Monday, April 18, 2011

Being a pack rat can pay off

I don't believe in keeping your fat clothes "just in case."  It's like telling yourself you don't believe that any weight you lose will stay off.  Personally, I think I should be punished monetarily if I work that hard to get weight off and then slack and gain it back.  As soon as something is too big, it goes in the donate pile and at the end of the month, it's out of the house.  Now something I DO believe in doing is saving clothes you've outgrown.  You know the ones that are 1, 2 or even 3 sizes too small from where you are right now?  I remember having bins and bins of clothes that I was hoping I could fit into again (without doing a whole lot to fit into them).  Finally in 2007, the hubby and I were innundated with clothes and had to get real with ourselves, some of the clothes we were hanging on to were just outdated and even if we could fit into them again, it would be glaringly obvious we had on something that was trendy at one time but not now.  I think we donated about 3 trash bags full of clothes while our dog looked around like we were nuts.  The basement was literally covered in clothes.

But one thing we did do is keep basics that would never go out of style.  From jeans to t-shirts to coats and yes, I even kept bras that were in perfect working order.  We space bagged them and put them under the beds and in bins.  I kept a few favorite shirts and jeans in my closet in easy reach so I could try them on occasionally to see my progress.  I would check a few times a year and either give a heavy sigh as the material clung to my gut or smiled to myself when I noticed a difference from the last time I tried the item on to the gleeful squeal when I could finally put the item into "rotation."  This habit has been paying off in spades recently as I'm beginning to reach the point where some of the jeans and shirts I've saved from the past are ready to re-debut.  As recent as 6 months ago, I was irritated that shirts I could wear at one time at the weight I was at didn't fit the same.  I had a 3x top and a 4x gut.  It was frustrating to say the least.  Now a few 3x shirts that I bought in Memphis a year ago and some t-shirts I bought on the Big Island 2 years ago are finally able to go into rotation!!  I was ecstatic to be able to wear a Parker Ranch tee I bought in I think 2008 when I was still about 440 lbs dreaming of the day I could wear it.  That day was last week and yesterday.  We took pics in a park yesterday and I was glad I was wearing it because even if it's not a very dressy shirt, I know what it took to be able to wear it.

The next 30-50 lbs should hit the jackpot as far as the clothes I've saved because I have a ton of 2x Crazy Shirts from Hawaii that I've had since we started going to Hawaii in 1996.  There are many wonderful memories attached to those shirts so I can't wait to put the first one on comfortably.  Once I pass those by, they'll be made into a keepsake quilt because the designs are too awesome to just pitch or donate.  Just like they are too awesome to have been sitting in a closet waiting for the day they could be worn again.  I promise, you'll see the light soon!

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9 comments:

  1. I have no trouble getting rid of clothing that's too big. However, I did the same with things that were too small. Thinking, "I'll never be that small again." I then donated 3 HUGE bins to the woman's shelter. Even though those women need it more than I do, what I wouldn't give to have it all back... Congrats on all of your success!

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  2. Yeah for NSV's!! What fun to find "new" clothes right in your own closet!

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  3. I'm scared to throw my old clothes away! I know, I need to get over it. Maybe reading this will be the kick in the butt I needed :)

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  4. WOOT!

    This weekend I got rewarded for my efforts (both weight loss and tidying my pig sty house) and found ONE item of clothing that I was now small enough to fit into again.

    A BATHING SUIT!

    Talk about a morale boost.

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  5. That is awesome! I bet that did feel amazing. I have a few pairs of pants and a couple of shirts that are like that. Course they came in handy shortly after the divorce when I dropped a bit of weight and now I can tell I need to watch it because they are becoming more and more snug.

    I have a book about reconstructing clothes and have a pattern to make a blanket out of t shirts. I have a huge bin of ones that don't fit, too short, etc but have cute designs on them. I should get to work on it now that you brought it up :)

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  6. I do the same thing--give away the too-big clothes to charity and hang onto at least some of the too small ones. Problem is I have forgotten to try on some too small ones and gone right past that size, so they had to go into the too-big pile for charity! So satisfying being able to finally get into things that have been tucked away for sometimes a long time, congrats!

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  9. You said it perfectly...keeping clothes that are too big is like giving yourself license to gain it back...Ahhhh - lightbulb!!! I really haven't kept my clothes and have chosen to bless others with the hundreds (perhaps even 1000??) of dollars I could no longer wear! But there are some things in my closet RIGHT MEOW that need to go...thanks for not just giving me permission to do it, but the DESIRE to do it because this girl is NOT going to go back to there!!! Uh-uh...not gonna happen! And another thing you are right about...if I do, then I most definitely do deserve the punishment of buying new clothes!

    Awesome post!!

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