Rewarding Yourself with Something Other Than Food

Once you start modifying behavior to lose weight, the next step is repetition. Studies have shown that repeated activities will eventually become ‘the norm’ and replace previous behaviors.

This is also true for obesity treatment (which is a chronic disease, not a condition). Simply stated, the positive changes you make will soon become part of your daily life.

Yes, it will be challenging early on. But I promise you that making healthy lifestyle changes gets easier as you move forward. (Remember, no one said this weight loss journey you are on would be easy).

As you meet and accomplish these milestones, such as starting a walking routine and steadily increasing your distance and pace, it’s certainly ok to give yourself a little reward for a job well done, occasionally.

But for too many people, these little “you earned this” rewards are in the form of food.

No more.

Food is not a prize, it only serves to keep you alive
Moving beyond this past behavior requires a new way of thinking; you are charged with finding something better than food to reward yourself.

I’m not going to list bullet points of suggestions. As part of your new (improved) way of thinking, jot down five things you enjoy doing that are not food related. Keep it handly on your phone and print out copies for your desk, the refrigerator—or wherever this list may be relevant to you.

Edit this list to meet your needs.

Your rewards can be both external (going to a movie) and internal (simply feeling improved self-esteem about achieving a behavioral modification target). It helps you focus even more strongly on the ultimate goal and keep negative thoughts at bay.

A small gift to yourself for a job well done helps boost your daily quality of life and make it more enjoyable. (It’s the little things in life, as they say). You deserve it because, let’s not forget, you are fighting one of the biggest battles of your life.

Eventually, as your weight decreases and you feel so much better with each passing day, these rewards may become less important because the way you look and feel will be the ultimate prize.

Is It Your Turn to Finally Lose the Extra Weight?
If you are at the beginning of your quest to lose a significant volume of weight, possibly through the tool of bariatric weight loss surgery, we invite you to attend one of our free "Tell Me More About Weight Loss Surgery" sessions held at Raritan Bay Medical Center and CentraState Medical Center.

If you prefer to schedule a one-on-one consultation with me, please call our friendly team at (732) 217-3897.