Buying clothes when losing weight - do you?

[Gentleness]

Ok - I have to lose weight and am very motivated as I want another baby and to be healthy ready for ttc. Also I'm fed up with feeling lardy and lethargic and embarrassed and shabby. But (this is an exercise in connectives clearly) I haven't had loads of success with diets in the past, lost confidence quickly, comfort eat when depressed by failure and you know the way it goes... But another baby is a pretty real and important goal so I'm trying to be positive. I would like to lose 6 stone ultimately, but the most important thing is the first 2 as I think they'll set me into a healthier lifestyle and make exercise less daunting.

So what to do about my wardrobe in the meantime? I have so few clothes that fit and look good. Those that do are now quite old, somewhat shabby and mostly for warmer weather. Oh - and I'm breastfeeding a 6mo old so they're all pulled around and stretched and hardly inspire self-confidence.

Money is not available for splashing around, but I could justify a few clever buys if I could believe they wouldn't be redundant in 2-3 months. And that they would make me feel human again... I so hate clothes shopping...

What do you do? What is sensible? What looks good at size 20 (or even 22 for some trousers) and only 5'4"? I am so seriously in a bad position here...

Do nothing yet then see how the weight loss goes. Then buy some black or other dark clothes you could create a few outfits from. I rushed out and brought loads half way through my diet. Within a month they were hanging of me. So waited a bit brought more and guess what they are now to big . I know it's hard when you don't have much to wear but try and hang on.

The only bottoms I have that fit me are a couple of pairs of plain black trackie bottoms and one skirt with an elasticated waist. I wear the trackie bottoms most of the time and wear the skirt if I'm going out for a meal or whatever. I find you can get away with a much bigger range of body size with a skirt than you can with trousers because you can start off wearing it quite high and as you lose weight it just sits lower - you just need to get a new one when it's in danger of actually falling off. I lost about five inches from my waist before I had to to stop wearing my last skirt.

Have you thought about trying charity shops or car boots? I recently lost a considerable amount of weight and money was tight so got 2nd hand stuff until I reached my target weight. You can pick up some lovely stuff for next to nothing.

Thanks for the advice - I think I just have to suck it up and take plenty of pics for a private never-get-like-this-again album. Here's me looking fat and shabby. That should be motivation enough!

I think I should try to persuade myself into the charity shop option too though so I don't feel like shutting myself in the house - it's just that awful sinking feeling I get whenever I walk into a clothes shop that I have to battle...

I lost 4 stone earlier in the year, and even though money isn't tight I didn't buy stuff. I felt better about how I looked even in my old clothes. But I started off as a size 16 and I did have some size 12 stuff, so it was only a few months before I could get into smaller clothes.

I agree re: skirt, esp A-line which drop down, and also there is quite a lot of flexibility on t-shirt type tops. Also shopping is much more fun when you are slim.

Primark and charity shops. Save up though for when you do start to drop a few dress sizes so you can reward yourself with something nice.

And as you drop through the sizes throw away the things that are too big for you wont need them again will you!

gentleness I was 5 stones overweight, 5' 3'', size 18-20, so I understand how it feels to need to lose a large amount of weight.
I think self esteem is very important when losing weight. When I started my 'diet' I bought 2 sundresses from Asda, cost £9 each. They were pretty and comfortable, they made me feel pretty every time I wore them, even though I was still big. I also made a point of doing my hair and make up every time I went out. Now I am a couple of sizes smaller I have bought some new leggings and a couple of pairs of trousers, again they were cheap, but it is a massive morale booster to buy clothes in a smaller size. Yes, they won't fit me for much longer and I will have to recycle them. Come the summer I will have to buy a complete new wardrobe, again I will do it as cheaply as I can.
Tbh, you sound very down on yourself, just because you are big at the moment doesn't mean you don't deserve to have some nice clothes, or pamper yourself a little!