Cleaning closets

A few days ago, I started a closet cleaning project pulling out most of my winter clothes. This isn’t the usual shuffle of out of season clothes from one closet to another; I have a large walk-in closet with plenty of room for my entire wardrobe. There’s nothing wrong with these clothes. In fact, if it was still winter, these are the clothes I’d be wearing. Some of them have only been worn a few times. So, why am I getting rid of them? Because I don’t want it to be easy to return to unhealthy eating habits. I want it to hurt my wallet and my pride if I need clothes anywhere near the same size by next winter. I’m not buying new clothes in every size on my way down, but if I remain committed to healthier eating choices, the clothes being pulled from my closet will be way too big by next winter.

The negative (practical?) side of me thinks I should box them up and hold on to them, just in case. I would even understand if my friends and family tactfully suggested I hold on to them. After all, I dieted down to a size 10 in 1989 and then proceeded to gain 10 pounds a year for the next 15 years. I’m much more experienced in gaining weight than in losing it!

I wish I could say with complete confidence that I will never need my tent dresses again, but I am not that naïve. It is possible that next fall I could be writing a blog post about the pain of buying size 3X clothes when I gave away a whole wardrobe in that size. But I am willing to take that risk. I’m getting rid of these clothes as a vote of confidence in myself and an extra motivation. When I’m deciding how often to allow myself a “splurge”, I want to remember that I have no size 3X in my closet, waiting, just in case.

I wonder if there are any other areas of my life where I need to “clean the closet” so to speak. Am I holding on to anything else “just in case” I fail. What about you?