Ideas for Non-Edible Rewards
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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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