One of the best parts about being on a diet is when you actually see signs that it is working! After several weeks on the Atkins diet, I managed to lose a noticeable amount of weight. Should I buy new clothing now, or wait until I get down to my “goal weight”?
When I started the Atkins diet, back in June, I weighed 180 pounds. It is now nearly the end of August, and I weigh 169 pounds. This is a total of eleven pounds of weight loss! While I am pretty excited to be more than ten pounds lighter than I was when I started the diet, I still have quite a way to go before I reach my goal weight.
People who start diets are primarily doing it so that they can lose weight. Obviously, losing weight is a good way to improve one’s health. However, most people are not going to get the boost to their self-esteem that they are looking for until they notice that their clothing has suddenly gotten too big for them.
I have reached this point. A sundress that fit perfectly last summer is now way too big on me. One of my favorite pair of jeans, that I purchased when I weighed 186 pounds, is no longer my size. Suddenly, there is a lot more room in them than their used to be! Since I started the Atkins diet, I have noticed that several of my t-shirts seem to have miraculously gotten bigger. T-shirts that used to fit pretty good now hang down past my hips.
This means I have reached the point where I need to make some decisions. Should I buy some new clothing, that fits better, right now? Or, should I wait until I finally get to my goal weight of 145 pounds?
For me, this decision is primarily based on finances. We simply don’t have the money for me to go out and purchase a bunch of new clothes right now, especially if I am expecting that those clothes will only fit me for a limited time. My solution is to only buy a couple of items right now, to replace things that I cannot “get by” with any longer, now that I have lost some weight.
So, what do I do with the clothing that is now too big? Most of it is still in good condition. According to livestrong.com, it is helpful if you don’t keep your “fat clothes”. Why not? The main reason is that it could influence a person to cheat on his or her diet.
Presumably, the theory goes something like this. Most people view being able to buy new clothing, in a smaller size, as a “reward” for the hard work they did while dieting. If, in the future, those new clothes get a little big tighter than you would like, it is a sign that you need to start doing something about your weight once again.
If you kept your “fat clothes”, then it would be tempting to simply put them back on, in order to be more comfortable. It is very likely that you would start gaining back the weight you worked so hard to lose. No one wants that to happen! I suggest donating your “fat clothes” to Goodwill. That is what I will be doing, once I’ve gathered them all up.
Image by miss.libertine on Flickr