When you lose weight, you expect to lose the inches from common places such as your stomach, arms, and legs. However, you may be surprised to discover your feet may also shrink as you take off the pounds. For example, one person dropped 2.5 to 3 shoe sizes after losing over 100 pounds. The best thing you can do for your feet is to purchase new shoes in the smaller size. However, this may not be feasible if you're low on funds and/or still losing weight. Here are two things you can do to deal with your suddenly too-big shoes until you can afford to replace them.

Shrink the Excess Space with Inserts and Strips

One way to handle the excess space is to filling some of it with inserts and shoe strips. Shoe inserts sit underneath your foot. They are typically designed to absorb some of the shock from walking or correct posture issues. Not only can they take up some of the extra room in your shoe, they can help prevent your feet from slipping around and developing blisters.

You can find inserts at just about any major retailer. Be aware, though, that inserts tend to be thin and probably won't work on shoes that are overly big (e.g. you can fit your finger between the back of the shoe and your heel).

Another option to deal with gaps is to use shoe strips. These are padded adhesives designed to prevent uncomfortable shoes from rubbing against the heel and causing blisters. However, you can layer several of them on top of each other to take up some of the excess space created due to your weight loss.

Try to Shrink Shoes

Depending on the type of shoes you have, you may be able to shrink the footwear. Be aware that this option can damage shoes, so you may not want to use this method on shoes that are easily ruined by water. Additionally, the amount of shrinkage that may occur depends on the material. Leather shoes may only shrink a little bit, while canvas shoes may shrink a lot.

To shrink your shoes, wet them with water. While you can dunk casual or athletic shoes in water completely, you'll want to use a spray bottle to wet the outside of leather or suede shoes. You don't want leather or suede shoes getting too wet; otherwise, they may become stiff or crack.

Either let the shoes let the shoes dry in the sun or use a hairdryer on the lowest setting. If you are worried the shoes may get too small, put them on while drying them. You can repeat the process if the shoes are still too big when they dry, but it's a good idea to be conservative in your expectations.

As noted previously, it's best to buy news shoes when your feet shrink due to weight loss. However, these tips can help you get a few more uses out of your existing footwear until you're ready for new ones. For more information about this issue or to buy casual shoes, visit a shoe store such as Testosterone Shoes.