Waiting a Year for Cowboy Boots

This afternoon I bought something that I have been wanting for a long time. I am the proud owner of these cowboy boots:

I know it's not the best picture... but these boots are so much fun and I am excited to have gotten them just in time for Fall!

These boots may have seemed like a last-minute splurge, but let me explain the journey to get my new boots (I know this sounds ridiculous, but there is a point ;) )

A year ago I started a long road. I went for my yearly check up with my doctor and when I had to step on the scale, I realized I was the heaviest I had ever been. I was so upset with myself. I've never had a fast metabolism. I've been overweight since I was in High School and then college added on a few more pounds. But it really got bad once I got into the working world. Being on the road all the time I tend to not eat all that well. And in the Summer of 2009 my caseload at work spun out of control and I barely had time to sleep much less work out or plan good meals. And I am definitely a stress eater, so this stress led to me feeling like I could eat whatever I wanted. Not to make excuses, because there are none... this was just part of my journey.

So last October I went to my doctor and knew that I needed to make a change that I tried to make several times before. With my family history of illnesses, heart disease, high blood pressure, etc. I knew if I didn't get things under control it could have a lot of bad consequences. From October until Christmas, I was able to lose about 5 pounds. Then in January I started really keeping track of everything I was eating and getting intentional about working out.

Part of my loss has been having small rewards for myself. I know that being healthier should be a reward in and of itself, but I needed an extra incentive. I love buying clothes and shoes, so I set goals where at each 10 pounds I lost I was able to use my gift cards from Christmas, or a few pairs of new shoes, or spend a certain amount of money on new clothes.

And since I have wanted Cowboy boots for such a long time (literally, I have talked with my friend Erin about wanting boots for years lol) I decided that once I reached my final goal I would buy cowboy boots.

As of 2 weeks ago I had lost 45 pounds since last October, and I made sure I had maintained that for 2 weeks before I let myself shop. So today, sweet Erin went with me to Cavender's and I bought myself a pair of Cowboy Boots.

As I said before, I love my new boots. But I also love the way I feel right now. I currently weigh less than I did even through most of High School. And me trying to make healthier choices has inspired others (such as co-workers and family members) to try to make lifestyle changes as well. Not that I have it all figured out! I still splurge on foods I definitely should not eat and have days where I do not want to work out. But I have tried very hard to be consistent and to take it slowly (um obviously, I think I just said it took a year... it could have been a much quicker journey). Making small changes and being conscious of what I am eating as much as possible.

I still have some toning and slimming down that I would like to do, but for the first time in a years I am at a healthy weight and I truly feel good about myself.

And I am super excited to wear my new boots... and knowing how hard I worked for them just makes it that much better.