Kevin One of the things that came up as a consideration for me early on in my weight loss mission, both last time I lost any weight worth writing home over, and this time around, was my old clothes after weight loss, and what to do with them.
For so many years, going shopping for clothes was never fun, or anything even close to it. Back-to-school shopping was hell, since what I ended up with was whatever fit. Nothing I liked, and nothing from the stores the other kids were shopping at, since we couldn’t afford those, and it wasn’t long before I was sized out of them.
To those of you who were obese from an early age like yours truly was, I’m betting you can relate on some level. Maybe you can also relate if you were thinner than what’s average among your peers too. I’m seeing that play out for me now.
During my first go-round in my weight loss mission, I ran into one of the major issues when it comes to losing weight: what to do with old clothes that no longer fit or work out for me.
Most of those, I either put away in a box down in the basement, or donated them to a thrift store somewhat close to where we were living at the time.
There was a pair of Zana-Di shorts I lived in during the summer of 8th grade. They came from when Sears had just expanded their juniors’ department to include styles available in plus sizes, and I was stoked af. I finally found things I liked in my size, and it was a major game changer for me.
I also had a few pieces from Lane Bryant, and the operative word here is “few.” They were out of our price range otherwise, but they started putting out trendier pieces when I was in high school. I couldn’t wear the stuff most of my classmates wore, but what I got there was similar.
When I lost the weight the first time around in college, I made those old shorts into a gym bag, and that’s what I carried my books in all that year. Otherwise, I donated some of what I knew for sure I’d never wear again to the thrift store nearby.
I gained the weight back due to a side effect of a medication I shouldn’t have ever been on in the first place, and ended up buying new clothes from the thrift store. Nothing I owned even came close to fitting, and I felt like all my hard work was for nothing.
In the years that followed, I turned to unsustainable crash diet after another, miracle shake or smoothie from whatever company promising the moon and delivering jack shyt.
Then, as I mentioned in my story in earlier posts, I figured out what was keeping me from losing the weight, and when I had my lightbulb moment, this time around was the charm.
Now that question came up again: what to do with old clothes after weight loss. This time around, I looked through my closet and packed up the stuff that was worth something, and brought it to the consignment shop in my neighborhood, while I was still in the size range that it focuses on. Otherwise, I brought stuff to a chain consignment shop that specializes in a size range different from the neighborhood one.
Everything else the consignment shops didn’t take, I packed in a bag for ThredUp. They still haven’t gotten to either of my bags, since they’re hopelessly backlogged on account of the pandemic.
I hope that whoever got my donations or consignments has a clean slate with them. For me, they were mainly reminders of a tough time in my life. Those that weren’t, they were who and what I was 5 years ago, and either way, I had my moment in them.
Now it’s time for someone else to have their moment in them.
But there’s still a couple of things I’m holding onto: a pair of Paris Blues flares from the early half of high school, when I was around my heaviest. Those were tight on me when I got them, and two years earlier, there was a time where even those would have been too small for me.
That’s how I know for a fact there was a time I was bigger than my confirmed highest weight, which put me at a BMI in the upper 40s.
I’ve decided I’m keeping those as a reminder of where I started, and where I hope to never be again. That was a really difficult time in my life in so many ways, and I wouldn’t wish it on anyone.
I’m also keeping a pair of purple bell bottoms that fit me roughly 80 pounds ago. The last time I wore them, I made the mistake of attempting a lap around a school running track, and I spent the whole lap with one hand on them trying to keep them up. The adjustable waist in ’em didn’t do me any good, either.
If I can’t find another pair of those in my size, I’m gonna learn how to copy the pattern, scale it down to my size, and make ’em myself. What color should it be this time? Green? Orange? Yellow? Or should I go with black or navy? I’ll decide later, haha.
While I was looking through one of the boxes in the basement last week, I came across a peasant top in this black lightweight poly material that came from Lane Bryant when I was in high school, a hair over a hundred pounds ago. I didn’t wear it often, so it still had a fairly clean slate for me. I took a closer look at it, and figured I could make it work as a swimsuit cover-up.
Over to you, readers. If you’ve moved sizes either way, what did you do with your old clothes? Keep ’em? Donate ’em? Throw ’em up on Poshmark or whatever other resale site? Drop it like it’s hot below, and let’s talk.
