Mental Prep for Weight Loss: Get Rid of Clothes That Don't Fit

With the New Year approaching and all of us beginning to think of our fitness goals for 2014, many are targeting weight loss.  I have a simple suggestion to get your mind in the right place to finally get smaller:  Get rid of your clothes that are too small you've been keeping around as "motivation".

I know this seems counter-productive.  Get rid of a motivator?  Ummm.......... How's it worked for you, so far?  In my experience, clothes that are too small just add to my guilt.  And when I feel guilty, I want to eat.  And when I over eat I don't lose weight.

If you can't bring yourself to get rid of them all together, pack them in a box and put them somewhere out of sight.  Like a top shelf in your closet or the attic.  I did this with a few pieces that I really loved and eight years later when I finally lost the weight (yeah, it took that long!) I got them out of storage and you know what?  They were embarrassingly out of style.  I was shocked at how tacky what I had idolized as "cute" was in present day.  I was able to shorten hemlines to make three garments more current, but everything else went into the donation box.

You might want to keep one thing, tucked away where you can't see it, for comparison to your former small size once you get to goal.  But everything else?  Buh-bye.

Another, closely related tip: Buy clothes that fit NOW.  I mean, truly fit.  Not that are just a skoesh tight because this time you are finally lose the weight.  But clothes that fit you right and make you feel as good about yourself as possible toDAY.  Why?  Because you'll be more likely to lose weight if you feel good about yourself, and it's hard to feel good about yourself when you also feel like a sausage.

So now you are thinking "If I buy clothes that fit and lose weight, I won't fit in them very long!"  I hope you are right!  It's not wasted money if it gets you moving in the right direction, is it? Plus, it's exciting to see the clothes you that used to fit get big.   Really.

Likewise, get rid of your clothes that are way too big as you lose weight.  I've found that people who keep their fat clothes around "just in case" always, and I mean ALWAYS, gain the weight back.  It's like they have given themselves mental permission to regain and it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Again, maybe keep one really ugly thing in your biggest size that you would NEVER want to wear again to compare your new, smaller frame to.  But the cute stuff?  Yep- donation box.

Consider it an investment.  Why not give yourself every advantage to get into the best shape possible?