9 Tips to the Closet of a Slimmer and Sexier You
Our body fat percentage, our self image, and our choice of clothes seem to always go hand in hand. With the tremendous pressure from our modern society to be thin, we focus on the size we want to be able to fit in when setting weight loss goals. The way our clothes fit is one of the first signals that our weight has gone up or down, and often a basic criteria in order to buy an outfit is whether or not it is slimming.
In addition, clothes can make us look thinner or heavier depending on the design, the fabric, and colors, so we look at these carefully. For these and many other reasons, when you have set a goal for weight loss, it is very important to take an objective look at your closet, while at the same time making plans to change your nutrition and exercise programs.
A Very Common Strategy
One of the most common strategies of people for weight loss in the new year is to purchase an item of clothing in the size that they hope to fit in by a certain date. People place this item in a very visible location as motivation to stick to their nutritional and exercise plans. I have never seen this strategy succeed. What I have seen, is people feeling discouraged, and reaching the conclusion that their dream figure is unattainable, with this constant reminder of how they wish to be, but aren’t.
Wanting to Be Thrifty
Women often keep clothes in their closets from a time when they were younger and thinner, hoping they can wear them again and save money on clothes. With fashion changing as quickly as it does, though, it might not be a very good plan. Many say that those clothes are their motivation to go back to a healthier version of themselves. The truth, however, is that none of us can go back – ever – to anything. We are always going forward, and the version of ourselves that we will become when we are able to fit a particular size again is different from who we used to be a decade ago when we used to fit that size.
Babies may have been born during that time, or we may have worked out and added more muscle mass than we used to have, and these factors mean that we are likely to look different. It helps to think that even though we do not know exactly what our looks will be like when the goal is attained, we will for certain look better and feel better than we do when we carry excess wait. We need to learn to live with who we are and what our body can do in our present, and while desires to lose excess body fat can be very healthy and a motivation to live a better life, they can also be very destructive to self esteem and to health itself.
Making Room in Closets
Closets that are stuffed to the limit, so you have to wrestle with your clothes to get something in or out, may indicate an inability to let go of that which you no longer need. An excess of body fat may also indicate that your body is unwilling to let go of that which it no longer needs. An intent to declutter the closet, can be paired up with your intent to let go of the excess fat.
Closets should be one quarter empty to be functional, so that you can move things around to take a look at your clothes and decide what you want to wear. Decluttering a closet also makes space for the new clothes you can get and enjoy once you do reach your ideal weight. My clients find that if they work on decluttering their closets at the same time as they embark on a healthier nutritional plan and exercise program, they lose body fat more consistently and permanently.
A Closet Clearing Plan to Support Weight Loss
Follow this plan to declutter your closet in order to improve your self image. Improving the self image is essential in any permanent weight reduction program.
- Start by removing from your closet any clothes that are stained or torn and than cannot be salvaged.
- Look at your closet objectively and take out any items of clothing that you simply do not like and haven’t worn in a while.
- Engage your sense of touch and feel all the items in your closet. Are there any fabrics that you do not like to touch, or that make you itch or sweat too much? Let them go.
- Next, go over every single blouse, shirt, top or sweater in your closet and hold them by your face in front of the mirror. Do not try them on, simply look at the colors next to your complexion. Are there any garments that make you look pale, sad, or unhealthy? Let them go.
- Try on the remaining items and take out any that are too big for you.
- Let go also of any items that are too small for you to the point that you cannot button them up, zip them up or get past your hips. (This is a hard one, I know.)
- Keep garments that feel tight on you but that still fit and that you love. If it fits tight and you do not love it, let it go.
- Let go of clothes that fit right and that you like but that make you feel self-conscious or uncomfortable.
- Take out any clothes that fit you right but that don’t make you look good.
What is left? Only clothes that improve your self image. Are you afraid you may be left with an empty closet? Maybe this is a sign that you have not been loving yourself enough in your choice of clothes. Clients with the most successful weight loss stories learned to only wear clothes they love, that are comfortable, fit right, and are a delight to their sense of touch. When consistently wearing these clothes, they got used to getting the most positive feedback from their mirrors, and this encouraged them to continue with their nutritional plans and exercise programs. Many found that the delight they felt when looking at themselves gave them a better feeling than eating chocolate!
Moni practices Feng Shui, the art of space arrangement, and has a degree in Architecture from the Central University of Ecuador. She is the founder of Feng Shui for Us™ and developer of the Nine Steps to Feng Shui® System. Moni offers online Feng Shui training, and long distance Feng Shui Consultations. www.fengshuiforus.com