Weight Loss and Closet Anxiety

Friday, May 7, 2021 | Featured, Lifestyle

Hi all Coach Jeri here! 

Most of us who have struggled with weight loss over the years, have a variety of sizes of clothes in our closets! I think we’re sometimes afraid to throw out some of the large sizes. Perhaps, just in case we gain weight. Or of course, the daunting hopes of fitting into the smaller sizes again. As someone who has experienced closet anxiety firsthand, and served witness to it many a time, I want to free you from this! Let’s break down closet anxiety: why it happens, and how to break the cycle!

Again, both in personal and witness experience; we shy away from social events because nothing fits or looks right. We’d simply rather skip the event altogether than “gamble” on buying new clothes. One summer I would not go to the pool. I love swimming. I was too stubborn to buy a suit that fit.Of course there is always that hope that we will lose the weight and truly keep it off. Unfortunately, the alternative thought seems to linger more stubbornly. 

On the opposite end of the spectrum, who wants to buy new clothes when they are feeling heavy? I have heard many people tell me that they are too embarrassed to go to the store and try things on. What if they take in the wrong size? What if the sales lady suggests a larger size? However, that thought simply traps us into a spiraling down hill frame of mind. 

There is also the flip side. Sometimes we hang onto clothes that are way too big. I had a member that lost over 100 pounds. Eventually, I point-blank requested for him to buy new clothes! If not for the suspenders his pants would be on the floor. He was so afraid that one day he would gain it back. He just couldn’t let go of the old clothes. It was like a security blanket. 

In a case like that, I use the gold star philosophy. You worked so hard and accomplished so much you deserve to reward yourself with a new pair of pants. And think how comfortable you will feel and how handsome you will look. The following week when he came in I noticed the change in his steps! He could now, not only see his progress, but feel it as well! 

I am guilty of this myself in the reverse. I refused to throw out my “skinny” clothes. Eventually, I realized that after 3 children and 20 years later, I would never be that size again. And, that was OK! The reality was that the few clothes I did fit into again, were either out of style or they no longer looked as flattering. When we take pride in the way we dress and groom, we feel better. This can lead to wanting to look better. 

I remember being frustrated in the store when I could not find my size. Then it hit me. I may not be that size any more! I was thrilled when I was able to fit into a pair of pants 2 sizes smaller! By not having clothes that fit, we keep ourselves in a physical prison. The taste of success comes with living and enjoying life and putting on clothes that fit. Not old clothes that have been in the closet for decades. 

Take a selfie on day-one and then after every 5 pounds, take another. See your transition and reward yourself with bright new clothes, not those old stretched out ones! Finally, there will be a day when the picture you take and the one you have in your mind will match and you will feel like a million bucks in that new outfit!