When people have lots of weight to lose, i.e. 20, 30, 40 or more pounds, the journey will take lots of time…months or even years. As the foods and drinks we love provides an instant gratification, weight loss’s beneficial impacts may not be felt for weeks or months. That is a long time to wait to get a “pat on the back” to keep you encouraged.
This is why I recommend that people celebrate “milestones” during the weight loss journey. Some of these milestones may include:
- 5 pounds of incremental weight loss
- Change in clothes size
- BMI change in categories, i.e. falling below a BMI of 30 into the upper 20’s now provides a designation of simply “overweight” compared to “obese”
- Being able to wear a particular outfit that you were not previously comfortable in due to the excessive weight
- Coming off/lowering the dosage of a medication being used to treat a weight-related co-morbidity
- Receiving a compliment from someone about the weight loss
There are other “pat yourself on your back” moments that occur during your weight control journey that occur way before your ultimate goal is achieved.
Celebrate these milestones with NON-FOOD rewards:
- A massage session
- A day at the spa
- Buy a new outfit
- Purchase a new item for the house that you wanted
- Take a weekend vacation
We all need periodic “pats on the back” to keep us motivated in pursuing our goals. Successful weight loss is no exception.
Celebrate? Only one song comes to mind immediately….enjoy Kool and The Gang
