idea to donate the things you don't like as much and keeping the others. Perhaps you could have a few of your favorites altered so you could continue wearing them?

I got rid of most everything within a couple of months, now having gained back a good deal of the weight I am left with not much that fits.:sad: I am trying to lose again and only buying enough to get me through until I hopefully meet goal again.

You are very inspirational Kristn!

Thanks Franziska! I am pulling out a few things to get altered. I am not looking for a new job, but a friend was really trying to recruit me hard to her company and when i was thinking about it I realized that if I had an interview I would have almost nothing to wear. A few good suits are in the alteration pile:).

:oThanks Jeanie! I beat the odds with my first weight-loss and maintaining, but I am very aware that they are not in my favor for keeping the new weight off. I try not to take anything for granted.

I am doing a big purge today and will get started getting rid of my least favorite of the bigger clothes over the weekend.

I went through a closet purge a few weeks ago after I hit 25lbs lost and I really agonized over the decision to do it. Interestingly, it was my husband who convinced me to get rid of things instead of storing them. It might seem soon but I'm feeling so good that I took a chance. I did hold onto 2 pairs of jeans just in case but everything else that was too big is gone. I was able to fit into some older clothes from 6 or 7 years ago so I didn't have to buy anything new but undies. The old clothes are a little loose but can probably get me through the next few months. My closet is much tidier now.

A funny thing just occurred to me. I can wear everything in my closet for the first time in years! Now I'm working toward the next closet purge. Can't wait!

I purged and reorganized today. Lots of stuff is now in bins and hopefully only clothes that fit and that I like are in my closet and dresser. I also sent some stuff off to Goodwill and some to the trash. This is definitely a work in progress!

I also found some items that I had forgotten about. Many years ago my DH (before he was my DH) spent some time in Vietnam and had some clothes made for me. They were always too small, but now they fit beautifully. At some point I almost sold them or gave them away because I thought they would never fit.

I hoarded all of my size 2 clothes for almost 10 years and I can finally fit into them again! :lol: Half of them are out of style now though, and the pants don't fit as well as they used to because my shape is different now. So, for the past few months, I've been tossing a lot of stuff and replacing them with better quality clothes that actually cost me money. I'm hoping the $ investment will make me try harder not to gain any of that weight back! I kept my size 4s because I just bought most of them this summer and I don't think I've ever had a winter where I didn't gain at least 5 lbs. anyway. Everything else went to Goodwill or the trash. I don't want to make it easier for myself to get to a size 8 or 10 again. :sick:

BTW, Kristin, I'm only 5' 2" and I still look heavier than you do in your avatar. Didn't want you to think I was insinuating that a size 8 is big! But on me, it means I'm about 25 lbs. over weight. If I ever get to the point where my legs look like yours, I'll be satisfied. I think you're the perfect size. :up:

No worries and thanks for the compliment! I have a friend who is shorter than me and she was bemoaning the fact that she gained weight and had to buy a size 10. I laughed and reminded her that for some of us a 10 was our goal size:).

I know that my goal is higher than for some people at my height, but I have a large bone structure and lots of muscle so this weight seems right for me.

Why do you not think the odds are in your favour for keeping the new weight off?
Not being argumentative, just curious. :)

Only a very small percentage of people who lose weight keep it off for any significant amount of time. ~5% over 5 years I believe. Sadly, the statistics aren't good for any type of weight loss to be long term.

I said I'd get rid of some clothes when I had maintained for at least a year. I kept three sizes stashed within reach - what I wore comfortably at goal plus the next two sizes up. Of course I didn't manage more than a few months, and now 12 months later I'm digging through the attic frantically trying to find things that will fit.

Well, going by your signature, it looks like you have done it succesfully already for such a long time as well! So you should be more positive! :up:

Why do you think that the weight is regained? Do you think that it is down to the persons control etc, or do you think there is some other reason?

I hope it is down to the individual person, as I have lost a lot of weight over the year, and I have recently started dwelling/ worrying FAR TOO MUCH about regaining it all back ... I would hate to think that it is something I don't have any control over- if it is something that I personally have control over, I should relax, because I know that I wouldn't allow myself to get back to my starting weight.

However, reading stuff on the internet makes it sound like weight is a 1-way street, and has done nothing but made me feel really down, and that weight regain is inevitable :cry:

Sorry to bring the thread down, but at the moment, worrying about gaining the weight back is such a fear for mem, that it is ruling my life to a certain extent, and I am not liking how much I am obsessing over it.
I understand that metabolism is about 5-10% lower than expected (than someone of that weight naturally) but surely that can't be enough to be THE reason why 95% of people fail at keeping the weight off.

I must admit, I am not a low-carber, however, I am a fan of weight maintenance threads. It really is shocking how few places there are relating to weight maintenance... it seems such a boring conversation (weight is no longer coming off, not getting compliments as often, etc) however, in my eyes, it is the most important... and interesting!
I look forward to more threads in this forum.

Sorry for the long post :o

Interestingly enough I still think about staying on plan every day--the few times that I go off-plan are completely planned and I am right on track the next meal. I think that the vigilance has helped me maintain but it can also be a burden--going out to eat or over to friends' houses still gives me some anxiety to this day.

I think that it is a combination of factors. If self-control is all that you have keeping you on plan eventually you will falter. There are lots of studies that show that metabolism is reduced when you live in a weight-reduced state, so it takes fewer calories to maintain your lower weight than someone who has never been fat. Also, leptin and other hormone levels are changed. Overweight people have a higher leptin level and when leptin is reduced via weight-loss it causes a cascade of hormone changes that are designed to make you gain weight and get those leptin levels back up to where your body is happy (and fat) again.

It's not a 1-way street, but it does take hyper-vigilance. There's no getting away from that. It's good that you're reading and trying to figure this all out. I think that people who lose and then think that they're "fixed" are way more likely to regain. The understanding that a weight-reduced person is not the same as a never-fat person is part of the key to maintenance IMHO.

I actually love conversations about maintenance, but you are right there are few of them out there. Have you seen the Refuse to Regain blog?