What to wear while losing weight

[Sugarandsalt]

So I'm finally losing weight after having a baby (16 months ago!). I have around 3 stone to lose altogether and am down about 8lbs so far. Enough that my larger clothes are starting to get quite loose and obviously my smaller clothes won't fit at all. I'm pear shaped but have boobs (30f normally, 34f currently) and find it hard enough to find flattering clothes at my usual weight! I need a work uniform- working with public, on feet all day. Any advice on what to wear so I don't look horribly dishevelled and also don't need more clothes every 8 weeks?

I'm finally losing the baby weight - after 6 years! I also have 3 stone to lose and have lost the first stone. I've gone down one dress size but I still have clothes at a size larger. I have trousers with elasticated waists so they don't look too large so I'm going to replace tops first. I got new bras today and they fit better. Belts are good to accentuate your waist and keep trousers up!

My plan is to replace size 16 dresses when I get to the lower end of this dress size (14). Keep larger trousers with elasticated waists but have more fitted tops.

Right now I'm wearing 14 on top and a 16 on bottom generally, depending on the cut. I prefer dresses for work but am open to suggestions!

Quiet where did you get the trousers with the elasticated waists? Are the work worthy?!

congrats on the weight loss... a few suggestions:

if its not too casual for your work - lots of things with some stretch in them (jersey, knitwear, stretchy jeans) - buy snug & they won't stretch out too much

wrap dresses/tops, a-line skirts will still look ok as you lose weight - dresses (you can belt them)/skirts more accommodating to weight changes

a strict colour palette - eg black, white + 1 other neutrel + 1 accent colour will help mix and match - don't buy anything at all baggy/voluminous sleeves etc as they look too big very quickly, and don't buy too much for the first 20 pounds or so of weight loss

the good news - if its 3 stone there is some hope you might be able to get some of your clothes tailored down when you hit your goal- esp for the last 20 pounds or so (and you may find your weight loss is slower then so worth spending more then)

I found tops could last me a good stone, I mostly survived on TKMaxx, ebay and charity shops for those.

I mostly wear jeans so I just had 1 new pair on the go all the time, same shop, lower size each time (and a pair lined up to slim into tbh). I now have a little pile that I should really sell on e-bay. Sainsburys jeans are meant to be good too, and are cheap, I didn't find that out though until I'd lost about 2 1/2 stone!

If I am wearing trousers that are snug/fit then I tend to be more conscious and eat better. If I do buy new trousers I tend to buy them as tight as is comfortable to wear and then just wear a long top to hide bulges, then the get looser and I can wear them with shorter tops.

fitted tops great idea - can you get a jacket (jersey fabric/stretch) that is too tight to button right now also - will help when your tops get too big

and you may find it much cheaper to have trousers taken in to slim the leg than to replace - this, and taking in sides of tops etc is a cheaper alteration, anything to do with making shoulders/back smaller costs too much to be worthwhile for most clothes ... but I lost 3 stone a few years ago and was able to get quite a few of my good work clothes altered so may be worth checking?

Thanks all. I don't really have many good work clothes in my current size, couldn't get the enthusiasm to buy in a bigger size! Definitely no jeans for work I'm afraid. Normally wear dresses to work, but they are getting quite loose on my chest which is the first place I lose weight. I find if nothing fits it's very depressing and puts me off track (even when they are loose), not to mention looking unprofessional. As I'm in healthcare no jackets, sleeves below elbows etc so can't hide that way! So definitely going to get some stretchy trousers and fitted tops (with industrial strength Spanx to start with I suppose!). I have the fitted pencil skirt and jacket combo I wore to my final year viva 10 years ago hanging on my wardrobe door to motivate me (jigsaw size 10 from 2005, I absolutely loved it).

sugar I wear wide leg trousers with elastic waist band from M and S. I managed to get 2 pairs in a stiffer material so they held their shape well.

I also have my viva suit - size 12, 2002! One day....!

I lost five stone last year and went from over stretched 18's to fitted 12's and vanity 10's.

I found buying good quality second hand from recognisable brands off ebay auctions then selling on fixed price/ best offer ment my wardrobe actually made me money (thats allowing for fees and postage).

I feel that having nice clothes to put on and ready to fit into spured me on with the loss. The risk to me of things being a bit baggy is I feel a bit scruffier and then i'm more prone to comfort eat. I'm an emotional eater. If I feel I look good i stand a little taller and probably look a bit better. So may vicious circles.

Congratulations on your loss and good luck with your journey.

Thanks mis- well done on the 5 stone! I'm completely with you on the badly fitting clothes,

How much (on average) would it cost to alter trousers and tops - widths, and are you talking leg seams or waist as well?

I've lost nearly 2 stone this year and am just starting to buy new clothes as nothing really fits anymore and hoiking trousers up with a belt us uncomfortable and they look crap!

Tops I'm not do bothered about as I've alway worn baggy, but it would be nice not to have to just dispose of the trousers (or keep in the loft in case I put the weight back on).
None of them are very expensive though so I assumed it wouldn't be worth doing, eg £30-£40 suit type trousers from Next or similar, jeans in a similar or lower price range mainly M&S or M&Co.

For alterations, I was paying around £3 for a blouse, up to ten to get a suit taken in... but this was a local person who did dressmaking on the side. I think it's worth asking around to find someone like that and give a test piece.

Some alterations are incredibly easy - like taking in a side seam of tops/leg of trousers, adding darts and a dry cleaner can do (or practice yourself on a not special piece)... part of the consideration on cost is also can you find that piece new again (prints, loved dresses), do I have shoes etc that go with that but not other things so it would be a waste otherwise. .. and is it quicker for me to alter or to buy a replacement (trying on tons of stuff!)

I would wait a while for my weight to stabilise before cutting into expensive pieces though - and (controversial) hold on to anything decent unaltered in case of future fluctuations (or if I found a dressmaker at a later stage... I had a couple of summer bits adjusted by tailors in Asia when I went on holiday after losing the weight)

That's interesting, thanks.
I was trying on old clothes in the week and dp said it cost him £6-10 just to get suit trousers shortened at the dry cleaners so I just thought it wouldn't be worthwhile, given that none of my clothes are particularly expensive.
Maybe a couple of suits, but that will (hopefully) mean the jackets as well if I lose the last bit of weight which would be a lot more expensive than the trousers.

Tbh there is nothing special, I just hate the idea of waste!

I have lost 3.5 stone this year. I just bought the bare minimum to keep me going. Tops I mainly made do with. Bottoms I bought the wide leg elasticated trousers from marks mentioned above.

The only new things I bought were jeans from next.

A picked up a couple of bits from eBay.

Even now that I am almost at target weight I haven't gone daft. I have found that losing a lot of weight is taking time to get used to. I don't see myself smaller. I still feel big even though I am not.

Best of luck to you.