Hey Chicks! (and chicos)

I have a hard time thinking up mini-goals and rewards (that don't involve junk food, lol). Does anyone have any suggestions? I am getting a bit overwhelmed

Every 5 lbs - some type of cute emoticon in your sig.
10 lbs - A small unhealthy treat you used to eat so you don't slip up from deprivation.
20 lbs - New jeans
30 lbs - Cute socks and a shirt
40 lbs - Mani/Pedi
50 lbs - Spa Treatment
60 lbs - More new clothes and a new hairstyle!

Well, at least that's stuff I'd do, lol.

Good luck!

Those are good suggestions. I like the emoticon thing, and looking forward to new clothes is always fun. thanks!

Wow, I like your way of thinking! I was going to do something crazy such as for every 10 lbs lost, I would have just 1 unhealthy meal to reward myself for a job well done. But I'm afraid that might cause me to relapse back into my old routines. These are SOO much better.

I got new running shoes at 20 pounds down. I give myself a new I-Tunes song every week that I complete my exercise goals. I got new sports bras for some reward. And a pretty new dress for 30 pounds!

Yep mini goal rewards worked great for me. However, be careful with spending too much money on clothes on the way down. When I hit size 8 at around 150lbs in February, I was so excited that I bought a ton of new clothes. Well then I started strength training, and the last few pounds have made a HUGE difference on me clothing-size wise. Those 8's are all too big now and I'm actually mostly in 4's. That's a number I truly never expected to see. But point being, I blew most of my new wardrobe money a few months ago on clothes that I only got to wear for a few months. I really wished I'd waited to get to goal before I bought new clothes.

So if I could do it again, I would have done most of my transition-size clothes shopping at TJ Maxx and Ross, just enough to get by. But things like a new purse, new shoes, new makeup, new jewelry, new perfume, etc will add to the confidence boost and you won't have to worry about them not fitting later on, haha. Or maybe a theater night with the girls, you could splurge on some fancy healthy food, or make yourself and maybe a friend a really fancy low calorie healthy dinner, you could get a healthy cookbook, or buy yourself a few sessions with a personal trainer. There are lots of possibilities

Check out my signature. I'm the queen of mini goals! My ticker is always set to my min goal.

Another great place to find those "transitional" clothes is the Goodwill. I know the stores may be different...but in my community there are some great brand names clothing that you can find...jeans, dress slacks, shirts, you name it. And priced so low, you don't mind if you shrink out of them in a couple of months.
I have actually bought several items there since I have hit maintenance! I am wearing Talbot brand jeans today that I found there!

I really think mini goals are important - check my signature. I do five pound mini goals. Everytime I lose five pounds I'll get myself a new lipstick, lotion, socks, book, stationery, magazine, movie, sometimes an article of clothing etc. I NEVER get myself food as a reward.

My mini goals also include behaviors around food I am trying to change for good - ya know....'living' with food in a more sane and healthful manner. These include: eat seated only, no seconds, fork down between bites, slow mindful eating, tasting the food, tv off when eating (except when I eat with dh), plan/log/measure/count calories, etc. I try to check at the end of the day if I have followed through...when I have a heathy day, I write down a smiley face in my journal. After ten smiley's I get myself a reward too.

I have minigoals in my head all the time - anytime I move down to a new decade and any time I've gotten another 5 lbs so I can change my chickie are my primary ones.

I did a reward for my first 10% - a new scale! lol! I hadn't really thought about something for my 2nd 10%. Maybe I'll be able to hit that goal before my son and I go on a vacation this summer and I'll just call the trip my reward!

Wow It is sooo great to see so many responses! I am looking forward to making some mini goals for myself and excited for the rewards! You are all awesome and keep up the good work!

Glow Girl- You can do it and mini rewards are good inspiration to keep you going! PS your little avatar with the lips and sprinkles just totally made me want a cupcake! lol lucky there are none within 10 miles of where I live. Weird how the smallest things can induce cravings.

MKendrick- Good advice on limiting spending on the way down.... I have been really excited about losing weight and have already bought like 4 new complete outfits in past 3 weeks. I cannot afford to be doing that especially since I know they will probably not look so good anymore in a few months when I am 20+ pounds lighter. I told myself that I can't afford to be buying any more clothes right now and I really hope I can stick to it.

thanks for the support hot momma!