So many times when we are dieting we feel as if we are denying ourselves. This feeling of denial can lead one to think “Oh I deserve to eat that entire cheesecake” or “Give me a Biggie Fry, I deserve it after eating nothing but watercress for a week.” Then we get mad at ourselves for suffering through watercress for a week only to ruin it by a biggie fry and a chocolate shake. I added a chocolate shake when you weren’t looking. You see, overeating is never a reward. A sense of entitlement with food will lead to serious love handles. Alas, unless you naturally enjoy eating in moderation and healthy, no matter what diet you chose you will end up feeling some denial.
You may be asking yourself what is wrong with a reward every now and then. Nothing, as long as we are rewarding ourselves properly and that means not with food. Rewarding yourself with food will only strengthen the bond of food to your emotional state. That is mighty dangerous my dieting friend. If you begin to reward success with food you will soon follow that with comforting your failings with food. This will only add up to a higher number on your scale then you intended.
Since I decided that now is the time to lose weight, I also decided I needed some motivation. Ever since gaining weight I have not felt like myself. The clothes I used to like just don’t seem to have the same appeal. When you increase your bottom by a few dress sizes even common jeans do not have the same appeal. Another result of gaining weight is a distain for buying clothing. You would think all this would be enough motivation. However, I still did not put effort into losing weight since I allowed life to get in the way. Dedicating the time to working out and preparing healthy meals never seemed to fit into my crazy house with four kids. Of course, that is only because I did not buckle down and do it. I once had an organized home with a mom who worked out and eat healthy. So, I will be that woman again. I like her better. But to be her I need to play games with myself like I do when potty training a young child. Why? My mind needs to reset. So every week I follow my plan I am going to reward myself. I will either have some alone time, buy myself a pair of earrings, a new lipstick, go out on a date night with my husband or whatever else I can think of that does not involve clothing or food. Are you laughing at me? That’s okay, I’m not too proud of the lengths I have to go to for accountability. However, maybe you could use a little extra motivation yourself or a healthier way to reward yourself.