OK.....so I had it planned all along that when I hit the 10 pound loss, I would reward myself with chinese food. I probably ate 1 pound of chinese food but gained 1.5-2 pounds from it and it took me 3 days to lose it. So much for rewarding myself....I guess I won't be doing that anymore.

Anyone else have this happen?

Yep. There comes a time when you realize that food rewards are the wrong way to go. I'd make a list of dozens of things that you would like, but would not ordinarily get or do - like a massage, a new purse...stuff like that! Still gives you something to look forward to.

I also find that rewarding myself with food keeps me in "diet" mode, when the place you really need to be is "life change" mode. Perhaps Chinese food (at least the commercially prepared Americanized type) doesn't belong in your life anymore. I'm just about to say goodbye to carry-out pizza - thought I could handle it...but I don't think I can. I'll try to learn to make it at home, in a healthier way!

Missie I would also recoomedn non food treats like clothes or something nice for yourself. I do also recommend having a treat once in a while cause this needs to be a lifestyle change not a "diet". With the chinese food that happened to me too but I think mostly it was water retention!

What i meant to mention is that it takes 3500 cals to gain a pound. So unless you eat that much EXTRA, then you didn't gain a pound from it!

Chinese food has a lot of sodium so you are probably retaining fluid. It make take up to a week to lose it and get back on track. I used to this but not any more. If I want chinese food I just go and eat it. I do not use it as a reward.
Also remember if it is a buffet to only make one trip and avoid anything fried.
Before I go into a restaruant of any kind I drink a 20 oz. bottle of water first so I am not as hungry.
Terrie

I have a 10 lb reward that is food related. Whenever I hit a 1_9 (my next goal is 179. Two more lbs to go!) my mom watches the kids so my husband and I can go out to eat at The Elephant Bar and Grill. I don't drink often (I'm breastfeeding) so my 10 lb treat is a Jungle Colada!

Rewarding yourself with food is counterproductive, as you have found from your experience. Think up other ways to reward yourself. It's the food rewards that have gotten us where we are.

Thanks everyone....I think for now on, the reward will be unedible.

I believe it is a control issue and I agree with Susan. We really do set ourselves up for failure when we pick food as a reward. We have to break the cycle of food being some kind of present to ourselves whereas it should be pleasant tasting nourishment.

The old adage I live to eat instead of eating to live is very true.

Try to find something else to reward yourself. If you want Chinese food, have it in moderation, but not as a reward for controlling what you eat.

I know that it's not healthy to reward yourself with food every time.

However, there are things that I don't get very often, because I know they're not good for me, that I really really like.

So I fail to see what's so bad about allowing myself one of those every now and then and, yes, looking at it as a treat. Life changes are wonderful, but they don't mean you can't ever "reward" yourself with something that's outside your normal diet.