Reward Yourself

As Pounds Fall, Rewards are Deserved

Mini-Reward

Unless you have only 5 pounds to lose, you should reward yourself at regular intervals for your weight loss. Set up a reward schedule that will motivate you on each success. You can make that after every 5 pounds or every 10 pounds of weight loss. Here is your reward criteria.

Your rewards cannot be food. The exception would be to have a salad fest with friends or family. Invite everyone to a raw food day.
Your mini-rewards should not be expensive. Even if you can afford a fine jewelry or lavish trips, small accomplishments deserve small rewards.
Your rewards should be something you have been wanting to do or would want to do. If you love going to the movies, but never want to spend the $8, then, it's okay to make it as a reward.
Your rewards should not be alcohol or drugs. It's okay to meet with friends for herb tea or have a tea party with a fruit tray.
Your rewards should not cause a burden to someone else. For example, if you are the mother of three toddlers, you shouldn't hand them off to your brother because you're taking the day off. Instead, include your children in your rewards. Playing with your kids can be a reward for you and them.

Simple Rewards

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Mini-Reward Options

Set a schedule of rewards for yourself. If you want a reward for every 5 (or 10) pounds lost, these should be simple rewards since they will happen often. Here are some ideas you may want to use.

Keep a chart and put a star on the chart when you reach you mini-goals. Or, have a friend or family member give you an award badge.
Have a "spa" day or hour where you pamper yourself: change your hairstyle, relax in a bubble bath, do your nails, or go to a spa.
Take the afternoon off from your daily routine and go to the park.
Go to the movies or ball game.
Work on crafts you enjoy. If you have kids, give them crafts, too.
If you love to entertain but feel trapped by your diet, have friends over to a party of what you can eat. Make it a salad party or a green party or a fruit party or a low-cal pot luck party or a tea party. Let your friends know you can and want to have fun even while dieting.
Hang out at the pool or beach.
Go bowling or skating or golfing. If you haven't done some physical activity in a while that you can do and that you enjoy, make it a reward.
Take time to work on a long neglected project like gardening, sewing, or decorating.

Psyche yourself up for each mini-reward. Change your rewards each time if that motivates you more. Most of all, these rewards should excite and motivate you to lose weight.

Weight Loss Milestones

Depending on how much weight you need to lose to reach your goal, you may need both small, mini-rewards and milestone rewards. For instance, if you are needing to lose 30 pounds, you may want mini-rewards at every 5 pounds and milestone rewards at every 10 pounds. If you have 100 pounds to lose, you may want your mini-rewards to be at every 10 pounds lost and your milestone rewards to be at every 25 pounds lost. So, milestone weight loss rewards should be a little bigger than your mini-rewards. Decide how these rewards would best work for you. Here are some milestone reward ideas that might work for you.

A weekend trip camping or visiting loved ones or to a resort can be a good, motivating reward.
Combine two mini-rewards like bowling, then relaxing; or get a star and go to the movies.
Go to a festival or carnival or outdoor art show.
Visit a zoo or museum or farm or historical site.
Go skiing or surfing or hiking now that you are a little fitter.

Remember, you can choose different milestone rewards for each milestone.

What Motivates You?

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The Goal

Only you know what is the strongest motivation to get you to the end of your weight loss journey. That weight loss may seem like reward enough right now, but when you get there, you may want to celebrate with an extra reward. If it has been a long journey and lots of weight lost, a little bit of expense may be justified. After all, you are saving a whole lot of money by eating less food. Here are some ideas for the final reward--and, maybe, extra motivation to get there.

A vacation, maybe even a cruise could fit into your budget. Check the cost of discount cruises.
A makeover or new hairdo would look nice with your new figure.
A new dress or suit should adorn that new body of yours.
Redecorating your place might be a good goal for you.
If you're losing weight to look good at a reunion, why not plan an after-party to go with it. When you are the host, you get to serve the healthy foods you want and not be tempted.
Plan to join that dating service or go dancing with confidence.

Keep your goal commitment and desired rewards close to each other so you always know what you are striving for. Be specific about which reward you are hoping to get for each weight loss. The stronger your motivation, the more likely and faster you will reach your goal weight.

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