It's that time of year again. Resolutions are made and goals are written down. Give it a few months, though, and most will go out the proverbial window. But what if I told you that there was one simple step you could take every single day that would tip the scale in your favour towards reaching your desired weight? No special diets, no popping pills. Would you be in? Thought so.
All you have to do, every single day, is -- wait for it -- get dressed.
For the body you have, that is, not the one you had. Let me explain.
As a Stylist, I work with a number of women who either want to lose weight, are in the process of losing weight, or have already lost the weight. The one thing that has become abundantly clear is that those who dressed for their changing body felt better about themselves and found that it helped them stay motivated to continue on their weight loss journey.
Women often tell me that they don't want to buy another piece of clothing until they drop their desired weight. They're not going to waste another penny on clothes they'll probably never wear again, which makes complete financial sense. Except for the fact that it's not always the best or most practical idea.
We all know that once you start losing weight your clothing becomes looser, baggier and even ill-fitting. You start to get lost in your clothes and suddenly don't feel or look your absolute best. Frumpy might be a better word. You might even lose your motivation. We all know how hard it is to lose weight; even a few pounds. It takes discipline and drive, and it's hard to do when you're not feeling fabulous in your outfits.
So, you cave, and buy more clothes -- most likely smaller versions of the ones you already own. Same style, different size. Except there's a problem. Something's not quite right and you're not sure what it is.
It's this: Your body shape may have changed with the weight loss, and you're still shopping and dressing for the body you had. Not the one you have.
Everyone loses weight differently. Some lose most in the chest (why are the boobs always the first to go?!?), some lose most in the mid section, some in the rear or hips and some in the thighs. Some might lose their weight evenly all over.
The key to looking great throughout your weight loss, and the key to staying motivated, is to shop and dress for the body you have at that moment, so that you look amazing throughout the whole process. The better you look every single day, the more you'll want to keep going to achieve your goal.
How do you do this? Keep checking in with yourself and your mirror as you lose the weight and as your clothes get looser and looser. How do they look on you? How do you feel? Where are you losing most of the weight? Where do the adjustments need to be made. Sometimes slight alterations can be made to your existing clothes to accommodate the weight loss. Sometimes new pieces altogether are needed.
If you find yourself with a need to shop during your weight loss or once you've reached your desired weight, take a good long look in the mirror and really look at what you see. At that particular moment.
It's quite common for women who have lost a significant amount of weight to only see themselves as they were before the weight loss. I've had clients shocked with some of the clothing suggestions I made, thinking that there was no way they could pull off a certain look. Until they tried it. Then they were amazed at how good they looked and at how many compliments they received. The mind is a tricky thing.
So if you find yourself on the New Year weight loss bandwagon and you really want to keep your resolution, stick to your goal, and stay motivated, do yourself a favour. Be kind to yourself, see yourself in all your beauty throughout the process and, most importantly; shop. A lot. Your body will thank you.