If you or someone you love is on a big weight loss journey, there’s a closet organizing project in your future. Weight loss always leads to wardrobe changes, but I’m seeing something new with the GLP-1 meds like Ozempic, Mounjaro and Wegovy.

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Back to your closet…

These GLP1 drugs claim to help people lose about 15% of their body weight on average, but I’m noticing even more dramatic results. Friends tell me they have more energy, don’t have joint pain, and are eliminating diabetes and other medications from their lives. As they are coming into their new normal, they are doing more than just tightening their belts.

When someone loses 30, 40, or 50 pounds, tailoring old clothes isn’t enough. Today’s clothes don’t always look right if you just have them taken in. Even if you could, the price of a good tailor is often more than buying new clothes.

Your professional organizer (that’s me!) says if you are nailing it on a weight loss journey, then you deserve new clothes. Or at least new-to-you clothes. Before that little voice in your head says you don’t deserve it, say this out loud: I deserve nice things. Because you do. You really do.

4 Do’s and Don’ts for Wardrobes after Weight Loss

Don’t start by pulling everything out of your closet and throwing it on your bed. That’s a rookie move made for TV shock value. If you aren’t used to organizing a closet, you can quickly run out of steam, and then you are left with a big mess and no place to sleep. Instead, touch each item, going right to left, and remove it from your closet if you need to review or donate it.

Do practice SORT and Succeed by starting with a concrete goal that’s written down using five words or less. For instance, “sort through tops” or “declutter left side of closet.” Keep your goal specific and small. In fact, the smaller the better. Write it down to keep yourself on track. It’s almost inevitable that you’ll get distracted — we all do — and writing down your goal can keep you focused.

Don’t forget the “one in, one out” rule. A while back, I wrote about why the “one in, one out” rule is often a lie. But if you’ve recently lost a lot of weight, you’ll be eager to swap garments, a few at a time. As you purchase five new tops, choose the same number of old ones for the donation bin.

Do make it easy to swap sizes by placing a donation bin inside your closet (or nearby) to pitch clothes in when they no longer fit. There will come a day when your old favorite duds start to look like you are playing dress up in someone else’s clothes. When that day comes, those clothes can go right in the donation bin, in the moment!

What if?

At this point, I can hear you…

But what if I gain the weight back?
Shouldn’t I keep some of my old clothes just in case?
What if they start rationing the meds, or what if I can’t afford to keep taking it?

That’s the fear talking. Anything bad could happen…but it probably won’t.

You deserve to look fabulous every day. (full stop)

Follow Darla’s Wardrobe Laws, and don’t keep clothes that are damaged or just don’t look good on you anymore, no matter what the price.

While the meds are helping you lose weight, you can’t help but build habits to stay in your new size. While you get healthy, you won’t need the safety net of old clothes that are too big for you.

Also, do your closet a solid. Feature your clothes like they are in a boutique. Don’t keep being squeezed by clothes of pounds past. Let your closet slim down, too.

Organize Your Closet with a Fashion Advisor

Not feeling confident? Don’t have time to shop? Enlist a friend to help you decide what to keep and what to buy new.

If you’ve watched your friend shed pounds, then you can offer to be the fashion advisor for them! How fun!

As you lose the pounds, your brain needs a minute to catch up to what looks good on you now. A friend can see what you can’t, including your backside. A good friend will help you put outfits together that look good on you right now. Consider whether your sibling, a best friend, a paid fashion consultant, boutique salesperson, or your professional organizer might be the best for this role.

A woman I know had gotten used to wearing flowy dresses in recent years in her bigger size. As she started to drop the weight, she was getting used to wearing slacks again. She was ready to swap the basic black everything for some fun colors and patterns. We shopped together and found the right shirt waistline, sleeve shape, and jacket profile for her new professional wardrobe.

It’s all There, Just Maybe Not Where You Left It

I gained and lost 40 pounds with both of my pregnancies, so trust me when I tell you I know that even when you get to your target weight, the pounds might not sit exactly where you want them. Arms might be a little this or legs might be a little that. As you go through a dramatic weight loss, take cues from the outfits that make you feel fabulous, and stick with that neckline, hemline, or layering look for your core outfits. You can play around with various fashions and trendy styles over the months and seasons to come. Buy just a few clothes at a time so you can find the shapes that make you happy.

Always be kind to yourself, just like you would be with a good friend. Isn’t it funny that we are often kinder to others than we are with ourselves?

In with the New (Clothes)

You might not be in your new size for long before you get to another new size! You can look amazing, even if you need to save money, by shopping thrift and second-hand. I’ve written before about The Wardobe subscription box. I’ve been on a break from it lately, but I really enjoyed getting a box of high-quality garments every three months. They were often better brands than I would buy new for myself.

Find the good thrift stores in your area. Look for pop-up community sales and clothing swaps like the one my library recently hosted. I got a couple of cute tops for free because I contributed a few nice things I was no longer wearing.

Don’t fall for the allure of online thrift sites, because you might not know what looks good as your body changes. It’s better to try things on in person so you don’t create the problem of returns that get stuck in your closet or car.

You Look Mahvelous

Honestly, I’m never sure whether to say something to someone who has lost a lot of weight, but one of my friends just told me that, heck yeah, she worked hard to lose the weight and she’s happy to have the compliments. So, if no one has told you lately, you look mahvelous! (Not a typo, just a wink to the nineties.)