I am down 32lbs pre-op (surgery date Jan 24th) My leggings are too big, I have maybe 2 pair pants that stay up. I started my journey in a very tight 18 and now Im in size 14 and these jeans were "just in case I fit into them" Now they are becoming a little lose. I don't want to over buy but I also would like to have a few nice outfits for work or going out.

What size should I buy? Should I buy size 10's? Seems too soon- but I need pants that stay up lol!

At my largest I was size 24. I'm currently size 18 and I still have things in my wardrobe that are size 16. Once I shrink beyond that I will either have to buy new clothes, go to a tailor and have my current clothes altered or rock out baggy clothes until my weight stabilizes. I'm trying to have a no buy year for 2024 so my plan for this calendar year is to make due with belts, tailoring , baggy clothes and dresses until next January, with the exception of underwear and bras which I refuse to wear incorrect sizes for.

One of the things I sorely missed when overweight and homebound was thrifting. I had plenty of old clothes in various smaller sizes I held onto that I have been fitting into over the past 9 months since WLS. I have been having the best time buying new to me used clothing and bagging up the ones now too big and donating.

I'm just so happy to finally fit back into stylish clothing again instead of tent dresses and elastic waistbands. I love vintage clothing and have no qualms wearing used except underwear. LOL

I guess the thrill for me too is finding expensive items for practically nothing. Also it's just not practical to pay full price for clothing you will outgrow in a few short weeks.

I went through all my "small" clothes too. I was able to wear the smallest ones until about 10 pounds from my goal. When my pants fell down walking up the stairs with my arms full, I knew it was time to buy. I like Ross and thrift stores. I also bought from TEMU, though I return half of what I buy. TEMU ships from China and takes 2-3 weeks, so I had to predict my size or order something that would look good a little tight. My daughter in law and 2 of my friends are thrilled with their "new" wardrobes too. One of those friends is right behind me in her weight loss, so she really needed the clothes I gave her.

I highly recommend checking out A Bra That Fits calculator. I was recently pointed in this direction as I'm having bra fit issues as I'm losing weight. Band size I've always been spot on, but cups are always too small. Turns out I was wearing a bra 6 sizes too small in the cup!!! YES 6 SIZES TOO SMALL And I'm not the only woman that does that... I'm apparently a 44H right now, not a 44D/DD. Go figure. I went to the reddit for that website and the FB group, learned a lot about my breast shape, and ordered 6 bras through the "Amazon Prime Try Before You Buy" thing. 4 of them were too big and awful looking, apparently the calculator can overestimate cup size for my breast shape. I could see that the bra shapes would be horribly wrong if the cups fit correctly, it seems my breasts sit high and I have breast tissue under my arms that migrated there from wearing too small bras for 25 years...plus I have breast tissue way up high to almost my collar bones... I did eventually find one that fit amazingly! The women in the FB group advised me to go down one band size smaller and up one cup size (maintains the same cup volume) and to use an extender on it so I'll get 2 months out of my bras, as I'm currently dropping a band size a month, but my cup size isn't changing. I thought that was a great tip for making my bras last longer, since they are so damned expensive. In this properly fitting bra my shoulders don't hurt because there is no pressure on them! The band is actually carrying the weight of my breasts, like it is supposed to. And the wires are wide enough they aren't sitting on the breast tissue under my arms that I had just assumed was fat!

As for other clothes, I've found the best way to stock smaller sizes is Ebay and Poshmark. I search for lots/bundles a few sizes smaller than I currently am. These are often listed by people losing weight and changing sizes, who want to clear out their closets fast instead of list item by item. I plan on selling my clothes this way too as I outgrow them! I recently got a bundle of 5 leggings in an XXL from really quality brands. Almost brand new. Since they are different brands they'll fit differently and probably last me a few sizes... I also found a tank top lot listed that way, and since I'm a leggings/tank/cardigan woman, these should last me a while. I have also picked up a few aspirational things on deep discount in a Large, so I can have some pretty things at that size for cheap, even if I don't end up staying at that size. I can't even fathom I could be that size by the end of this year! Anyway, this is how I'm saving money clothes shopping online!

Edited January 23, 20242 yr by ChunkCat

On 1/18/2024 at 11:10 AM, Arendiva said:

At my largest I was size 24. I'm currently size 18 and I still have things in my wardrobe that are size 16. Once I shrink beyond that I will either have to buy new clothes, go to a tailor and have my current clothes altered or rock out baggy clothes until my weight stabilizes. I'm trying to have a no buy year for 2024 so my plan for this calendar year is to make due with belts, tailoring , baggy clothes and dresses until next January, with the exception of underwear and bras which I refuse to wear incorrect sizes for.

I'm choosing to go through all of my old clothes too because: 1. this grad student is too broke to go shopping and 2. I have been holding on to them for the day I could fit in them again. I have never had my clothes tailored before and just kind of hand sewed them myself, not that I'm very good at it. I'm still a few months out from post op so I'm in this limbo of finding some things I can fit again and trying to make due with what I have.

I was using safety pins to hold up my shorts and tying back my t-shirts, but the shirts are getting to where I think I need to alter them because the legs are so wide it kind of looks ridiculous. But I'm also paranoid about adjusting the waist because what if I need it bigger later? So I was thinking of just tucking in the extra fabric somehow instead of removing it. Of course I don't know if this will look ridiculous either.. How are you handling this issue?

It honestly depends on your clothing budget but I would want to have at least a couple outfits that truly fit at each size. Consignment shops and thrift stores are your best bet (the church ones tend to have better prices because they price each item based on brand and condition rather than making all jeans or all tops a set price. Im sorry but a worn out camisole shouldn't be the same price as a silk Michael kors blouse with the tags still on it. Yet at goodwill, you will find them next to each other both marked $4.99 (or whatever price they have on tops). This is great if you find the nice top with the tags in your size but I usually don’t. lol. I would rather go to another store that prices based on quality and pay $10 for the nicer blouse. I wish I had more consignment stores near me because that would’ve been a great option. They would most likely buy back everything as it becomes too large so you would always have a credit to apply to your next visit. Plus, consignments stores tend to sift through and not take that really worn out camisole plus they organize the clothing by sixes a bit better. Tjmaxx, Marshall’s and Ross are good too. Especially their clearance sections. Clothes shopping becomes so much fun as you begin to really lose and I is not deny myself that but I did keep my real big splurges to accessories so they wouldn’t be too big in a few weeks. Whatever you do. Don’t forget to budget for a couple overhauls of your bras and panties. Because as mentioned before those will need to be sized down a few times as well.

Edited April 1, 20242 yr by ShoppGirl