Rewarding Yourself

One of my “secrets” to weight loss is a system of REWARDS.

As a way to keep myself motivated, I bought a packet of the little star stickers. I had a traditional calender that hung on the wall of my apartment. Every time I worked out, I put a little star sticker on that date.

It may seem really simple and silly, but it was a great motivator! At first I only saw one or two stars on my calender each week. Then it was three stars a week. Eventually it was 5 or 6 stars each week. It was really cool to SEE my efforts.

When I moved in with Michael last year, I got rid of the stickers and calender system. Now I use my Google Calender to record my workouts. While I don’t necessarily need to keep recording them now that I’ve lost the weight, I still do it because it makes me feel good.

In terms of types of rewards, it’s really whatever interests you. It could be small rewards like “a new pair of headphones for working out” after losing 10 pounds. Or bigger rewards for bigger losses. Whatever motivates you to keep trying!

Ways to Reward Your Weight Loss

1. Spa Day/Massages

A day of pampering is one of my favorite rewards. Nothing feels better than a massage or foot rub after working your body really hard at the gym! While massages and spa days can be expensive, there are ways to save money. Ask friends for referrals. Sometimes they may have a friend that does massage and is trying to start up their own business. Another trick is to find spas or chiropractic offices that offer cheaper introductory rates!

2. Travel/Vacation

Planning a vacation to celebrate your new body is a good motivator! Unless it will stress you out having a specific date in mind, try booking the trip ahead. Having a tangible goal with a SPECIFIC date REALLY helped me a lot. For example, I’m strongly considering signing up for the Las Vegas Half Marathon. If I decide to do it, I’m going to look at it as my reward for completing Hood to Coast (and for losing a few more pounds).

3. New clothes

A new wardrobe at a smaller size is often the biggest reward for losing weight! Buy something nice at Victoria’s Secret or go shopping in a section you could never fit in before.

4. Workout Machine

Have you been eyeing an elliptical machine for your home gym or something else? Splurge and reward your success with more success.

5. Girl’s Night Out

Invite your best friends out to help you celebrate. When I reached my goal of losing 100 pounds, Michael took me out to dinner at his favorite restaurant in Portland–Apizza Scholls. It had been 2 years since I ate pizza and we ordered a fantastic pizza and a bottle of wine that night. It was a fantastic way to celebrate reaching my goal!

6. Kitchen Gadget

Maybe you’ve always wanted a Kitchenaid Mixer, or a bread-maker…whatever the item is you’ve been putting off buying, splurge.

7. Mani/Pedi

Sometimes while losing weight, it’s easy to get discouraged and feel down about your body; especially if the progress has been slow. For me, getting a pedicure always relaxed me and made me feel pretty.

8. Enter a Competition

Another big motivator for weight loss is training for a goal like a triathlon or 5k Run. Start small if you’re new to working out; don’t expect to be able to run a marathon right away.

With the exception of the pizza dinner when reaching 100 pounds lost, I didn’t usually reward myself with food. I felt like that was a slippery-slope that I didn’t want to mess with.

QUESTION: Do you reward yourself for reaching weight loss goals?