1.Clean out the closet and dresser, until the only things there are garments that fit you .

Don't hold anything back for a time when you will lose weight . This is out of keeping with your decision to accept and love yourself as you are now. If you're only left with four or five garments, well, that's all you're wearing now anyway, isn't it? Who needs a lot of stuff hanging there making it look like you have more choices than you do, perhaps making you feel frustrated or worse, a failure? Pack it up and move it out!

What can you do with those castoffs?

Donate them to the charity of your choice. Some possibilities are:

• Local homeless and battered women's shelters.

• Contact your local "welfare to work" office. There is a desperate need for clothing suitable for the workplace, so that women entering the workforce for the first time have something to interview in!

• Church thrift shops.

• The Salvation Army.

• Disaster relief drives, the Red Cross.

• Nursing homes.

Or perhaps you have a friend who could make use of them. Some size acceptance groups sponsor clothing exchanges. Let someone else have the use of garments that are of no use to you.

If you have clothing in very good condition, you might be able to sell it through a consignment shop for secondhand clothing.

If you simply can't bear to part with some things, consider ways that they can be made useful to you, such as:

• Remaking them, or having them remade into clothing that fits you. A skirt might be made from a dress, using the "extra" material in the sleeves and bodice. Slacks can be easily made into a skirt. A dress can also be made into a blouse, with similar use of the "extra" fabric in the skirt. Perhaps a patchwork item could be made from the different fabrics -- something very special like a jacket or vest .

• Using the fabric for other purposes -- possibly for pillows for your sofa, or a piece of patchwork that can be made into a throw or quilt. If you are crafty, you can come up with many uses for fabric. If you are not, perhaps you could donate the clothing to a group that can use it -- quilters, crafters, etc.

As a last resort, pack the clothing away, if you simply can't bear to part with it -- but get it out of sight. At this time, you are not able to wear those things, and they are taking up room and getting in the way.

2.Oh God, I don't have any clothes left!

That is likely to be your first reaction, but try to think of it this way -- now you're looking at the clothes you really have ! This is the time to take stock, to see what you have and what you need, which leads you to finding out what you WANT!

• You might want to make a list or chart of what you have . What goes with what ? Are there any combinations that you haven't considered ? Try laying out the clothes on the bed, seeing if any possibilities you haven't considered come to mind now that you aren't looking at clothing cramped in a closet.

• At this point, you should be starting to see what you need. Are you short of dresses that would be suitable for work? Or is your wardrobe nothing but work clothes, and you've been spending your spare time in the same sweatsuit? Are you living in jeans and t-shirts and getting tired of it? Would a navy blue skirt go with almost every top you have, giving you more choices?

• Write down your ideas. Be kind to yourself, don't scrimp. Sure, you can wear the same thing every single day and accomplish the necessity of being clothed, but give yourself plenty of leeway. If you are not a hermit living in a cave, you need clothes. You know best what your needs are.

3. Let your imagination catch fire!

Okay, you've been extremely practical up until now. You've removed the dead weight from your wardrobe and taken stock of your clothing needs. NOW it's time to look at what you want! This is the really FUN part -- and it costs NOTHING!

• First , give some thought to your style . What sort of look do you like ? Don't eliminate any possibilities because you think you're too large, or that a certain style would not be suitable on you. You're just fantasizing now, trying to find out what you would love to wear.

• Maybe romantic draping and soft rich fabrics catch your eye, and you like the feel of them against your skin. Classic styling may appeal to you with its simplicity and understated flair. You might prefer a sporty look, and lead a lifestyle that calls for more rugged styles. Fantastical styles, leather, vinyl, period clothing, ethnic clothing -- leave no stone unturned . You may not have ever "discovered" your own style because you've been compromising, buying clothing only because it fits, or adhering to some notion of what is "suitable" for large people. Don't let these thoughts creep in, but let your mind roam the possibilities freely. Make notes.

• Now, start looking at clothes -- not with an eye to buy, don't even worry about price. What colors do you like? Don't let the current season's color dictate to you, think about colors YOU like and want to wear. Look at silhouettes and hemlines. Browse through catalogs for all sizes -- again, you are not looking to buy, you're letting your mind soak up possibilities. Look at clothing in stores, magazines, on Internet sites. Go to fabric stores and explore the different fabrics. Look in pattern books. It doesn't matter that you don't sew -- remember, you are opening your mind to new ideas and images, so you can apply them and end up with clothes that you love.

• Do some "people-watching", particulary of larger people. Notice their clothing. Do you see outfits that you like, that are suited to the wearer ? Take note of WHY you like things. Conversely, what do you see that doesn't appeal to you ? Take note of WHY you don't like things. You are making your own fashion "dos and don'ts" list.

4. Play fashion designer.

No, you don't have to be able to draw, and you don't have to kno