I've noticed while scrolling through the many posts and such on this forum that many people have set themselves rewards for losing certain amounts/percentages of weight.
I am going to claim total ignorance here and ask why? and also how do you decide on the reward you will give yourself?
thanks
P.S. I know this is a decently stupid question, but I can't seem to wrap my head around any answers that I come up with.lol
It's your basic psychology. Do something good = get rewarded.
Like getting a sticker on your quiz when you were a kid, because you got 100%.
So, people set up a system of rewards for themselves all depending on the individual needs and wants.
Some people like to see percentages lost, others prefer the total number of pounds, and still others forgo any weight-based rewards and use number of on plan days, or number of months on plan as their basis, or hours of exercise, etc.
I'm a fan of all of them, personally. I've got rewards going for both time on plan and weight and percentage.
The rewards, too, depend on the person. Usually little things to keep the momentum going. (A book, a movie, a pedicure.) Or larger things for larger milestones. (Clothing, vacation)
Some people even choose something they REALLY want so they're not only aiming for the weight loss or the time on plan, but they will be getting a non-food treat that they've been aiming for.
One of the reasons losing weight is so hard is because our actions are not connected with immediate consequences. It's the same for quitting smoking, saving for retirement, trying to conserve energy.... it's hard to make the "right" decision in the moment because you don't get an immediate "reward" or feedback.
Mini rewards and mini goals help to provide more short-term consequences (i.e. rewards) for decisions we don't want to make at the time (eating a carrot instead of a second slice of chocolate cake) but know is better for us in the long run.
On tough days, when we want to go off plan, it's a lot easier to say "Wow, but if I just lose 2 more lbs I get that new pair of shoes I wanted next week! I better make the right decision and not eat that cake." than "If I decide to eat that second slice of cake I will not reach my goal of losing 100 lbs in 1 year."
My problem is we have NO spare money to spend on rewards - I'd love to be able to reward myself with a pair of shoes or a new haircut or something! But all our money is tied up in paying tuition & paying for our (absurdly expensive) wedding coming up. I would love to set up some small rewards for myself but they all seem to involve spending! So right now my "reward" is feeling fabulous and confident in my wedding dress...... then after that maybe I can look into feeding the shoe fetish
I'm one who hasn't done any big rewards. Really, we don't have the $$ and just hitting one of my mini-goals has been reward enough for me. I got out of the obese range yesterday and the feelings was just amazing. I don't really need anything to add to that.
I find it motivational. Like indiblue said, it can be a helpful way of reminding oneself to stay on track. It also helps make my "scale victories" more real for me, since I'm intentionally marking them. Yeah, losing 5 BMI points isn't the biggest deal in the world, but it's still progress, and it's still something that I find worth celebrating. For me, it's not about the trinkets, since most of my tentative rewards are pretty inexpensive (or are things I'll eventually have to get anyway). If rewarding myself for meeting a certain goal is too expensive or inconvenient when I actually meet that goal, I don't bother with the reward. My rewards system is just a means of staying positive and focused on the way to attaining a healthy weight.
I might be in the minority but for most of my rewards, I tried to pick huge, expensive, amazing things/events that I would never normally do or buy for myself because, at least for me, it's that much more of a motivator when it came to shedding the pounds.
I am not rich (far from it, in fact, especially after the separation/divorce since my ex easily made 2x what I did at the time) but I am single with no kids so I don't have to worry about anyone other than myself. I do try to budget accordingly for my reward so this way whether it's a $35 pedicure, a $300 piece of exercise equipment or a $1,500 trip to San Diego, it's all paid for upfront and with cash 'cause I'm worth it!
I just like to see the visual affirmation that yes, I really did lose 30 or x pounds. So far I can't really tell by my looks or how my clothes fit. So I bought a charm bracelet. I get a colored bead for 5lbs and a charm for 10lbs. I'm working on a rainbow. I have a red bead, an orange bead, and a yellow bead. I also buy charms that mean something or to help me remember why I'm doing this. I have a little heart shaped box charm that has my son's first tooth, a little crystal ball, and a tiny cupcake. Next up is a green bead at 35lbs lost and then maybe a 4 leaf clover charm. I like cheap jewelry
I am just starting over with weight loss and am using rewards as a way of making myself work for the weight loss toys I want. In the past I have bought stuff then didn't follow through with it and never used it. This time around, my rewards are the things I need and want to lose weight, so I have to prove that I am sticking with it before I can get invest money in this. It is proving to be very motivational as well.
Weight loss rewards
I don't really need anything to add to that. 
