Do you have a closet that has clothes of various sizes? You know what I am talking about. There's a few pair of pants that are a teensy-weensy bit too tight, but you hang onto them because you just know you are going to lose a few pounds and will fit into them. Or maybe you even have some clothes that are a few sizes smaller, again with the hope that you will someday fit into them.

Why do we do that to ourselves? Why do we think that we are going to look like we did years ago? And, for that matter, do we really want to?

A friend of mine works in a medical clinic, and one of the doctors in that clinic goes overboard when it comes to diet advice. When his patients ask him about dieting, he tells them that their weight goal should be what they weighed in high school.

What?

I graduated from high school 36 years ago. I won't even tell you how much I would have to lose to get back to my high school weight. As a young child, I was pathetically thin. When I was in high school I wasn't much better; in fact when I started donating blood they would always weigh me when I got there, because I didn't look like I would weigh in at their 110-pound minimum requirement. Needless to say, 36 years later I am way over that 110-pound weight.

No, I don't still have clothes that would fit me if I weighed 110 pounds, but I do have a few pair of jeans that I hope to squeeze back into someday. In fact, just a few weeks ago I dug out my summer-weight pants and one pair was a bit more snug than I cared for when I wore them last week. You'll be happy to know that this week they fit better (well, maybe you won't be happy, but I am). Does this mean I'm dieting? No, diet is a four-letter word that I don't care to use. Besides, if I were to diet and lose a bunch of weight, as a reward to myself I would probably buy new clothes, anyway.

So, just why am I keeping those few pair of jeans that don't quite fit? Who knows.

That's it. I'm going home and getting rid of any clothes I have that don't fit. Why keep punishing myself by glancing at those clothes, hoping to someday fit back into them?

You can reach Mary Bruemmer at mary.bruemmer@pineriver journal.com