Hello Dr. Pritchard,

When you gain some weight that you are not thrilled with, should you or should you not throw out your ill-fitting clothes? In my case, it’s a lot of clothes that I really like, and a lot of expense. I’m hoping that when I have a more active lifestyle again that I’ll get to wear them. Am I approaching this incorrectly? Thanks.

Yours,
The Lady With The Shrunken Pants

Aah, the Shrinking Pants Syndrome… We’ve all been there, myself included. To toss the pants or not? It depends. How realistic is it to think that in the next 3 to 6 months, those clothes will fit again without a lot of effort on your part? That is to say, if you are planning to run a marathon and know from previous experience that when you rev up for a marathon, you always lose a few pounds and that those clothes will fit, then keep them. Or if you’re not active right now due to weather or injury, but you know that come Spring or Summer, you’ll be back out there in full force and the weight will naturally fall off, it’s okay to keep the smaller sized clothes.

If neither one of those scenarios really fit (e.g., you’re hoping sometime in the next few months to get more active, but you’re really busy and don’t see that happening anytime soon), then toss them. More often than not those “skinny jeans” serve to make us feel bad about ourselves rather than motivate us to lose weight in a healthy, maintainable way.

How to handle the expense? I have a couple of ideas. Is there a friend or two you could do a clothing exchange with? Could you consign the pricier clothes and use the money you make toward the purchase of clothes that actually fit? Are there any upscale second hand stores that would allow you to trade your ill-fitting clothes for “new” ones that fit properly?

Parting with favorite clothes can be nerve wracking for many reasons, but leaving them hanging in your closet as a constant reminder that they used to fit is not helpful for your psyche either. If you honestly believe that those clothes will still be hanging in your closet collecting dust 3 months from now, I suggest you do some serious Spring cleaning and prepare to bring the perfect fitting clothes into your life.

I hope this helps! Good luck!

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