Conference rocks::weight_control

    Ann,
    
    I've always given my clothes away.  I have 5 sisters of various
    sizes and 2 sister-in-laws, so it's not hard for me to give clothes
    away.  I have occasionally run across something from my size 16
    or 18 days and think to my self, "did I really use to be that big!"
    I'm a size 11/12 now and would love to be an 8 (if I don't look
    too thin).  I think I've hit my plateau at my current weight.  I've
    tried several different things, but I'm stuck.  So, I've been
    exercising the past 2 nights.  Maybe if I keep it up, that size
    10 and then the 8 will be mine!!  Back to original topic, I don't
    think it would hurt to keep an outfit or two to try on every now
    and then to see how "you use to be!"  Keep up the good work!!
    
    Virginia

    I've heard that you should give away/throw away/etc all clothes
     except one outfit.  Keep it tucked away in the back of your closet
    and when/if you ever start slipping back into the yo-yo syndrome,
    take out the outfit and ask yourself if you REALLY want to wear
    clothes that size again.

    Basically I have the same feelings on this as Kristy expressed in
    the second reply.  
    
    Your WW Instructor made her suggestion so that the need to buy new
    and larger clothes could act as a brake in any regression.  This
    is a good idea.  Knowing now that if I started putting the weight
    back on, I would need another new wardrobe helps.
    
    However, I do have one old set of pants and a sweater from the past.
    They won't provide a stepping wardrobe on the way back because they
    are so big.  The pants have a 58" waist, I currently wear a 38,
    while the sweater is a 4XLarge compared to my current Large.  Obviously
    I couldn't wear them even if I gained twenty pounds.
    
    I did keep them for the reasons mentioned.  They also are good for
    a laugh occaisionally; especially when I meet someone who did't
    know me two hundred pounds ago.
    
    My suggestion is to keep one outfit.  Make it one that is somewhat
    worn or out of date so that you won't like it.  This will be even
    more in reinforcing how 'bad' you were.  As for other outfits,
    AS SOON AS THEY ARE TOO BIG TO WEAR, get rid of them.
                       
    -Joe

    Just my opinion.....but, I'd say CHUCK 'EM.
    Give them away to the Salvation Army. You can
    claim it on your income tax that way...maybe
    save you a couplabucks. The less clothes
    around to be able to fit into (larger), the
    less likely your apt to go back to the old ways.
    
    pat
    

Last time I lost weight, I gave away all my large clothes.  It didn't help me
one bit when it came to keeping the weight off!

But, there is no reason to save the very large sizes when you outgrow them,
either, and keeping them around is bad because it implies that you might
need them again.  I gave away my very-large clothes this time, too.  I did
save the nicer clothes (none of these were VERY nice) that are just a little
too big on me now for a different reason.  I'm planning on having children in
the "near" future, and I will need some pre- and post- maternity clothes.

If, however, I find myself looking at those clothes as anything other than
the intended purpose, out they go!

Jill

    I have a lot of money invested into my clothes.  After losing 120lbs
    I had to give most of my sports clothes away, all my good dresses
    and suits I have had altered.  Some had to be altered two and three
    times, but after the money I paid for them to begin with it was
    not that much of an investment.  I do not think having the same
    clothes has one thing to do with keeping the weight off, or continuing
    to lose the rest.
    Eileen
    

    
    Eileen, I think the point of the previous replies was that it's a bad
    idea to keep much-too-big clothes around because you might need them
    again.  If something was expensive enough (or is just a favorite item),
    getting it altered is a very good idea.  In essence, though, you've
    gotten rid of the big and obtained new, smaller stuff.  You've
    even got more incentive to keep the weight off - letting things out
    is much harder than taking them in!
    
    Most of my clothes fit over a wide range of sizes, so even though
    I've lost 20 lbs so far, there aren't many things that are too big
    yet.  A lot that had gotten too small are starting to fit again,
    though!  :-)
    
    Bev
    

    I agree with other respondents who say "Get Rid Of Them"!
    
    I've given away all my largest clothes, except for one pair of pants
    that I want to put on for my WW group when I receive my key [whenever
    that may be!].  I made friends with a woman in my WW group who was
    losing at the same rate I was, but happened to be one size larger
    than me.  She was delighted to get them, as she didn't want to spend
    a lot on "interim" clothes while she was still losing.
    
    Lynn
    
    P.S. - Congratulations on losing so much weight that you now have
           this problem!

    I just got rid of lot of old skirts that didn't fit me anymore after
    losing 18 pounds and I find that although I have a lot of smaller
    clothes left from before, I still need more clothes.  This can be
    very expensive especially since I plan on losing 10 more pounds.
    
    

    I agree with the "get rid of 'em" folks ... I have lost 30 lbs
    since June, and all the way down I couldn't bear wearing anything
    once it got just a little too big (made me feel fat wearing loose
    clothes), so I kept going out and buying new ones (mostly pants).
    Now I am stuck with a pile of pants from Size 16 to Size 10
    that I paid an average of $30/pair for, and I wore most of them
    probably 2 or 3 times.  Anyone know of a good consignment shop
    in the Chelmsford area??  I would give them to charity IF I knew
    they were really going to be used and were not just going to lie
    on the ground outside of some Salvation Army dumpster, as I've
    seen so many times -- most charities seem to have more clothes
    than they can use.
    
    I also have a few skirts, blouses and sweaters.
    
    BTW--now that I'm thinking of it, I also have a beautiful designer
    suit which I bought at my heaviest weight for job interviews.  It
    's royal blue, very simple lines, long-ish jacket (to cover those
    hips, right?!), basic skirt--I paid about $250 for it and wore it
    exactly twice.  I would have it altered, but I wear more jeans to
    work now than anything (the luxury of being an engineer!!), so it's
    not really worth it to me.  It's a size 14 (my weight was 165 when
    I wore it, and I'm 5'5"--that's probably more helpful than the
    actual size, since clothing sizes are so subjective).  Would
    anyone of you folks out there who have to wear nice clothes to
    work be interested in it?  I'd be willing to let it go for a LOT
    less than I paid for it!!  
    
    Thanks--
    
    Laurie