Are you trying to live healthier but you are so uncomfortable at your weight that it is hard to not make it the first thought each day? Improving body image can help you reach your health goals. If you know you are not at your natural weight due to emotional eating or other lifestyle choices, what is your wardrobe like?  Many seem like a strange question, but I believe it has an effect on food choices.

1.  “All of my clothes are uncomfortable, but I refuse to buy a bigger size when I need to lose weight.”  Buying a larger size of some key items, like black pants or a pair of jeans, does not mean acceptance you are going to stay that size.  Part of getting healthier is acceptance of yourself at any size.  Walking around all day feeling jeans tug at your middle or constantly pulling a shirt down, does not lead to balanced meals and healthy choices.  It usually leads to guilt over eating anything because weight loss is on the brain.  Meals may get too skimpy and cause overeating later on.  You deserve to be comfortable and wear an outfit that makes you feel good throughout the whole day.  That thirty dollar pair of jeans from Old Navy are well worth the cost even if you only wear them a few months.  Feeling good is worth the investment and will get you to your goals faster.

2.  “I spent a lot of money on a wardrobe when I was at my smallest size and I am not getting rid of them.”  If you are hanging onto a wardrobe from a time where you were running at a diet and exercise speed that is not realistically maintained, returning to that size may not be in the cards.  Acceptance that our weight may fall higher than we had hoped is not failure.  Sure you may feel disappointed, but with acceptance comes freedom.  Your new size is still healthy and you do not need to obsess over every calorie intake and output to maintain it.  Freedom to skip the gym one day or share the cake with a friend should be more important than one or two dress sizes.

If you decide to take that leap and go buy some new clothes, here is a thought:  Try on an outfit but do not look in the mirror.  Just stand and then shake and shimmy.  Do you feel good in the outfit?  Can you walk around all day and feel good about what you have on?  Great!  Turn around!  Look!  Buy! Enjoy!  If you loved it on t he rack but you feel self-conscious just wearing it: take it off.  Even if you get praise for how cute it is, it is not worth the investment to feel uncomfortable all day.