It’s Time to Clean Out Your Closet

When I spoke at the Obesity Help 2016 Conference earlier this year, I had the privilege of hearing personal stylist Shannon Burns as she spoke on “How to Dress Your Changing Body After Weight-Loss Surgery.”

It was SO awesome that I have since signed up for her emails, purchased a few items, followed on Facebook AND took her 5 Day Closet Clean Out Challenge. 

Oh. My. Gosh.

You guys.

Ever since I PURGED 3 giant garbage bags of clothes (and finally got my pregnancy clothes put away) I feel like I’ve cut down my “getting ready time” by AT LEAST HALF THE TIME.

I’ve also felt more stylish than ever and have received so many compliments on my clothing. Trust me…not normal! (I’m a black Gap top and jeans kind of girl with a splash of “I tried hard today!!”)

I didn’t take a before picture of my closet. I should have! I think I got so in the zone on pulling everything out that I didn’t stop to take a photo. But here’s the photo of my little helper once everything was out! (Please note…too many boots…)

When you’re someone who has fluctuated every size and are in the midst of a weight-loss journey, it can feel scary to get rid of things in other sizes. BUT you are also ready to embrace the smaller parts of yourself…even if you are waiting for more weight-loss!

If you’re like the majority of my patients, you own every size jeans they make!

Getting rid of clothes that are too big is a MUST. Say goodbye forever. Bon Voyage. See you never again. Good riddance.

Baggy tops. Saggy jeans. No. More.

It’s extra tough when seasons are changing as sizing is changing. Not to mention STYLES are changing and what you like is changing.

Sometimes I make these rules up in my head like “I look best in a crew neck” and then never try on a v-neck. Then I go through my closet and purge a pile of crew necks because after I lost weight I don’t look good in crew necks anymore. Wha??

Back to my point.

YOU NEED TO TAKE THIS 5 DAY CLOSET CHALLENGE.

For me, it wasn’t about having a dream closet out of a magazine. While I DO want a closet like that one day, I’m currently renting a small home because my family is transitioning from our move last year before we make a purchase. So my closet now is not my “dream closet” but a “super functional closet” to make getting ready less stressful. Which is actually a dream. So we’ve come full circle.

By purging clothes that I didn’t like, that didn’t fit or that were falling apart…my closet diminished…and so did the time it took me to get dressed.

I wear a lot of the same items but I’ve gotten more creative in how to wear them differently. BONUS: I swear I have less laundry. I wear an outfit I actually like and then don’t change out of it and into something else…hence making less dirty clothes.

While I have dreams of how I will organize and create a “dream closet” in our next home, here is the photo of my closet that makes me feel like I can breathe (instead of just giving up and wearing an oversized black gap shirt).

So sign up for Shannon’s Closet Challenge and have a little fun seeing how far you’ve come! I would LOVE to see pictures of your closet purge party and the piles of clothes that are way too big!

And hey! STAY TUNED because Shannon has agreed to be a guest blogger in the New Year and will talk about how to style your changing body. You will just adore her!

All my best,

Steph :)