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The biggest and best rewards for losing weight and getting fit are your own good health and the sense of accomplishment when you lose weight. Ideally, those rewards would be enough to keep you motivated to continue until you reach your long-term goals. But, hey, you're only human. Everyone needs tangible rewards once in a while to keep going.
 | Reward yourself for changes in your behavior, attitude, and weight. For instance, if you exercise ten minutes longer, or you start substituting positive thoughts about yourself and your diet for any negative, self-destructive thoughts that have been blocking your success, then celebrate! |
 | Many dieters reward themselves with fabulous new clothes to fit their fabulous new bodies after they've lost a substantial amount of weight. But you certainly don't have to wait until the end is in sight before you start giving yourself motivational rewards. Think about other nonfood rewards, big and small, that you can look forward to and bestow upon yourself along the way. Give yourself a reward every day, if it helps you stay motivated. |
Refer to the following list whenever you feel you need some added incentive or when you reach a milestone (otherwise known as a goal) and feel like celebrating. You can also add your own ideas to this list.
- Pick up a bouquet of flowers or a flowering houseplant.
- Get a manicure and a pedicure.
- Pick out a new piece of jewelry.
- Buy a fashion accessory, like a trendy scarf or belt.
- Splurge on beauty products.
- Find an attractive blank book for keeping your journal.
- Look for an interesting cookbook that features foods that are naturally low in calories.
- Buy a newly released, best-selling book.
- Buy yourself a new wallet.
| Match the size of your reward to the specific accomplishment, so you don't run out of ways to reward yourself. If you think small at first, you can reward yourself for achieving the many short-term goals you set early on. A small reward may be as simple as a long bath or a day without housework, or it can be a little bit bigger such as a piece of costume jewelry. As the months go by, and you start to reach your intermediate and long-term goals, you can start thinking about that new dishwasher or car, that gold bracelet, or that African safari you've always wanted to take. |
Most likely, you'll also want to come up with a few rewards that don't challenge your budget, such as taking a mental health day or attending a free concert. Another free reward is to let yourself spend some time planning bigger rewards you can redeem when you reach some of your longer-term goals.
| Carry a wish list in your wallet or someplace where you can always find it, to remind yourself of the rewards that lie ahead and to keep yourself motivated. A list is handy for those in-the-moment decisions you often have to make about whether or not to eat a particular food, or to spend an extra ten minutes at the gym, or even to eat or exercise at all. If you have your list on hand, you can choose a reward that provides the most motivation, in that moment, to help you make the best diet and exercise choices. |
 | Even though rewarding yourself for a job well done is great, the opposite doesn't hold true. Don't punish yourself for sneaking a snack or even going on an all-out eating binge. Forget about your backslide! Guilt is a very common form of self-punishment employed by dieters. If you want to make amends with yourself, eat a little lighter the next day or bike an extra mile. What makes the most sense is just starting again wherever you left off, getting back on track, and moving forward. Anything else just gets in the way of your long-term success. |
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