I am now down 102 pounds, was banded April 23rd (lost 20 prior to surgery). Problem, I thought I was be over the moon, I'm not. I know a couple factors for this, nothings fits & can't afford new, but I am more disgusted with myself for ever getting this big. I still have about 84 pounds to go.

Has anyone else been "down" after hitting a big milestone on the was to their goal? Does it get better when you ultimately hit your goal?

Emotions are normal. Sure, your clothes don't fit but I'm sure you are much healthier and feel better physically. Have you tried posting on the clothes forum? People are always willing to help. This community is a support for you. We have all been where you are. I too went through a phase of frustration from losing so much weight and always having to buy new. The new you is a blessing that you should claim. There are so many people out there that wish they could have your complaint. I promise you that it will get better. I wish you nothing but the best on your journey.

Yes yes you're not alone. When I look at some of my old clothes and I saved them not because I want to ever fit in them again but as a reminder of how aweful it was. Can you try to go to thrift stores or something to pick up a few things to wear. I got three brand new pair of jeans once at a thrift store for 4 bucks for all three. They had never been washed.

You could check with the churches in your area. Most of them have a clothes on hand for people in need. If they dont they may know where to send you to for help with clothes.

If you work you may ask a few people you work with if they have any clothes in your size they are wantting to get rid of....

many surgons that specialize in WT.Loss surgery hold clothing swaps for their patients every few months. IF your MD does not offer this there are several options.

1. Find a good tailor/seemstress who can take clothes in for you as you go down in size.

2. Your body might be going thru an "ackward" stage where maybe your toso is thin but maybe your thighs and legs are still larger and things don't match up. maybe find items that fit your trouble zones and have them taken in. This won't last forever i've been told eventually the whole body will equal out.

3. Ask friends and family if they would not mind letting you borrow some items as long as you promised not to alter them if they wanted them back.

4. Keep on the look out at thrift stores and yard sales you will never know what you can find. A new thrift store is the SAVERS thrift, they look almost like department stores and they take in better quality clothes and they have sale days wich make the clothes wickid affordable but you have to sign up for their savers club card to get the extra discount.

5. If you are good at sewing or know someone who is good at it they might if you offer them come compensation make you some blouses or dresses to ware as you go down in size.

Ditto, ditto, ditto. I totally agree with what everyone before me also said.

Two silly things and one important thing helped me through that stage.

Silly thing #1: Going to stores (either with a friend or alone, either thrift shops or fancy-schmancy boutiques, depending on what I thought would feel better on a given day) and trying on clothes with no pressure to buy but just to kind of begin to get to know my body again. Trying on a fancy gown and noticing a curve where there used to be a bulge. Trying on a new style of outfit from what I was used to wearing just to see what it feels like in my new body.

Silly thing #2: Buying one gorgeous item of clothing that's a size smaller than whatever size I currently am and hanging it up on my bedroom wall. (Like someone else said, thrift stores were great during this phase. I could get buy Calvin Klein jeans for four or five bucks or a beautiful form-fitting dress for ten dollars.) Seeing it on my wall helped me remember that it's my goal/ reward. Some items took a week to wear; some items took a couple months to finally fit into but it helped me to have something to look forward to.

Important thing: learning to use my words to share my feelings or ask for help when I need it. I haven't mastered it but I'm way better now than when I started.

Good lunch with this phase. I promise it won't last forever.

Hugs

We all have been through this. Do you have dollar stores or the one price shop where everything is $5.00 or $10.00. Every time you lose another 10 pounds, buy yourself something new. Yes it is cheap and won't last long after wearing so many times, but why buy something expensive when you are passing through that weight stage anyways. The same thing when I gained the 80 extra pounds before the lap band, I absolutely refused to buy any clothes of any good quality because I knew in my mind that I was not staying at that God awful weight forever. Now that I am down, I make a habit to get maybe one nice top or pair of pants every now and again that will last for quite a while. Maybe somebody you work with has some castaways that would fit. I do keep some clothes that are too big in case I run into someone who might need a helping hand. A lot of my old fat clothes went to the battered womens shelter in town for the unfortunate gals that had to get away from abuse with only the shirt on their back. Good luck and talk to people, you would be surprised who might be waiting to hear that someone needs a helping hand and have something for you to wear during your transition. Great job you are doing, keep up the good work.

I totally agree with everyone on going to thrift stores and yard sales. My size is changing so much and so fast that I'm at the Goodwill and several other church run thrift stores every week. And if you look good enough a lot of times you can find expensive name brand stuff for just a few bucks. I absolutely love shopping at the thrift stores. I've done it so long that it kills me to go into a department store and pay full price LOL! Most of the time I won't even do that, I will wait until Macy's is having their big clearance sale and then I find a 15 or 20% off coupon and get really nice stuff for a little bit of nothing.

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I would like to add that if you have not bought clothes from the Dollar stores before beaware that they do NOT hold up that well. I have got some from Freds, Family Dollar and General Dollar before only to find the seams came apart, the color was bad after two washes or there shape just was not holding up. I would go to Goodwill/ect and buy used before I shop at the Dollar stores for clothes.

The Goodwill here in my town had a half off sale storewide every first saturday of the month. You may want to check with yours to see if they have this deal also.

I found as I hit milestones, regardless of a weight or clothing size, my mind says "hmmm I expected this to be/look different." I think everyone goes through this.