Okay, so no one likes our WW leader, but its fine b/c today was our last day with her. So one of the girls in our group has reached goal, and she was talking about what to do with her old clothes. The consensus of the group was to save them, but pack them away. We don't throw away our "skinny" clothes, why throw away the "fat" clothes. They're there for "just in case." This makes sense financially because god fobid she ever gains the weight back, she doesn't have to go out and buy new clothes.
So our leader kept saying oh, but you're setting yourself up to gain the weight back if you have a "safety net" financially or otherwise. You should just get rid of them, etc etc. Its not good to yo-yo, its not all about vanity, etc. This went on for 15 minutes and finally I was like
LOOK - in the past 5 years my life has been h3ll and I've yo-yoed up and down 50 lbs. I was always heavy, but between 150 and 175 NOT between 200 and 225. I've had to deal the following just in the past 5 years: my grandmother got cancer, suffered for months, then died. My mother got cancer. My uncle died, then my other died, throw in there me moving to another state and trying to make a life for myself. Sometimes life throws things at you and you CANNOT say "oh wait, hold up, gotta go to the gym for an hour." All we're saying is that life happens and there's no sin in being a little prepared for the worst, and I can testify first hand for that.
She was like oh, I'm so sorry - I was like no, the point is not to elicit sympathy, I'm just making an example that sometimes you have to put others first and you can't think "oh, if my weight is yo-yoing I won't be healthy" - there are points in time when that's not an option. She just looked blankly at me like she had no idea what I meant and then the meeting ended.
Thank goodness I don't have to see her ever again because I was ready to just punch her...
I might seem like I'm out of my mind here, but I absolutley threw out all of my old clothes. All of them. Even my underwear. It was such a liberating feeling!
Now, I don't know if your leader should've gone off on vanity and "setting yourself up for failure", because that's certainly not even close to what I felt. I wasn't even thinking about gaining weight back.
I eventually did gain weight back (about 20 pounds when all was said and done) and I had some pretty big life changing stuff happen, too. But that's life. Life is non-linear as is weightloss. It still didn't have to mean I had to lug around a bunch of clothes that I never felt that great in anyway (I did keep a couple of shirts from the "hippy" days in the hopes of using them as maternity shirts. They were too beautiful to get rid of)
And even if they weren't ugly clothes (which they weren't), they were no longer... me. Does that make sense? I was no longer the person that used to wear those clothes. So why keep them around?
Just my 2 cents. It doesn't sound like your leader didn't explain it well, though.
I did get rid of my skinny clothes when I got fat. It was freeing since I was honoring my body where it was and not trying to cram it in to too small clothes and I trusted that when and if I lost the weight, there would be smaller clothes for me. And they would be in style and current.
And I'm getting rid of my fat clothes, too. I'd rather have a plan on the back burner for keeping my weight in check (exercise is amazing for stress) than just assuming that stress = overeating + lack of exercise + weight gain and storing clothes for that.
Life is going to keep happening as long as you are alive, but that doesn't mean your eating, exercise or weight have to change along with it.
She clearly struck a nerve with you, you might just want to sit with what she said before you write it off as nonsense.
I agree with her.....keeping all of your clothes means to me anyways that you are expecting to go back to that size at some point in your life. Why make it that easy? "Oh I gained and my jeans are tight...that's ok because I have bigger sizes!"
I'm in this for the long haul so I don't plan to sabotage myself if another Katrina hits us or anything else happens. Life happens and it includes trying times but it should not be an excuse
Last edited by TJFitnessDiva; 07-14-2009 at 08:17 PM.
I agree with other posters... I have been getting rid of clothes that no longer fit me along the way.... I have bunch I need to pass along but I don't have extra cash to get smaller clothes right now so I am just wearing them big for now... I give them to my sister to pick through as she is not losing weight and we were a similar size... anything she doesn't want is donated to goodwill... I also don't keep clothes that are too small...
I try to live in the moment, not what has been or what might be- Try being the key word here.
I also get rid of anything that doesn't fit me. The rule of thumb for just about anything is this....if you haven't used it in 4 seasons(1 year) why are you still hanging onto it. Sentimental reasons? well fat clothes isn't exactly the emotional thoughts I want to put back into my life soooo BUH BYE they went!! Besides if I ever gain the weight back lets just say that I will be IN STYLE when I do haha.
I'm getting rid of all the bigger clothes that I don't really like. I've only gone from a L to an M in tops (and, since my 36Ds haven't changed a bit, I doubt I'll ever wear S tops), so I can still wear the bigger ones. As for the pants that no longer fit, I'll keep the nice ones in a "Kit" - either for my sister if she ever decides to lose, or for myself if I ever get preggers.
But I think the decision is very personal. If you always pick cute, timeless clothes, you might want to hang on to them. But if, like me, a lot of your clothes become less cute to you over time, might as well lighten the load in you closet, too, lol....
I can understand why you might have gotten upset with your instructor - sometimes it's hard when someone who should be listening to you isn't
I get rid of everything that doesn't fit or work for me anymore. I am cheap and spend alot of time at Goodwill so replacing items really isn't too costly.
I got rid of all my bigger clothes too. If my current clothes start to get tight then I better do something about it. If I had bigger clothes waiting in a box I might not pay as close attention as I need to maintain this weight. It's a psychological thing for me.
2 cents: I'm keeping mine...I agree that sometimes things are out of your control, like going on new meds for instance. I have this one dress that I hope will be maternity some day, but it'll be in a box for the next 10 years (I hope, lol). I don't think keeping them is necessarily setting myself up for failure, though I understand why some ppl would rather get rid of the stuff. For me, there are much greater motivations not to regain than the fact that I would have to buy new clothes all over again. I'd probably just go out and buy cheap crap anyway, and look worse than I did at that weight to begin with
I have to agree with her, I get rid of my clothes as they become too big. 2 major reasons, I don't ever plan on letting myself get that big again, secondly, I DON'T have the closet space for them
Well if I where to keep my clothes and I have some really nice pieces, I would get them altered to fit the new me. But not everyone has the talent to alter there clothes or money to have them done.
But what gets me, is how the WW leader made you feel like your say was nothing of importance, I hate nothing more than speaking, and have someone look at you like you were speaking a different language.
stellarosa, I hear what you are saying about "life happening." It "happened" to me for years--crap, I mean. This happening, that happening. It went on and on and one day I looked in the mirror after years of feeling like crap, and didn't know who that was anymore.
Respectfully I must tell you this. I decided that although there is nothing wrong with doing for others and being there for others, I cannot and will not be the sacrificial lamb any longer NO matter the case. Genetically speaking, I have two parents with heart disease and diabetes. I have two sisters with Multiple Sclerosis. I have one sister with breast cancer.
If I do not take care of myself who will raise my two babies once I am diagnosed?
I am also better able to help those around me when I am in top-notch condition myself. Absolutely, without a doubt, I am.
I know this is off subject really. I just didn't want this to be posted without saying something.
ETA--as far as the clothing, I have always read to keep one size up and one size down from where you are currently.
Last edited by Thighs Be Gone; 07-14-2009 at 11:45 PM.
Personally I am not keeping anything, everything I've grown out of so far I've either given away or thrown away. I want to have no excuse to ever gain back any of the weight I've lost BUT to each their own.
I May or May Not Have Just Told off my WW Leader
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