So I’m back to my standard Tuesday morning weigh-in schedule after last week’s Thursday weigh-in due to holiday travels, and there has been no change in my weight. I have been following my plan for over three and a half months now, and this is my very first week of not losing any weight. It’s really pretty incredible, if you think about it, and sooner or later it was bound to happen.
While of course I would prefer seeing a smaller number on the scale when I step on it, I don’t feel really upset about this weigh-in. This may be because I know that I absolutely stuck to my calorie budget over the past five days; not only that, I even got in some extra exercise and am now doing a fitness challenge. I plan to handle this by staying consistent with my plan as usual and seeing what feedback the scale gives me next Tuesday. At that point, if my weight hasn’t changed, I may brainstorm a few ways to get things moving again.
Today’s weigh-in got me thinking about rewards. I reward myself with some kind of non-edible goody for each 5 lbs I lose. This has been a wonderful tool to keep me excited and motivated as I work to lose the 80 lbs I would like to shed. Currently, however, I’m wondering if this strategy will be as effective when I get closer to my goal weight in the 120s. It would not be surprising if the weight dropped off much more slowly at that point. Perhaps I should be rewarding my actions rather than my results when I start to approach goal-weight territory. What do you think? Should we reward ourselves for weight-loss milestones (such as losing 5 or 10 lbs) or for action milestones (for example, 14 consecutive days of staying on-plan)? I am very interested in hearing what other people think about this.
At any rate, I am still happy about my weight-loss progress overall and know that if my weight does get stuck here at 172 lbs, there are plenty of things I can try to unstick it.
5. January 2010 at 11:27 AM
I just like to reward myself period. Is that bad? :)
And honestly, with how great you’ve been with sticking to your plan, I bet you’ll have a double awesome loss next time. It might also be the addition of strength training, but muscles are a good thing and will pay off tenfold in the end.
5. January 2010 at 6:17 PM
Quix: Heh, nah, nothing wrong with enjoying rewards ;). I just have to space them out, otherwise I become desensitized and broke reeeeally fast. But oh man I love my rewards!
5. January 2010 at 11:55 AM
For me, at least in the beginning I have decided not to weigh myself, but focus on consistently working out every week, eating healthier, home cooked foods, and tracking my measurements. Part of this came out of the fact that my scale isn’t working and I can’t really afford a new one right now. At first I was really upset by this, but then I realized maybe it was meant to be. I haven’t really planned out a reward system for myself yet, but I plan to reward myself for inches lost and sticking with the exercise. Writing this comment has inspired me to figure out some rewards to use as an incentive. I’m going to work on that this afternoon!
5. January 2010 at 6:19 PM
Janie: I like your approach to this, focusing on the actions you are taking and trusting in the process (and the inches lost). It is fun (and sometimes weirdly challenging) to make a rewards list, and I’m really interested to hear about yours once you get one written up. Different things make different people feel happy and motivated, so rewards lists can be pretty unique!
5. January 2010 at 3:57 PM
Hilary,
I think you should reward yourself for BOTH sticking to your 5 lb goal and for adhering to your plan despite the scale reading. From what you have written, the 5 lb rewards have been important to you–think of how excited you were waiting for your bracelet. Rewards are important to some people and not to others. Your list and your pleasure in achieving the milestones show how important they are to you.
Sticking to your plan is a different but equally important (maybe more important as weight loss slows) achievement and you should be extraordinarily proud of yourself for not letting a lack of loss despress you. Since that is more likely to happen from now on (hopefully only occasionally), it should be reinforced. Telling yourself to be satisfied and even proud is great but something tangible is even better.
Maybe it shouldn’t be as big (or expensive) a reward as what you decided upon for actual weight loss but it should still be something (non-food related) that celebrates your achievement. I don’t know the kind of not-very expensive reward that would make you feel good–only you know that. For me, it might be a new toy for my dog or a junk paperback by a favorite author or a drugstore lotion that smells really good–stuff like that.
I think all achievements of different types should be celebrated in different ways. They don’t have to be expensive but they do have to be tangible so I can touch or look at them with pleasure.
I hope that makes sense to you because there is a lot of research that dmonstrates the importance of rewards on keeping a behavior, or building a new habit, going and building.
5. January 2010 at 8:50 PM
Shanna, what you say here makes a lot of sense to me. I am going to give some serious thought to setting up a schedule of “action-related” rewards that are based on me sticking with my program and that will run alongside my regular weight-loss-based rewards. I’ll keep you guys posted on what I come up with! Thank you for sharing your thoughts on the subject.
5. January 2010 at 4:30 PM
Hey there girl, love the video post. You look so THIN now. 31 pounds gone is awesome.
You have done a great job so far, dont let a week of no loss get you down!
You should always reward yourself for all your hard work.
I have a question, I am wanting to create my own blog as you did with my own stuff and domain name but I have no idea where to begin!?!? Could you please give me some pointers on where and how to begin?
Maybe email me if you have a chance valdezfamily2616@q.com
5. January 2010 at 9:07 PM
Hi Kristine! Thank you for the props :). I will be happy to help you as much as I can with the blog stuff. In short, there are a couple of different options for setting up your own domain name. For instance, although I did buy my actual domain name, my blog is hosted by WordPress.com. Since you’re already a WordPress blogger, if you wanted to convert your current URL to a standard domain name of your choosing, you could do so by using that particular WordPress upgrade option. It costs about $15 or so, and that’s what I did in setting up Tiny Glow. Let me know if you want more info on how to do that option.
Here’s the other option: Some people with their own domain names actually independently host their websites as well, meaning that they pay a company like Blue Host or Dream Host to keep it on their servers. It’s more work, but it also gives you a lot more control over how your site looks and what you can do with it (I have done this in the past). If you want to go this route, you’ll need a different set of info, and it’s a little more involved. Just let me know and I’ll help you out the best I can!
5. January 2010 at 9:46 PM
I don’t know Hilary…I have given little thought to rewards other than how I will reward myself after I reach my end goal. I want to get another tattoo, but not until all the weight is gone and I’m fit. I have thought about adding one for when I hit the 100s and another for when I go below 160 (another milestone for me because that was the lowest I have ever been as an adult, 15 yrs ago)…
I have seen how important these rewards have been to you, so I wouldn’t stop it if I were you!
6. January 2010 at 9:19 AM
Josie: I think that adding in a couple mini-rewards for when you hit the 100s and then at 160 sounds like fun :). I’m not losing weight in order to get these rewards, of course, but it does kind of brighten up the journey a little bit, you know?
7. January 2010 at 9:37 PM
What a great way to look at it! You know, I think my journey could use some brightening up! haha!
6. January 2010 at 5:45 PM
I think the idea of rewards is awesome. I didn’t do that the last time I lost weight, maybe that’s why I lost interest?! LOL.
I am definitely going to reward myself every 10 pounds.
8. January 2010 at 7:19 AM
I think rewards are a great way to motivate us. My favorite reward after a really intense workout is to take a nice, long soak in the jacuzzi. While I’m working out I think about how good it is going to feel. Another favorite reward is to download a few new songs on my i-pod so working out is more enjoyable.
I hope you will continue to reward yourself for all of the hard work that you do.
9. January 2010 at 1:08 PM
Way to keep it positive girl!!! You are doing great. I can tell how far you’ve come in your before and after picture. It’s amazing and I look forward to following you as you continue to get healthy! :)
9. January 2010 at 3:07 PM
I’m a firm believer in number goal rewards and NSV rewards. This whole process is more than just the number on the scale… it’s what we’ve done to CHANGE our lifestyle, to become fitter, healthier and smaller. It’s measurements, it’s fitness goals, it’s getting into a smaller swimsuit! Sometimes the scale doesn’t show a change but we went to the gym and we kicked it up another level, know what I mean? So I’m all for rewards of all kinds, not just that number. Because honestly? If I only focused on that, I could potentially be VERY frustrated right now.
I think you are doing an amazing job Hilary! Keep up the great work :)
11. January 2010 at 12:18 PM
I htink it is a great idea to reward yourself for either of those. The only reason I do not do it is because I have zero willpower and just go get it anyway, lol. I always find a need to rush things :)
I do like the idea of reward for days met rather than pounds met though. After my experience with it would take forever for me to real my reward.
11. January 2010 at 12:19 PM
Oh and the type-o’s are the computers fault not mine ;)