Rewards for a Job Well Done
One of my Tweeps asked if I were going to reward myself at certain stages of my health & fitness/weight loss journey. At the time, I didn’t have an answer, but she got me thinking. Hmm…I am finally conquering the one thing I’ve always failed in life, so why didn’t I have plans to reward myself for the hard work? *shrug* Now I know why.
It was because I hadn’t thought of anything meaningful that wouldn’t set me back. To be honest, I’d love to have a piece of Kahlua Cocoa Coffee Cheesecake from the Cheesecake Factory. Shoot, I’d love to have one of those heavenly sensations right now! But would that really motivate me to keep going? Umm…NO! It would send me straight to the land of sinful regrets! In my opinion, rewards should be timely, relevant, and meaningful. So after giving it more thought, I finally decided on when and how to reward myself.
Wanna hear it? Here it goes!
When I achieve 25% of my weight loss goal:
I’m going to buy a pair of jeans in the size I want to be when it’s all said and done. Ha! I can see myself now – trying on those jeans every month week just to see if I can fit them yet. LOL!
- Week 1: ooh, I can get one leg in.
- Week 3: Uh oh, there’s the other lower leg.
- Week 7: Hey there thighs!
- Week 10: I can pull them up if I lay down and suck everything in reeeeeeeeal tight!
- Week 15: And they’re on! But fool, you can’t breathe! Take ‘em OFF!! Hurry up before your brain pops! LOL!
If all goes well, I might attain this milestone at my next weigh-in. If I do, watch out for the tomfoolery on Twitter. Ha!
When I achieve 50% of my weight loss goal:
I’m going to hire a personal trainer. By then, I may reach the infamous plateau that I keep hearing about. The trainer should be able to mix things up a bit and help me get out of the rut.
When I achieve 75% of my weight loss goal:
I’m going to register for my first 5K race. When that time comes and I actually commit to running a race, I will know the end is near. I will need that extra burst of energy and some adrenaline to put a fire under my butt. Doing something that I’d never thought possible is exactly what I’ll need. Gotta keep my eyes focused on that finish line – figuratively and literally!
When I achieve my final weight loss goal:
I’m going on a shopping spree for a whole new wardrobe. Yea baby!! Clothes. Shoes. Accessories. Oh my! I hear the weight maintenance phase is much harder than the weight loss phase, so I’ll need something uber fabulous to keep the pep in my step. I’m not sure what the budget will be. Depending on my finances at the time, I’m thinking $1,500 to $2,000.
When you achieve one of your goals (i.e. save $1,000 or lose 10 lbs), do you reward yourself?
If so, how?
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I try to reward myself for small victories. When I ace an exam, I might get yummy takeout. When I got straight As this last semester, I got myself a pair of designer jeans (at a resale shop). It helps me stay motivated.
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Single Ma Reply:
February 10th, 2010 at 8:56 am
Kudos to you on the straight As!
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When I got to my goal, I bought myself a pair of designer jeans that cost twice as much as any pair I had owned before. I go clothes shopping very rarely, and I usually buy pretty cheap, so this was a huge luxury. But they looked so good it kept me motivated to *stay* at my goal weight so that I didn’t have to stop wearing them, so I can consider them an investment that is continuing to pay off! ;)
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Single Ma Reply:
February 10th, 2010 at 8:55 am
I like that idea. Spend so much money on the jeans so you HAVE to stay in them. My 1st pair of jeans will be cheapo, but when I reach my goal weight, I might try that.
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My first time around with this – my rewards were things like my heart rate monitor and some diamond earrings. I haven’t thought about this time around – maybe because I’m not seeing the progress I want to see. Maybe I need to establish some reward thresholds as another form of motivation.
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Single Ma Reply:
February 10th, 2010 at 8:54 am
Did someone say DIAMONDS? Now that’s my kind of reward!
What do you think is different this time around that is making it so hard?
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I need instant gratification, so I set small goals and reward myself. After every 10 pounds I may buy myself a piece of clothing. Usually my Mom beats me to the punch and buys me something before I get a chance to. When I hit the big numbers I plan to reward myself with a week of prepared meals from an expensive down the road. And I plan to get a trainer to help me tone up.
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Single Ma Reply:
February 10th, 2010 at 8:53 am
Your mom is sooo sweet! I know she is proud of your weight loss efforts.
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Who designed your website? I like it. I am in the market for change.
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Single Ma Reply:
February 10th, 2010 at 8:51 am
Chic & Sassy Designs: http://www.chicsassydesigns.blogspot.com/
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I purchased a pair of Diesel jeans on sale in a size 8 to motivate me. I’m getting pretty close to being able ot zip them up. Yes, that’s a great motivator.
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Single Ma Reply:
February 10th, 2010 at 8:52 am
Get it girl!
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I am also on a weight loss journey and I reward myself with massages about once every 3 weeks or so depending on how hard I have worked out at the gym. My back and legs are always grateful:-)
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I never did the reward thing on my prior weight loss journey. Maintenance is indeed the hardest phase and now I need to drop another 15 that crept back up LOL 20 for good measure!
I do rewards for big milestones for running.. and after I complete my half I’m eyeing a Garmin GPS Monitor if I don’t get it prior to race!
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One thing I am looking forward to is purging clothes I can no longer fit int0 as it happens. When I moved down a size late last year, I packed up those clothes and gave them to charity. My reasoning: I was not going back to that size and someone else could use the clothes. It is kind of like Cortez burning his ships. If you have no choice, you keep moving forward.
When I am 50% of the way to my goal, I want to buy myself a nice piece of orginal art work for the room where I keep my treadmill. Something that will remind me of how far I’ve come and inspire me to go the rest of the way. Don’t know what it is yet, but I am sure I’ll know it when I see it.
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