50 Non-Food Ways to Celebrate Your WLS Milestones & Goals
March 26, 2018It is important as we're losing weight and sticking to the healthy habits of our weight loss surgery lifestyle that we have non-food ways to celebrate our milestones. Besides the rewards you feel as you're losing (or maintaining) your weight, rewarding your milestones reinforces your healthy habits and motivates you to continue your healthy lifestyle.
Before WLS, most of us celebrated and rewarded ourselves with food. No more! When we used food as a reward (or punishment), it doesn't put food in its place as fuel for your body. By giving yourself non-food rewards, it won't undermine your efforts. Put yourself first on your list of priorities. Make your rewards something that is something special and adds to your life. to commemorate your WLS milestones and goals.
Some rewards are free and some involve spending money on yourself. Make sure your rewards fit into your budget. Anything special and meaningful to you can be a reward. Celebrate those milestones!
List of 50 Non-Food Ways to Celebrate Milestones
1. Have someone take a photo of you (or take a selfie) and frame it someplace prominent for continued motivation.
2. Post your milestones on social media.
3. Go to the theater and watch a movie you've wanted to see.
4. Give yourself (or go to a spa) a manicure, pedicure or facial.
5. Get a massage.
6. Download a new app you've been wanting.
7. Go for a getaway with your partner or best friend.
8. Hire a cleaning service to clean your house.
9. Have a session with a personal trainer.
10. Buy something new for your favorite hobby, or start a new hobby.
11. Buy new music for your workouts.
12. Get a new kitchen gadget or appliance for your healthy eating.
13. Send yourself a bouquet of flowers.
14. Buy a new set of bubble bath, shower gel, bath salts, body scrub and/or lotion.
15. Make a vision board with the photos and images that celebrate your success.
16. Have your photo, or a celebratory photo with your family, taken by a professional photographer.
17. Go to a concert.
18. Go to a museum or art gallery you've never been to.
19. Buy some new sports shoes or exercise outfit.
20. Buy or make a special piece of jewelry.
21. Buy new jeans or other articles of clothes you like.
22. Get a makeover to update your cosmetics.
23. Pick up something you like on Etsy.
24. Buy a new workout DVD.
25. Plan a special day of fun with your friends.
26. Buy a new water bottle (every time you drink, you're celebrating your success).
27. Take lessons such as photography, music, singing, ballroom dancing, painting, golf, cooking, etc.
28. Buy an audio book (suggestion - listen to it only while you exercise).
29. Spend the night at a nice hotel.
30. Try a new bottle of perfume or cologne.
31. Buy a new computer or video game.
32. Buy a new coffee or tea to try.
33. Buy new luxurious high thread count sheets for your bed.
34. Go Geocaching and find treasures.
35. Go out in nature and take photos.
36. Buy coloring books and color with the same joy you did as a child.
37. Try a new healthy recipe.
38. Go to the library for the afternoon.
39. Go for a scenic bike ride or hike.
40. Write down your favorite quotes and affirmations.
41. Recycle your larger sized clothes (to make room for smaller sizes) and donate them.
42. Take a vacation day from work to do whatever it is you want to do.
43. Get a new driver’s license with an updated photo, and list what you really weigh now.
44. Give yourself the gift of a fitness tracker to record your exercise and movement.
45. Buy new sunglasses that compliment your face and that you can wear while exercising outside.
46. Start a magnet collection with motivational sayings.
47. Buy a bracelet that you can add beads or charms to commemorate pounds lost and milestones.
48. Plant flowers for each milestone you reach and enjoy the beauty of your milestones.
49. Post about your milestones on the ObesityHelp message boards.
50. If you're 1+ years post-op and at, or near, your goal weight, share your success with a Before & After article.
Your WLS journey is your personal experience. To keep your motivation high and momentum strong, make sure to give yourself non-food ways to celebrate your milestones and what you've achieved.
Whatever your non-food reward is, think outside the box and make it something special to you. It’s about you, every challenge you have overcome and every small (and large) goal that you have accomplished!
 | ABOUT THE AUTHOR Cathy Wilson, PCC, BCC, had RNY surgery in 2001 and lost 147 pounds. Cathy is a regular contributor to the OH Blog and authored the "Mind Matters" column in ObesityHelp Magazine. Cathy is a licensed pilot and loves flying. She is a member of the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS) and the Obesity Action Coalition (OAC).Read more articles by Cathy! |
