Sure a fat kid loves cake, but should he get it?

May 1, 2008 12:47 PM

How can I reward myself for meeting goals with non-food and non-purchased incentives?

I am on a diet and am trying to think of "rewards" for weight loss goals (and treats for when I need soothing and am tempted to eat) and am having a hard time coming up with things to do/use/whatever that are not a) food or b) purchases. Activities? Alternatives? Very, very inexpensive rewards? (Though that's not my preference.)

posted by liketitanic to health & fitness (16 comments total)

How about a day or a half-day off from work (assuming your job will tolerate this). Instead of going to work on "reward day" go to the zoo, a movie, or a museum (Little bit of expenditure there, but not buying "stuff" which is what I assume you're trying to avoid.)
posted by nax at 12:54 PM on May 1, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

Sleep in.
posted by spikeleemajortomdickandharryconnickjrmints at 12:56 PM on May 1, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

Well, what do you like to do? It could be video games, a long walk in the sun, time spent browsing the net, a bubble bath, a trip to the library for a new read, a day at the park.

When I need to reward myself for working hard, I do it in little spurts -- if I can spend 45 minutes working hard, then I can spend 15 minutes at metafilter :)

Good luck!
posted by dpx.mfx at 12:59 PM on May 1, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

What are you trying to accomplish by rewarding yourself? If you want to reinforce the behavior of sticking to your diet/exercise plan every day, consider daily rewards for that instead. A small thing that you will enjoy at the end of the day, which you will only give yourself if you followed your plan for that day.

Only you know what would be a rewarding experience for you. Maybe you could let yourself watch a favorite TV show, knit, read the next chapter in a book, have a cup of tea, masterbaste, or read ask.metafilter.
posted by yohko at 1:10 PM on May 1, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

Here are some treats I use. Actually, this is helpful for me to brainstorm because I need to set one up for the end of the day today to motivate me to do a bunch of chores!!

- Take a bubble bath
- Go to feed the ducks at the duck pond (pigeons?)
- Go to the library
- Self manicure & pedicure
- Demand a back massage from a supportive friend
- Buy a magazine, read it in the sun, and cut things out of it for the decoupage box
- Play a game
- Paint something
- Look in the pantry and find something that's been there a long time, and figure out an interesting recipe to make with it for dinner
- Go on a walk with your camera and take photos at sunset
- Go play a game of pool or pinball, etc.
- Go to a photobooth and goof off
- Go to a fancypants candy shop and buy one piece of candy (allowed occasionally on my diet, dunno about yours!)
- Play an album through you haven't listened to in a long time and just putter freely for the duration
posted by Ambrosia Voyeur at 1:14 PM on May 1, 2008 [4 favorites has favorites]

Oh dear. An extra "s". I don't think I'll post a one word comment to correct my spelling of "masterbate".
posted by yohko at 1:15 PM on May 1, 2008

Rent and watch a favorite movie--one that no one else likes. (Does that count as purchased? Well, I guess you could get it at the library or something).

I like nax's idea, too. Especially if you make a point of spending the time you'd normally be working doing whatever you feel like doing in that moment, whether it be an activity or just a nap if you feel like it.

One way to spend just a little money in a mostly-non-material way (i.e. not buying and accumulating "stuff") would be to just up your luxury level a little bit on something you'd be doing anyway. Drop your laundry off instead of doing it yourself that week. Take a cab instead of a subway. Top shelf liquor if you're already getting a drink. That kind of thing.
posted by lampoil at 1:24 PM on May 1, 2008

In adddition to the fabulous suggestions so far: give yourself guilt-free time to play a silly computer game (like mah jongg, peggle, bejeweled) or watch a cheesy television show.
Or go online and play virtual tourist - I totally geek out and look at museums, Google maps, and local interest sites. I also embroider - a pretty cheap hobby and easily transportable. A friend gave me some patterns from Sublime Stitching and I got hooked.

I recently have asked myself this same question - thanks for posting this and good luck!
posted by pointystick at 1:31 PM on May 1, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

I've been trying to be more productive in my life and so I have only allowed myself to get on the computer AFTER I have done my 1/2 hour walk, taken a shower, gotten dressed, eaten breakfast and put a load of laundry in the washer. THEN, I can get online and do the stuff I want to do there.
posted by Sassyfras at 2:09 PM on May 1, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

It definitely depends on what does it for you, but with the same motivations, I've used logic puzzles as rewards - I don't really have any free time so allowing myself to do that is a good treat, and it has a defined end.

Failing to meet any of your criteria, but I'll throw it out anyway - I also rewarded myself by picking up veggie sushi on my study breaks. It's not cheap, but it's a diet-acceptable treat for me.
posted by carbide at 2:26 PM on May 1, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

Here's my list of cheap, non-food rewards. These are all pretty much the same thing: Take some time for yourself, and luxuriate. How you spend that luxurious time is up to you, but these are the things I've come up with. I've been meaning to ask mefi for more suggestions, so thanks for bringing this up!

- call or hang out with someone important to you
- a long bubble bath soak
- Curl up in an armchair/bed/sunbeam with a book or magazine and cup of tea
- Foot soak / exfoliate / moisturize
- Paint toenails
- Face mask
- Serve dinner on fancy plates, with attention to presentation
- 15 minutes with cucumber eye pads on, listening to music
- Online time on Mefi
- Time on an addicting computer game
- episode of an addicting tv show on dvd (I rent these or borrow from friends)
- watch a movie at home
- play a game of solitaire
- listen to an entire new album - only distraction allowed is reading along with the lyrics, or just lay w/eyes closed and listen
- mug of tea/tall glass of iced tea
- read a funny short story by a favorite author
- read a chapter of a really engrossing novel
- boogie to some loud music
- go watch the stars
- lay in the grass and watch the clouds or tree branches

Also, yohko, I think you want a "u" instead of one of those "e"s anyway... For future reference. :P
posted by vytae at 2:27 PM on May 1, 2008 [4 favorites has favorites]

I think what you're asking for is positive endeavors that you can pursue that do not have a downside (health or financial) that can serve as rewards. My problem with that is, if a behavior does not have a downside, then why don't you just do it whenever you want? And if you can perform that behavior whenever you want, then it would serve as poor reward, wouldn't it?

Anyway, I've tried the self-reward thing and I know it works for some people, but has never worked for me. The thing that did work for me was when I started writing down good things about my day (as part of an experiment) and inadvertently stumbled upon an odd thing that I started to do. While I wrote down the good things other people did for me, I felt most proud when I could catalogue something good that I did, and conversely also felt bad when I didn't have anything to write about. I found myself resolving to do things like "get up on time" and "hit the gym" just so I could have something to write about and therefore feel proud of myself. It also didn't hurt that I would brag to my friends whenever I had a particularly productive day.

So the way I see it, the self-pride and the bragging to friends about what you did "reward" you can only receive if you actually did what you were supposed to do, whereas the other rewards aren't directly related, so you can say stuff like, "Well, I had that second helping of dessert, but I really want that bubble bath, so I can take one anyway."

But, whatever you do, good luck!
posted by reebear at 2:53 PM on May 1, 2008 [3 favorites has favorites]

Get yourself one of these. Put it in Party Mode level 3. Every time you deserve a reward, put a quarter or a dollar coin in it. At some point (1 in 30), it'll blow and you get to spend the money! So it's not exactly not buying something, but it's much more controlled than "I did well today, I'm gonna go buy a nice dinner". Of course there's always the 1 in 30 chance that you'll get stuck with one lousy quarter to go spend. Or get yourself one of these, and whenever you need a distraction from the urge to snack, have at it, and drink a glass of water too.
posted by gauchodaspampas at 3:03 PM on May 1, 2008

A trip to the library to get a really engrossing book. Every day you have a "good day" at your diet, you can read a chapter (but only a chapter). I'm sure AskMe has tons of suggestions for books you can't put down.
posted by desjardins at 8:16 AM on May 2, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

If you are not currently sexual active with a partner, I would suggest masterbation as an incentive. Orgasms are extremely pleasureable and powerful reinforcers. Restrict masterbation to days (weeks) when you have followed your diet/exercise routine exactly. (As opposed to actual weight loss which is usually outside your complete control.)

If you have a partner, discuss with them the possibility of using sex as a reward.
posted by hworth at 10:15 AM on May 2, 2008

Of course "only I know what gives me pleasure," but I thought it would be helpful (and fun) to generate a big list--and it was! Thanks, dudes. Feel free to keep adding if you like.
posted by liketitanic at 12:16 PM on May 3, 2008