[touchingthestars]

I've reached the stage in my recovery where I've gained so much weight I can't wear my clothing anymore. Its all too small on me. And my family is not supportive of my recovery so there is no way I can just get rid of all my clothing and start at scratch with my wardrobe and I hate being so much huger than before!

Has anyone else had this problem before? What did you do?

[ShaggyChic_1201]

Oh TTS,
I feel your pain and can relate. Tho it has been 25 yrs since I went thru that exact same experience, I remember it well.

First, congrats for reaching out to the PC community instead of pushing away your plate. I know others who have gotten scared at this point in recovery and given up. Sadly, many become chronic ana patients who hover near the starvation point and never get to enjoy life.

Next, thrift stores and scissors will be your new best friends for a while. Depending on your age and stage in life, you may be able to stick to clothes that run S, M, L, which is more forgiving than a number. Next, be sure to look for high end designer clothes. But not to be cool - it's becuz they run bigger than juniors' duds. Trophy wives don't like to be reminded of their size either. This way you are more likely to assure yourself of being on the smaller end of the size spectrum. Ideally you'd have a friend pick out clothes he/she thought you'd like, hand you the clothes and have you try them on without looking at the tag. But I prefer to shop alone, so I grab a bunch of potentials and head to dressing room.

These next tips are very important. Only try on a top or bottom at a time. Keep wearing one thing that you feel okay in. Close your eyes while getting dressed. If something feels wrong, tell yourself the clothes were defective (it's a second hand shop, happens all the time) and take it off. Throw it in the corner and stomp on it if you want. The clothes are defective, not you! If it feels all right on your body, you can open your eyes. Continue til you've tried on enough to have some new clothes. Then total up costs, decide what you can afford and buy them.

At home, stand by the washing machine with your scissors and a covered wastepaper basket. Pick up each article, cut out the tag, throw the tag into the trash and the clothes into the wash. All sizes become your preferred size once they have been laundered Besides, no one will be able to disprove you.

Tagless clothes aren't popular at resale shops, so when you tire of them, pay it forward to a shelter.

Hope this helps. Keep up the recovery work. It's totally worth it. You have a whole future to gain.

Shaggy

[touchingthestars]

Thank you- that was really encouraging. I sort of starved myself yesterday afternoon cuz I was scared.... Still am scared. Encouragment that I'm doing the right thing helps. Thank you

[breakmystride]

I'm in the exact same position.

I don't have the money to go out and buy a completely new wardrobe, so unfortunately I've had to settle for wearing clothing that are too small for me. But I guess it helps to gradually replace articles of clothing over a period of time, because I never felt like I went from size x to y overnight, it was just a gradual realization that I wasn't the size I used to be.

[kim_johnson]

Some clothes are more forgiving of fluctuations / changes than others.

Tights are great because they expand. Spandex-y stuff. Typically come in small or medium or large so you probably won't need to upgrade anytime soon

Flowing stuff without waistbands... dresses / long t-shirts to wear over the top... Sweaters. T-shirts etc.

Anything... Stiff and tailored is much more sensitive to sizing fluctuations.

I'm a fan of gym gear because I find it comfortable. Am a student... So can get away with hoodies for cooler months. Jeans are a bit tricky... I've never found much of a way around needing a few different pairs just in order to deal with monthly fluctuations, never mind anything else.

I avoid skinny jeans and go for a looser cut. But I get that teenagers have a bit more social pressure on them to wear stuff that helps them feel like they fit in. Do you have friends who can shop with you / maybe exchange some clothes etc?

[neverwantedanything]

Oh man, I remember going through this part of recovery. It was horrible. :/ I bought new clothes, cut all the tags out so I wouldn't have constant reminders of not being skinny anymore, and got rid of my old clothes ASAP because they were just too depressing.

[pinkflower17]

I agree with all of the above posts. I've been there many times myself as I've recovered, relapsed, then weight restored again. I think the most important part for me was to get rid of my "sick" or too small clothes ASAP. Otherwise, I'd spend half my time trying to fit into them again.
I definitely agree with whoever suggested thrift stores. You'd be surprised what you can find if you take the time to look. Go to a Goodwill or whatever in an affluent part of town, the brands tend to be higher end there and the cost is still the same. I found two Prada purses that somebody just donated at the Goodwill near me and many name brand jeans - Miss me, true religion etc.
Good luck. I think this is one of the hardest part of getting healthy, you've given up or are giving up the unhealthy behaviors, now it's like declaring to the world I'm not sick anymore, even though you may still have a long way to go.

[pinkflower17]

Oh, I also wanted to add; one thing that helped me was making a list of everything I'd gained (and not just weight) since moving towards recovery (better health, more energy, better relationships etc) and posting it in a place I'd see often. I kind of helped put things in perspective when all I could think about was the number on the scale or how certain clothes didn't fit anymore.

[touchingthestars]

Thanks for the replies. I'm still living at home and I also get severe anxiety about being assertive with my mom- its really scary for me to go get clothing without her and to say what I like etc. So shopping is doubly hard. Its not just cuz of the sizes and mirrors everywhere

[Stronger]

I'm so sorry. I feel you.
Clothes shopping is still one of my worst triggers.
But it will slowly get better. Maybe try to think of the increasing numbers and scoring success points. Do you have a good friend who could maybe help?

[iancurtis]

Have you tried ordering online instead of going to the store in person?

[touchingthestars]

Thanks for the suggestion. Not really sure what you meant though