Keeping Goal Weight Clothes? Experts Say to Proceed With Caution and Encourage Lasting Weight Loss Methods

Many of us have let clothes that no longer fit continue to take up precious space in our closets and dressers. Sure, some of this apparel is still languishing simply because we haven’t taken the time to toss it into the donation box, but another common reason we tend to keep around clothes we’ve outgrown is to motivate ourselves to lose enough weight to fit into them once again. Maybe we’ve even intentionally purchased clothes in ambitious sizes for this exact purpose. The idea seems harmless enough, but it’s not for everyone. In fact, for some people, it could hinder the journey toward sustainable weight loss. We asked experts to offer tips for using goal weight clothes in a healthy and effective manner, and for their favorite alternative recommendations.

Can keeping goal weight clothes hinder weight loss?

Experts say keeping goal weight clothes around is not inherently positive or negative, but it does raise some concerns.

“When an individual keeps old clothes they desire to fit into again, it serves as a constant reminder of their perceived shortcomings,” says Rachel Goldberg, LMFT , Eating Disorder and Weight Management Therapist and Founder of Rachel Goldberg Therapy. “Negative feelings for many with excess weight are often coped with through food. So, subconsciously feeling disgruntled with oneself will lead to emotional eating, sabotaging weight loss efforts.”

Keeping these clothes can also potentially cause hyper fixation on a particular size, Goldberg adds, which can lead to unrealistic expectations as changes in metabolism and life events such as menopause make those old sizes practically unrealistic. This can, in turn, result in restrictive eating behaviors when people feel a need to lose weight as urgently as possible. This typically turns into cycles of restriction and eventually overeating again, making it very challenging to achieve sustainable weight loss, she says.

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“Goal weight clothes are an external or extrinsic motivator,” explains Malia Frey, ACE-CPT, CHC , a health coach and personal trainer with additional ACE credentials in weight management, fitness nutrition, functional aging and habit change. “These are sources of motivation that involve an external reward or avoidance of punishment. Extrinsic motivators aren’t necessarily bad, but they tend to be more effective in the short term. Weight loss, on the other hand, is usually a longer-term endeavor.”

If goal weight clothes negatively impact your self-esteem and confidence, this can deplete your willingness to invest time and energy into weight loss activities including healthy eating and exercise, Frey adds.

How to use goal weight clothes as healthy motivators

This is not to say goal weight clothes are always detrimental for everyone. In fact, there are people who find it useful to have tangible goal markers. However, you should be very mindful of the kind of self-talk, emotions and behavior to which this habit leads.

“For those of us who are motivated by physical things like clothes, it can be very helpful to keep a few goal items,” says Brittany Werner, MS, RDN , Director of Coaching at Working Against Gravity , an online nutrition coaching program. “It’s also very important to dress for the body you currently have. When we feel confident, we are much more likely to treat ourselves well, by eating well and moving our body. If you are motivated by goal clothes, make sure it’s a positive motivator for you and not something that brings you down or makes you feel even more frustrated.”

Clothes can also function as a data point, of which it’s important to have a variety including the number on the scale, progress pictures, sleep quality, energy and hunger levels, notes Kimberly Flores, MSN, FNP-C , nurse practitioner and nutritionist. Many people who are in the process of losing weight will encounter a longer period where the number on the scale doesn’t move as much as they’d like it to, but then discover a pair of pants they hadn’t fit into before now fits them much better. This can provide a confidence boost that encourages the person to stick with their healthier lifestyle, Flores says.

“My caveat to this is that the clothing they are using to hit their goal is realistic,” she adds. “For example, if someone comes to me who has gained 100 plus pounds since high school and tells me that they want to fit back into their size 2 jeans, I would recommend getting sizes that will be obtained earlier on to help them keep their head in the game.”

Alternative weight loss methods to keeping goal weight clothes

Maybe goal weight clothes are not right for you, or maybe they help when complemented by other forms of motivation. Either way, here are a few low-pressure weight loss suggestions from our experts.

“One of my favorite tips for weight loss is to make a list of meals you truly enjoy that also align with eating habits that will benefit your health and set you up for weight loss,” says Goldberg. “Instead of focusing solely on achieving a specific size or number, aim for general healthy eating habits, which might take some time to reframe. Once you have your list, incorporate those meals into most of your eating, like the idea in the ‘80s when the dinner schedule was the same every week.”

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If you can find a few recipes that meet both goals of being satisfying and nutritious, your mindset can shift away from feeling deprived to looking forward to your healthy meals, she adds.

To achieve this, Werner recommends focusing on quality protein at every meal and filling the rest of your plate with whole, high-fiber foods to help control your appetite. Flores also suggests chewing sugar-free gum, drinking carbonated water and loading up on vegetables to keep that hunger at bay.

“Whether you choose to have goal weight clothes or not, you should define your intrinsic motivators for weight loss,” says Frey. “These are the motivators that are most likely to keep you going when you are challenged with roadblocks, and you want to give up. In weight loss, there should never be a right or wrong. Instead, it is best to focus on what works best for you and what inspires you to make healthy choices.”

For more sustainable weight loss tips:

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This content is not a substitute for professional medical advice or diagnosis. Always consult your physician before pursuing any treatment plan .