Rewards

For losing weight I needed some extra incentive. Being healthy, feeling better, looking better, and having more energy are all obvious and natural rewards for getting into shape and losing weight. But there are days when I want to eat a doughnut and can easily decide I don't care about those things. An additional reward is needed to get through those days. I've heard of, and tried many times to give myself some kind of incentive like this including a clothing shopping spree, new highlights for my hair, and a vacation. All of these incentives were "when I lose 30 lbs" or when I get to a certain weight. Sometimes I gave myself a deadline, sometimes not. The problem every time has been that I get discouraged because it's so far away, or the deadline is too close and I can't get there in time, and I give up. Even worse, it has made me hold off on doing things I really want to do because I'm saving it for me at my goal weight. This time is different. This time I will get a reward every 2 months no matter how successful I am. I feel like a genius because I have figured out how to give myself rewards that scale, thus eliminating discouragement. 

Every 2 months I will take the number of pounds I have lost and add a zero to it. This is the number of dollars I can spend on a spa day!  So even 4 pounds would be $40 which would get me a

manicure and pedicure or a mini-facial, both great rewards. If I lose more like 20 pounds, that is $200 which would get me a super awesome and relaxing day with a fancy facial and a massage. It's such a great plan because working harder gets me more, but roadblocks and struggles don't put an end to it. 

I've thought a little about how this reward system could work for other people, maybe on a tighter budget. You could reward yourself with time spent on a home facial or manicure and pedicure, 10 or 20 minutes for every pound you lose. Just imagine rewarding yourself by spending 2 whole hours taking care of yourself! Hopefully your significant other will be in on your plan and be supportive by taking care of everything you would normally be doing during that time. Maybe they will even want to contribute by giving you a massage for part of your reward time!  

I had to think long and hard about what thing I always want to do, but I have a hard time treating myself to. Maybe your thing has nothing to do with a spa day or relaxing. Maybe it's buying supplies for your favorite hobby, or going on a fancier or longer date than usual. My advice is just not to make it something you need or want to do regardless of your weight, you don't want to wait to live your life. And my big advice is to have a reward that scales up or down according to your success, life isn't a win or lose game!