Incentives?

Goodfelines

I lost 170lbs to get pregnant with my first. In my second trimester I was put on Abilify and by the birth I'd gained 90lbs. I gained 20lbs more in the two months following. I forced my psychiatrist to take me off it, but then the pandemic hit and I went remote, my gym closed, and I had another baby. I've gained 20lbs more the last two years. So I've almost gained everything back. I want to fix that but am struggling to get motivated enough to be consistent, especially since the forum I used shut down so my support system is gone. I do well with small goals and incentives. What are your rewards for small milestones, like 10lbs? What's your big "I did it!" reward going to be?

Lietchi

The important thing is to find something that works for you. For me, thinking of rewards for myself, I couldn't really find any reason why I had to wait for weight loss to have hem if they were things I liked and wanted 😁 for me, I found the idea of a reward more appealing at the start of my journey: the more I lost weight, the more the weight loss itself (feeling more fit etc) became the reward! So while I did reward myself in certain ways, it wasn't anything really structured. But we're all different. From reading other people's experiences, you might an intermediate step between small goals and the big end goal. So, say, every 10lb loss as a small goal, changing BMI category as intermediate goals,...

Some concrete ideas:
- the one real reward for weight loss I give myself on a strict condition (considering the cost, I did feel that I needed to earn it) was a fancy Garmin fitness tracker to replace a simple fitness tracker I had - when I went from obese to overweight which was a huge milestone for me
- some new clothes. I know it made me feel good to occasionally buy a few nice fitting items to show off my weight loss. Nothing expensive since it's a transitional wardrobe, some clothes from a second hand store or a cheap brand, but something well fitting to replace old, too big/baggy clothes
- this isn't my thing, but a lot of women seem to like to get 'pampered': getting your nails done, a facial, a massage,...

It's really going to depend on your interests and preferences. For example, I would be motivated by the thought of buying a cool Star Wars Lego set 😎 it could be supplies for a hobby, some exercise equipment, buying new books, traveling,...

Machka9

My incentives have been doing things ...

After I had lost a certain amount of weight and built up a certain amount of strength with exercise, I cycled up our local mountain!!


I also never aimed for a certain number on the scale. I thought of it in terms of weeks ... I was going to stick to the plan for 5 weeks and whatever I lost in that time, I lost. Then I would reassess and determine what I wanted to do next. Like maybe stick with it for another 5 weeks.

Xellercin

Machka9 wrote: »

My incentives have been doing things ...

After I had lost a certain amount of weight and built up a certain amount of strength with exercise, I cycled up our local mountain!!


I also never aimed for a certain number on the scale. I thought of it in terms of weeks ... I was going to stick to the plan for 5 weeks and whatever I lost in that time, I lost. Then I would reassess and determine what I wanted to do next. Like maybe stick with it for another 5 weeks.

This is me too.

I try to avoid weight loss goals and seeing healthy living as a chore that needs to be rewarded.

I focus on my building an ideal lifestyle, and that means really enjoying everything I do. So I don't do exercise that I don't enjoy, I don't eat food that I don't enjoy. I spent a long time slowly trying and building a repertoire of delicious, healthy recipes that I absolutely love, that make my body feel good. I do gentle, sustainable exercise that I *want* to do because it makes my body feel good.

I'll take whatever weight my body decides to be as a product of an optimally healthy lifestyle. I always figured I would end up in the low-overweight/high-normal weight range, and I would have been thrilled with that. I assumed any leaner would require harsh restriction and discipline, and I was tired, so not willing to do that.

I just focused on living well as it's own reward, really focusing on what makes my body feel good. It's crazy how little you want crappy food when you focus on how it will feel afterwards as opposed to how you feel before when you are hungry. Likewise with exercise, I never think about the actual exercise, I always think about how good my body will feel afterwards.

Surprisingly, I ended up leaner than I've ever been in my entire adult life and back down to my highschool weight. I don't do anything that doesn't feel good, and that guiding principle keeps me really healthy.

JbeanR0212

Xellercin wrote: »

Machka9 wrote: »

My incentives have been doing things ...

After I had lost a certain amount of weight and built up a certain amount of strength with exercise, I cycled up our local mountain!!


I also never aimed for a certain number on the scale. I thought of it in terms of weeks ... I was going to stick to the plan for 5 weeks and whatever I lost in that time, I lost. Then I would reassess and determine what I wanted to do next. Like maybe stick with it for another 5 weeks.

This is me too.

I try to avoid weight loss goals and seeing healthy living as a chore that needs to be rewarded.

I focus on my building an ideal lifestyle, and that means really enjoying everything I do. So I don't do exercise that I don't enjoy, I don't eat food that I don't enjoy. I spent a long time slowly trying and building a repertoire of delicious, healthy recipes that I absolutely love, that make my body feel good. I do gentle, sustainable exercise that I *want* to do because it makes my body feel good.

I'll take whatever weight my body decides to be as a product of an optimally healthy lifestyle. I always figured I would end up in the low-overweight/high-normal weight range, and I would have been thrilled with that. I assumed any leaner would require harsh restriction and discipline, and I was tired, so not willing to do that.

I just focused on living well as it's own reward, really focusing on what makes my body feel good. It's crazy how little you want crappy food when you focus on how it will feel afterwards as opposed to how you feel before when you are hungry. Likewise with exercise, I never think about the actual exercise, I always think about how good my body will feel afterwards.

Surprisingly, I ended up leaner than I've ever been in my entire adult life and back down to my highschool weight. I don't do anything that doesn't feel good, and that guiding principle keeps me really healthy.

I agree with this! All of this, it is the best way to achieve and maintain. Also healthiest mentally & physically. @Lietchi has a great mindset too! I’m currently trying to shed my biggest gain ever but spent most of my years as a fitness buff. Honestly though I would not call a 10lb. Loss for anybody at any weight a small achievement. Don’t make it punishment & find things you enjoy that get you moving.