Yes, I think a good percentage of us have this issue. I have to a point where I've given it some fairly serious thought.
I think this mentality is a symptom of why we are trying to lose weight in the first place. We are living lives where we dislike and rebel from any type of delayed gratification.
Think about it. We set down and try to figure out something to do for ourselves once we reach a goal. In theory, just losing the weight should be reward, but we take it up a step by associating other 'gifts' with it. THEN, once we think of something nice to do for ourselves, we get so fixated on it that waiting seems crazy, and we totally sabotage the plan by actually going out and buying the reward before the effort has been put in!!
That 100% sends a self-defeating mental message to ourselves that the task has been accomplished, even though we haven't done it, and it's passive permission to let our guard down.
We are grown ups and we allow ourselves to break simple rules that we wouldn't allow children to break. I watch my 2 year old nephew a lot and I will tell him "if you help pick up your toys we will go outside and play". I stand by that, and do not take him outside until he helps pick things up, because I feel it's important to teach him responsibility.
Yet, I'll run my 36 year old self down to the salon and get a pedicure that I set up as a reward for losing weight, when I haven't reached anywhere near my goal! It's embarrassing that I don't hold myself to the same standards that I do a two year old little boy!
This bothers me enough to where I am not currently setting up goals, and I'm making every attempt to look at weight loss as simply something I need to do.
I don't need treats.
I don't need over the top compliments.
I don't need a dangling carrot to get me there.
I need to lose weight, because I need to lose weight.
When I am more responsible with 'goal rewards' I may revisit them, but until I am committed to it, and will keep my word to myself, I'm going to lose weight for the benefit of losing weight. Nothing more.