51 Non Food Rewards For Weight Loss {Day 8}

Day 8 of my weight loss journal, 1500 calories. How to treat yourself with non-food rewards when you’ve been consistent with your weight loss program. (See the other days in this weight loss journal here)

Day 8: 115 lbs

Wahoo! To be honest, I’m shocked. When I can lose weight at 1500 calories, I know I’ve been eating much more than that. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if I was eating over 2000 calories per day in order to be in a big enough deficit to see the scale go down.

The sad thing is, I don’t know how many calories I was eating. I wish I kept track, even when I went way over for the day. But, who wants to track when you just want to eat without accountability! Haha!

My Meals

Yesterday was pretty great! I started a culinary program through Park City Culinary Institute. Even though I live near Salt Lake where the program is happening, there was a remote option for the course that I wanted to do. It’s live and interactive with an instructor, and I wanted to be home so I could take photos of the food I prepare, and share the food with my family.

I chose the Cuisine/Savory course that will teach me how to prepare veggies, meats, eggs, etc. Although I LOVE baking, I don’t think my willpower is strong enough yet to go through the pastry/baking course. But, I might do it at the beginning of 2023!

For my meals yesterday, I ate 1463 calories, 151 grams protein, 151 grams carbs, 33 grams fat

• Eggs and Salted Caramel Oatmeal
• Green salad with chicken and hard boiled eggs
• Protein shake
• Kale Salad with Teriyaki chicken

I did have a few uncounted extra’s. They were samples at Costco! They were handing out white chocolate peppermint covered pretzels! You GUYS! How could I not take some. They were SOOO good. And if I’m totally honest with myself, two pretzels actually tastes better than a handful. There’s for sure a rate of diminishing returns where more than a few just doesn’t taste better and just leaves you feeling sick.

My Workout

It’s Saturday, so this morning I had a long run (12 miles) and no weights at the gym. I do add extra carbs and calories on long run days.

Non Food Weight Loss Rewards

First of all, I STRONGLY believe that self-care means creating a life that you don’t have to escape from. Taking time to enjoy every single day is key to being consistent with weight loss. After all, if our days are punishing, we can’t HELP but want to escape by eating food. Am I right?

So, with that in mind, I wanted to think of some “extra’s” that I wouldn’t consider self-care. Some extra things that can really help you stretch your resolve to stick to a diet for a period of time.

But, I believe strongly that you should reframe that idea and choose non-food rewards for consistency. If you consistently stick with a diet for 30 days, than treat yourself to a non-food reward, DESPITE what the scale says. You can control what you do each day, but you can’t control what the results will be at the end of the week or month.

So, with consistency as your goal, some of my favorite non-food rewards include:

1. Getting a massage (#1 on my list always!)
2. Hiring housecleaners (a total indulgence for me that I never can justify)
3. A marathon movie watching day- with ZERO guilt!
4. Buying a new notebook or journal (I LOVE JOURNALS!)
5. Buy a new book from the bookstore (Fiction, non-fiction, cookbook, trashy romance novel)
6. Buy a magazine.
7. Buy a Costco size case of your favorite diet drinks.
8. A fresh flower arrangement for your table
9. A trip to Home Goods for any Home Décor you want!
10. New clothes- Clothes shopping has always been AWFUL to me until I reached my weight loss goal. Now, I love buying new clothes.
11. Get a photo shoot- Replace that old Facebook profile pic with something you are really excited about.
12. Sign up for a workshop or class. (If you are like me, you spend WAY too much money on classes, conferences, workshops, etc. Case in point- my $5000 culinary program!! YIKES) But I have a friend who even took a charcuterie class! There’s a class for anything.
13. Get a manicure or pedicure.
14. Schedule a fresh new haircut or color.
15. Go on a weekend getaway. I probably wouldn’t do this for being consistent with my diet for 30 days, but I might do it for a longer goal.
16. Hire an organizer for that closet you’ve been avoiding.
17. Update something in your home that’s been driving you crazy. (new counters, fresh new coat of paint, etc.)
18. Withdraw a nice chunk of cash and give it to someone in need.
19. Spoil someone you love with a gift they’ve been wanting.
20. Go on a hot date
21. Buy a ticket to a pricey music concert you want to see.
22. Go to the theater or Broadway show.
23. Take a day off of work to stay in your PJ’s all day and do nothing.
24. Buy craft supplies to start a project, without feeling guilty that you still have yarn from an unfinished afghan.
25. Hire a life coach or weight loss coach if you’ve been wanting to, but can’t justify the expense.
26. Buy some expensive, fancy kitchen knives to cut all your veggies you’re going to eat. (In my new culinary program, they recommended Wustof. I haven’t bought them, but they say most chef’s prefer that brand.)
27. A houseplant! One of those BIG ones that sit on the floor and make your whole room look fresher!
28. New workout clothes
29. NEW RUNNING SHOES! Ok, yeah. This one is for me. Here’s my full list of gift ideas for a running friend!
30. Buy yourself some new tech! A new phone, computer, tablet, etc.
31. Buy yourself new earphones. Mine are cheap, but I’m always happy if I have a second pair.
32. Botox? Filler? I mean, let’s be honest. That is not cheap. So, it would make a perfect reward for someone almost 50 like me!
33. A facial. I once scheduled a facial at the local Esthetician school. It was pretty affordable.
34. A new: Hydroflask, Hydrojug, or Stanley cup (whatever your fancy is for water bottles!)
35. Buy yourself some amazing jewelry
36. Buy yourself a new purse.
37. Buy yourself a new phone case.
38. Get a fancy and expensive plush blanket (Like a Minky couture blanket).
39. Get a personal trainer for the gym.
40. Get some new indoor workout equipment, yoga mat, gym bag, or other gym accessories.
41. Find a local adventure only tourists usually book. Ziplining, skiing, white water rafting, horseback riding, etc.
42. Tatoo’s or piercings, If that’s your thing.
43. Shopping spree at Ulta! Anyone else embarrassed at how much money Ulta has of theirs?? Just me?
44. Try some new trendy therapy like a Salt float spa, cryotherapy, Red light therapy, Stretching massage.
45. Laser hair removal. I just started this, and hoping it works for me!
46. Hot tub or sauna spa day.
47. Purchase a cool new app you’ve been wanting to have on your phone.
48. A new appliance like a George foreman grill, A Blendtec Blender, a food processor, or a Waffle iron.
49. A charcuterie board for your next party.
50. A new Garmin or Smart Watch.
51. Stream a new platform for a show you want to see (HBO, Netflix, Hulu, etc.)

What are you going to choose for your consistency rewards?

That’s it for today.

READY NEXT –> DAY 9 IN A CALORIE DEFICIT AND CAN’T LOSE WEIGHT!