How do you reward yourself + stay focused?

MissingMinnesota

I will buy clothes but I will do it online and send it to myself like a present with a note about how great I am doing. It gives me that special feeling to be able to open something up and see a note like "Wow 50lbs down do you believe it!"

cdngirl71

I reward myself with new workout clothes, jeans, shoes (which I just bought some awesome boots!!!), shirts and my favourite reward I give myself is a pedi and get my nails done!!! Oh and to stay focused I have motivation sayings on my mirror and my goals as well!!!

Scorpiomom222

So far, I have rewarded myself with things to make accomplishing my other goals easier. ie, gym membership, shoes, etc

sexygenius

food related items are ok though..like a scale
i also think expensive but low calorie foods are also ok..like a new set of spices
but i think you should reward your self with things that will help you, a scale helps measure out proper portions,spices make food taste better with out calories,mani's,pedi's,waxing,hair cuts,facials,body scrubs,ect... make you look better and feel better about your self (and that makes you more likely to go out in public..like the gym) new gym cloths can make working out easier and more fashionable (and you have to go show off your new cloths at the gym )

scmajm22

My goal wasroughly 50 pounds.... at 20ish i wanted to buy something that would help me with my weight loss goals.. I did. it was a George Forman grill! What a great investment!

The next goal will be workout gear!

George Foreman grill...what a great reward. I am totally going to do that. 8 lbs to go!!!

hotpickles

I just did this. I was on track and excited and losing the lb because I had a reward in mind. Then, I totally lost interest in that reward, so I allowed myself to fall off the wagon for a good week and a half.

It's hard for me to make a goal such as buy a new bikini for July, because it's so far away, and I'll never be able to motivate myself for something that far in advance! So, I made 3 mini goals, and when each one is reached, I'm going to to something small for myself. Goal 1 will be a pound of coffee beans. I'll determine the rest as I go along LOL.

I found a new way to stay focused with drinking water and eating properly. Now that the cold weather is here, my skin gets so dry and dull. I'm drinking lots of water to keep my skin hydrated during the winter. I feel more focused and happy when I eat properly, otherwise I'm not feeling that great.

But yeah, as far as rewards, I determined I will be completely out of coffee in two weeks, therefore I need to stick to this so I can reward myself with more....and I need my morning coffee

L.

Happy__Feet

I just did this. I was on track and excited and losing the lb because I had a reward in mind. Then, I totally lost interest in that reward, so I allowed myself to fall off the wagon for a good week and a half.

It's hard for me to make a goal such as buy a new bikini for July, because it's so far away, and I'll never be able to motivate myself for something that far in advance! So, I made 3 mini goals, and when each one is reached, I'm going to to something small for myself. Goal 1 will be a pound of coffee beans. I'll determine the rest as I go along LOL.

I found a new way to stay focused with drinking water and eating properly. Now that the cold weather is here, my skin gets so dry and dull. I'm drinking lots of water to keep my skin hydrated during the winter. I feel more focused and happy when I eat properly, otherwise I'm not feeling that great.

But yeah, as far as rewards, I determined I will be completely out of coffee in two weeks, therefore I need to stick to this so I can reward myself with more....and I need my morning coffee

L.

This is a great idea! I love coffee and tea!!! I am so going to set this as one of my rewards! Thanks for sharing!

diet45

I reward myself with my favorites (clothing)....anything, but food. I feel I shouldn't treat myself with food because that is what got me here in the first place. I don't deprive myself either...I still eat things I like, but in moderation. The biggest reward for me has been my energy and getting rid of a whole closet full of size 12 clothes!!! Best wishes to you in your journey!!!

Delicate

Shoes, handbags, new underwear and gym clothes

Its never with food

jmaskx3

I find something that I am addicted to and treat myself.

Make up, sexy undies, a new piercing or two...

kitujainen

when i was 15 i rewarded myself with manga books. I havent lost much now. Maybe a donut after few kilos.

themommie

I have quite a bit to lose, but I have broken it down into 10lb increments and for every 10lbs I lose I buy myself some pretty earrings. I love funky earrings. I use to have a really great collection but I have lost alot of them.

sandra80

clothes clothes and more clothes. ive dropped from a size 32 to a 20 in pants(and i give that a few weeks till it's an 18 waist is loose and hips will be next down, damn thighs and calves are gonna keep me in bigger pants) and from a 30 to a 14 shirt (4x to a regular xl) all in 7 months. i can't afford any other rewards lol. i did get myself a tattoo on the side of my neck as a reward/ bday gift because i'm absolutely loving my neckline and collar bone area and it just brings more attention to it.

Fineraziel

My "during rewards" is to buy new workout DVDs or games once in a while. I workout at home and I like it, so its really a reward for me to get a new workout, to try something new. Plus, of course, it keeps me motivated not to do always the same workout for months!

My "after-final-goal rewards" will be dancing classes and a new wardrobe.

hjorden

My rewards are scented moisturizer lotions, new yoga dvds, perfume, dying my hair, main/pedi, and itunes cards(music to work out to hey!).

alantin

When you reach a mini goal, how do you reward yourself without sabotaging your bigger goals?

During all of my previous (unsuccessful) diets I would lose some weight, be elated, then I'd tell myself 'oh, I can eat this or skip the gym because I've earned it!' and then those 'rewards' would set me back to where I started - or worse.

How do you stay on the right track while recognizing and rewarding yourself for the hard work you put in?

The best recognition for your efforts is not letting them go to waist! It should be obvious that rewarding weight loss efforts with food or skipping the gym is to undermine those efforts!

Reward yourself with anything you like as long its not food related and it doesn't mean skipping the gym.
Actually, if you view skipping the gym as a reward, you shouldn't go at all! Find a sport that you really love and that you wouldn't skip for the world! Don't do stuff that you don't enjoy!

Dlibo1013

by looking in mirror :-0

ccrawshaw

My mini goals aren't tied to an amount of weight loss. They are more around clothing. For example, I recently completed my undergraduate program and had a favorite pair of jeans that I wanted to wear the night we all went out and celebrated. They totally fit and were completely comfortable. That was such a great reward! I felt fantastic all night! I researched before we went out and selected a low calorie, low fat drink that I liked and only went over a little bit that evening. Another success! I guess what I'm trying to say is that my successes are my rewards.

cjusticeg

Not sure what I will reward myself with. My major goal will definitely be clothes, but I won't buy clothes for mini-goals because I plan to not fit in them. I will probably buy some new work out clothes, sneakers, HRM, and whatnot. Theres a nike dri-fit jacket I LOVEE, and I think that will be my first mini goal of 5lbs, as I do need one for winter. I try to stay outside as often as possible. And you do burn more cals(or so I've been told) running outside during the winter, as your bod needs to work harder to keep itself warm.

Joyjmb

Just got an awesome massage last night - have been hitting the gym and I needed some
body pampering!

superwmn

Non-food rewards:

Make-up from Sephora
new parfume
impractical shoes
manicures/pedicures
handbags

When I was first losing, I rewarded myself every 8lbs (I had 80lbs to lose, so I rewarded myself for every 10% lost). Now I reward myself monthly for maintaining. After a year of monthly gifts, I'll switch to quarterly or annual maintenance gifts.

Charmagne

ItsCasey

I bought myself a new winter wardrobe ... shoes, pants, tops, the works. It was basically out of necessity though. I'm nearly 70 lbs lighter than I was last winter, and I when I got all my winter clothes out of storage this year, nothing fit.

I also bought a really nice pair of jeans that were a size smaller than I can comfortably fit into right now. That's keeping me motivated to lose weight over the holidays so I can wear them soon.

In January, I am adding to my home gym equipment. I was always hesitant to do it because I had a treadmill collecting dust in my closet forever, and I didn't want to buy any more expensive equipment and never use it. But now I know that I will, so I'm finally going to bite the bullet. I'm excited about it.

JMun

I'm rewarding myself with my first 5km run on New Years Day 2011.

It'll be -30C.

Apparently I'm really bad at rewards :explode:

bosanka

Love books. I like to go to Barnes & nobles - just to take a few hours for myself- maybe have a coffee- relax, read.. - and maybe buy a book or two..

I will start thinking of my " mini goals- and rewards for them .. didn't do that yet..

whatever it is- i have learned not to relate it to food - anything but food ..