Motivation Needed for Beginning to Lose Weight

oneunderthesun123

Hello everyone, I'm 30 pounds overweight and I'm struggling to lose. I was wondering if anyone had a system that I could use to reward myself when I lose weight (say, maybe 1.5 pounds in a week) and punish me when I can't. Thanks, and happy losing!!!

Ninkyou

Are you a dog? No? Then don't treat yourself like one.

I know that sounds kind of harsh, but IMO the reward is being a healthy (and hopefully) smaller you. Isn't that reward enough? Reaching your goals, feeling good about yourself and all that? Maybe celebrate the bigger losses... like... 15 lbs lost, get a haircut or manicure/pedi or whatever. But doing it on a weekly basis probably won't be good for you and will just lead to disappointment if you don't reach your (weekly) goal. Plus, weight loss isn't linear, so you probably won't hit your exact goal every single week... but why would you punish yourself for that? Would you punish yourself for only losing 1 lb instead of 1.5 lbs?

malibu927

If you lose weight, be proud that you did it. If you don't, keep going. One thing you'll learn is that you won't lose every day or week due to sodium intake, exercise, stress, and other factors.

999tigger

Arent the health benefits and sense of achievement reward enough in themselves? Punishments are counterproductive imo.

If you are going to use rewards then make them non food ones and for manageable and realistic targets.

You are unlikley to struggle if you just hit your targets by logging accurately and do complementary exercise consistently.

awesomejdad

She did not say anything about rewarding herself with food like a dog. That was a bit presumptuous.

There is nothing wrong with a reward system. Strangers can't really help you though. We have no idea what you like. Getting your hair done, buying shoes, going to a show, a new dress. Who knows. Whatever you like really. Just hit your weight loss goals by working hard.

NoelFigart1

My opinion, FWIW, is if you need a reward other than the happiness of having lost the weight, then maybe this isn't a good time for you to be losing weight. You gotta wanna. If you don't wanna, really, don't.

No matter what people say here, it's hardly a moral imperative.

randomtai

awesomejdad wrote: »

She did not say anything about rewarding herself with food like a dog. That was a bit presumptuous.

There is nothing wrong with a reward system. Strangers can't really help you though. We have no idea what you like. Getting your hair done, buying shoes, going to a show, a new dress. Who knows. Whatever you like really. Just hit your weight loss goals by working hard.

But there is something wrong with a punishment system.

oneunderthesun123

Just so you know, guys, I'm male

Ninkyou

awesomejdad wrote: »

She did not say anything about rewarding herself with food like a dog. That was a bit presumptuous.

There is nothing wrong with a reward system. Strangers can't really help you though. We have no idea what you like. Getting your hair done, buying shoes, going to a show, a new dress. Who knows. Whatever you like really. Just hit your weight loss goals by working hard.

Food isn't the only reward for dogs, you know. I think that's a bit presumptuous as well.

The point was though that rewarding or punishing yourself every week isn't going to be realistic simply because you don't make your "goal". What if he loses 1 lb instead of his projected 1.5 lbs? Is he supposed to punish himself for losing a pound? That makes no sense.

hotcoffee692

You can't totally control whether you will lose weight in any given week, but you cancontrol how much effort you're making. Instead of rewarding yourself for pounds lost, how about a non-food reward for your effort? You could reward yourself for a certain number of days logged in a row, or a number of workouts accomplished, or for consistently sticking with a new healthy habit for an amount of time.

It's true that feeling healthier/fitter is the best reward, but that doesn't always happen right away, and a person could get discouraged while engaging in new habits that aren't always comfortable. So I get what you're asking for, OP. I'd avoid any punishment, though, because I think that would just make you feel bad about yourself, which could lead to giving up.

Good luck!