Rewards?

BRaye325
BRaye325 Posts: 1,383 Member
edited November 11 in Success Stories
When I began 7 months ago, this is what my list of planned rewards looked like:
1) Lose 10 lbs - New pair of shoes
2) Lose 20 lbs - Get a massage
3) Lose 30 lbs - Buy new clothes
4) Lose 40 lbs - Fishing trip
5) Lose 50 lbs - $50 iTunes card
6) Lose 60 lbs - Buy new clothes again
7) Lose 70 lbs - Take a trip to a warmer climate

Now that I am this far, these are the best rewards I received:
1) Lose 10 lbs - Off 1 prescription, no more acid reflux
2) Lose 20 lbs - Helped someone on MFP with advice and support
3) Lose 30 lbs - Enjoy many nice walks through nature with my wife
4) Lose 40 lbs - Compliments from friends & co-workers and my doctor
5) Lose 50 lbs - More energy and self-confidence, another prescription gone
6) Lose 60 lbs - Being a better role model to my family
7) Lose 70 lbs - Wrestling on the floor with my two grandsons

What are your rewards?

Replies

  • iclaudia_g
    iclaudia_g Posts: 148 Member
    That's a very awesome contrast to the rewards you first planned. I am motivating my son to get more active and drink less empty calories. Giving him a healthy future is my reward!
  • STenley513
    STenley513 Posts: 20 Member
    Great work! That is AWESOME!
  • JayRuby84
    JayRuby84 Posts: 557 Member
    Wow - your actual rewards are better than what you could have imagined. Mine so far have been realizing I'm stronger than I thought and then having a couple people refer to me as being "cut". That's really never happened to me before.
  • ErinK09
    ErinK09 Posts: 687 Member
    OP your list of rewards is GREAT.
    The only thing I've got for now is at the end of my weight loss and that's two tattoo's.
  • BRaye325
    BRaye325 Posts: 1,383 Member
    We now live in a society where it is common for us to always get rewarded for many things we do. We "treat" ourselves for working hard. We easily say:
    "I deserve this."
    "I'll treat myself to an ice cream cone."
    "I deserve to go out for lunch today because I really worked hard this week."
    "I worked out, so it's O.K. for me to gorge myself with pizza."
    "I was awesome, so I think I'll fill up my bathtub with cocoa and marshmallows and dive in head first." - just checking to see if you were still reading. :)
    Sometimes we deserve it, but sometimes we don't.
    I'm not really trying to attack the concept of rewarding ourselves, but think we need to pay attention to making sure it's justified and more importantly, paying attention to the actual reward. In our day of drive-throughs, quick stops, and conveinence stores, it is too easy to get into the bad habit of quickly piling on some unneccesary calories while patting ourselves on the back.
    It's important that we often step back from what is right in front of us and look at the bigger picture and this certainly applies to rewarding ourselves. When we do see the justification for a treat, perhaps the answer lies in changing our reward list.
  • ErinK09
    ErinK09 Posts: 687 Member
    True! My family is developing better eating habits because of the different foods I have been buying, which is nice.
  • fastingfurious35
    fastingfurious35 Posts: 37 Member
    Great post. Really you got better rewards than you asked for :) .. I don't have my reward list planned all the way down the road- just the next 15 lbs- i will reward myself with a new workout outfit and shoes. No food allowed - or anything food related. Unless it's some protein :) .. but really - rewards should be justified i agree with the previous poster- and not food. In one magazine i have read " don't reward yourself with food , you are not a dog " .. ..
    - I"m setting up the rewards for myself- just to have something to look forward to, and to give me a " yay-good job so far- now let's keep going . without those tiny little breaks/rewards - the finish line would be looking so much further away. Those rewards i see as tiny " bus-stops " .. kind of thing. :)
    -
  • Polishprinsezz
    Polishprinsezz Posts: 249 Member
    This is the best story I have read!
  • SandyBVTN
    SandyBVTN Posts: 367 Member
    When I began I had a list of rewards. They are still around somewhere but the more I lose the more I think that feeling this great and being so much more confident is such a reward itself. Every successful weigh in is such an awesome victory! I will reward myself with a completely necessary shopping trip when I've reached my goal weight though. :smile: :smile: :smile:
  • MaryGoals2015
    MaryGoals2015 Posts: 57 Member
    Congrats...I have not setup a list of rewards like yours but very informative to go by. Thanks :D
  • BRaye325
    BRaye325 Posts: 1,383 Member
    " don't reward yourself with food , you are not a dog " .. ..
    -

    I like that phrase. I agree with taking food off the reward list. I try to plan my favorite foods into my diet by preplanning and portion control. That way I'm not depriving myself and it lowers the desire to binge.
  • BRaye325
    BRaye325 Posts: 1,383 Member
    This is the best story I have read!

    Thanks, glad you enjoyed it.
  • BRaye325
    BRaye325 Posts: 1,383 Member
    SandyBVTN wrote: »
    feeling this great and being so much more confident is such a reward itself.. :smile: :smile: :smile:

    I couldn't agree more!
  • happygalah
    happygalah Posts: 343 Member
    Really enjoy your perspective on things. The best rewards are things money can't buy. Good health and being able to participate with family are great rewards.
  • amazing, congratulations!
  • ajff
    ajff Posts: 986 Member
    I set out a big list of rewards initially; clothes, date nights, etc... for the 10 pound mile markers. I set up the 5 pound markers as I approach them for what seems appropriate. I just hit 70# - 3 hours alone in my sewing room. The 75# reward? Running socks. Really? Me? Yes. Me. Running socks.
  • MarziPanda95
    MarziPanda95 Posts: 1,326 Member
    I buy myself a new nail polish for every 5lbs I lose... but the confidence I've gained from 45lbs lost has been priceless.
  • 999tigger
    999tigger Posts: 5,235 Member
    Different strokes and all that. If people want to reward themselves all well and good, but it doesnt really motivate me. Bit of a cliche, but the progress is reward enough.
  • Triplestep
    Triplestep Posts: 239 Member
    999tigger wrote: »
    Different strokes and all that. If people want to reward themselves all well and good, but it doesnt really motivate me. Bit of a cliche, but the progress is reward enough.

    Looks like someone didn't read the OP's starting post through to the end! ;)

    OP, of all your actual rewards, no 2. and no. 7 warmed my heart. Kudos to you! Great post.

  • BRaye325
    BRaye325 Posts: 1,383 Member
    999tigger wrote: »
    OP, of all your actual rewards, no 2. and no. 7 warmed my heart. Kudos to you! Great post.

    Thanks, the grandsons who are 1 and 3 were over yesterday and we had such a great time. Still wore me out, but at least I be there for them.
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