Now that you've lost so much weight, what do you do with all those clothes that are too big for you? Should you keep them, just in case you gain the weight back? No! Forget about all those other times you lost weight and gained it backget rid of clothes that are too big for you. Keeping them is like telling yourself you are going to gain the weight back. Nowe not!

Thinning out my closets
You have several options as to what to do with clothes that are too big for you: give them away, sell them on eBay, take them to a consignment store, donate them, or have them tailored.

After my first year on program, I invited a friend over and told her "take what you want" and she left with three large over-stuffed bags of clothes. Two days later I did the same with another friend and she left with four large over-stuffed bags. Having been the recipient of many bags of clothing given to me by key-friends, who were perfect strangers at the time, it felt good to do this.

There were  times when I passed along an item I cherished to someone I thought would appreciate it. I gave my favorite blue leather jacket to a friend last year and this year she when it was too big for her, she gave back to me so I could take it to a consignment store.

I used to sell my larger clothes on eBay, but these days I prefer taking things to a consignment store. Specifically, one that doesn't require hangers or ironing. There are Facebook groups where you can sell things, but I really like the idea that if my item doesn't sell it is donated and I never have to see them again. I like the simplicity of this.

To make things easier and to keep me organized, I have a plastic bin and a large trash bag in my clothes closet. When I try something on and find it's too big or I don't like it anymore, I immediately choose: consignment store or donate?

If I'm going to donate the item, it goes right into the plastic bag and the consignment items go into the bin. This helps me know at a quick glance what's for consignment and what's for donation. There have been a few times when I mixed things up and later realized items I wanted to take to consignment were donated. Oh well, they're out of my closet at least!

Bins to take to a consignment store
Winter on left and summer on right
I usually get rid of clothes before the start of each season. This spring, I pulled all my summer clothes out of the bins and I tried on every one of them. I hung up the items I wanted to keep and the rest went into a bin or a bag. Pieces that are too small that I want to keep went back into the bin.

By the way, I use the bins to carry my stuff to my car and into the store. Then they go back home with me. Someday I expect I'll take the bins to the consignment store and ask them if they want to sell my bins.

This year when thinning out my closet, I asked myself a few questions about the clothes that are too small for me, to help me really thin out my summer wardrobe:
  • Do I still love it? 
  • Will I ever wear it again? 
  • Is it really ever going to fit me? 
I decided that by the time some of these items fit nicely at my hips, especially dresses, the top is going to be too big. This year, those items went into a consignment bin.

Each year I have less bins than the year before. At the moment, I only have one bin of smaller sized summer clothes in my closet. Winter, well I still have a ton of winter clothes, but I'll thin them out in September. Meanwhile, there are several bins full of winter clothes and others that hang in one of my closets.

There are random times of the year when I ask myself: Why do I have so much in my closet and at the same time I feel as if I have nothing to wear? In those moments, I know it's time to thin out my closet again.

A couple weeks ago I took my favorite dress to a tailor. I bought it three years ago and when I wore it on a cruise last year I was sorry that I hadn't taken it to be altered. I wore it to a wedding a few weeks ago and before wearing it to a second wedding this past weekend, I had the tailor take in about 4 inches under the arms.

May 2013 vs May 2014 vs June 2015
This was one of those times when I followed my instincts and it paid off.  Everyone told me the dress looked great and there was no need to take it in, but it felt too big. I can see this dress doesn't look much different in these photos, each taken a year apart, but it feels like a better fit. It was well worth the $28 to have it altered.

I wish I had taken my Capri's to a tailor instead of a consignment store. I can't find any Capri's at the store that fit and for a few dollars I could have just had the waist taken it.

I can't wait until I no longer need bins for all my clothes, to use my three closets for my clothes, (yes, I do know how lucky I am to have 3 closets in one room), to no longer have clothes that are too big or too smallonly clothes that fit, to be able to quickly see what I have in my closet, to not have struggle with clothes packed in so tightly that I can't find anything, and to not own so many pieces of clothing!

Hey, a girl can dream can't she?

What about you? What's inside your closet? Is it time for you to remove clothes that are too big for you? It feels fabulous to let go of them, regardless whether you sell, donate, or offer them a friend. It's very freeing! Set yourself free my friends.

Rememberyou are not going to gain that weight back, so you don't need clothes that are too big.
Are you searching for motivation to re-start your weight loss journey? Have you fallen off program and you can't get back on? Do you sometimes think about how all "this time" you could have been so much further on you journey if only you... STOP right here? Don't beat yourself up for what you could have or should have done—instead—choose to start again right now.

Dec. 2000: I was a hostage to food
June 2015: I choose not to be a hostage to food
If you've been off-program, jump back in the river this moment. Don't wait another day. 

If you feel like you can't get back on-program because you lack discipline or motivation, take a look around and you'll see this isn't true elsewhere in your life and it isn't true in this area either.  Let go of that inner critic who is judging your for not staying the course; that critic who is holding you hostage.

Trust yourself that you have the tools to see your weight loss journey through and right now make your weight journey your top priority.

When you wake up tomorrow morning, pat yourself on the back for having started today. Don't count the days you've been back in the river. Knowing the number of days that you are in the river only reminds you that you were off-program and makes you feel that you had failed. To be successful, we must focus on our successes—not our failures.

Sometimes we make mistakes in life. Instead of seeing this as a failure, see this as part of your journey. While your side-trip may or may not have been planned, you probably learned a few things along the way. You may even have more clarity as to why you need to choose to stay in the river. Don't let that clarity hold you hostage and prevent you from reaching your goal. Let go. Accept the lesson you learned, get back on program, and don't look back.

Get back to the basics: eating clean and exercise.

This may mean dropping what you're doing right now (or once you finish reading this post) to go to the grocery store. Planning ahead is critical to your success. Focus on proteins like steak, fish, chicken, and eggs. Make big meals and freeze some so you don't have to cook every night.

The weather is no longer an excuse to stay indoors, so get outside and exercise. If you have physical limitations, find something that you can manage and start moving at whatever level you're at. If you can get a friend to join you - even better. If not, grab your cell phone and call someone who is willing to talk as you walk. If you are just starting to exercise again, do as much as you can and be kind to yourself. Don't beat yourself up for what you no longer can do. Give yourself encouragement for what you are doing now.  Once again: success is contingent on planning ahead. Make a consistent plan to fit exercise into your life and stay the course.

Remember this isn't a race. You didn't gain your weight in a few months and for most it will take many months or even a few years to reach your goal size.

Don't compare your weight loss to that of others, as there are many variables as to why one person takes a year to lose weight and another takes a few years to lose the same amount. Do your best every day and you will reach your goal.

Celebrate your non-scale victories along the way. They come in many forms. A recent victory for me was choosing not to eat something "because I could get away with it." A few weeks ago I was at the register at Barnes and Noble at 7:30 pm and I hadn't had dinner yet. As the cashier rang up my books, it seemed as if all the little gold-foil wrapped candies were calling out to me. I pushed away the urge.

It used to be so easy to just grab a bar of some kind to "hold me over," but I never bought just one. I'd buy ate least two bars, eat them on my way home, and then convince myself to stop at a store for a pint of ice cream for dinner.

Those little bars never held me over, they held me hostage on an endless journey of never having enough sugar and always wanting more.

Eating those foods is what I used to do, but it's not what I choose to do today. Today I choose healthy over easy.

You have a choice too. You can choose to keep doing what you're doing or you can choose to change. You can make that change right here and now or you can wait another five, ten, fifteen, or twenty years.

This what choice is all about—you get to choose when to stop being a hostage to food.

How about choosing to stop right now?
I recently wrote about Non-Scale Victories and since then I've heard more incredible non-scale victory stories, but this story from Alaina is my favorite non-scale victory ever. I met Alaina at the beginning of her weight loss journey and seeing her transformation has been amazing. Lean in as Alaina reflects back on her vacation pre-Julie while on vacation a weeks ago.
Alaina in 2013 vs May 29, 2015
We've been coming to Ogunquit, ME for vacation almost every year since like 2004. Our last visit was in 2013, pre-Julie. I was out of breath and hot just walking from the parking lot to the water's edge

My vacation consisted of napping, reading, snacking, and dining out.
2006 at my wedding on the beach in Ogunquit
Life is different now.
May 2015 at my daughter's wedding
Yesterday we walked the Marginal Way, up and back, and then partway through town. I still had energy to go out in the evening. Before Julie, I'd be in bed by 8 pm.

Today we hiked the Rachel Carson Wildlife Sanctuary in the morning, drove to Portland, had lunch there, and then hiked the trail around Mackworth Island. I still have energy left for dinner out and then the piano bar tonight.

I can finally LIVE my life instead of being a spectator.
Today, if Alaina's out of breath, it's probably because she's just finished two back-to-back Zuma classes. Last year I did a 5k walk/run event with Alaina and a few other key friends and I joined her in Zumba. Her energy level if off the charts!

Congratulations Alaina and thank you for sharing your story with us.