Keeping clothes that no longer fit

[500BusStops]

Morning all!

I have been hanging on to some clothes that no longer fit me. It's mainly around the waistband. My weight does fluctuate a little and in the past I've slimmed back into them. I also take ADs which I think have caused some weight gain.

However... I'm now 41 and wonder if I'm realistically going to get back into them. These are clothes I've had since my early 30s when I was a size 8, I'm more of a 12 on the bottom now with a thicker waist.

I don't want to get trapped into continually buying bigger and bigger clothes. But equally wondering should I just accept that I'm now in my 40s and no longer the same size? Has anyone been in this situation and got back into their smaller clothes?

I did... I lost just over 40llb and got 'back' in to clothes I'd held on to from my 20's & 30's.. but... found they didn't look and hang the same as they did back then! Decided I'd earned a new collection of clothes and they went to the charity shop anyway!

Wow @saffinmum that's amazing, well done!
Do you mind if I ask how you lost the weight?
I'm sure some of these clothes are probably quite dated now, but they're good quality and I've seen things go in and out of fashion so often...

Why not keep a few special things? Maybe one pair of jeans, one dress, one top? Charity the rest, it may take you a long tome to fit back into them, your body shape may have changed, not to mention your own style and current trends.

I wore a skirt yesterday which I bought in 2005 that hadn't fit me for at least 5 years.

@Heismyopendoor that's a good suggestion. I think I'll feel better if I'm not holding onto loads of stuff I can't wear

@KedsAndTubeSocks that's given me some hope!

This is cheering me up

Set them free. Let them get worn by someone else.
Maybe keep a couple of favourites to enjoy if you do lose weight.

Just send them to the charity shop. It's not realistic to hang on to old clothes , in case you fit into them one day. If you do lose the weight, do you really think you'll want to start wearing old clothes ? I'd want to go out and buy some nice new ones .

I've always had a yo-yo weight problem , and to be honest I find that having a wardrobe full of clothes which I can't wear, is just depressing. I much prefer to have only clothes which actually fit me and which look good on me . Too-small garments are just a reminder that I'm not that size any more - too sad !

A colleague of mine lost a lot of weight once and started wearing clothes she had last worn 15-20 years before. She looked odd. If I ever get down to my optimum weight I am buying new stuff not looking to wear old stuff. Unless there is something that has sentimental reasons, or is a true classic that has not dated, get rid of it. It is liberating. Unless you want to look like a throwback of course. You may like a 70s or 80s vibe a bit like those who are inspired by 50s fashion.

I lost 3st back in 2009. Bought clothes that I felt and looked amazing in.

Couldn't quite bring myself to get rid of all of it, as I always hoped one day I'd be able to fit into it again.

I've lost 11lb during lockdown, and reckon if I could manage another 7lb I'd be there.

Tried on dresses the other day that I've not worn in years as they were far too tight but now they fit! Albeit a little snug.

I think the style of the clothes would determine whether you keep them or not. Mine aren't overly trendy, more classic items that you can update with accessories.

I'm finding them a good incentive to keep going with the weight loss, and I'm looking forward to wearing my summer pieces in a couple of months time when we're (hopefully) allowed out to socialise.

Maybe as others have suggested, keep a few items and try them on occasionally. I've found it really helps to focus the mind. You CAN fit into them again!

Also starting to get back into old clothes after weight loss. I've taken all the clothes out of the loft and filled the spare room with them! Any that I don't like anymore are going - and any that don't fit me by July will go too. I think it's important to have a cut off date! My loft never looked clearer 😂

I've kept some clothes from 2009 onwards that are just a bit too small. Only clothes that are classic or fit current trends.
I'm planning on losing nearly 3 stone so should easily fit into them before I get too old to wear them!

Thanks all. I think I need to have a good look at what I have. Some items are quite classic, a couple of vintage items I'd be sad to lose, but not sure it all fits into those categories.

Hats off to the PP for the lockdown weight loss, I've been putting weight on through boredom eating and not exercising enough!

I held on to heaps of clothes that I hoped to lose weight to fit back into for years. Eventually I did, but they were so out of date and I had matured and my style had changed. They’re all gone now. I wish I had just donated them earlier, tbh. They
made me feel awful when I was large. (I lost more than half my body weight, so it wasn’t simply a few pounds..)

@500BusStops.. nothing very complicated... I calorie counted.. staying under 1200 calories a day.. after some initial weight loss I felt motivated to exercise more (but not much!)
I had a few weeks when I lost nothing.. when that happened I ate a few hundred more calories for a couple of days, then dropped back to 1200 and then the weight came off again.
Sounds really easy when you write it down but the self control was hard!

I have sometimes got rid of clothes became they are too small and regretted it, but I think a pp is right you change and what might have once suited you doesn't anymore. I now just have a few clothes and wear them!

Even if you lose weight the clothes might not fit or look the same aa they once did.

Id hang onto anyrhing special or that you really love.

Anything else can go to the charity shop, its nice if you lose weight to buy new clothes anyway!

Btw- vintage leather jackets, boots, jeans & band tees might be worth keeping. If not for you, but for your kids! My 15 year old DD is glaring at me for ditching a lot of clothes she has recently seen in photos during lockdown!

I don't think it's a given that being 41 means you will never have the body shape you did at 31. If you were talking about things you wore as a teen, that's a different matter, but there's no reason you couldn't be back in that shape of these clothes.

So perhaps put it another way, if these items were in your dress size now, would you want to wear them? Are they suitable for your lifestyle? Are they very dated looking? If realistically, you'd not wear them anyway, then charity shop them. If you would happily wear them again and they are good quality, then keep to see if you do lose the weight.

Don't keep anything you wouldn't buy now.

How much storage space do you have?

Having them sit in your wardrobe taking up space seems silly but if you can vacuum pack them and sling them well out of the way in a loft then that's different

BUT: they could also go to a new home with someone who will wear them regularly and appreciate them while raising money for a charity. That seems like an even better outcome than slinging them in the loft.

If you become a size 8 again, you can buy new things. But age and anti depressants does make it harder - guessing size 8 was at the low end of your healthy weight range and getting back down there will be harder as you get older and with anti depressants.

It depends. I have clothes from decades ago and am still roughly the same size and weight. I tried on a pair of shorts from the 1990s on and the waist was snug. I wore them snug on the waist then but wouldn't want to now.

If you love the item and are likely to wear it again, keep it, or if it is likely to be valuable, keep or sell it. Some items come back into fashion, but some don't.

I'm the same. I started a thread on AIBU as over the last 12-18 months i've gained. I used to be 10st and could fit into 28 waist jeans. I've been going through my wardrobe over the lockdown period and its motivated me to start to slim back into them. Never give up. You can do it OP!

@DisgruntledGuineaPig that's a good way of looking at it. Yes, I think I would like to wear these things again. I tend to keep clothes for a long time.

I have the storage space so can hang onto them. I just wondered if I was being wildly unrealistic! I've started running again and tracking what I eat (and drink ) on MFP so fingers crossed...

@500BusStops How long have you kept your clothes for?

I've still got all my clubbing clothes in the loft........I'm 44, it's time to let go isn't it 😞