immediate gratification

Noticing tons of little NSVs helped me when I felt impatient. Like the day I could squat all the way down. Crossing my legs. Losing my double chin. Being able to see my biceps. Tightening my belt by another notch. Things like that helped me think less about the number on the scale that wasn't moving fast enough.

Think of it this way: If you could wake up tomorrow 30lbs lighter, would you have learned anything? Probably not. I'm more focused on losing fat and gaining muscle right now, so day to day, there's not much change. It's a long game. But I'm building good habits. Every time I make myself go to the gym after class, even though I'm tired and just want to go home and flop on the couch, I'm making good habits for the future. When I track every bite of food and watch my macros, I'm making good habits. If I had just automatically woken up with my dream body, I'd have no idea how to maintain it.

For more short term reward, I do what someone else on here mentioned: I "pay" myself a dollar for each work out (I track my workouts on a whiteboard). When that number reaches $50, I'll buy something for myself I really want but wouldn't normally splurge on. It's a small enough amount that it won't ruin my poor college student budget, but enough to get something nice.