It's Not a Treat...It's a Trick!!!



Do you have a habit of rewarding your hard work and effort with a sweet treat? Do you reward your exercising with a candy bar or other junk food item? Well, that's not a treat...it's a trick! Rewards are designed to give you pleasure and celebrate your achievements. They shouldn't make you go backwards. They should not bring you back down. Do you know what happens after you consume that "treat"? You feel guilty about the excess sugar and calories you consumed. Then what happens? You eat more junk and you fall prey to that vicious cycle of binge eating and feeling sorry for yourself. SO, how do you conquer this demon?

Don't treat yourself with food items! I have a rewards chart right next to my weight chart. I divided my weight into equal increments and every time I lose a pound I mark it off the chart. For example, I started at 313. Now I'm down to 300. So, I marked 13 squares off my chart. After every 10 lbs., I get a reward. My first reward, was a bicycle. This bicycle not only rewards my accomplishment of losing the 10 lbs., it helps me accomplish my goals further because I ride it for pleasure; as well as exercise. I don't reward myself with ice cream, pizza, etc. When you think about it, why would you "reward" yourself with something that is only going to make your workouts and your journey that much harder? Overcome the past and create a new future!