It’s time to rethink how we reward ourselves

By Diane Lynn, Certified Weight Loss Coach

It's a scenario many of us know all too well: after sticking to healthy foods and portions, the weekend comes and suddenly it's like a free pass to dive into the chips or cookies we deprived ourselves of all week. We believe that after being so "good" we deserve to indulge, rewarding our discipline with the very things we've denied ourselves. And if we don't get that treat, it feels like we've been cheated out of a well-earned prize, as if the universe owes us those moments of decadence.

This mindset turns eating junk food into more than just a lapse in dietary judgment; it becomes a crucial part of our emotional well-being as well as how we measure the fairness of our efforts versus our rewards. The irony is that while we think these indulgences are a form of self-reward, they often lead to feelings of guilt, frustration and undo progress we've made.

Wanting to enjoy life without feeling like we've gone off the rails on our wellness goals is a tricky balance. Finding that balance means redefining what a reward looks like and celebrating our achievements in ways that don't leave us feeling cheated — by our diet or ourselves.

To learn more about your brain’s wiring and how to retrain it to help you lose weight permanently, contact Diane at DianeLynn@CoachesForHealth.com.