Eating food as a way of rewarding yourself is a real challenge faced by many people who really want to experience permanent weight loss. For many years our social gatherings including birthdays, weddings, retirements and bar mitzvahs have all included a large component of eating and drinking. This celebration food is not always the kind that is ideal for losing weight and would rarely be found on a healthy calories loss menu.
Can you think of occasions when you celebrated recently at work or at home? Birthdays, engagements, promotions or any of a wide range of other reasons to celebrate, punctuate our lives as often as once a week. It comes as no shock then that rewarding ourselves for planning to get married, earning a raise, living another year or even a successful project at work can happen over a meal or a drink with food.
Maybe you reward yourself for working out every day with a milkshake or a beer at the end of the week or you think that since you have been really good about watching what you eat all week you can have cake on Saturday. The trouble is, all these extra calories and small treats add up fast, and you can sabotage your calories loss diet by using food as a reward. If you really want to change these associations and behaviors, you need to acknowledge your natural disposition to reward your self with food and re-program yourself to celebrate in other ways.
Discover how food has become a reward for your achievements, especially whether or not this has become a behavior you developed as a child or more recently during your adulthood. Interestingly but perhaps not surprisingly childhood is often the source of some of our eating behaviors and because these were learned in a different era when puddings with every meal and lashings of cream with cake were acceptable then, they are not always helpful now. When you have determined how you learned to eat food rewards as you do, you will be better able to change them.
Make a point of not rewarding yourself with food the next time you have cause to celebrate. Instead of celebrating an achievement at work, or a special event at home, instead of going for dinner, drinks or even coffee and cake, go shopping instead, pamper yourself with a spa treatment spa or even go to a movie or a play. Rewarding yourself with treats like these will help you feel pleased with yourself and you will have the added bonus of sticking with your calories loss diet and continuing to lose weight.
Take some time to select rewards that are long lasting because when food is your reward, the good feelings associated with this generally cease at the conclusion of your meal. Instead, of short term food rewards that will sabotage your efforts to lose weight through your calories loss eating, buy yourself something nice that you can use for a long time and that will remind you of your success every time you see it. Clothes are a great long term reward or you can get a manicure or pedicure, a facial, buy yourself a new book or a new CD or buy all the magazines you want and curl up in bed for a whole morning reading them.
Find locations for celebrations where food is not a temptation and potentially a way to sabotage your healthy eating and weight loss progress. There are many places where families and friends can celebrate without eating; beach volleyball on the beach, touch football in the park or surfing, body boarding, or even an afternoon at the ice skating rink are fun alternatives to a day of eating. If you set the trend of fun without food, you will probably be amazed at how your friends will be attracted to this idea.
Limit your participation at functions where food is a central part of the festivity as this will involve you eating food and is likely to slow your weight loss success. Consistently avoiding these events is not always possible but if you are the bridesmaid at your sister's wedding or the MC at a corporate function make sure that you enjoy the people at the event or the entertainment there rather than the food. Take special note of the food on offer and carefully select dishes that are closest to your calories loss menu and will help you reach the goal you have set yourself for a new look and healthier life.
Can you think of occasions when you celebrated recently at work or at home? Birthdays, engagements, promotions or any of a wide range of other reasons to celebrate, punctuate our lives as often as once a week. It comes as no shock then that rewarding ourselves for planning to get married, earning a raise, living another year or even a successful project at work can happen over a meal or a drink with food.
Maybe you reward yourself for working out every day with a milkshake or a beer at the end of the week or you think that since you have been really good about watching what you eat all week you can have cake on Saturday. The trouble is, all these extra calories and small treats add up fast, and you can sabotage your calories loss diet by using food as a reward. If you really want to change these associations and behaviors, you need to acknowledge your natural disposition to reward your self with food and re-program yourself to celebrate in other ways.
Discover how food has become a reward for your achievements, especially whether or not this has become a behavior you developed as a child or more recently during your adulthood. Interestingly but perhaps not surprisingly childhood is often the source of some of our eating behaviors and because these were learned in a different era when puddings with every meal and lashings of cream with cake were acceptable then, they are not always helpful now. When you have determined how you learned to eat food rewards as you do, you will be better able to change them.
Make a point of not rewarding yourself with food the next time you have cause to celebrate. Instead of celebrating an achievement at work, or a special event at home, instead of going for dinner, drinks or even coffee and cake, go shopping instead, pamper yourself with a spa treatment spa or even go to a movie or a play. Rewarding yourself with treats like these will help you feel pleased with yourself and you will have the added bonus of sticking with your calories loss diet and continuing to lose weight.
Take some time to select rewards that are long lasting because when food is your reward, the good feelings associated with this generally cease at the conclusion of your meal. Instead, of short term food rewards that will sabotage your efforts to lose weight through your calories loss eating, buy yourself something nice that you can use for a long time and that will remind you of your success every time you see it. Clothes are a great long term reward or you can get a manicure or pedicure, a facial, buy yourself a new book or a new CD or buy all the magazines you want and curl up in bed for a whole morning reading them.
Find locations for celebrations where food is not a temptation and potentially a way to sabotage your healthy eating and weight loss progress. There are many places where families and friends can celebrate without eating; beach volleyball on the beach, touch football in the park or surfing, body boarding, or even an afternoon at the ice skating rink are fun alternatives to a day of eating. If you set the trend of fun without food, you will probably be amazed at how your friends will be attracted to this idea.
Limit your participation at functions where food is a central part of the festivity as this will involve you eating food and is likely to slow your weight loss success. Consistently avoiding these events is not always possible but if you are the bridesmaid at your sister's wedding or the MC at a corporate function make sure that you enjoy the people at the event or the entertainment there rather than the food. Take special note of the food on offer and carefully select dishes that are closest to your calories loss menu and will help you reach the goal you have set yourself for a new look and healthier life.
About the Author:
Rowena French avoids food rewards in her weight loss and exercise routines. Tired of dieting without results? Determined to reach your weight loss goals? My free gifts show you how calories loss is the simple answer. Read my guide, listen to my audio book! Grab a totally unique version of this article from the Uber Article Directory
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