When I finally got below 200 I wanted to Celebrate with this darling (expensive!) red Kate Spade purse, but decided a heart rate monitor was more practical, and I really needed it - so practical too! My daughter (who's also my personal trainer) informed me that rewards aren't supposed to be practical and she thought I should have bought the purse. She has a point, but it was SO red, which of course I NEVER wore at 289 pounds, right? I "hid" in black and navy mostly. I kept eyeing the purse, and during a recent stall I started cheating a bit with buying a couple of chocolates here and there, eating a treat more often than I should for my plan, and typically I'd be at the checkout stand and succumb, slipping it into my purse for later. I recognized that a horrible habit I was returning to, and made an appt with a counselor and stopped myself from the reward/stall/shame/treat cycle I could see was slipping back into my life.

Then the purse went on sale....and after two trips back to see it (did I mention it's expensive?!) I finally bought it today, deciding it will be a Chocolate-Free purse! It's bold and red and happy, and in the grey wet northwest winters, anything that bright and happy has no business being a place for me to hide chocolate or feel like I need to eat anything secretly. Nope--not gonna do it!

So the purse is nicely gift-wrapped in my car, and I'll open it for Christmas and enjoy knowing it's entirely joyful, bold and beautiful...and so am I.

Kate

Yeah for you! You deserve it. By the way, hand bags are my thing! I love the idea of your chocolate free purse. Hopefully you will carry that one all the time as a reminder that you really don't need that crappy old chocolate anyway!

Good luck!

That is funny that you went to visit the purse at the store. Good for you!

Cute

Share a pic of the purse? I love looking at purses...

I tried to drop a picture in, but it didn't show up - sorry! It's red paten leather Kate Spade New York - so cute! "Cedar Street Margot" is the style.

What have been good incentive/new life things for other people? What surprise fun made you feel good?

ooh, pretty!

Love the purse

Hey - cool @@imsoglad56 !! You got it to post - i'm impressed. I love looking at them too. And not just because they always 'fit' either - hah hah! It's funny how careful I've been to be sure it's large enough to feel in scale with my size, and now I look at one and think it's a little small...until I see it on my shoulder in the mirror and realize it looks really large! Such fun to find these surprises though. Losing this much weight opens a whole new world of purse possibilities!!

Love the purse. I'm glad you allowed yourself to have it. I totally understand how a beautiful handbag can brighten your day.

Fun thread. And really healthy thought process went into the purchase. Loved it, @katesuccess.

That's awesome! I bought some pants once just because they were SO cute. They are hanging in my closet and I call them my "goal pants"

The purse is gorgeous and well worth the work you put into it!

I always love a new purse!....especially those that are chocolate free ⭐️⭐️

Love that colour too!

Fun thread. And really healthy thought process went into the purchase. Loved it, @katesuccess.

Thanks @@VSGAnn2014! It's part of my current internal work to sort out the good difference between that sort of reward and pleasure and the sort that I'm tempted to do with a piece of chocolate or other thing i've chosen not to plan to eat on a given day. I'm finding the past week has been good in avoiding that, yet the couple weeks prior was awful. I love reflecting back on the choices that lead to one versus the other, and (as you say) healthy thought process and then what are just my old impulses to feel good for a moment by eating with little thought at all.

I love how you made an appointment with a counselor to get help because you noticed you were slipping into old habits.

You are "Bold and Beautiful" just like your snazzy Red Purse.