Buying clothes after weight loss surgery is like shopping for a two-year-old toddler – but the opposite. You’re going to shed clothing faster than a snake sheds its skin. Bariatric clothing is a short-lived experience when you’re rapidly slimming down.
In time, most of your clothes will need to be replaced. But not so fast.
Remember, you just completed a life-altering surgery that will drastically affect your body, mainly get skinny. The clothes you get now won’t be around for the long run. Be smart with your purchases and look for adaptive clothing that can be easy to wear, comfortable, and adjustable.
Avoid splurging too soon
It’s tempting to buy an outfit that is perfect for you. Impulses are your enemy, and it’s best to wait and let your body stabilize. You’re going to lose roughly around 2-5 lbs per week. This will quickly increase within the first six months since your excess weight loss will decrease between 40 and 50 percent. Those jeans you just bought a month ago will not fit without a good belt.
Re-shop your closet and reinvent your wardrobe
An excellent way to save some money is by first re-exploring your closet. Chances are you may already have some smaller fitting clothes stashed away somewhere. Nothing better than seeing progress with your own clothes.
Stick with the bare essentials
Think of it this way – all the clothes you buy within the first year post-op, be prepared to throw them away. To avoid wasting money on top of the environmental impact, go to a thrift store, a consignment shop, a local Facebook group, or a garage sale. Whether buying or bartering for your temporary bariatric clothing, aim for comfortable, flexible, and easy-to-wear outfits.
Basic Wardrobe Essentials:
- T-shirts
- Hoodies
- Shoes
- Socks
- Underwear
- Sweatpants
- Waist adjustable pants (i.e., chinos or jeans with slight stretch)
Explore thrift and consignment stores
Thrift stores offer a great variety of clothing for a fraction of the cost. It is easy to get lost and buy more than what you need but remember, it is only temporary clothing for now. Stick to clothes that can easily adjust to your changing body.
Consignment stores are similar to thrift stores, but they typically carry better selections. They are also priced higher than thrifts stores, but you can sell your oversized clothes for better fitting wardrobes. This is an excellent way to get rid of those loose, baggy clothes and make some money while doing it.
Top 7 places to find bariatric clothing
- Hand me downs (friends, family)
- Thrift (Savers, Goodwill, Salvation Army)
- Consignment Stores (Mercari, Poshmark, Let Go)
- Local Community Sales (Garage Sales, Offer up, Facebook marketplace)
- Discount Clothing Stores (Ross, Marshalls, TJ Maxx, Wal-Mart)
- Online (Amazon, Overstock, 6pm)
- Retail (Target, Costco, Khols, American Eagle)
Buy your “current” size
As much as we like to consider how much weight we will lose, it is best to live in the present. Don’t shop for the future. Instead, focus on buying clothes that will make your recovery much more comfortable and look for versatile pieces of clothing that could easily be adjusted to extend its lifetime. The weight will drop, no doubt about it, but let your body stabilize first for the next couple of months. You’ll thank yourself for waiting on building that new closet.
Final Words
Don’t worry about getting the latest designer brands or jumping on the current trend. You want to be comfy for the next couple of months. Remember, you will lose weight consistently and quickly. Try to buy clothes that shape and mold with you while your body changes. The basics are versatile, practical, and typically affordable if you need new clothes.
Related Resources
I am getting ready for my surgery in October. I have a good friend who is a professional organizer and as a gift, she came to visit and spent the weekend organizing my closet and going through LITERALLY every piece of clothing I owned, including things that were in storage bins, too big, too small, etc. She worked really hard to get me into the mindset that by this time next year, my 3x clothing WILL NOT FIT, while helping me to go through smaller sizes I haven’t been able to get into for a long time and deciding what I really loved, and what would be practical to keep as I downsized, and what had just been piling up. We took 4 contractor bags of clothes to the Goodwill! I now have a closet organized so that everything hanging or folded is something I can currently wear. And I have six storage bags , each labeled in sizes going down to an XL, all ready to be opened as I get down to that size. And a special section for things that I really love that I can take to a seamstress to get resized to fit when I am at my final weight. I HIGHLY recommend doing some version of this for yourself. I feel so organized and confident- even my underwear is all stored and organized by size! My friend said “I don’t want you to be losing weight and scrambling around trying to find underpants that fit or like you have no jeans. Now you just go to the next bin and try things on.”
Wow!! This is so great to hear! :) Going through your clothes and donating most of them is such a good feeling! Congrats on your non-scale victory!