Non-Food Rewards for Eating Well

Oh and you could set aside some amount of money for each pound lost, for example ten dollars for each pound lost and then spend it on something fancy, something you wouldn't buy everyday

I get myself a new pair of cute socks, lingerie, a candle, a wii game. I have lost 20lbs so I rewarded myself with a membership to a wild life park.

I have a close friend who is following a different route to lose weight but is still focusing on nothing being off limits, just portion size it. She bought me a pretty box from a craft store just slightly bigger then a shoe box. In it she put nail polish, socks, lotions, soaps, earrings, and all kinds of other little things. She gave it to me as a gift and told me she found when she did that for herself it made a huge difference (for some reason the pretty box really does add to it). I put it where I can admire the box everyday (in this case, my bedroom). I set a goal of staying within my calorie allotment one week at a time. If I meet the goal, I get to take something out of the box as my "reward." It really ends up being fun and I'm so glad she did this for me. As the box empties out I will refill it with more stuff. I highly recommend this method of reward! I chose not to tie mine to "x" amount of pounds lost but you could do that too. I'm saving pounds lost for the big stuff (like remodeling my kitchen when I get to goal - wait until my husband finds out! LOL ).

kommodevaran wrote: »

Weight gain is a mindset problem and an environment problem, not just a behavior problem. Rewarding people with food, that's not good. Dividing foods into good and bad, that's also not good. Healthy eating should feel good and make you feel good, and be a normal activity. The whole situation sounds wrong.

I agree with this to some extent. At the same time, conditioning works, and destructive habits (like overeating) come about because they create some kind of reward. It's much harder to extinguish old conditioning than to establish new conditioning.

So if you can establish a contrary habit (meeting your calorie goal) and associate a reward with it, you should be able to extinguish the negative behaviour faster than just stopping it and letting it die.

Imo that is how mfp and similar methods work. Apart from the intellectual awareness calorie counting gives you, our brains like video games - in fact, anything interactive on a screen - and the act of logging food and getting the number to stay green sets off the reward centres. That reward conditions behaviour which is the opposite of overeating, and so over time can help to extinguish the overeating habit.

You are right about mindset and environment as well, though. All these things can work together.

And OP, I like your reward chart idea, but I really do counsel you to change the goal to staying within your calories rather than avoiding "bad foods". If you're anything at all like me, calling some foods "bad" will only make you want them more!

Love these ideas!
Made me think and just decided I am going to go shooting when I get under 200lbs! have wanted to for ages so will be good motivation. 22lbs to go.

Clothes are a good reward - relevant, too, as your size will change.

Get something you like.
Maybe you like music, dancing, movies, games, pedometer, sports equipment, make up, date nights, new stapler, cookbooks... whatever, get something related to your interests and lifestyle.
I like e-books.

being healthier IS the reward.

being a grown up and doing what you should, does not equate to gold stars. This isnt kindergarten.

If you want to go buy yourself something, go buy yourself something. Its one of the perks of being an adult....