There is a point in your journey of weight loss where you will find yourself between two different sizes. It tends to affect your wardrobe, and it can be a big problem for all the wrong reasons.
Your wardrobe is full of clothes that are the applicable size for you, pre-weight loss. They’re too big now, to the point they are almost comedic. They fall down, they’re too loose, and they billow around you when you move. They’re not suitable for anything but the most casual of wear, but…
… there are also the clothes of a future you, further along the path to your weight loss goals. You know that you’re going to want to lose more weight; you’re still a while away from the goal weight you see yourself wanting to maintain.
You then find yourself in an impossible situation. The clothes of your past are now too big, but the clothes you hope to wear in the future are still too small. There’s no point spending a huge amount of money revamping your wardrobe for a size you are already planning to drop from, especially when you have proven you can stick to a weight loss regime.
Managing this transitional period isn’t easy. You will probably need to buy some new clothes, but you’ll also need to figure out a few hacks to stop the need to spend a fortune on a whole new set of clothes that will soon become too big. If you’re in need of some ideas as to how to manage this awkward phase, then look no further than this list.
#1 – Learn To Make Adjustments
A lot of the time, clothes that are too big can be made to at least look decent with a few alterations. If you’ve not got much experience with sewing, it might be worth investing in a cheap machine and learning how to use it thanks to a few helpful YouTube videos.
While it’s not going to give you an entire new wardrobe of perfectly fitting clothes, such a measure is going to be less expensive than replacing your wardrobe now and then again in the future. You should be able to learn to take in waistbands and tighten shirts, giving you something to wear until you’re closer to your goal weight.
#2 – Invest In A Few Staples
Inevitably, you are going to have to buy a few new items of clothing, especially if you have lost a large amount of weight. Where possible, make these relatively cheap and affordable; you can hunt for discount codes, save on Ruby Rd women’s apparel, and even go thrifting to pick up a few pieces.
What you should be looking for are items that aren’t designed to be close-fitting, so they will still look acceptable when you continue to lose weight. Think baggy jumpers, dresses made from material with some stretch to it, and loose shirts that you can wear over a closer-fitting tee. If you stay away from tailored, close-to-body items, then you should be able to still get some use out of them when you have lost even more weight.
#3 – Use Accessories
Various fashion accessories can hide a multitude of sins from clothes that are too big. Belts are going to become your best friends, able to cinch clothing in and create a waist where there didn’t use to be one. You can also use scarves to the same effect, with the additional benefit of not needing to buy smaller versions to do it.
You’ll also find that if the rest of your outfit – as in your accessories – looks well put together, people will be more forgiving of the rest of your clothes being a little bit loose. Think brooches, long necklaces, and bracelets beneath a rolled-up sleeve. This can be the difference between ‘I just threw this on’ and ‘I thought long and hard about this outfit’. Of course, if you choose to buy new accessories then there’s no harm – they will still fit even when you approach your goal weight!
The transitional stage when you are losing weight is a mixed bag. On one hand, you’re lucky because whatever you’re doing is working, and you’re going to see even bigger losses in the future. On the other, making do with your old clothes can feel like a battle in and of itself. If you take advantage of the ideas above, you stand a better chance of being able to navigate through this complex time – and look forward to the stage that comes next!
