Everyday Systems

I guess our S days are a reward, but I think it's good to also have non food rewards as additional motivation. For example, my reward at the moment is to play Guitar Hero 3 on days of being "good", other times I've rewarded myself with some quiet time reading or some good coffee.

Just curious how and if any of you reward yourself for keeping on track? (or plan to).

p.s. it's very interesting to observe the vast surge of activity on here since your book was published Reinhard! (and it was quite an active board as it was!).

I have a problem with rewards for doing what needs to be done. The result is the reward. The knowledge that I've done what needs to be done should be enough reward. Besides, weight loss comes with it's own rewards: buying new clothes, looking in the mirror and being pleased with what I see, knowing that the number on the scale is going down.

That being said, I think we need something to look forward to every day, whether it's a special food, time to read, watch TV or see a movie, time with friends and family, or even time alone to pick your toes.

This is gonna sound dorky, but I don't "reward" myself consciously.

Do I do things I enjoy? Goodness yes! Sauna after a good workout, sexy music when I do a stretching session, silky jammies and really nice tea in in the "good china" when the day is done and I'm relaxing when my feet are up...

I love all those things -- they're things that make life graceful and good. I just don't feel like I've earned them because I'm self-disciplined about how I eat. The reward for THAT is good health and the benefits of self-control. All the other things are rewards in and of themselves because I earned the money to get the gym membership or the silky jammies or whatever.

I have to agree with wosnos and Noel, I don't conciously reward myself.

For me the pleasure of this plan is that there is no deprevation, so I don't need to reward myself for suffering.

Because this is a lifestyle rather than a diet, the need to reward myself for sticking to it is not there.

I enjoy my life not being constantly obsessing over food.

Well, I do plan to reward myself with non food things. My 1st reward for going 30 Days on Habit is to buy a flat panel computer monitor for home. I haven't decided what size yet. We still have a hugh clunky monitor that takes up way too much room.

Maybe a better question is what do you do for treats or rewards NOW... now that it's no longer food, I mean.

I found that I made more time for things I wanted to do when I stopped hanging out at the pantry. When I stopped answering "what do I want?" with food, I came up with some very different answers.

I read more. I learned to knit. I go to bed earlier, and enjoy rest more. I'm starting to garden. I'm doing house projects.

It is a change, and a rewarding one.

During the week I reward myself with little green squares on the habitcal.

On the weekends, I reward myself with (for example) an ice cream cone from Toscanni's (great local ice cream shop with such good ice cream that its customers banded together to rescue it from bankruptcy due to massive back taxes -- who cares if the owner's an incompetent or a crook, the ice cream is THAT good ), Or an apricot copenhagen from Carberry's (great local pastry shop).

Reinhard

I have a problem with rewards for doing what needs to be done. The result is the reward. The knowledge that I've done what needs to be done should be enough reward.

True enough! However, for people building self discipline / will power, I think using rewards can be helpful in instilling good habits, at least as a short term measure. I'm thinking simplistically along the lines of Pavlov's dogs here, as in at first the dogs were rewarded with food, but eventually produced the desired behaviour without the reward. Or when you're a kid and you're told you can play after you've done your chores. I think as adults there are probably times when we need to go back to such strategies with ourselves to get us back into good habits (and if you don't, i.e. you have the discipline to stick to your good habits without this approach, then my hat is off to you! )

I'm wondering if my use of the term reward carries with it something negative, such as an implication of punishment / deprivation on not meeting targets , e.g. if I go off and have a gigantic cookie, does that mean I "punish" myself by saying I can't play guitar hero? (nooo!!!!).

hmmm....perhaps more thought is required!

bonnieUK wrote:Or when you're a kid and you're told you can play after you've done your chores.

That's what I call "Gramma's Rule" and I follow it all the time. Get the work out of the way, then play. Problem for most of us is that we pack more and more work into our days and we forget to play. I've tried to never do that. Life is too darned short to work all the time and forget to play or enjoy ourselves. Most of the stuff we think is important to accomplish really isn't.

The greatest reward for me is sleep: I never get enough.

After that: books. If they ever take away my books they might as well shoot me.

f

During the week I reward myself with little green squares on the habitcal.

It's amazing what a reward those little green squares are! I'm a substitute teacher and I know what little ones will do for a sticker or their name on my "Terrific Helpers" list, and now I feel like one of them!

As soon as I can after doing one of my desired habits, I get that little green color in the day's square! How long can this motivate me, I wonder?!

Personally, my pants fitting better is a reward in and of itself!!

But I am looking forward to an Oreo Brownie Earthquake from Dairy Queen on Saturday. I don't know if it's a reward, but it's something to look forward to!

bonnieUK wrote:my reward at the moment is to play Guitar Hero

I tend to forget/gradually stop doing stuff over time, I just get lax and go back to bad habits, so I had actually planned that if I'm still going strong by my birthday in November, I'll give myself a PSP as a present.