In today’s busy world, our phones are flooded with ads and emails about weight loss, weight loss rewards, and how so many of us sabotage our journey with certain rewards for weight loss!
What are Weight Loss Rewards or Rewards for Weight Loss?
I will attempt to give you the Weigh Down Lifestyle definition of Weight Loss Rewards.
Most people who are on a weight loss journey tend to “treat” themselves after they have had a couple of good days on their so-called “diets!” Maybe they ate according to the plan for 5 days and had zero sugar for 5 whole days. Wow! They are so proud of themselves when they step on the scale and see that they have lost a few pounds.
But then what? Instantly they do the happy dance and think….”Ahhh – I can treat myself to something good now.”
It’s like something triggers in their brains that says – “You’ve done well! It is time to treat yourself with a reward for weight loss!” It’s time to have that glass of wine or maybe that chocolate bar, or an ice cream cone!
The brain truly does have a reward center. This is actually a thing! We all have what you call a brain reward system or center. A quick Google search shows:
“The nucleus accumbens is an area found in the ventral striatum that is strongly associated with motivation and reward and is part of complex circuits involving the amygdala and the hippocampus. The activation of the nucleus accumbens causes dopamine levels in this region to rise.”
So you have probably been told that there are two things that drive humans to get something done or to keep us motivated at something that we want to achieve in our lives. It is either:
1) seeking pleasure; or
2) avoiding pain
So let’s talk about this when it comes to weight loss rewards.
You may think that seeking pleasure in a weight loss journey is a form of reward. It may be to enjoy a delicious meal out with friends after you’ve achieved a certain goal, or maybe rewarding yourself with a glass or wine to celebrate your success.
You may think of avoiding pain in a weight loss journey as staying away from exercise because it hurts your knees or back too much. So you just don’t move your body.
These are only just a few examples, but you get the picture here. We think of weight loss rewards as something we give ourselves for achieving success, or we think of it as something we omit or eliminate that will help us avoid pain in our weight loss journey.
However, here is how the Weigh Down Lifestyle views Weight Loss Rewards. We believe that rewards for weight loss are benefits to your body that contribute to living a happy, healthy lifestyle.
What should you celebrate? Read my post on Non-scale victories here!
Fueling Your Body With The Right Fuel
This means when you make the right decisions to put the right foods into your body, you will reap the rewards as a promise from God. When we treat our body like a temple, we in turn may reap the rewards and have the success of weight loss. We reap what we sow! Galatian 6:7.
When we focus on fueling our bodies with healthy options, making healthy food choices, our bodies benefit from the nutrients that we were lacking in the first place. This in turn gives us weight loss rewards such as more energy, better looking skin, feeling less bloated, less indigestion, a better night’s sleep, getting off medications, and even a clearer mind! These rewards for weight loss are the best rewards we could ever imagine.
We all want to live a happy, healthy life so that we can do the things that we are dreaming about doing…and even more so is the reward of weight loss when we treat our bodies with the right foods. We can lose the weight and keep it off because the Bible promises that we reap what we sow. The pounds begin to shed when we treat our body well, when we treat our body like a temple rather than a trash can. The Bible clearly states in 1 Corinthians 6:19 that our body is a temple of the Holy Spirit.
So why is it then that we continue to put trash into our bodies when we know that it actually causes our bodies harm?
God created us with a physical body, all individual and unique, to carry out the purpose that He has for each of us to do. So when we treat our bodies like a temple, we are fueling our bodies and giving our bodies the energy we need to carry out this purpose for the glory of God.
Who wouldn’t want a weight loss reward like a better night’s rest, or more clarity of mind? Who wouldn’t want the reward of health? Because without our health, we really have nothing! We can’t enjoy life if we don’t have our health. It’s been said that we can have the best bed that money can buy, but without our health, we do not get a good night of sleep. This is so true.
No one wants to feel bloated. No one wants a sore back. And no one wants knees that ache when we walk up a flight of stairs. The question is…how bad do we want the rewards of weight loss?
The Dopamine & Sugar Problem
I know that most people would say they would rather have those healthy rewards for weight loss than they would the glass of wine or the ice cream cone, if they thought about it long enough. But the triggers from the reward center of the brain are so strong, like a hit of dopamine, that it is difficult for us to have the willpower to stand against it.
For example, when you give your body a hit of sugar, it is so highly addictive and this triggers the reward center of the brain to tell you how wonderful it is, and how satisfying it feels, and it makes you feel you can never live without it. This is not a reward for weight loss, in my opinion, when it actually harms your body. How utterly false it is – thinking that sugar is a reward for weight loss!
Our brains are led by a hit of dopamine, lying to us and making us feel so much pleasure in a single fleeting moment, that it ends up bringing our weight loss journey to another bad decision and defeat once again.
Research has shown us that sugar is more addictive than drugs like cocaine, and there can be huge withdrawal symptoms that can ultimately cause our body a great deal of harm and behavioral problems.
So then…what are rewards for weight loss? Certainly not the so-called “treats” that society and the media has led us to believe. No! It’s the beautiful nutrients that heal our bodies that are the real rewards…the foods that God gave us that are without all the chemicals and nasty ingredients that cause our bodies harm.
So let’s look at some weight loss reward ideas that may help you come to terms with good ways to reward yourself for your weight loss.
Want to find freedom from sugar and freedom with food? Join our Food Freedom Workshop – register here!
Healthy Weight Loss Reward Ideas
You have worked hard at treating your body well and you do need to celebrate. We can train our brains to reward ourselves without all the unhealthy things that society calls treats. We can rewire our brains to tell us that the rewards for weight loss do not actually have to be things that harm our bodies. Here are a few weight loss reward ideas.
- Never reward yourself with food. Train your brain to think of food as nourishment, not a punishment or a reward, but something that your body needs to live.
- Reward yourself with a non-food item, like a new pair of earrings, or a scarf, or a new pair of shoes.
- Reward yourself by phoning a friend and celebrating your success by going to a movie together or alone.
- Reward yourself by taking a bubble bath or going for a pedicure.
- Reward yourself by going for a hike or a walk in nature and lean into God’s beauty.
- Reward yourself by inviting a friend over for a visit and a cup of tea.
- Reward yourself by doing the happy dance and laughing out loud.
- Reward yourself by learning something new – taking an online course or joining a new activity.
- Reward yourself by purchasing a new book.
- Reward yourself by rearranging a room in your house and doing a little facelift.
By making healthy choices in your weight loss reward decisions, you are allowing your body to continue with the momentum that you have already created!
So the next time you celebrate one of your on-scale victories, use one of these reward ideas listed above! Do you have any other weight loss reward ideas? What is your favorite weight loss reward idea that you use? Tell me in the comments below!
Remember, you are a woman chosen for greatness! I believe in you!
Ruth Verbree