Ideas for Non-Edible Rewards
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whatever happened to being satisfied that you reached said goal….?0
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All of these ideas require money or time ABOVE and BEYOND what we're already spending to lose the weight. A donut = $0.69 and no extra time. A Manicure is what, $20? (I'm a dude, so I dunno
) Probably 30 minutes to an hour when you consider drive, manicure, pay, drive. If I have an extra 30 minutes in my day, I'm going for a run or doing chores around the house. I have such a backlog of things I SHOULD do, that rewarding myself with OPTIONAL things makes me feel more guilty than rewarded...which leads to guilt-eating. So, right back to square one.
I guess, for me, it is back to the drawing board for more brainstorming. There's GOTTA be a way.
No one commented on my suggestion of "take away some things that maybe I don't deserve until I earn them" Has anyone tried that? Anyone ever do the whole "no TV until treadmill"?
Hahah 75% of the POINT of a manicure is the time it takes.
The only problem with taking something away is it's less reward, more punishment, which can work but isn't for everyone. But, I do that myself. I hold off on buying things I have needed or wanted for a while until I deserve it haha. It's nice to do something bigger for reaching the bigger milestones though.0 -
- Clothes
- Fun Activities through Groupon or Living Social--I especially like this one for activities that I couldn't do before due to being so out of shape (like surfing lessons or rock climbing)
- 5k's or fun runs
- New running shoes
- Charms for a charm bracelet -- I've heard a few people doing this and making the charms meaningful for whatever part of the journey you're at (like something weddingish for hitting the weight you were at your wedding, or a graduation cap for your high school weight, etc)
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New clothes. I feel really positive as I see my wardrobe being replaced with new, smaller-sized clothes; many of my frumpy, loose clothes are now gone, and in their place I have some nice things that fit me properly. I can see a difference in my weight when I look at my new wardrobe, more so than when I look at myself in the mirror and inevitably doubt how well I've been doing.0
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All of these ideas require money or time ABOVE and BEYOND what we're already spending to lose the weight. A donut = $0.69 and no extra time. A Manicure is what, $20? (I'm a dude, so I dunno ) Probably 30 minutes to an hour when you consider drive, manicure, pay, drive. If I have an extra 30 minutes in my day, I'm going for a run or doing chores around the house. I have such a backlog of things I SHOULD do, that rewarding myself with OPTIONAL things makes me feel more guilty than rewarded...which leads to guilt-eating. So, right back to square one.
I guess, for me, it is back to the drawing board for more brainstorming. There's GOTTA be a way.
No one commented on my suggestion of "take away some things that maybe I don't deserve until I earn them" Has anyone tried that? Anyone ever do the whole "no TV until treadmill"?
Maybe it's because you're a guy that you don't get it.
The idea is to feel pampered and rewarded, not to save time and money.
I do get that some people would do well with the punishment/reward cycle, but that wouldn't work for everyone. Just like rewards at milestones doesn't work for everyone.
I lean more towards "watch TV on treadmill" instead of "no TV until treadmill". For instance, I listen to audiobooks when I run. I'm not "allowed" to listen to them unless I'm running, so if it's a suspenseful part, I'm very motivated to go run so I can find out what happens next.
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All of these ideas require....
FalseNo one commented on my suggestion of "take away some things that maybe I don't deserve until I earn them" Has anyone tried that? Anyone ever do the whole "no TV until treadmill"?
eh most people post and don't read the other answers.
Ive never been a -take things away untuil I deserve them- kind of person - because the only kinds of things you'd take away are things that take up time that you could spend working out so you should be shifting them Anyway.
So it's not depriving myself of reading or something, it's just going to the gym instead. I can work some reading time in before bed or something, instead of spending the morning or afternoon on the couch.
because i'm focusing on a new lifestyle, I try not to use lazy/unhealthy/fattening things (like couch potato time) to reward me for doing the right things.
I see it all as an epic video game.
I slowly but surely level up my game. My weapons, my healing, my strength, my speed, my magic - in other words - my equipment, my care and maintenance of my body, my weight progress, my cardio, my drive.
3 years ago I decided I would lift a weight.
Now Im on like... my 20th cycle of 5/3/1 - or 18th or something. I'd never done a race - now I have a 2x Tough Mudder Headband. and a Spartan medal! I don't require a lot of debating and arguing with myself because this is the life Im building for myself, why would I fight it? I have millions of reasons why I should, but the reason I do is because I chose to.
So the rewards I give myself are always things or experiences or time that will give me an advantage to keep moving forward and keep making this my new normal. And it worked.
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How about a charm bracelet, like pandora, or links or nominations or if you are really flush a tiffany one, then as you hit another goal, treat yourself to a charm. As it fills up you will have a gorgeous piece of jewellery and physical reminder of how far you have come x0
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in other words, I reward myself for reaching my goals by giving myself a leg up to the next milestone.0
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tattoo or new clothes in your smaller size0
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I tell my children to get me a potted flowering plant.
For reaching below 200 lbs, I organized a "one-derland" party at our local trampoline park. I asked myself what would be most meaningful, and getting my mobility back certainly does it for me.
I certainly can't bet celebrating with a trampoline party! Since I'm in this for a long haul (I am giving myself 1year to loss 50 lbs and I'm 30 done now), I knew that I needed to make sure I gave myself small affordable rewards alone the way. I purchased groupon/wagtag package deals for pampering (facials, pedis etc.) so that I wouldn't end up going from weight loss counselling to credit/budget counselling!0 -
No one commented on my suggestion of "take away some things that maybe I don't deserve until I earn them" Has anyone tried that? Anyone ever do the whole "no TV until treadmill"?
Ha! I do the reward thing for house work, especially laundry and vacuuming- loath them, can't read a chapter of a book until they are done. It works like a charm.
- Never had to resort to it for staying healthy and in the best shape I can.
Going on a cruise in March inspires me year round
Cheers, h.0 -
Care to elaborate? I will stand corrected on the manicure thing since apparently it takes longer to do your own nails than have someone else do them (though, both options take longer than eating a donut). As of the time of my reply, all of the suggested non-edible rewards listed take time and money. It would be cheaper and faster to eat a donut or slice of pizza.
Perhaps you're right. It is unfortunate that this is an unmeasurable data point. I will only speak for myself and say that I have read every reply and thought about all of them. I didn't see anything related to my suggestion.Ive never been a -take things away until I deserve them- kind of person -
You are clearly self-motivated. You've got the right attitude and are working hard without needing external motivators. Congratulations. For me, and perhaps the OP might agree, it is about getting to that state. If I were self-motivated, I never would have been 150 pounds overweight in the first place. It's about finding ways to trigger the shift to where you clearly were able to get quickly. Once there, the rewards may change or go away completely. It's about triggering the first step in the right direction. Its about being motivated by success. You can't be motivated by the weight loss until you know how it feels to lose the weight. You have to either hope that it will feel good or promise yourself something that you KNOW feels good...because the only kinds of things you'd take away are things that take up time that you could spend working out so you should be shifting them Anyway.
Perhaps I could have said it differently. I'm not talking about things I shouldn't ever do. I mean the things that should be prioritized behind health and fitness. Hobbies and extra curriculars. Posting pictures in my photo album online, updating my website, playing with model trains, etc...0 -
I don't think you need to reward yourself. Period. Do you give yourself a treat for going to work or taking care of the kids or changing the oil in your car or any of that?
The reward for losing ten pounds is weighing ten fewer pounds. If achieving a goal doesn't feel good in and of itself, maybe it's not a great goal at this time.0 -
Well as a single girl and in charge of my own budget - I don't have to do treats of clothes, jewelry or any of those things as a celebration for accomplishment.
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Instead, the celebration is when I can fit into a smaller size pants. Not in that I'm being treated to a new wardrobe.
What my treats are - is friend related... I plan an outing with friends. A day trip to Maine for a hike. A comedy club night and hotel stay - girls' weekend/ and catchup. Most of these events have a dress-up quality as part of it.
In May, my friends are discussing a week trip to the Carribean. Now, this would be a perfect event for lots of swimming, and catching up. Of course... I'm going to have a lot of work between now and then.
So - in essence - it's not about treating after the fact, it's more about setting a time-frame and a goal to be better by that event; and to work toward it. And I'm looking forward to what new outfits will go traveling with me.
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No one commented on my suggestion of "take away some things that maybe I don't deserve until I earn them" Has anyone tried that? Anyone ever do the whole "no TV until treadmill"? - jdim
I get in to a very unhealthy deprivation cycle, obsessing over the thing taken away instead of the goal I want to accomplish. Take-away definitely does not work with my personality type.
What has worked wonders is recognizing a NSV milestone and crowing about it. Blog it, share with my friends on Facebook, and reminisce about it afterwards.0 -
Care to elaborate? I will stand corrected on the manicure thing since apparently it takes longer to do your own nails than have someone else do them (though, both options take longer than eating a donut). As of the time of my reply, all of the suggested non-edible rewards listed take time and money. It would be cheaper and faster to eat a donut or slice of pizza.
totally, those of us that are saying to do something that gives you a sense of pride or satisfactions (like running your first 1/4 mile or getting down on the floor and seeing how many pushups you can do in a row or doing your first pullup or making a fit vidblog showing your progress to your fans on youtube, these things don't cost money.
Superficial (meaning, not very deep - not meaning stupid) rewards like manicures and new clothing and dye jobs cost money.
Doing your first pullup, does not.Ive never been a -take things away until I deserve them- kind of person -
You are clearly self-motivated. You've got the right attitude and are working hard without needing external motivators. Congratulations. For me, and perhaps the OP might agree, it is about getting to that state. If I were self-motivated, I never would have been 150 pounds overweight in the first place. It's about finding ways to trigger the shift to where you clearly were able to get quickly. Once there, the rewards may change or go away completely. It's about triggering the first step in the right direction. Its about being motivated by success. You can't be motivated by the weight loss until you know how it feels to lose the weight. You have to either hope that it will feel good or promise yourself something that you KNOW feels good
I get this a lot and many people tell me that they are trying to get self-motivated. That's like telling an extrovert to become an introvert.
Some people are not hard wired to self-motivate themselves to do things they don't want to do. Some people will always only react to outside variables.
The best thing, in that situation, is not to waste so much energy striving to be someone you aren't, but to teach yourself to be the best you can be. If you're always going to need outside motivation, then build your self-discipline and create some momentum so you won't need to go out looking for a push as often!
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It is difficult to work hard to "do my first pullup" because I don't know how good it will feel. What if it doesn't feel that good? I KNOW how good a donut is. I KNOW how good it is to buy new clothes or new toy train. Using those as motivation--if only to get to the first pull up--works. Then, after I've done my first pullup and know how good it feels, I can use "2 in a row" as motivation. Then you start the slippery slide to a much better place where you do it for love not money.
I started running because I wanted more calories in my day. I picked running because my local baseball team was advertising a 5k like crazy (I was a season ticket holder). The combination of running on the diamond and an extra 400-600 calories a day was why I started. The tears in my eyes when I crossed the finish line is why I still run...why I did a half...and why, someday, I'll do the full. Were it not for the extra calories or the opportunity to run on the diamond, I never would have picked running.
I'm trying to find the thing that gets me going on the next chapter. Some of us just need that one thing.0 -
It is difficult to work hard to "do my first pullup" because I don't know how good it will feel. What if it doesn't feel that good? I KNOW how good a donut is. I KNOW how good it is to buy new clothes or new toy train. Using those as motivation--if only to get to the first pull up--works. Then, after I've done my first pullup and know how good it feels, I can use "2 in a row" as motivation. Then you start the slippery slide to a much better place where you do it for love not money.
I started running because I wanted more calories in my day. I picked running because my local baseball team was advertising a 5k like crazy (I was a season ticket holder). The combination of running on the diamond and an extra 400-600 calories a day was why I started. The tears in my eyes when I crossed the finish line is why I still run...why I did a half...and why, someday, I'll do the full. Were it not for the extra calories or the opportunity to run on the diamond, I never would have picked running.
I'm trying to find the thing that gets me going on the next chapter. Some of us just need that one thing.
then that is your mindset, to decide that you don't think doing your first pullup is going to be enjoyable, and that's fine. but my fact remains a fact - not all rewards require time and/or money.
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hmmm... pride or a donut?
I dunno how pride feels, so imma take the donut. but not really take it, because I deprive myself of donuts until I earn them. but when i finally earn one, i'll be rewarding a kickass amount of hard work to overcome bad habits, by having donuts.
this doesn't register with my logic, but ok.0 -
I guess for me, the reward is being a normal weight now. I have been on MFP for almost 3 years. Have lost over 160 #, and been maintaining now for over a year. I did not feel any need to reward myself along the way. I am really content with being a healthy weight and being more active. I have to admit though that buying size 10 (& even some size 8's) is really a reward for me, after being a plus size for so long.0
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