Keeping your old clothes as motivation is harming you, not helping.

I see so many people stuck in this idea of keeping old clothes from when they were thinner as a motivation to stick to their diet, and one day, fit back into them.

That’s a problem. Not a solution. Read on…

I used to do that too. As a matter of fact, I just donated an old pair of pants that I found in my closet that was so small I suspect it was from when I was 15yo. Crazy!

Contrary to what you probably think, this does NOT serve as motivation or inspiration. Well, maybe it does for a little, but it is short-lived.

Here’s how it normally goes:

You want to lose weight and look a certain way, maybe like you did 10, 5 years ago. You grab those cute pieces from your closet in which you looked and felt your best so you can stay motivated. You look at pictures from back then and remember how good it was.

At the time you felt horrible, but you can see NOW how good you had it and just didn’t know it. If you can just go back to that then everything will be perfect, and you’ll finally go on that trip to Hawaii.

Not only you hold on to small clothing, but you also refuse to buy new and bigger ones because 1) you fear it will make you complacent and discourage you from eating “better” and shedding the weight 2) you do not and will not wear a size up 3) you gotta lose weight before you consider buying new clothes.

You go on wearing clothes that are too tight and uncomfortable.

It doesn’t matter what you put on, it doesn’t feel flattering, and it makes you more and more frustrated.

You hate how thick your arms look. You wish your stomach were flatter and didn’t roll over your shorts. Your legs could be more toned. Your bra is giving you quad-boobs and the underwire is jabbing you.

You go on and off the diet a million times and 2, 3 months later, the small clothes are deep down in the drawer, still don’t fit, your current ones are still uncomfortable, and the trip to Hawaii has been postponed.

This cycle never ends and you remain miserable.

Our bodies are meant to change throughout life. Our weight fluctuates due to hormones, disease, pregnancy, life stressors, and many other reasons.

Obsessively chasing a body ideal while neglecting your body is hurting your self-esteem, self-confidence, mental and physical health.

I’m not saying you shouldn’t want to lose weight or that you never will.

Whether your weight changes or not, one thing is certain. Your here-and-now body is still deserving of respect.

As long as you’re at war with your body, it’ll be difficult to be at peace with yourself and food.

You don’t have to love your body as it is right now. I agree it can be hard sometimes, but you can care for it even in those days that feel impossible to love it.

For the purposes of this post, we’re focusing on the impact the way we dress can have on us mentally.

How can you be comfortable and feel good about yourself when you’re wearing something that is constantly pinching and squeezing your body? If you feel you gained weight, this discomfort is a constant reminder of “how big you are”.

That does not mean changing your style because your body changed. That would also be disrespectful to yourself. But rather, to dress in a way that you enjoy and feel comfortable in your present body.

If you like to wear clothes that accentuate your curves, then go for it! If you prefer some worn-out loose jeans with an oversized jacket, by all means do. As long as it feels good in your body! This might mean going from M to L, to XL but still honoring how you like to dress. Therefore, continue to feel your best.

Taking action in this manner does not mean settling for anything you don’t want. On the contrary, it shows how much love you have for yourself.