Now that I am losing weight on a regular and steady basis, I find that going shopping for clothes causes me stress. I know what you are thinking, I should be happy about it. I am, but ... trying on smaller sizes and not having them fit me is my fear. I don't want to have any setbacks. I know this is probably irrational, but I get so stressed when I try on clothes that I don't try on the proper size and settle for things that are a size or 2 bigger then I should wear.

It's a mental struggle that I am still adjusting to. Does this make sense or am I on psycho island by myself?

Well start with the bigger size. When you see it is too big go down one size at a time until you reach the size that is comfortably tight(you want to be able to wear it for a while). I love shopping and seeing that I can wear much smaller sizes is wonderful!!

To me it sounds like you don't want to see what your new body will look like in properly fitting clothes that will show you off so to speak. Just a thought. For some their weight is a suit of armor.

Pretty sure you're not alone on psycho island!! It's hard to adjust to wearing things that are more fitting and eventually from a whole other department in the store. For a long time we have bought and worn our clothes with the belief in the back of our head that we are probably going to gain a few pounds...like we have in the past and comfort is way more important than fashion when it comes to the bloat we feel after that big lunch or dinner we knew we where gonna have...eventually.

At first I was lost not knowing my way around that regular size people place. Scarry. I was shopping recently and the store clerk assisting me practically grabbed some 12's I had in my hand and said "Gawd those will be waaay tooo big here's some 8's", now that chic was definately setting me up for the failure feeling you're talking about. I took the 12's and pair of 10's in the dressing room and danced happy when I zipped those 10's up. Goodbye forever 18w plus!! Now I can't wear a 10 in everything so accept that not all brands and sizes are the same and try start judging your success on how you look and feel in the clothes not the number. Just like the scale those numbers can be sabotaging. And try to start shopping with the opposite of the old idea in mind...you're going to continue to get smaller so buy items you might be able to wear a little longer through the transition. Happy shopping. And congratulations on your 53lb loss so far!!

MacSleever, LOL, you are definetely not alone on psycho island. I am 1 year out and down to my last 20 pounds to lose and I still don't "see" the new/real me. When I look in the mirror I still see the overweight me and when I go clothes shopping I still pick up the wrong size pants. I am getting better at selecting the correct tops but I have yet to take the correct size pants into the dressing room the first time. It helps me to have my husband go shopping with me, cuz he wants to see me after I put the pants on, and he'll tell me that he thinks I could go a size smaller and he'll get them and make me go back inside to try them on. And of course he is right. lol I have had several friends tell me that it takes forever for the mind to catch up with the body. In my case, my mind hasn't caught up yet.

Hope this helps.

I've gone from a tight size 18 to a 10/12 pants and XL top to a med top (most of them) and I still have anxiety when I shop. I only went shopping when I was down to one pair of pants and two shirts that I had bought as goal items about 5 years and a dozen diets ago. So I've bought a few things but I still pull larges first.

Last week I went to H&M for the first time and had to stand outside taking deep breaths and telling myself that even if nothing fit this time it would in a couple of months. I ended up walking out with two medium sweaters. BUT some of the large shirts were too tight. So I guess I'm saying that no matter what the labels say, clothes are sized differently. Start a little larger than you think you will need, and enjoy trying it on in a smaller size.

I have had to reduce my closet by about 1/4th or so now that I've lost around 40lbs. I think I can still make it through the next 20-25 lbs without shopping with what I have now.

But I think I'll go to Goodwill first and see what I can find there before investing in a new wardrobe or trying on a lot of things in a department store. I don't even have a clue as to what I will look or feel like in another 20, 40, 60 lbs lost.

I would imagine that it does feel strange, but hopefully a good kind of strange!

I can't imagine shopping for new clothes. I hated it pre-op and I can't imagine it being much more pleasant post-op, to be honest. In addition to being fat, I'm short. I'm longer on top than on the bottom, so nothing seems to fit/look right that way. Then to add insult to injury I seem to carry my excess weight in my tummy- not a pretty sight. So, no shopping for me!

For those of you brave enough- I genuinely tip my hat to you! You're stronger and more adventurous than I will ever be and you will look more fabulous for it!

It's more shopping anxiety for me, not that I use my weight as "a suit of armor." I just don;t want to try something on and have it not fit. In my head, that means I failed. Yes, I know I am WAY over-thinking it. It's just a matter of my mind adjusting to my new body. I need to give myself some time.