How brutal would you be in these circumstances when having a clothes clear out?

[nipersvest]

Am 51, lost a stone during lockdown, have embraced exercise so am a lot trimmer than I used to be, was a size 12, and am now a size 8. Apologies if that sounds braggy, that's not what this is aimed at, it was really hard work to loose a stone, didn't happen quickly or by accident.

Anyway, the point is, I now have a lot of clothes that are too big. Gut instinct is to keep, menopause and medication makes things unpredictable, but am also tempted to be very brutal, and ditch, it's a dilemma.

How brutal would you be?, keep and store or charity/sell?

Ditch!! Else you're giving yourself the option of getting bigger again.

And very well done by the way!!

Really really really brutal.

Well done and be brutal! I will do the same.

Well done, I need to do this. Personally I'd get rid of the bigger clothes. I love a good clear out, find it very therapeutic

I would keep a very select capsule amount of the very good quality clothing, that way you won't regret getting rid if you do go up in size.

Not only that some clothes look good in a bigger size even if you go up to a 10. With a belt or something else

Brutal - bin the rags, donate the bulk, gift anything friends love to them, sell the lovelies.

I would be brutal and get rid of them.

If there's anything you'd feel sad about never wearing again, keep it.

Or consider getting it in a smaller size.

Otherwise, get rid.

I would keep the decent size 10 items and ditch all of the size 12s, unless any of them is a good coat I could get allllllll the layers underneath in cold weather, then I would keep.

Thank you to all who have commented! Have to say, I thought the response may be mainly to keep but am rather influenced by the overwhelming 'ditch'

Need to get DH to do the same, he lost 6 stone during lockdown!! Took him 18 months to loose that.

There was a huge amount of salad consumed in our house during lockdown

If you can easily replace something with something of a similar quality, then ditch it. However, if it’s of very good quality and still looks pristine I’d hang on to it. I’m finding it more and more difficult to replace my very ancient, but still in fabulous condition items so I wouldn’t ditch them if only because they are just a couple of sizes to big.

Anything of really good quality I would keep. As Beetle76 says it’s very difficult to get the same quality in the shops these days.
Some things like coats look fine if bigger, skimpy looks cheap. Things in lighter material, dresses, blouses are easily altered to make smaller.
We’re always being encouraged to recycle to “ save the planet”

Tell us how you lost the weight! I need to be inspired!

Ditch it! I bought a whole new wardrobe when my second and last child was one because i still only fit in pregnancy clothes. When i stopped breastfeeding and was back to my “normal” life, i lost 2.5 stone. I kept all my bigger clothes just in case. I donated it all just a couple weeks ago. DC is 6 now.

I kept one smart outfit in the larger size - suitable for interview or funeral. That way if things slipped a bit I'd have something suitable that I'd resent buying up size and resent enough having to wear 'old me' clothes I'd get back on my A game. It's in a box somewhere. Everything else went.

I’ve lost and gained a couple of times and very glad I kept them.

@weddingwonder

Tell us how you lost the weight! I need to be inspired!

DH started it, no fad diets or anything, just daily calorie deficit plus exercise. It's slow and it's hard, there have been plenty of tears and tantrums during the periods where things stalled. He lost 7 stone, but has put a stone back on since Christmas, we suspect some of that weight gain is actually muscle though as he's upped his exercise now he's slimmer.

I joined him, took me 4 months to loose a stone, felt hungrey almost every day, craved sugar like mad, so hard but am glad I did it. As a menopausal female I had started to go barrel shaped round the middle.

Exercise wise, we bought a rowing machine off Ebay, I do a mix of that, squats and my big secret is a weighted hula hoop! I love it, aim to do 12 mins each day (6 mins in each direction), it's fab for the core and toning the waist. Disco music on, I do it in the kitchen while cooking tea!

Going against the grain, I’d be hesitant to bin the lot. I’ve gone the opposite way in lockdown, unfortunately, due to menopausal changes in metabolism coinciding catastrophically with less exercise and a massive upswing in crisp and wine intake.

I now have a wardrobe full of size 8-10 stuff I can’t get anywhere near and bloody nothing to wear! I keep kidding myself I’ll be getting back to my previous shape and tone, but more recently I’m starting to wonder if I’ve just got to bite the bullet and invest in some bigger clothes.

If you’ve got stuff you felt good in at a larger size, don’t rush to bin it. Keeping it doesn’t mean you’re psychologically planning to ‘fail’, it just means if you have a bit of a blip you won’t be trying to squeeze yourself into trousers that make you look and feel like a bratwurst.

I’d keep any size 10’s and ditch the 12’s.

It depends.

Are the clothes good quality and in good condition? If not, there's no point in hanging on to them.

Do you follow fashion? Are they your basic style or something you're likely to go off in time anyway? If I knew I'd go off them in a year or two anyway then I'd get rid now. Same if you're already feeling tired of them now and craving something new.

What's your financial circumstances? If there was a chance I'd end up in a situation of needing them and not being able to afford to replace them, then I'd keep them in storage just in case.

Do any of them work as oversized clothes? Or will work with a dart here and there (if you have sewing skills)? If so then I'd keep them. This is of greater importance if you can't afford to buy a while new wardrobe right now.

How long has it been off?

Hungry every day can’t last forever I’m afraid.

I

My dad was slim all of his life, never a paunch. We were talking once and he shrugged and said "You just have to get used to being a bit hungry all the time."

As I work on my menopausal weight, I see what he meant.

I like the idea of your weighted hula hoop, especially as I dislike core exercises @nipersvest
Adult ballet has helped me with core the most with the balancing and being 'pulled in/up'

Forgot to add; agree with the pp and perhaps keep any useful coats, as you can often get away with them being larger.

@Dindundundundeeer

How long has it been off?

Hungry every day can’t last forever I’m afraid.

I

I stopped dieting a year ago, so far it's stayed off, not hungry every day anymore!