Reward Time

 It is time for a weight loss reward!  When I got serious about losing weight (again), I knew that I wanted to set up a reward system to reward my accomplishments.   I even know what the first reward was going to be.   I waited patiently (or not so patiently) until I had actually earned that reward.  Finally, the time has arrived, I have earned my reward. 

Rewarding yourself in a Weight Loss Journey

I am a firm believer in setting up a reward system during a weight loss journey.  Over the years of my journey, I have done this and it has been great for me. The first and most important reason that rewards are good for me is that it gives me a goal to work toward.  It is not contingent upon time.  It is strictly focused on my results.  It allows me to break down this seemingly huge amount of weight to lose into smaller more manageable sections.    For me, I chose to do that in 10 pound increments.  In the past, I have spent months losing 10 pounds but then the next 10 pounds seem to melt off overnight.  No matter, they all deserve a reward.   

Now with that said, I also decided to reward those extra big milestones also.  My general 10 pound rewards are smaller, but I go a bit more grandiose when I am celebrating a milestone.  What am I talking about when I say a milestone?  100 pounds lost.  50 pounds lost.  Weighing less than 300 pounds.  Weighing less than 200 pounds.  Your Goal weight.  Those big milestones in your weight loss journey.  Reward them!!!

There is another fabulous benefit for rewarding yourself for your weight loss efforts.  You will have either a tangible item or a fabulous memory that will serve as an anchor for you as you continue on your journey.  When I reached my goal weight the first time, years ago; I bought a nice camera for myself.  Every time I picked up that camera I knew that I had accomplished an amazing goal.  It reminded me of my efforts and helped constantly remind me of my habits and goals and journey.

Choosing Good rewards in a Weight Loss Journey

When I first started to lose weight I really struggled with setting up rewards.  My overweight mind constantly wanted to reward myself with a dinner out, an ice cream cone, a cake.  I really struggled with a reward system because all of my ideas were unhealthy and not encouraging a good healthy life.   I really struggled.   Eventually I settled upon a reward that I loved.    It wasn't food centered and it was something that I would have with me all the time.  Something that would constantly remind me of my journey and how far I had come.   I settled on a charm bracelet.    The idea worked out really well.  I bought a bracelet and each time I lost 10 pounds, I bought a new charm.  The charm was picked out to show something about the ten pounds.  One was a turtle because the ten pounds had taken so long to lose.  Another charm was a tennis shoe because I had started to run during that 10 pound period.  Each charm reminded me of that specific stage of the journey.   

Another important aspect is to base your planned rewards on something that is feasible for your budget.  I had grand plans for all sorts of rewards at one point in my journey.  But when I would get to that milestone, I didn't have the funds to attain the reward, so I would shelve it.  I was still losing but the reward system didn't work for me.  Plan rewards accordingly!

My newest Weight Loss Reward

The time has come.  When I started seriously losing again I was only 1.6 pounds away from the nice even number of 250. Yes, I was 251.6 pounds.  I knew I was going to be rewarding myself for every ten pounds, but I made a decision to make my first reward when I crossed below 240 pounds.  It took me about 9 weeks, but I finally reached that goal!   

My reward was picked out long before I got serious about losing weight again.  I saw this teeshirt online months ago and knew I wanted it.  But I had decided that it was going to be my first weight loss reward.  So I waited....and waited  and waited for myself to start getting serious and lose the weight!    I've been thinking about it for quite some time!  So without further ado.....here it is!  A tee shirt about my Green Cheek Conure. 

This teeshirt is perfect for me as Kiwi has been a bit nippy toward me.  He is getting better, but this shirt TOTALLY shows how he is with me.  (Jason doesn't get bit near as much as I do!)  I've been waiting for months to get it and it arrived on Monday.  I have washed it and I am SOO excited to wear my 10 pounds lost teeshirt!

Stay tuned.....I'm determined that there will be more 10 pound rewards earned!  I've got this!!!!!!

Of course I had to include a picture of Kiwi...the bird that inspired my reward!

Empowerment : Tips to find the strength to lose weight

How do we keep our heads in the game of weight loss?  Some people call motivation, some call it inspiration, desire, focus, affirmation, reminders or any number of things.  . I’m not sure I like any of those words. So we’re going to just say how do we keep our heads in the game during this long journey called weight loss.

It is really easy (easier) to keep your head in the game when you’re seeing losses on the scale. We are a very results oriented generation.  But what happens when the results are just not showing up quickly or at all? How do we stay focused on this journey during those tough moments.

There are so many things that can empower us to find the strength to push forward toward our goals. I personally have used a multitude of different ways over the years. By no means are my ways and tricks the only way. My methods may not work for someone else in fact,  they may not work for me now but they did at one time, and they may work again in the future. That said, this list is it in no way comprehensive.

1. Goal clothing.  I have personally used this methid in the past. I found a dress that had a vintage flair to it… I love 50s style dresses. I bought it, even though it did not fit. I hung that dress on my bedroom door so that every day I would see the dress and remember what I was working toward. I have heard lots of other people doing this, and it can be quite beneficial.
2. Accountability partners. Sometimes, knowing that someone else is waiting for your report is enough to keep our head in the game. It is easier to slip up and fall off the bandwagon when you know that no one is going to know about it or care about. And over the years I have use this quite a bit with various people. (Thank you Sherry, Julie, Donna and some others.). 
3. Sometimes just knowing that people are watching is enough to empower us enough to keep us on track! Tell people that you are on a mission to lose weight.  Knowing that people are watching me makes me ignore the snack table at work!
4. Weight loss meetings. I know there are different meetings out there. I have a friend that goes to a meeting at her church. They have motivational talks, a weigh in  and sometimes they exercise together. Her program is neat because if they gain they put money into a piggy bank… The money goes to missions project so it is a good cause. I personally went to Weight Watchers for quite a while. The meetings were instrumental in my first successful weight loss and the lessons I learned helped shape me and teach me so that I’m prepared for my current weight loss journey.  But the best part of Weight Watchers for me was the meetings.   There are a few different aspects of a weight-loss meeting that can come into play. The first is the fact that it offers accountability. Knowing that I was going  going each week kept me on track. A weight-loss meeting can also give us new ideas, encouragement andthe spark   needed to keep fighting for a healthier life.
5. Success stories. When I am working, focused and losing weight and happen to stumble upon a success story, I have always gobbled up the words.  It was an excellent reminder to me that weight loss is possible!  And yes, I said to myself each time, “if they can do it...so can I!” 
6. Pictures. Sometimes we can’t see our progress. Sometimes we can’t see ourselves what we really are. There have been a couple times in my life where I have had to see a picture of myself before I knew that I had to get myself on track! In Lori’s success story she talked about a picture that showed her the unhappy overweight girl. A picture that sparked her and got her  head into the game. On the opposite end of the spectrum though sometimes we can’t see our success either and when we see a picture it finally sinks in and empowers us. At the peak of my weight loss (the first go-round), I looked in the mirror and I still saw the fat Maryfran. And I had people close to me tell me that I was unrecognizable… My own dad saw me sitting on his porch while he and my mom drove up and he asked my mom who that was on his porch. But I still didn’t get it. There was one picture that cemented it for me and really helped me stay focused. My then husband one day was flipping through pictures on his computer and I happened to look over and see a picture of a woman posing for him. Immediately I got angry. Who in the world what is this Skinnywoman? (A natural reaction for someone that is in a failing marriage.). He started laughing immediately. The picture was me. 
7. Reward. Over the years I also set up reports for myself. I look forward to getting those rewards. Sometimes it was small things… A charm for my weight-loss bracelet, a new pair of shoes or something that. I wanted. For a bigger milestone losses I chose bigger. I bought a new camera for one of my large milestone weigh ins. And knowing that you will get something you want as a reward can be motivating.
8. Complements.  These are amazing when you get them and  go so far toward helping us feel empowered to push forward. I’ve had a few experiences that stick out in my mind...compliments that really meant a lot. You really don’t have much control over this one. But there is nothing like a complement on your success that motivates one to stay the course better. And it takes a while for people to notice your effort… But the compliments will help you keep up the effort. Just one word of caution, people are afraid to compliment so don’t be upset if you don’t hear the compliments!  I had people that were afraid to comment and complement me. One year for July 4 I saw friends of my parents for the first time in a year or so and they didn’t stay on the word even though I had lost about 100 pounds at that point.  The next day my mom called me and gave me the compliment over the phone. Their friends had called them to make sure that I wasn’t sick because I had lost so much weight when they found out that it was just hard work and pier effort they were profuse in there complement to my mother. There are also some people that won’t make comments simply because weight is such a taboo subject in our society. But you will get compliments, saver and treasure them.

As I said earlier, this list is in no way comprehensive.  There are so many ways and tricks to stay focused during this weight loss journey.   It is all dependent upon ones personality.