Those of you who are concerned about losing weight and getting fit should remember this important key point: You are not a dog, so don’t reward yourself with food. The reason I bring this up is because often when people try to improve their daily nutrition, many times when they can get through most of the day in a healthy way, they feel like they have earned an edible reward. For some strange reason, they convince themselves that they “earned” a treat, which is why they unfortunately fill their mouths with their old favorite treats.

Do you also frequently participate in this type of reward system?

When someone does this, they essentially trade a few minutes of euphoric chewing for their weight loss goal. Achieving weight loss comes down to calories. If you eat (or burn) fewer calories than your body needs, you will lose weight. If you eat or drink too many calories, your weight will increase.

When you choose to reward yourself with food, unless you have extreme control over portion size and quantity, you are likely going overboard in the calorie department for the day.

First things first, if you have food cravings at any point during the day, that means you are thirsty (for some water, not soda) or too much time has passed between your last meal and you need some sustenance to recover. until your next meal. The longer you wait to feed, the hunger craving will grow stronger and the more likely you are to give in and indulge yourself with some kind of edible treat.

Let’s get one thing clear: you should definitely have snacks between meals, but they should be healthy snacks, not pieces of cake along with glasses of soda.

Rather than grappling with this dilemma over and over and essentially stalling your weight loss progress, here are some alternatives you can choose from as you contemplate rewarding yourself for your daily healthy efforts.

Three ways to reward yourself without consuming food

Reward yourself # 1: Start saving to lose weight

This is a great way to reward your weight loss efforts without consuming food. Instead of spending money buying some kind of food or drink as a “reward” (which is actually a punishment when you consider the big picture), you can start saving money. Give yourself a monetary reward after completing positive habits that benefit your weight loss efforts.

For example, if you finished a whole day of healthy nutrition (not snacking too much) you can put two dollars in a jar, or box, or container, or whatever you decide to use. After each workout you complete, put a dollar in the container. Every time you lose a pound of weight, you put five dollars in the box.

You will be surprised not only how much more inspired you will be to continue the weight loss process, but you can also rack up a considerable amount of money after just a few months. Give it a try and see how much these weight loss savings can inspire you to continue your commitment.

Reward yourself # 2: Give your body something special

Another way to reward yourself without consuming food is to gift your body something special. This is a very thoughtful gesture, especially since your body will be the one that endures all the workouts, so it deserves to be treated well. Maybe after two weeks of healthy nutrition and consistent workouts, you’ll reward yourself with an hour-long massage that you can probably find for around $ 25 in your area.

You can also reward yourself with a spa day, which will probably cost a bit more, but may be worth it. Again, this is another reason to start saving weight to help pay for these special “body days.”

Reward yourself # 3: Buy yourself a new exercise tool

Since weight loss is the main concern here, another way to reward yourself without food is to buy something for yourself that will not only help you improve your results, but at the same time keep you motivated. A bicycle, for example, can open up a whole new world of exercise opportunities to add to your repertoire. Joining a local fitness class like Boot Camp or CrossFit can be another way to reward yourself without using food. Think about what will further inspire your commitment to exercise, and reward yourself that way.

Remember, your desire to lose weight is likely to come to the fore in your mind because of how you have indulged in food and drink for the past year or more. Don’t reward yourself with more food if you did something healthy! That is defeating the entire purpose of all your weight loss efforts. Find an alternative way out that works for you and you will find yourself achieving success much faster.

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