Rewards

Free - that is a challenge

1.Go walke a beautifull Lake
2.Go to a Flower Shop and Smell the Flowers
3.Get a good book/magazine and go to a park and enjoy.

My goal is to go walk all the Lakes in Minneapolis, before summers end.

[The intent of this reply is motivational. It is not intended to "preach". You've posted a question, this is my reply and how I talk to myself to modify behaviors I no longer need in my life.]

In my mind... everything is a matter of perspective.
- Where are you?
- Where do you want to be?
- How are you going to get there?
- What are you doing today to get there ?

If you truly embrace your acknowledged fact that you are sabotaging your efforts with your "rewards" then the only thing you really need to change is your perspective about what you are defining as a reward. You don't always have to an identified goal to move things along... identifying what you don't want is also very powerful.

It comes down to healthy choices. I LOVE Hersey Chocolate Bars with Almonds. But have not have one half a year now simply because I know it's a "gateway food" to being fat. I have an apple to get the sugar hit that I am craving. Or, a chocolate flavored whey drink which sates the chocolate craving - but ramps up my protein so I am addressing the signal from my body that it needs some kind of nutrition. NOTE: I do not know it as fact but have been told that craving sugar (sweets) can indicate that I need more protein. Believing that, I address the root cause of the craving for sweets by drinking a chocolate drink loaded with protein.

An element of what you really need to identify is in your leading sentence: "I still have a tendency to "reward" myself with junk food/desserts/sweets/etc. " - which goes back my questions about perspective. Isn't attaining the target goal reward enough?
Do you need "double mileage" rewards? (grin). If you identify the demon which is demanding the reward you can then decide if you want to feed that demon.

I've lost almost forty pounds since starting at the end of February 2012. I allow myself the one "fatterday" meal each week where I eat dang near anything I want regardless of calories... and never look back. I accept the action because it keeps me on track for my long term goal of losing weight. It prevents me from feeling like I am denying myself of anything, which also keeps me on track. What I have changed is my perspective about goals. I am not "giving" anything up - I am making new choices about what I eat, these new choices enable me to reach my goal. I am not "losing" anything... I am gaining health. Every pound I shed is a gain towards a longer and healthier life. I also step up my exercise on fatterday to balance the intake. AND if I have a little indulgence on any other day... I also step up the exercise. Cause and Effect. The laws of physics will not change regardless of how I feel. If I eat 2400 calories but only burn 2000 of them - I gain weight. It's that simple.

A major catalyst was watching the movies "Food Inc." and "Fat, Sick, & Nearly Dead". If you watch "Food Inc." it's not too hard to be motivated about making new choices which are healthy choices.

All of those things said - it comes down to you. It does not matter what anyone else on the planet is doing... it matters only what you are doing with regard to your choices of what you define as a reward. It's OK to crave sweet and sugary things, almost every type of animal on the planet does... it's natural. But what are the consequences of that choice?

Apple? Candy bar?
Muffin-top jeans? Nice-fitting jeans?
Apple juice? Anti-freeze?
It's your choice as to what you decide to reward yourself with.

Best of luck in your efforts.

I like to reward myself with the spoils of my shopping trips. I've eaten out a little too often so pretty reward heels were whisked away before even wearing them outside of the house. I'll get them back on my birthday if I can manage to cook and eat at home for the next few weeks! But there are so many free rewards that should, I think, be an intrinsic part of a healthy lifestyle. Going to the park and enjoying the fresh air; visiting the library to find new and interesting books and making the time to read them; museums on free days; galleries any day; visiting a department store and spritzing yourself with really lovely perfume just because you want to change up your usual fragrance; free talks and film screenings at local libraries/galleries; doing tai chi in the park (there are groups near me that charge a gold coin per session. Not my thing but I'm trying to get my mum to go!). So, so, so many more. What about a home pedicure or facial? Cleanse, steam your face over a bowl infused with whatever essential oil looks good, exfoliate, use a mask, tone, massage your face and neck and then moisturise. You could use the trip to the department store for perfume spritzing to get samples of lovely high end moisturisers to use for the facial. What about going to a local beauty school for discount massages? I know the local colleges here do it and was even a guinea pig for a friend's haircutting course once. If I wasn't there as a favour to her but just as a general customer it would have cost me $30 for wash, cut, colour, foils and blowdry. Bargain given that at my local place I pay $80 for wash, cut and blowdry.

Food rewards just seem... counterproductive. I mean, fair go, enjoy a banana thickshake if you've got the calories and you've thought about it, slept on it and decided that yes, 600 calories of fake banana flavour and sugar is absolutely what you want, then enjoy, but why eat four cinnamon doughnuts alongside the thickshake?