Do new clothes help or hinder?

tarotwoman

Loves life
I've been really struggling with my diet, I just can't seem to back into it so I need some motivation. One of the things I'm trying is I've gone out and bought new clothes. These are dresses that fit well and are flattering. I'm hoping that looking better will help put me in the right frame of mind to get back to the diet properly instead of playing at it.

Trouble is I look a lot better now (with clothes on) so am I going to be motivated or will I just think, 'Oh, I look ok now.'

What does everyone else think?

Tracey
 
Hey Tracey,

I know what you mean, it can be hard to keep motivated once you look at yourself and think "oh I'm ok really". But just think about how good you will feel when you can buy a dress that's a size smaller, or two, and how good THAT ONE will look!

One thing you can do is set a goal date. Buy a dress in the size you'd like to be and choose a goal date in about 2.5 months time. Your goal date can be something like an office party, a friend's birthday party that you want to look glam for, a family gathering, anything where you can imagine yourself wearing that dress and looking really, really svelte! This really helped me, because you can keep trying on the dress and seeing that you're getting closer. And it gives you something tangible.

You've done really well so far, if you keep going it will be a doddle to reach your target! It would be a shame to give up now, just two weeks in. Think about your goal and when you would like to achieve it for.

Just push past this bump and I promise, it does get easier.

Just come on here when you feel like giving up, we'll stop you! :D

SL xxx
 
Yup, I generally 'slimmed into' clothes on my journey - usually jeans. I bought the next size down, lost weight to get into it and when it started to feel roomy I bought the next one as an inspiration. It really helped me :)

Buying cheaper clothes that fit does help too as improving self-esteem is part of the journey I think. I have definitely not let the grass grow under my feet and become complacent, but when I wear clothes that fit I generally get comments about my weight loss which spurs me on!
 
deffo help , theres always clothes u see out there that will keep you on your toes.. and im always thinking yay i look great im ok then i see pics of me and i think theres room for improvement deffo x so i dont think we ever stop wanting to look nicer in clothes x
 
i think if you set yourself a target and use buying an item of clothing as a reward, like lose 7lbs and get a new dress in the next size down or something, that can be pretty good.

i know what you mean though, as soon as i feel i look good in something, i stop trying to lose weight. It's a tricky business!
 
I find new clothes every now and then really help. Your weight loss will be more obvious in clothes that fit properly so you'll feel more like you're achieving something, and buying something slightly too small and slimming into it is also a massive morale boost.
 
Do you not find though that sometimes it can have the opposite effect? I have found in the past that sometimes I have bought a new pair of jeans that are just a bit too small... have set a goal and then feel really dissapointed in myself when I haven't reached the goal. I then end up feeling more de-motivated then I did before.

Unless it is just me setting unrealistic goals? I dunno.
 
I've tried buying things that are in a smaller size in the past but then when I slim down to that size they still don't look right. Probably because you never quite know what your body shape will be at that weight until you get there.

I did go out and buy the dress that was just a bit too tight though because it suited me and it's acheiveable quite quickly to fit into it.

Tracey
 
Do you not find though that sometimes it can have the opposite effect? I have found in the past that sometimes I have bought a new pair of jeans that are just a bit too small... have set a goal and then feel really dissapointed in myself when I haven't reached the goal. I then end up feeling more de-motivated then I did before.

Unless it is just me setting unrealistic goals? I dunno.

I've only ever bought things that were a teeny bit too small, never a whole clothes size (apart from one pair of jeans that I'd bought in a fit of delusion long before I started the diet which were 2 sizes too small, fitting into those was a great day!), buying a whole clothes size smaller might be a bit problematic as you don't know how your body will change.

I found that once I'd lost a bit of weight (half a stone onwards?) I didn't want to buy new clothes as I thought there was no point till I got to goal, but always wearing clothes that didn't fit really made me look awful and made me feel quite negative about losing weight, plus it was harder to feel the effects of weightloss, so I've found that having one or 2 things in the wardrobe that fit properly have really helped with my motivation. I must say I'm looking forward to getting to goal and being able to buy clothes without feeling guilty or worrying whether they'll still fit in a couple of months!
 
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