Stave off the Unwanted Binge the Battle of the Bulge and the Dark Decent into the Sales Rack.
With some of you winding down towards your respective end dates (many of you original dieters will be officially off the diet on Sept. 1st), we want you to know that there is a life after the diet. We understand that you may be itchin’ to get back into the store to get a taste of what you have missed these past 12 months and that can leave a girl anxious (like a cat eyeing the catnip on the other side of the sliding glass door). We get it. After devoting a year to this diet, we hope that you take the lessons learned and new insights about your self in relationship to consumerism and use it to your advantage, be it molding a new lifestyle or gaining the confidence of accomplishing a great personal goal. We don’t want to see you tipping the scales again. Below are some helpful tips that will hopefully inspire you to put your new habits, philosophies and dieting tactics into place. We hope you will continue to write and blog with us about life after the Great American Apparel Diet. We will all be dying to hear about your life “post diet,” whether that means sharing your personal missteps, tools, or insights that you continue to learn as you embark on the life after TGAAD.
Here are some pointers to keep from reverting to the pre-diet ways that we worked so hard to break:
- Shop slower- before you take the plunge to buy that dress that looks oh-so fabulous on you, take a second in the mirror and ask, “Do I really need this? Where can I wear this to?”
- If your closet is reverting back to its overflowing chaos, you might not be in love with all the purchases you’ve made. Make the distinction if it is love you feel with that piece of clothing in the dressing room or fleeting emotions of lust.
- If said item could be a love potential, leave it and walk away. Get a change of scenery, take a breather from the fluorescent lights in the stores. If you are still thinking about it an hour later, it will be worth the trip back to the store to buy it.
- Know your shopping needs -take inventory of your closet often. Know what it seriously getting worn through and if you can salvage it or if it is indeed time to go out and buy a replacement.
- Take your time picking out your outfit for the day, even if you need to do it the night before. Appreciate how great that blazer hugs those fabulous curves or how the color of your top brings out your eyes. What you’ve got in your closet is probably all the right stuff.
- Limit your shopping intake to once a month. No more needless meandering around the mall and classifying it as “exercise”. Now we are shopping with a purpose in mind.
- If it feels like it could be one of those high-threat-of-unnecessary-spending-days, leave the credit card at home. Pay for things in cash- it’s easier to monitor your spending through the day on only things you really need.
- If you slip to a crazy extent and splurge on the jeans, coat, cashmere sweaters and jacket you just “had to have” that one day (knowing full well you didn’t need it), it’s okay. Just hop back on that horse. If you feel the need, you can even do a mini one month diet to get back on track.
- Be wary of “Sale” signs/stickers/tickets/events/tags/coupons. Even with a great bargain attached to it, is it as fabulous as you are and does it do your wardrobe justice? Remember, 30% off should never be a product’s best feature.
- Quality over quantity! We want clothes that will last for years to come. Things that are too trendy or poorly made are not on our “need” list.
- After you wash your clothes, hang them up to dry, it will make them last longer. If you take care of your clothes, they will take care of you.
- Look for other ways of spending your hard earned free time. Spending time with friends or family, volunteering or taking a class to learn a new trade can be much more rewarding and fulfilling than shopping.
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