I've been thinking about losing weight and the behavior modification/lifestyle changes we all go through to get to goal (and stay there!).
My belief is, using food as a reward is not a healthy practice. I actually feel that it is a bad idea for ANYONE, not just those looking to lose weight. Using food as a rewards sets up an unreasonable dynamic and contributes to an unhealthy relationship with food.
I am always saddened and alarmed when I see people offering food as rewards to thier children...I mean, can't they see that doing that isn't a good idea? I am sure they don't WANT thier children to have disordered eating habits but isn't using food for emotional reasons what helped contribute to becoming overweight to begin with?
Unfortunately, that's often what using food as a reward sets them up for. When I was training for my certification as a preschool teacher, I took over 20 child development and psychology classes in college. Many of them focused on this very thing and all the experts and studies pointed to the same idea: using food as a reward sets up the potential for power struggles, an unhealthy relationship with food and disordered eating.
Another unhelpful food belief is the whole "good" vs "bad" thing...as in "I'm good! I didn't eat any chocolate today." or "I was bad, I ate chocolate today." or "I've been good! I deserve this chocolate!". This way of thinking is unhealthy to begin with. Labeling self or foods "good" or "bad" is really unhelpful.
Thoughts? Feelings? Got any other unhelpful habits to discuss?