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How to Treat Yourself Without Using Food

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Do you treat yourself in ways that aren’t necessarily ideal? I used to. After eating well for a week or reaching a new weight loss goal, I’d convince myself that I deserved a reward. Then I would head straight for the refrigerator. Here’s why you shouldn’t use food to celebrate weight loss and some non-food ideas to try instead.

Why You Should Reward Fitness Efforts

It’s important to keep a list of weight loss reward ideas ready to work through on your fitness journey. Though this may be seen as a form of bribery (like used with a child), having a prize to look forward to is very effective. Even if no one else knows about your success, you can celebrate a job well done.

The rewards that I suggest for reaching new fitness goals generally involve buying something you want, taking care of yourself, or having a good time. Setting small goals with a fun bonus at the end will encourage you to keep pushing forward. In short, you’ll be keeping yourself motivated, as well as adding enjoyment to your life.

Treating Yourself without Food

Before, when I was struggling with binge eating and food restriction, I would reward my progress with binges. I’d think about how hard I worked and convince myself to take a day off. But when I returned to restricting the next day, I’d feel terrible and binge again. This would keep going until I had erased my progress. Then, I would be brimming with anger and guilt.

It doesn’t really matter how you choose to treat yourself, as long as it’s not hurting you or slowing your progress. Since learning to give up food restrictions and enjoy the foods I love anytime, my weight loss is now more sustainable. I don’t feel the need to binge eat my favorite foods. Better yet, my mental well-being is in a much better place.

My point is when we restrict a certain food to a special reward only, it becomes more desirable, making it harder to stick to our goals. I encourage you to move past the mentality that certain foods are restricted, and enjoy them moderately while on your weight loss journey.

If you’re having trouble stopping binge cravings, here’s a simple guide for avoiding a binge.

“You yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection.” – Buddha Click To Tweet

Weight Loss Reward Ideas

Here are some ideas to use when you celebrate your accomplishments. Don’t forget to plan out your next goal and how you’re going to achieve it. Then you’ll have something new and exciting to look forward to.

Treat Yourself by Spending Money

If you have spending money, saving up for when you’ve reached your fitness goals is a great plan. It’ll make buying the things you want feel more symbolic and special, and give you encouragement to keep going. Save up for something big that you’ll buy when you hit your target.

To make it more fun and motivating, make a big list of small non-scale victories. These could involve losing an inch somewhere on your body, making it up the stairs without losing your breath, fitting into smaller pants, etc. When you check something new off that list, put a dollar (or other currency) aside. You can also add some money for each pound you lose. Once this money is enough for your reward, go ahead and use it!

Weight loss reward ideas that involve spending cash:

  • Go on a road trip you have planned out.
  • Buy yourself that book you’ve been thinking about.
  • Go on a shopping spree!
  • Check out a new online course.
  • Get your nails done.
  • Sign up for that class you’ve always wanted to take.
  • Get a massage.
  • Plan a special night out with friends, family, or just you!
  • Finally order what’s been sitting in your Amazon cart for months.

Or Without Spending Money

There are so many options for people to honor their progress without spending money. A lot of them involve spending time instead. Taking time out of your busy day to reward the fitness progress you’ve made and take care of yourself is a treat on its own.

Weight Loss reward ideas that don’t involve spending cash:

  • Read the book you’ve been putting off.
  • Let yourself binge-watch Netflix for an entire evening.
  • Take a long, hot bubble bath. Light some candles. You’ve worked hard and you deserve it.
  • Plan a day trip to the beach/park.
  • Let yourself sleep in all morning. Guilt-free.
  • Take a day off to spend however you please. Relax, plan some activities, whatever you need, boss.
  • Call a supportive friend and tell them about your success.
  • Visit your local pet store and snuggle some puppies and kitties.

Go Ahead and Treat Yourself

Learning to enjoy food when you want it and not as a reward for restriction helps you have a better relationship with eating. With that being said, there are many other enjoyable ways to reward fitness efforts. When you treat yourself throughout your journey, you will keep yourself motivated and be happier along the way.

So, do you have any weight loss reward ideas that you’d like to add? Let me know in the comment section!

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That’s it for now everyone. If you’ve found some value in this post, please share it to inspire others too! Thanks!

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27 thoughts on “How to Treat Yourself Without Using Food”

  1. Ang, I truly love this post. Everytime I make weight loss goals it always ends with a food treat or buying a dress. I totally agree that it’s important to not disassociate treating ourselves and food.
    I’ve decided to set up 2 weeks goals and every time I achieve them I’ll take a day off from working out. This gives me a break and acts as a motivator. I hope it works. 😬

  2. Hi, Ang.
    Always wise advice here. If one has any ‘addictive habits,’ most of this advice is easily transferable to any “binges.” Thanx for your thoughtful blogs that I suspect are helping way beyond the eating disorders community.
    ❤️&🙏, c.a.

  3. I think this is useful advice even when weight isn’t an issue. Having a variety of reward options identified can be a good way for anyone to keep things fresh.

  4. Ang, good post. Since we are new to each other’s blogs, you may not be aware I am an alcoholic. I am going on fourteen years sans alcohol. A lesson a friend taught me is to say to myself “I am not going to drink today.” You see for people like me, there are always reasons to drink. As I read your helpful post, I see similarities in the desire to placate a craving. In Charles DuHigg’s excellent book called “Habit,” his mantra is to know the trigger and do something else rather than binge or drink. So, your post today is along those lines. He actually uses a binge eating example, that I guy at work went to the restroom and passed the cafe area on the way back. The solution was to walk a different way.

    All the best, Keith

    1. Thanks Keith. I did not know that about you, and I’m happy to hear you’ve been sober so long. A lot of binge eating recovery is the same to recovery from other additions. Targeting your excuses and triggers for binge eating is a great way to know when you need to be vigilant.

  5. Gosh Ang, talk about timing! I’m reading this at lunch time and I was about to order a pizza because I’m having a bad day… not a reward for weight loss, but a reward for still showing up for my daughter, for work and for life. It’s so easy to justify eating something, then regret it a little while later. Thanks for sharing such a powerful post and providing legitimate alternatives! Massage it is 🤩

  6. well said; I agree that it is important to reward ourselves when we reach goals we have set. and you have provided a nice set of alternative rewards besides food…

  7. These are all such great ideas but I especially love the ones that don’t involve spending money. I tend to reward myself by overspending so I like these ideas. Thank you!

  8. I diet all the time and the treat is always food. To break the cycle, that a particular food is so desirable is very challenging but I like your other ideas to help do it.

    1. The trick is to allow yourself small treats all the time, then they aren’t nearly as desirable. Food has less control over you when you don’t restrict severly. As I’ve have many eating disorders and been on many diets, learning to not restrict has been monumental for me to stop the cycle and finally lose weight.

  9. You misunderstand! I’m saying to enjoy the foods you love whenever you need to, and stop seeing food as only a reward for weight loss ❤

  10. Very good ideas about treats that don’t involve food – it’s so easy that treats always have to do with food and drink. I love the one about going to the pet store! 😃

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