At my Mother's memorial gathering, two of my cousins gifted me a charm bracelet with a dragonfly charm, and a copy of The Dragonfly Story to explain the significance. I've decided to use this bracelet as part of my reward system for the newest path on my journey to wellness.
One of the reasons I'm losing doing this is because of my mom. She died of endometrial cancer, This particular type of cancer feeds on estrogen. If you're overweight, guess what gets stored in fat? Estrogen! Even though my doctor told me this type of cancer isn't hereditary, I don't want to take chances.
The Weight Watchers app has a great social feature called Connect, and you can see how other people using WW are doing in terms of working the point system, great recipe hacks, success stories, and sharing strength with those that need it. There's also been posts about a reward system. In the past, I've felt awkward creating or thinking up ways to "reward" myself for weight loss. For some reason, I felt that I shouldn't reward what I felt was cleaning up the mess that is my body and weight. Or that if I did do a reward system, and I earned a reward, my inner critic would find some way to discredit it.
This time, I decided to work with those uncomfortable feelings, as I have found that it might be uncomfortable because it's a challenge, and therefore an opportunity to learn. I wanted to learn to reward myself, and to celebrate getting healthy.
I made a checklist, in five-pound intervals. I decided every 20 pounds would be a larger milestone, and deserve a bigger reward: a charm on the bracelet. I would be able to wear my accomplishment and see it, in order to be reminded of the path and goals I've set for myself, and to also have my Mom there, giving me her strength and rooting me on from beyond. Here's my list, which I started late in the game so started at 15 lbs:
I earned my first reward, the markers, and I went to Target and got myself a modest, 12-pen set. It had been something I had wanted, but now instead of zipping to the store to get it, I waited until I earned it. I also realized one of the ways I used to reward myself for healthy accomplishments (running, 5ks) was with food. I ran enough to eat that cake, or I walked around the Boston Common and Garden at lunch, so I can have that extra taco. For me, those aren't rewards anymore; that's self-sabotage.
As you can see in the photo, I've now earned my first 20-lb loss reward; a Wonder Woman charm. Those that have been reading this blog and have seen my costumes for 5Ks and sci-fi conventions, should not be surprised. Wonder Woman has always been a symbol of strength for me, so it had to be the first charm, to be right next to my "Ma" charm. I don't think it's a coincidence the initials are "WW."
I'm also going to admit, I'm loving getting rewards. As much as I love the positive feedback from friends and family, rewarding myself is part of self-care I've ignored or not done appropriately. Learning to do this I think will help me this time stick with this, and get the rest of these things on the list!
One of the reasons I'm losing doing this is because of my mom. She died of endometrial cancer, This particular type of cancer feeds on estrogen. If you're overweight, guess what gets stored in fat? Estrogen! Even though my doctor told me this type of cancer isn't hereditary, I don't want to take chances.
The Weight Watchers app has a great social feature called Connect, and you can see how other people using WW are doing in terms of working the point system, great recipe hacks, success stories, and sharing strength with those that need it. There's also been posts about a reward system. In the past, I've felt awkward creating or thinking up ways to "reward" myself for weight loss. For some reason, I felt that I shouldn't reward what I felt was cleaning up the mess that is my body and weight. Or that if I did do a reward system, and I earned a reward, my inner critic would find some way to discredit it.
This time, I decided to work with those uncomfortable feelings, as I have found that it might be uncomfortable because it's a challenge, and therefore an opportunity to learn. I wanted to learn to reward myself, and to celebrate getting healthy.
I made a checklist, in five-pound intervals. I decided every 20 pounds would be a larger milestone, and deserve a bigger reward: a charm on the bracelet. I would be able to wear my accomplishment and see it, in order to be reminded of the path and goals I've set for myself, and to also have my Mom there, giving me her strength and rooting me on from beyond. Here's my list, which I started late in the game so started at 15 lbs:
- 15 lbs: Markers for coloring - DONE!
- 20: New Charm for Bracelet - DONE!
- 25: Nail Polish
- 30: Zen Embroidery kit
- 35: New Boots (This will also be a milestone for another number on the scale)
- 40: Charm for Bracelet
- 45: Lipstick
- 50: Mani/Pedi
- 55: Music Album
- 60: Charm for Bracelet
- 65: Board Game
- 70: Graphic Novel
- 75: Facial
- 80: Charm for Bracelet
- 85: Flower Bouquet
- 90: Book
- 95: Adirondack Chair
- 100:Charm for Bracelet
- 105: Vera Bradley Bag
- 110: GOAL!!!! - Charm!!!
I earned my first reward, the markers, and I went to Target and got myself a modest, 12-pen set. It had been something I had wanted, but now instead of zipping to the store to get it, I waited until I earned it. I also realized one of the ways I used to reward myself for healthy accomplishments (running, 5ks) was with food. I ran enough to eat that cake, or I walked around the Boston Common and Garden at lunch, so I can have that extra taco. For me, those aren't rewards anymore; that's self-sabotage.
As you can see in the photo, I've now earned my first 20-lb loss reward; a Wonder Woman charm. Those that have been reading this blog and have seen my costumes for 5Ks and sci-fi conventions, should not be surprised. Wonder Woman has always been a symbol of strength for me, so it had to be the first charm, to be right next to my "Ma" charm. I don't think it's a coincidence the initials are "WW."
I'm also going to admit, I'm loving getting rewards. As much as I love the positive feedback from friends and family, rewarding myself is part of self-care I've ignored or not done appropriately. Learning to do this I think will help me this time stick with this, and get the rest of these things on the list!
Keep up the good work. I think I might try an award system too.
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