Using rewards/punishment for weight loss?

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CoffeeLaceAddict157
CoffeeLaceAddict157 Posts: 37
in Motivation and Support
I'm trying to get myself to lose weight and I came up with a reward/punishment system? Has anyone ever tried this?
I'm trying to lose 10 lbs to start with ( I've lost 15 lbs so far)
I'll post my system if anyone wants :P
Thanks (:
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Replies

  • mockchoc
    mockchoc Posts: 6,573 Member
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    Tell us your system then?
  • CoffeeLaceAddict157
    CoffeeLaceAddict157 Posts: 37
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    lol okay... well
    I've gained back two lbs and I've decided to take a few things away until I lose that plus the 10 lbs.
    So for example, I love pasta, so I'm cutting out pasta. Another thing, I LOVE the movie Psycho and the new tv show Bates Motel, so I'm not going to watch either until I lose the weight. Idk I just wanna know if anyone has done something like this
  • CrystalDreams
    CrystalDreams Posts: 418 Member
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    I have but only in a unhealthy way. But your genius about the tv show. The show is good fyi. Little shocking.
  • zillah73
    zillah73 Posts: 505 Member
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    I have seen people doing things like paying themselves for every pound lost then when they reach a goal or milestone they use the money to purchase something nice – usually something fitness/health related like a new workout outfit or something. I wouldn't recommend a reward system based on food. People are messed up enough about food without becoming pavlovian about it. And I wouldn't advocate "punishment" just because you're human and fallible and the scale is a big fat liar and can never be trusted to accurately gauge progress.
  • 1ConcreteGirl
    1ConcreteGirl Posts: 3,677 Member
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    My reward is being hot

    My punishment is being fat.

    I choose hot.
  • thevegankelly
    thevegankelly Posts: 85 Member
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    Don't use punishment!! That's a negative cycle. It's more important to have a positive outlook so that you want to sustain the (hopefully) healthy lifestyle changes you're making.

    Rewards are good, though. I love rewarding myself with health-related items. For example, when I finished the first month of a new workout program I got a heart rate monitor, and when I finished two months I got a few workout DVDs to motivate me to finish the third. Other people reward themselves with outfits in their new size.
  • bregalad5
    bregalad5 Posts: 3,965 Member
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    I don't do punishment, but I'll reward myself with non-food stuff for losing weight. If I do really well for a certain period of time and lose, I'll buy a new shirt, or a new pair of jeans (I hate shopping, so it's also motivation for me to buy myself new clothes, haha). For example, last week I ordered a new hoodie :)
  • veganlisa
    veganlisa Posts: 50 Member
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    I'm a school teacher & positive rewards work well for my students- so I have tried the same for my workouts (I don't really need anything at the moment for eating well).
    -I have a schedule with my workouts that I post in my kitchen. I get a sticker on the schedule on the days I workout. This works well- for some reason I really want that sticker on the chart! :)
    -I also started this month transferring $5 into a savings account each day I worked out. I plan on treating myself at some point (not sure when). I currently have $110 towards my reward.
    The sticker is an 'instant' reward, whereas the big reward is long term.
    I think if you need some type of reward sysyem for motivation, go for it. Phase out when you have instilled it as habit.
    Do what works for you (and you may need to play with a few things). My experience is a positive reward vs. being punitive works better for motivating in a good way.
  • thevegankelly
    thevegankelly Posts: 85 Member
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    By the way, my husband insists that I ask you which version of Psycho you love, the original or the remake.
  • CoffeeLaceAddict157
    CoffeeLaceAddict157 Posts: 37
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    I love the show! It was a little shocking, but I'm looking forward to the next episode. So I'm not letting myself watch it until I lose the weight. And my rewards would be things like, mani/pedi, movie night, new workout clothes, forever 21 haul, ect. I'm slowly cutting out unhealthy foods such as pasta, pizza, and fast food for good.
    Thank you for the advice (:
  • triggsta
    triggsta Posts: 140
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    As a psychologist, rewards work a lot better than punishments for conditioning. In a way, you could think of your Psycho motivator as one or the other. Either you reward yourself with Psycho when you hit weight, or you continually punish yourself until you hit weight. Think of it as the former.

    The major problem with externally rewarding yourself for your accomplishments is that any intrinsic motivation you have to lose weight or workout or eat healthy will probably disappear. You will end up doing it for the external reward rather than your original health goals. If you have absolutely no motivation to step on the treadmill, but you want to have the motivation, then an external reward is very helpful. If, on the other hand, you enjoy eating healthy or you enjoy going to the gym, don't reward yourself for it. You'll destroy any desires to do either and you'll grow to despise them, especially if things start to not work out for whatever reason.
  • asia_hanebach
    asia_hanebach Posts: 275 Member
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    lol okay... well
    I've gained back two lbs and I've decided to take a few things away until I lose that plus the 10 lbs.
    So for example, I love pasta, so I'm cutting out pasta. Another thing, I LOVE the movie Psycho and the new tv show Bates Motel, so I'm not going to watch either until I lose the weight. Idk I just wanna know if anyone has done something like this

    I've set up rewards systems at about every 25 lbs lost, but I've never thought of using a punishment system. When I read that in the title of your post, I thought it was a terrible idea. The idea of cutting out an unhealthy food until gained weight is lost again, or to take away a tv show actually sounds like a really great idea. I lost about 40-45 lbs when I started, but I've been stuck within the same 5 lbs for about half a year now, so I feel like this is definitely a great idea to get me going.
  • thevegankelly
    thevegankelly Posts: 85 Member
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    I'm a school teacher & positive rewards work well for my students- so I have tried the same for my workouts (I don't really need anything at the moment for eating well).
    -I have a schedule with my workouts that I post in my kitchen. I get a sticker on the schedule on the days I workout. This works well- for some reason I really want that sticker on the chart! :)
    -I also started this month transferring $5 into a savings account each day I worked out. I plan on treating myself at some point (not sure when). I currently have $110 towards my reward.
    The sticker is an 'instant' reward, whereas the big reward is long term.
    I think if you need some type of reward sysyem for motivation, go for it. Phase out when you have instilled it as habit.
    Do what works for you (and you may need to play with a few things). My experience is a positive reward vs. being punitive works better for motivating in a good way.

    I love your reward system. :)
  • CoffeeLaceAddict157
    CoffeeLaceAddict157 Posts: 37
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    @thevegankelly- I'm obsessed with the original <3 I couldn't finish the remake. Doing it shot-by-shot seemed overkill :P
  • thevegankelly
    thevegankelly Posts: 85 Member
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    I've set up rewards systems at about every 25 lbs lost, but I've never thought of using a punishment system. When I read that in the title of your post, I thought it was a terrible idea. The idea of cutting out an unhealthy food until gained weight is lost again, or to take away a tv show actually sounds like a really great idea. I lost about 40-45 lbs when I started, but I've been stuck within the same 5 lbs for about half a year now, so I feel like this is definitely a great idea to get me going.

    The problem with cutting out an unhealthy item as a "punishment" is that if/when she does lose the weight then she'll just start eating the unhealthy item again, and since she's been feeling deprived of it, then she'll eat more than she should. To me that's a surefire way to gain the weight back.
  • thevegankelly
    thevegankelly Posts: 85 Member
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    @thevegankelly- I'm obsessed with the original <3 I couldn't finish the remake. Doing it shot-by-shot seemed overkill :P

    :) Thanks. He feels better knowing that.
  • CoffeeLaceAddict157
    CoffeeLaceAddict157 Posts: 37
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    @thevegankelly- I'm obsessed with the original <3 I couldn't finish the remake. Doing it shot-by-shot seemed overkill :P
    :) Thanks. He feels better knowing that.


    Lol alright (:
  • SherryTeach
    SherryTeach Posts: 2,836 Member
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    As a teacher and parent, I can say that systems of rewards and punishments don't work well on humans. They actually have a negative impact on internal motivation. Read Daniel Pink's Drive and Alfie Kohn's Punishment by Reward. I find it enormously rewarding to read articles about nutrition, make a hobby out of selecting and preparing delicious food, and finding enjoyable physical activities. I feel healthy, I have lots of energy, and it's fun buying new clothes. If I choose to skip a workout or enjoy a meal with friends that puts me over my calories, that's okay. Punishing myself for it would only mess me up.
  • LazyGuy91
    LazyGuy91 Posts: 171 Member
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    Nothing wrong with positive and negative reinforcement at all, so long as it works for you.

    For me, when I mess up enough, I feel the negatives at places like the gym (like I did today!)
  • DavPul
    DavPul Posts: 61,406 Member
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    My reward is being hot

    My punishment is being fat.

    I choose hot.

    That's hot.

    I'm gonna need a couple minutes

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