I have a dilemma. It’s a good dilemma to have. I am now 35 pounds below pre-pregnancy weight. From the day I walked in the hospital doors to have my son nearly 9 months ago, I have lost a whopping 75 pounds! I am currently a weight I have not seen in 15 years!
And nothing fits.
Until about 10 pounds ago (remember my plateau?) everything still fit. In fact, I realized I had been STUFFING myself into clothes that didn’t really fit for a LONG time. Now I own a closet full of clothing that is entirely too big.
For most people the dilemma of Keep or Pitch when it comes to fat clothes is a no-brainer. Get rid of them, girl! You don’t ever want to end up back there! But, I don’t plan on ending up back there…unless I get pregnant again.
When I hit my lowest ever pre-pregnancy weight about 5 pounds ago, I told you I did not want to miss the blessings of another baby simply because I was blessed to have lost all this weight. So, there is a chance I will need some “in-between” clothes, if you will. And therein lies my dilemma.
Do you keep clothes that are too big for you in case you need them post-partum?
I’ve talked to my girlfriends, I’ve talked to my husband, and I’ve thought through this long and hard and here’s what I’ve come up with.
Pitch the stuff that is stretched out, ugly, and just doesn’t look that great on me. I have no idea how they get in my closet, but they never look right. I hang on to them because I didn’t have a lot of things that fit me well. Oh, and remember, I was stuffing myself into clothes that were too small for me, which explains why a lot of my clothes are now super-stretched out and hang on me like a tent. These are the things that automatically get pitched.
Pitch anything that is SUPER big. Yes, I *could* use these super-sized clothes during pregnancy, but WHY? I hate feeling frumpy while pregnant and that is exactly what oversized normal clothes do to me. If it was all I had, fine, but it’s not all I have. After 8 babies, I have a pretty good-sized stash of maternity clothes. No need to keep the super-sized stuff.
Pitch anything I don’t love. This is different from things that are ugly or don’t look good on me because I can have clothes that look nice on me, but shouldn’t be kept because they aren’t fabulous. The truth is, when you are post-pardum you are looking for ways to feel normal AND beautiful. I’m not going to keep something that is just “okay”. Which leads me to…
Keep what I love. Frankly, this isn’t a huge pile. There are some sweaters, the skirt shown above, and a few really nice clothes I use for speaking engagements. It was just too hard for me to get rid of these things because I really did like them. I’m packing them away in my maternity storage tubs. They will be there post-pardum if and when I need them. By then, I may have changed my mind about what I love, but at least for now I don’t feel bad about getting rid of clothes I really liked, even if they were my “fat clothes.”
By the way, my husband, who has lost 66 pounds, is pitching at will. Yes, even the Bourne sweater I loved so much. He is now the same weight he was when he graduated high school! He doesn’t plan on getting pregnant any time soon, so he is NOT keeping his fat clothes. (And yes, that is an Olympic Torch in his hands…and no, he was not in the Olympics, but after losing so much weight he might start thinking about it!)
Tamala says
Oh my, Amy! You look absolutely wonderful! I am so proud of you because I know that it wasn’t easy. You have truly inspired me. My seventh child is 7 months old and I have failed miserably in the weight loss department. I eventually lost some weight but gave up and when back to indulging again. I really need to lose a significant amount of weight for health reasons and also because I hate the way I look. It would be so nice to be high school skinny again! You’ve motivated me to start today. You both look great! God bless you and your family!
Amy says
You can do this! I have to really keep my focus on the Lord and not on me. *I* want to indulge all the time! Everything is a “special occasion!” I am slowly learning that food does not have to rule me.
tamela says
Very encouraging post Amy, congratulations to you and your husband, I think your thoughts on the super-sized clothes would be the avenue I would take… Have fun….
Michele P says
Love this post Amy! I do think that sometimes hanging onto big clothes gives an excuse to gain weight- a safety net kind of! You have done a great job. Way to go to you both!
Sara @ Not Your Mainstream Mama says
Congratulations on your weight loss!! I wish I had your dilemma.
If you’re packing it away, put it somewhere you’ll forget about them. Don’t give yourself the opportunity to use them. Now that you know you can do it, it will probably be easier for you to get back down postpartum though.
kimberly says
Good for you! I am currently in the what I like to call my 4th trimester. So, my fat clothes are actually all that fit. I’m so glad that I kept my favorites after my 3rd daughter was born. …but I ditched the ugly ones and I don’t regret it one bit! Ha!
rebecca says
WOW! You both look amazing! I am currently pregnant (#4) , so not really worrying about weight loss (yet). However, might I ask about your husband’s weight loss? My husband has a very similar build to yours and is looking to lose weight. He works a very labor intensive job, so he is super strong, but he loves food too, and therein lies the problem. 🙂 What has your husband done, specifically, do lose so much weight?
Amy says
Ty loved food too! He was a football player and had an appetite to match. It was sort of a joke that soon became not that funny. He had a friend gently suggest MyFitnessPal app for his phone. Ty was a little taken aback because I think he hadn’t quite realized how much weight he had gained, but he knew he wanted to drop some. That was December of last year. He feels so blessed to have been able to lose so much. So, really that’s all he’s done…tracked everything he eats and drinks and tries to stay within the caloric limit MFP set for him. 🙂
Lori Duncan says
I am right there with you Amy! After losing 67 pounds and hitting my goal weight after baby number 7 – I am now pregnant again.
Funny story though while losing weight I would have to keep buying smaller clothes and then I would give away the jeans that were too large. Well, when a size 12 was too big and I needed a 10 I kept thinking I should hang on to the 12s in case we get pregnant. But God kept telling me to give them to a lady at church who wore a 12. I kept delaying and God kept prompting. I finally gave them to her and she was so thankful, said she only had 2 paird of jeans that fit.
Then I ended up getting down to a size 6 before getting pregnant again. I don’t think I would have worn the 12s anyway. After your belly starts to grow (very quickly when you have been pregnant so many times, 11 pregnancies – 7 babies – 3 miscarriages) button up pants are not very comfy to me anyway.
Now here is something to think about, if you lost that much weight, you won’t be able to fit into your old maternity clothes also! My maternity clothes that I wore for years and years were all size Large or XL and now I need a small or medium.
Good problem to have though!
Teresa says
I am 18 weeks along with #4. After baby #3, the weight fell off me. I had to cut dairy as he is allergic, and I took a lot of processed foods out of our diet. For several months before I got pregnant, I was the smallest I had ever been in my whole life. This was such a blessing. With my first 2 kids, I didn’t lose anything until they weaned!
When baby was 6 months old, I was so proud when I bought size 8 jeans. I ended up in size 4 for the summer. I could hardly believe it. Those size 8’s are the ones I have been wearing for the last month or so, but now they are not so comfy.
I did have to buy new maternity clothes! I needed small pants and medium tops not the mediums and larges that fit before. I think some of those may fit at the end, but now I am glad to have the right size clothes.
This post has motivated me to go through my clothes. I keep thinking about it, but I really do need to pitch the super big things and keep just the things that will likely fit post-partum. I think the criteria you are using is wise. I have about a 30 pound range of clothes- I bet you have a lot to get rid of!
Amy says
Oh wow, Lori! I missed that announcement! Congratulations! And I hadn’t even thought about how big my maternity clothes might be! The last time I was this weight in pregnancy, my clothes were much smaller and I borrowed all of them from a friend! EEK! Guess I’ll cross that bridge when I get there…if I get there. 😉
Elizabeth says
Congrats! You and your husband both look fantabulous!!
Can you share more about what the two of you actually eat day in and day out??
Coby says
Wow! 75 pounds! You go girl! I have kept some of my larger clothes in the event that we are blessed with another baby and I “get to” lose weight again :-). HOWEVER – I only kept things that I actually liked and would wear. I figured I only wanted clothes that made me feel good about myself – at any size!
You and your husband look fantastic!!!
Amy says
Thanks, Coby! And yes, that is exactly what I am thinking about keeping the clothes. 🙂
sarah says
PITCH! I have lost nearly 90lbs and I am pitching everything..when I say pitch, I mean sell on ebay for new clothes! I kept 3 shirts that are brand new, XL size for maternity wear. I have gone thru 3 wardrobes..and been able to sell the old stuff.
Mrs. B says
Great post! I’m 2 1/2 months postpartum and have lost a good chunk of weight but am not yet a size 6 my goal. My husband, however, has been his ideal weight all hs life and always looks HOT when he puts on a coat and tie (and he wear this often to the office) which explains why I’ve been pregnant for 3 years straight! If your husbands dresses that nicely regularly, as in the above picture, I think you better save your “motherly” clothing! 😉 Have a great weekend, friend!
Amy says
Yep, that’s his typical work wear. I even picked out that outfit! hee hee
Rachel says
I think you struck a good balance. It can be hard to accept gaining weight back with a pregnancy when you’ve worked so hard, but it’s important for us to keep an eternal perspective!
Leah says
You both look amazing! But I was wondering what a Bourne sweater looked like?!
Is that in another post somewhere?
Stacy @Stacy Makes Cents says
I hung on to mine for about 6 years…I finally got rid of them last week. I only donated the ones that were 3 sizes too big, because I don’t plan on going back there. But, it hurt to get rid of them. They were my security blanket, ya know? 🙂
Amy says
Yes, I do know! It’s strange how attached I was not only to my clothes, but to Ty’s! Weirdness.
amy d says
I never thought you looked that big, but the pic of you with your skirt is incredible!! We just love you and your husband to death and you both look AMAZING!!!
Like I said before, if you keep posting on things I am wondering about the day before, what will I call you about? 🙂
Beth M. says
Other than things you love and would love to wear again when/if you’re blessed again, chuck/give away/consign everything else. Trust that God will provide when you have a need in the future, just as he is providing in your need for smaller (Hallelujah!) clothes. I have a couple items that I just loved when I weighed 210, but that will never fit again. I’m going to take them down to the consignment store this weekend. (I, too, wanted to let God decide how many children we had, but He said “Two, because more could kill you” – so we had to rethink the dozen we laughingly hoped for when we got married.)
Love you! Be good to you! And check out how wonderful you can look in the other items you see in the consignment store, Goodwill and Salvation Army. Congratulations to both of you for achieving this delightful new (old!) size. 😀
Sheila says
Pitch!! You wanna keep it off so you don’t want them laying around for you to get big again!!
kimberly says
AMAZING- You look great
Amy says
Pitch the clothes. Maybe keep the ones you love in case of pregnancy. But honestly big clothes and maternity clothes really don’t fit the same way. Congratulations on your weight loss. You’re looking great. I’ve lost 40 pounds over the last year and a half. I’m hoping to lose another 30 pounds or so. My husband has been losing too. He’s lost over 25 since this July. (Why is it so much easier for guys to lose?) We’re getting rid of the clothes.
Amy says
I have wondered if the old clothes would fit differently. Congrats to you and your husband!
Katena says
I have lost 220 lbs after six babies and definately will not be having anymore. I had an emergency hystercomy last summer. So I say definately pitch them you look awesome.
Amy says
Wow, Katena! That is wonderful!
KJ says
I agree with your conclusions. That’s what I’d do. 🙂
elma says
Congrats on such a accomplishment!! After eight babies and the last two C-sections I have gained so much weight!! So can you share what you eat and how you did this??
Amy says
https://raisingarrows.net/fit-mom-of-many/ 🙂
Stacy says
Wow, Amy, that is awesome! I admire your dedication and you look fabulous!
Laura Lane of Harvest Lane Cottage says
You look great, how are you losing the weight?
Laura
Harvest Lane Cottage
Amy says
I’m doing a modified Trim Healthy Mama. I eat that way for breakfast and lunch (trying to do more snacks that way too) and then eat a dinner meal with my family that is moderate.
Laura Lane of Harvest Lane Cottage says
I’ve been doing THM since the beginning of September. I’m losing, about 15 lbs so far. I wondered if that’s what you’re doing, too.
Blessings,
Laura
Harvest Lane Cottage
Dawn says
Amy,
When you say a moderate supper meal, are you eating all regular foods and just less of them? So basically crossovers?
Amy says
Yes, basically crossovers. 🙂
Dawn says
Thank you!
I’m having so much trouble feeding my family THM foods for supper. We live in the deep South, so there are things my family loves that I have stopped making. My hubby isn’t happy about it either.
You have encouraged me to do the best I can, but put my husband’s wishes first.
Amy says
Tell your husband Amy says, “you’re welcome.” 😉
May says
I’m so impressed that you have both lost so much weight! And it seems you’ve done it in a way that will be sustainable for life – well done! I’ve lost weight too, not as much as you, but enough that my clothes don’t fit as well as I’d like. You’re so right, there’s no point hanging onto things you don’t love. You’ve inspired me to have a clearout!
Amy says
Congratulations!
Mrs.Bigstone says
Wow Amy that is amazing! How did u lose all the weight? Im type 2 diabetic. My doc is convinced i can reverse is if i lose 60-80 lbs. however….how is the question.. Ive switched all my white products to brown and omitted the “junk” food..the pop etc.. But still no drastic results.. So i began to work out 4x a week and all i got was burnt out 🙁 i did is for 3 months and became very discouraged.. So please share your story 🙂
Amy says
Hello! You can see all of my posts on the subject here: https://raisingarrows.net/fit-mom-of-many/ 🙂
Danielle b says
Yeah Amy!!! Congrats! I dropped 35lbs, I was exercising 4 days a week (which I LOVEDDDD), then I had a problem with my shoulder and neck and exercise was out for a while (8 weeks). While I was exercising I was eating more to fuel my body. Then I had to stop exercise, and I was still eating like I did when I exercised. So, I gained 20 ish lbs back :-(. I threw away/gave away 99% of my wardrobe. Saying I will never gain it back.
Discouraged but hopeful I will go back to where I was 6 months ago.
Amy says
You can do it, Danielle! I dropped most of this weight without exercising. It is totally doable.
Kate says
It’s post-partum not pardum. Thought you’d want to know and edit. You look great!
Amy says
Thanks, Kate! I always mess that one up!