A question that often comes up in the weight loss community is: Should I keep my fat clothes? Below you’ll find reasons why you should and shouldn’t keep your old clothes after weight loss.

Please read the entire article before making this important decision.

Why should you keep your ‘fat clothes’?

One reason why people keep their fat clothes after weight loss is because of emotional attachment. The clothes used to make the wearer feel better by hiding signs of obesity, for example, loose shirts disguise fat rolls. We all have our favourite clothes, and this attachment doesn’t disappear just because we’re slimmer.

Another reason why people keep their fat clothes is because they’re scared of regain. If they relapse and gain back a few pounds, what will they wear? I see the logic behind this point of view, but I disagree. I think this argument actually shows why we SHOULDN’T keep our fat clothes.

Having bigger sizes makes it easier to regain. You can just slip back into your fat clothes until the weight relapse passes, but what happens if it gets worse? You’ll change into even bigger sizes you’ve kept for emergencies. Over time you’ll creep up clothes sizes without realising until it’s too late! Having no bigger clothes means that if you regain, you’ll have to go naked. Of course you won’t do that, so you’ll have no choice but to face the weight regain NOW instead of later.

My favourite reason why people keep their fat clothes is because they’re a reminder of where we started. Seeing your old clothes literally falling off you is inspiring and makes you feel so proud. Even better, it reinforces how much fat you’ve lost, so you never let the weight return! This is great motivation for those days when you’re feeling too lazy to exercise or too busy to prepare healthy food.

Why shouldn’t you keep your ‘fat clothes’?

It’s easy to upgrade your wardrobe on a budget, so there’s no reason why you shouldn’t hit the High Street and shop til you drop. When I was fat, my clothes were dreary and depressing because I stuck with ‘slimming’ colours like black, dark blue, and grey. Now my wardrobe has rainbow colours like red, yellow, green, and orange. Of course, you can’t update your wardrobe if there’s nowhere to put the new clothes. Fat clothes use more material therefore they take up more space. By getting rid of them, you free up room for lots of new clothes in smaller sizes.

Getting rid of your fat clothes also helps others. If your clothes are still wearable, donate or sell them! Donating them to a good cause means the less fortunate can update their wardrobes too. Selling the clothes increases your shopping budget for that exciting trip to the stores. You could always do both!

In short, whether you keep your fat clothes or not depends entirely on you. If you haven’t made a decision yet, keep your old clothes and see how it works out. If they lead to regain or clutter the house, give them away. Some people only keep their fat clothes long enough to take Before and After photos to show off, so that’s always an option. Personally, I did a bit of both: I gave most of my fat clothes away but kept a few of the biggest sizes. I like the reminder of where I’m coming from, so I stay motivated and NEVER go back.