Release the Weight — All of It, Including Your Wardrobe

Darth Sidious: "Wipe them out. All of them."

I wish something cool would have gone through my head — like the profound words of the Dark Lord of the Sith — when the urge to purge came upon me. It did not. I just realized, before I left for Terre Haute for race weekend, that my closet was overflowing with stuff I wouldn't be wearing anytime soon.

My journey has been remarkable since last year when I joined WW. I have lost 89 pounds, bringing my total journey to just about 250 pounds. Let me say that again: bringing my journey total to just about 250 pounds. Shall we take a moment to put that into perspective? What are some things that weigh about 250 pounds? How about a newborn baby elephant. A king or queen size mattress. A mature lioness. Of course, most standard washing machines would also be in this range.

So, when I was struggling to recover from two ear infections and couldn't ride on Monday, the only urge I had was to purge all the 4X and 5X stuff that was in my closet (excluding a small bunch of Hanes shirts and bike jerseys, because bike jerseys are just cut differently). I needed to have a wardrobe that matched the new me. The sleeker me. The smaller me. The real me.

It started with the jeans. The jeans I wore in Florida were lucky to stay on my ass. There were a few close calls when I almost bared it and shared it with the company — that would not have been a first for me, but another story, for another day. I currently have no jeans in the house that fit. It is okay; I am waiting on my new jeans and belt to arrive. Hopefully by Friday, or we are wearing shorts to graduation with a "crumb bum" sign around my neck — Dad would not be pleased.

Next came the shorts, all of them. Gym shorts, casual shorts — any shorts that were too big had to go. Again, needing to fit into my new body and style, I couldn't go around in shorts that went to my ankles. That is just not a good look for anyone. After all, I am not a pirate.

Next were the T-shirts. For the first time, on my own, I didn't play the sentimental game. I just looked at the size and tossed them out if they weren't 3X or less. It was a grand purge — cold and calculated.

When it came to the sweatshirts, I did let sentiment play a part. It is not often that the worst college football team of all time goes undefeated and wins the national title. Therefore, no matter what size you were, if you had anything to do with the title run you stayed in the closet. Rose Bowl, Peach Bowl, etc. — you got the mulligan. I mean, it's IU, the Hoosiers! You have to make some exceptions. Plus, we all love having that oversized sweatshirt on a cold winter day where you just get on the couch and watch football or movies all day. However, everything else was cold and calculated — if you weren't my size, you had to go.

By the time I was done, my bed was full of clothes that couldn't be worn anymore. You can see the picture above. Now, logic, instinct, and my Mom told me to toss these clothes and never look at them again. However, I am an accountant at heart. Therefore, I do think about dollars and cents, and while I never intend to go back up, clothes are expensive and prices are rising — and I have a lot of closet space — so I decided to hold onto them for now. I will give it six months, and if I keep going down, then they will find themselves a new home.

I have been putting together a new wardrobe over the last month to go with the new me. I have opted for ease during the week. I have my daily uniforms for the work week: a piqué polo shirt and a pair of shorts or jeans based on the time of year. Then on weekends I have some new T-shirts, highlighted by a sweet burger chef T-shirt and an even sweeter Indiana State Powder Blue Bob Warn baseball T-shirt. I am sure come winter I will have to find some new sweaters and such, but let's take it one season at a time.

I am super excited to be releasing the old clothes, letting them go and embracing a new me — for a new day with a new weight! It is super exciting!