It's sometimes hard to tell. It gets costly if you have to replace your entire wardrobe every time. It's also difficult because no one has a constant rate of gain, and the rate of weight gain can vary even if you are consistent with your calories, which is also easier said than done. At least, it can be difficult if you want to avoid getting clothes you might not be able to use for awhile. You might hit a plateau so you do have to consider this possibility.
At best it's an inexact science, or art but maybe some of the things I say will be helpful.
Some clothes also aren't exactly the cheapest, but these tend to be somewhat more forgiving regarding size.
For regular clothes (not underwear) I recommend you get a small number of items in the next size up, and maybe a couple items 2 sizes up, kind of as an inspiration. I have some "slim fit" XL size collared shirts that are slightly too big right now.
So far anyway, I've noticed that any time I get slightly larger trousers, I slowly expand until they too get snug. I'm also dealing with this very thing too, debating when to upgrade some clothes to the next size up.
As you, the OP is female, this does give you some additional options and flexibility, both formal and informal.
Unlike for men, most women's tops don't have a snug collar that you might button and then tie a tie around it. (Although if you were a man, even if the collar button no longer reaches, you can use the tie itself to keep it together)
You even have the option to wear tops which show some more cleavage, so the point is, it won't be tight around the neck. In office environments, women don't typically wear ties so you have that advantage.
Another option you have are dresses, many of which are somewhat stretchy. I'm somewhat amazed at the number of clothing items I've seen that have some stretch to them now, that previously didn't. Sometimes with stretchy clothes, such as skinny jeans, you might be able to get away with ordering a size even larger.
For things like skirts, you could just make a point of using a belt. May help in the near term if the waist is still too loose because you ordered a size too big.
JCPenney seems to offer a decent value without looking awful (unlike everything at Goodwill or TJMaxx, not that you can shop at those places anyway). Macy's might be okay, as long as you stay away from the store brands, because those seem to be kind of shoddy.
For blazers, which always seem more costly, you might want to just get the next size up. I'm not sure if anyone would notice, especially if you are 285 at 5'5", as your profile says as of this writing. Coats, likely the same way.
Now, one nice thing about underwear is that in general, it's very stretchy and can encompass multiple sizes. So, it's likely to help if you get 2 sizes up. The stretch and shrink will mean it'll likely still fit, and will be able to expand.
As for bras, I'm sorry but I really couldn't say. Just use a tape measure and try to "guessimate" as much as you can, rather relying on whatever size you thought you were before (I read somewhere that at least 2/3's of women are likely using the wrong size of bra). Folks put on weight in different places, so this would likely factor in to whatever you decide to get.
4 years
