Wednesday 21 September 2016

Clothes- big, small, medium, keep or get rid of.

Clothes - What to do with them?

The best thing about WLS is getting into smaller clothes.The worst thing about WLS is getting into smaller clothes. Why do I say it is the best and worst thing? At the beginning you may lose weight fast enough that you may only get one wear out of the clothing item before it gets too small and sometimes the first time you put it on it slips off again. This can become expensive.

One way that makes it less expensive is to set yourself a weight goal for your next item of clothing. This means it can be an incentive and a reward. It might be 14 lbs or 5-10 kgs. That usually gives you a good enough difference in your measurements that you have probably gone down a size as well. To go from size 28 NZ to size 16-18 NZ made me, personally, feel very happy.

I am second from the right

Still big but able to work out now
If you are wondering why I would be happy to be able to work out; previously the size of my breasts would have almost meant black eyes from the bounce of my boobs if I tried anything. I need to work more intensively on my diet as well as the amount of exercise to keep my weight loss stable or decreasing still. I wondered why people did not change their habits after WLS. I have found out why. The brain is a very important part of on-going weight loss. You have to figure out why you are sabotaging yourself (then and now) and decide on some strategies that are positive and helpful. In the photo above my hand is holding 8 inches of fabric so that the top conforms to my body. Eight inches or more that my body has lost.

Get rid of "FAT" clothes

This means that you have to go through your closet when you reach your set goal of weight loss. Try on everything. Have a box with Donate on the outside. If it doesn't fit you toss it into that box. Big women can never find fitting second-hand clothes at the charity shops. The volunteers will love it every time you take clothing in to them. Who doesn't love a beaming smile directed at them?

Why get rid of your clothes? Why not keep them? Your goal is to lose weight. You won't be wearing these clothes ever again. If, heaven forbid, you do regain some weight then they will no longer be in style. You may not believe in feng shui but it is active  in your life anyway . Discarding old useless or hurtful items allows positive and helpful items into your life. Sorting out and making clear space in your home works on your body as it is no longer being dragged down by old negative things. If you don't believe me go now and toss all the clothes that are too big, out of style or need mending. 

Hang your clothes on beautiful coat hangers, sort them into an order or colour sequence that makes YOU happy, get rid of anything else in your closet you have not worn or used in the last year. Those shoes that don't fit; get rid of them. It was only money you used to fill that hole. Now you are taking charge and finding something else that makes YOU happy. You will feel lighter emotionally and would you believe it you will become lighter in your body also. Who knew?




I know you may not have a space like this but even small closets can be transformed. You might like padded hangers or wooden ones, metal or plastic. You can do something to them to make you happy with how they look. I knitted covers for padded hangers using "Feathers" acrylic wool. The jumpers stay on better and I handle colourful, warm hangers when I bring them out. Sorting out your cupboards means your clothes don't get creased. If you want a top, skirt, dress etc you can find it easily. Shoes, purses, scarves etc can all have their own spaces. No tossing out half the contents to find that one important thing you need before heading out the door. A time saving in our busy lives.

Clothes for Right Now

Go to your usual place, or somewhere new, with an idea of what you need at this moment. If you are at the start of the WLS weight loss them you don't want to buy a heap of clothes. You will keep losing fast and don't need to buy a lot. Some clothes can be used with a nip/tuck here and there, or by using a belt. You want clothes that fit exactly now but are shaped so they will look good during your next set goal weight amount. It is probably a good time to have a mix and match wardrobe that has a few items that can be used in many ways.



You can have some fun here with wearing colours you like, not just the ones everyone expects you to use; default colour -black- can become apricot, sapphire, lemon or whatever your favourite colour is that always gets you a compliment. Find out if you are a Spring, Summer, Autumn or Winter. The definitions that many years ago came out in a book called "Colour Me Beautiful" still hold true. It is an easy way to find a range of colours you can use to look good in. You will recognize in their colour pages the colours you always felt good in. Use some of them. Do not be timid any longer. Be proud of how you are changing your body to one much healthier for you.

The Aim Outfit

If you have a very special event coming up you can buy the outfit you want to wear to it in the size you want to fit at that time. Do not set yourself an impossible task though as it will effect you emotionally. The reason for that Aim Outfit is to get you out of bed and exercising on the day you just want to curl back under the covers. It can be photographed and put on your pantry door or fridge door to make you think about what you are about to put in your mouth. It helps you want to make the good choice for your body.









It could be the Prom,  the Oscars,your wedding, a resort trip or a new job that you want the Aim Outfit for. Be adventurous. Aim for a reachable goal you are happy with and have fun. It is only one outfit. You won't go bankrupt.

Clothes help make the person but it is only one part of you. Don't stress over them. Celebrate the changing sizes. Celebrate the day you can buy something from the store most others do, not the Big woman/man store. Celebrate the changes you are making to your body and life. It is all your hard work.

Things to do:

  1. Try on then get rid of the clothes/shoes that no longer fit
  2. Put them in the Donate Box, put that box in the car right now, drop it off the next time you are out.
  3. Buy only as needed till you reach final goal weight
  4. Use interim set goal weights to buy a new clothing item as a positive reinforcement of how well you are doing
  5. Inject the colours you like into your clothing
  6. Sort out and organise your wardrobe then the rest of your house and life
  7. Have an Aim Outfit (like the Biggest Loser contestants) for an important occasion but give it a reasonable time frame
  8. Use that AO to help encourage yourself on your journey
  9. Enjoy your new clothes whether they are brand new or second hand.
  10. If you really want to keep your biggest outfit you can tuck it in a deep drawer for the day you can wear it to show the difference from then till now IE your body fitting in one leg of your old pants
  11. Do remember the underpinnings of pants, bras and other underwear. Look for the pretty underwear as your size goes down. Shapewear will be very useful too. Ask to be fitted for your bras as you won't always know the right size.
  12. Be joyful with your choices.

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