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I were innundated with clothes and had to get real with ourselves, some of the clothes we were hanging on to were just outdated and even if we could fit into them again, it would be glaringly obvious we had on something that was trendy at one time but not now.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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