I know, I know. You don’t want to buy the dress, shop for new jeans, or peruse the aisles of your favorite store until you’re at least 10, 15, 20+ pounds thinner than you are now.

You imagine how you’ll look in that gorgeous dress you saw in the window the other day when you’re skinnier and rockin’ your new, thinner, more confident bod.

You think that if you buy clothes now, at your current size, it’s somehow an admission to the world that you’re happy where you are and you won’t then lose the weight. 

 

You also think that if you can just hold off a little longer until you lose weight, it’ll all be amazing…you imagine this beautiful new wardrobe you’ll buy when you’re thin and how fantastic you’ll feel in all the clothes you couldn’t wear when you were heavier. 

Trust me, I get it.

When I went through my “heavy phases” (read: I was binging like crazy), I didn’t even want to get dressed, let alone go and buy new clothes.

And when I was in my skinny phases (read: dieting and restricting), I was at Old Navy buying everything in their store.

Soon I had a closet of a million different sizes.

 

I had my “I lost a ton of weight restricting and taking diet pills” white Old Navy capris that I was beyond excited to be able to fit into and buy.

I had my “I’m so heavy, I want to hide myself from everyne” Target jeans that I wore when I’d gained weight with baggy t-shirts over it.

I had my go-to leggings with a sweater that covered up my belly when I looked in the mirror and loathed what I saw.

Every single piece of clothing in my closet signified something to me.  Specific outfits conjured up different emotions and brought me back to despair or elation-depending on what size it was.

And through each phase of my up and down diet journey, I ALWAYS waited until I lost the weight again until I bought new clothes. Which just left me depressed and feeling like a failure when I would end up gaining it back…

Let me tell you why waiting until you lose weight before you buy clothes is not a good idea:

 

1. It keeps you feeling like crap about yourself. 

When you don’t have clothes that fit you, you feel awful about yourself. Plain and simple. When every single piece of clothing you own is too tight, too constricting, or doesn’t fit now, you’ll feel horrible about your body every time you get dressed.

It keeps you trapped in this fantasy…that being thinner is somehow your ticket to a new life. You’ll dress differently, act differently, and live differently when you’re smaller.

Waiting on weight loss is delaying what you deserve right now-wearing clothes that you feel amazing in. No matter what your size.

2. It only compounds the torturous relationship you have with your body.

If you’re already struggling to find peace with your body, you don’t need an added means of torture. And that’s what this is. It’s torture if you go into your closet and not one article of clothing you own makes you feel sexy and confident when you put it on.

It also makes you feel like a failure about yourself. If you’re only “allowed” to buy clothes when you’re thin, what is that saying about your self-worth when you have some extra weight on your body?

So, what can you do instead of waiting to lose weight before you buy clothes?

 

1. Clean out your closet.

Sorting through all of your clothes can unearth lots of hidden gems. I just did this with my own closet. One of my close friends told me about a book called “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up”. It’s about decluttering, but in a very unique way of only keeping what “sparks joy” as the author calls it. It was life changing.

I realized I was holding on to SO many clothes that didn’t fit me anymore. Some from when I was skinnier. Others from when I was heavier. Both weighed me down. Literally and figuratively.

I let go of work outfits from over 10 years ago. I donated my skinniest jeans that I didn’t even want to fit into again. I threw out ratty shirts, things I didn’t like but I bought on sale, and things that probably went out of style a long time ago.

And what was left were outfits I actually liked and felt good in! Sorting through and cleaning out your closet can help you mix and match outfits that you forgot you even had 🙂

2. Buy a few outfits that feel good NOW.

This is what sends a statement to the world. Wearing clothes that look good on you NOW…not ten pounds from now. If you aren’t feeling super confident about your body, buy an outfit that flatters a part of you that you DO like. Even if it’s just a color that brings out your eyes!

I’m not saying you need to go out and drop a few hundred dollars. But if spending a little bit of money to invest in clothes that fit you now, then it’s worth it. You’ll FEEL better when you’re wearing clothes that suit you for where you are now.

It doesn’t mean you can’t or won’t change. This is a journey that ebbs and flows until you find your balance and stay at (about) the same size. It’s okay to lean in to the transitional period and give yourself permission to feel GOOD in your clothes as you’re figuring this whole “food thing” out 🙂