Rewarding yourself
ReenieHJ
Posts: 9,724 Member
How do you reward yourself as you make your progress? Or do you? Is it with food, clothes, activities? Let's face it; we deserve a reward!! This is awfully daMn hard work!
I haven't really done a lot of that but tend to think of using indulgent food as a reward but am so afraid of it backfiring. If I treat myself to a cookie or ice cream, I can just see myself not stopping.
I have a friend that allows herself 1 piece of peanut butter. I'm thinking how do you do that??
I haven't really done a lot of that but tend to think of using indulgent food as a reward but am so afraid of it backfiring. If I treat myself to a cookie or ice cream, I can just see myself not stopping.
I have a friend that allows herself 1 piece of peanut butter. I'm thinking how do you do that?? 3
Replies
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I just couldn’t reward myself with food. For me personally, it’s a bad idea and it would probably lead to things spiralling out of control again. Instead, I like to treat myself to a new pair of jeans in my new smaller size or some new make-up.
You could treat yourself to things like a new item of clothing, get your hair or nails done, a massage, go and see a film, a new book, a fitness tracker, some new kitchen scales etc.
All the best 😊8 -
I tend to treat myself with new clothes when I hit certain milestones and it helps since I would need better fitting clothing at those points. I have never chosen food as a reward for weight loss goals though.2
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I reward myself with ONE cheat meal per week, that is it. If I do a whole day, I feel terrible and you can easily ruin week progress with a full day of poor eating. I also will occasionally buy myself new things as a reward, but don't really need to. Years of doing this has taught me that discipline and consistency are key, and its best to try to completely remove old/bad habits because they are easy to fall back into one goals are met.3
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For me the answer is, "ANYTHING BUT food". Golf equipment, clothes, a new book, workout stuff, you name it. But food rewards are a trigger. I need to maintain the thought process that eating is NOT a reward, or a response to stress, sadness, happiness or any other emotion.9
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In my opinion rewarding yourself for weight loss with food is a terrible idea.
I don't cut out any foods from my diet whilst losing so I don't typically feel like I need to reward myself with them, I either moderate them or don't keep them at home and just have them whilst I am out. I do however treat myself to new workout clothes, hair/beauty treatments, etc with each 10lb lost.
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I reward myself with items for creating new *habits* and I tend to choose items that make the habits easier to maintain. If I've been packing a pre-measured lunch consistently for a month or two instead of eating out, I may get myself a cute new bento lunch box (Or some extra interior containers to make pre-packing lunches easier to do on the weekend.). If I've been doing yoga persistently every day, I may get myself an annual subscription to a yoga app I like, so that I don't have to spend a bunch of time every morning trying to find a video to fit my time and mood.
Most recently, I got myself some fractional plates to help me increase lifts on my arms without stalling out.
I like to make sure that my *treats* support my goals, while still being neat items that make getting to my goals easier or more fun.10 -
Hmm. I haven’t figured out a tangible reward yet...mostly I let myself really enjoy all the small victories. I think I focus more on my fitness goals...I bought a small pin after finishing the C2 dog days challenge. That was hard! I posted a copy of my 1m meters rowed certificate to Facebook on the day I got it. And on another site I frequent, I have a bit of a daily updated thread/blog that I track everything, and have a good group of people to share my successes with.
Honestly for me the weight has always been secondary to the fitness. And the weight milestones are becoming a pain in the butt since I don’t enjoy spending the money on new clothes.1 -
The scale, my improved health and well-being, my increased physical abilities. Those are my rewards. 🥳6
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I never reward myself with food. I think it just sets up an unhealthy relationship with those foods. For awhile all my rewards were fitness related - a new workout mat, new headbands, new leggings. At this point though I’m not giving myself little rewards anymore, they just aren’t that motivating for me and just seeing the number go down on the scale, my clothes fitting better (or in some cases getting too big), feeling stronger and healthier all of that stuff that just comes from losing the weight really is enough of a reward.3
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Shortgirlrunning wrote: »I never reward myself with food. I think it just sets up an unhealthy relationship with those foods. For awhile all my rewards were fitness related - a new workout mat, new headbands, new leggings. At this point though I’m not giving myself little rewards anymore, they just aren’t that motivating for me and just seeing the number go down on the scale, my clothes fitting better (or in some cases getting too big), feeling stronger and healthier all of that stuff that just comes from losing the weight really is enough of a reward.
Yeah pretty much this. My larger rewards were more about getting fitness equipment that I didn't use to think was worth the expense.
I"m currently in a maintenance spot, so instead of rewards I have switched to ongoing incentives. I made a list of daily and weekly goals and give myself a financial reward for each goal completed. The amount of daily reward is based on how hard it is for me to hit that goal, 25c for easy ongoing goal and $1.00 for harder goals. I then use the money earned to purchase hobby supplies I don't need but want =P Two birds with one stone, as this also helps me keep to budget on entertainment spending.5 -
So I’m a person who does actually reward myself with food! I don’t ever binge eat or anything. But I’ve got two young kids, so a kid free lunch/dinner with friends is my treat. I should note that whatever I consume always fits in my daily calorie allowance.7
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This may sound Pollyanna-ish, but for me, weight loss was kind of its own reward, in the form of things like less knee pain, more physical flexibility, sense of self-mastery, normal blood tests/blood pressure, etc.
It never would've occurred to me how many rewarding mini-successes happen along the way. It's amazing! Great thread about that here:
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1275030/whats-your-most-recent-nsv
Like others, I think food rewards are a bad plan. Experience-oriented rewards (trip, spa, massage, concert, etc.) or indulgent non-food purchases are a better idea.8 -
I'm kinda at a point where the weight loss (and more in shape body) is its own reward. But when I was rewarding myself earlier, like for hitting 30 pounds and so forth, it was clothes. Definitely not food. Rewarding yourself with food for losing weight is a terrible idea on so many levels, not much different than rewarding yourself for six months of sobriety by having a beer. Clothes make a lot more sense, because you're treating yourself to something you couldn't wear before, so it all fits together in a mutually reinforcing positive experience.3
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It's a process. If you have an unhealthy relationship with food to begin with the reward concept isn't going to work at all.
Just as a financial reward for straight A's is doomed for failure, but engaging in this may cause one to recognize that success is it's own reward.
There's nothing unhealthy about thinking about rewards - it's very human, but I would not begin with this early on.
I run long distance and would keep a bag of Skittles in a pocket and chew one every mile or so. Early on I thought of this as a reward. As I continued running I didn't think of this as a reward anymore, but just fuel - part of the process.
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This may sound Pollyanna-ish, but for me, weight loss was kind of its own reward, in the form of things like less knee pain, more physical flexibility, sense of self-mastery, normal blood tests/blood pressure, etc.
It never would've occurred to me how many rewarding mini-successes happen along the way. It's amazing! Great thread about that here:
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1275030/whats-your-most-recent-nsv
Like others, I think food rewards are a bad plan. Experience-oriented rewards (trip, spa, massage, concert, etc.) or indulgent non-food purchases are a better idea.
^^ So much this. Being able to bend at the waist to tie shoes without having so much belly in the way that I have to hold my breath, being able to squat down to pick something up off the floor or get a pan from the bottom cabinet and stand up again without holding on to anything for leverage, and not having those scary numbers in my bloodwork and BP -- those are the real rewards for me.2 -
Firmly in the ‘progress is my reward’ camp!
The days when the scale shows the next pound has gone give me the best feeling and although I know I can’t possibly look thinner just from that most recent pound I feel thinner!
Food based rewards are dangerous territory!1 -
For me it's all about the clothes and all about the shoes. I get it, I'm shallow but it works for me. Find what works for you5
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Clothes, running shoes and accessories and races, experiences. Not tied to specific weight loss goals, but when it feels right.1
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Another 5 minutes in front of the mirror, loving how I look, puts a bigger smile on my face than anything else I could imagine.
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Oh I definitely agree with food-based rewards being dangerous. But it's the one thing that keeps talking to me....'if I lose another 5# then I'll be able to have ______'. Maybe I should plan 1 day every week or 2 and have something special, just because I do miss it. I also agree with my progress and the way I feel now compared to 30, 40, 50 # ago is a reward in itself. I used to lose my breath climbing stairs. Just feeling so much healthier than I have in years is amazing to me. Everybody is always reminding me of my age. But I feel 20 years younger and that's what counts.
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Clothes, occasionally I buy some new piece of fitness equipment or gadget. Even a new water bottle or tank top can make me feel rewarded!1
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@ReenieHJ - It’s totally reasonable to work in the occasional treat. I use my long runs days (and all the extra calories I have) to plan a date night with my husband and we go out to eat.
You can also pair a special treat with a specific event (like a haircut) so that you still have it occasionally but not too often.0 -
To me, "rewarding" myself makes no sense because I am not doing a short term plan. I changed my approach to food and exercise. This is just how I live my life, not something I need to reward myself for doing. I saw no reason to create rewards, beyond the satisfaction of meeting my goals, when I was losing weight; I still don't see a reason to do that in maintenance.
Having said that, because this is my everyday life, I also eat what I want in quantities that fit my calorie goals, so food is not a reward. It is fuel and a source of enjoyment. I budget calories for chocolate every day. I bank calories during the week for a restaurant meal or two on the weekends. When I work out, I burn more calories and I therefore need to eat--and enjoy--more food. None of those things are rewards; they're just how I choose to eat.3 -
Adulting is taking care of oneself, including one's health. Rewards should not be required for an adult acting like one.
If you want to include a reasonable amount of "fun foods" in your diet fine. Do it on a regular basis, not some blowout when you reach a certain weight.3 -
One of the reasons I don't do food rewards is that this is not a project with an end date, it's an orientation to life. Sometimes I fit treats into my calorie goal. Sometimes I exceed my calorie goal (very occasionally by a lot).
I made it a philosophy not to do anything while losing that I wasn't willing to do forever, except for the moderate calorie deficit. The weight weight loss process was a time to test out strategies, because the deficit creates a little wiggle room.
Now that I'm in maintenance, I can't reward myself with food for maintaining . . . that would be called "regain".
Instead, I eat a little under my maintenance TDEE most days, in order to eat above it sometimes. Over time, it needs to balance out. I don't want to regain. Future Ann needs me not to regain.
If I really love some particular food, I need to figure out how to fit it in, unless I'm willing to give it up permanently. There are few (no?) foods I enjoy that I'm willing to give up permanently, so it becomes about portion size and frequency.
Others may differ, but food-as-reward just doesn't fit into a good permanent strategy, for me.6 -
For me it's about hitting my goals. Being able to accomplish what I set out to do is very rewarding itself. Sometimes I do have short term rewards to keep me motivated along the way.. looking good for an event, saving up calories for a special meal or food, looking good in clothes, a bikini, taking progress photos, writing a blog post etc.
Also when hitting my final weight loss goal my big reward is being able to eat at maintenance then maybe run a bulk cycle and eat all the things which is always fun. Works for me at least!2 -
Well, I'm sorry, you all are going to hate me because everyone is saying the exact opposite, but I can't help but give myself food rewards. It's how I was raised so how I psychologically see comfort and rewards. I almost never have nachos when I'm losing, because the way I like 'em, there's nothing good in there. But I do reward myself with a night out with friends or a date night, at a Mexican restaurant, with nachos.
I don't have a sweet tooth so I'm lucky that way, but I do have a "carb tooth." One night every couple of weeks isn't going to throw the whole other 13 days out the window. So, go ahead, hit that disagree button, I can already feel it coming. But nacho rewards works for me! :P6 -
Seeing progress is a reward in itself. You will also need clothes as your body changes. I like gym/workout toys: leggings, tanks, gloves, shoes, bar pad, new music, etc.3
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Yeah, I don't think I've ever felt the need to give myself a reward as I don't feel like I'm doing anything special or out of the ordinary.
It's kinda hard to put in words. I guess from my perspective my weight loss hasn't come from doing something extraordinary or unusual to eat an appropriate calorie intake, but rather my new ordinary, what's now normal is eating an appropriate calorie intake. And normal and ordinary just don't seem worthy of reward.
I also guess a small part of my doesn't quite grasp the concept of a reward for doing something that should be done (or not doing something that shouldn't) if that makes sense.3
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