Do You Reward Yourself for Weight Loss?

When you were a kid, and you did something well, every now and then you got a reward. Like when you received a good report card, you lost a tooth or you helped out around the house. Motivating, right?

I remember helping at my grandmother's restaurant when I was little. We would go really early in the morning, while it was still dark, to make the donuts and pies. Yes, homemade. She would reward me with the donut or pastry of my choice, always warm and fresh and dripping with glaze (sorry if I'm giving you too much of a visual) and we would sit at a booth before the doors were open and she would let me have a 1/2 cup of coffee laden with cream and sugar. My reward for helping.

Is weight loss any different? Obviously our parents or grandparents won't be the ones rewarding us but should we be rewarding ourselves? Will that same logic make our weight-loss journey more pleasant?

I hadn't thought about my special times with my grandmother, who has since passed, for quite awhile. What a great lady. Little did she know that the reward was just being with her and having her teach me things I still remember. Not to mention that maybe part of my weight problems may stem from the donuts and the 1/2 cup of "coffee syrup" and, of course, the reward of "food." Certainly gives me something to think about given my relationship with food and why I am thinking about rewards and whether it might be a motivator, like when I was a kid.

So, I was thinking (always dangerous) that if I could stay "on track" for an entire week (7 whole days) then I would reward myself. With what, I'm not sure. It's an incentive to do better and that's how I justified it in my swampy little mind. Like the dangling carrot in front of the bunny.

So, I have set some mini-goals for myself and wondering if or what would be an appropriate reward. See what you think.

1. Exercise at least 5 times this week. (So far I've cross-country skied twice - About an hour each time)
2. Moderation in food intake (weigh and measure if I'm unsure of portions). Doing good so far but it's early in the week.
3. Be accountable for what goes in my mouth. That means everything that goes in my mouth. (Just to let you know, I have eaten one evil Girl Scout cookie this week. One lonely thin mint and it was for dessert after dinner. The remaining cookies have been placed out of my sight. As we all know, I could find them if I wanted to!)

Rewards??? Share if you reward yourself and let me know what you use as a reward. I might like it so much I'll steal it!!!