food as a reward | Imamother

amother

Wed, Jun 13 2012, 1:49 pm

I considered posting this under emotional health but since it is a dieting issue I posted it here.

I emotionally eat and I crave food when I'm stressed.

My biggest issue which I think is kind of the same as the two issues above, is that I enjoy having food as reward.

For example, I'm a teacher and I spent my sunday afternoon filling out report cards and for those of you non-teachers, it takes HOURS. I write 3-5 UNIQUE sentences as comments for each of my 20+ students. The thought that I had before I started was "you can do this, fill them out, and when you're done we'll go get a nice juicy slice of pizza or something else really good at the pizza shop"

I am horrible!
Why do I want food for a reward?
Why didnt I tell myself that I can go to the mall then and myself the pair of sneakers I'm in need of buying?

Is it also possible that I'm cheap (in a bad way) and therefore I wont buy myself a present as a reward or am I just using the money excuse to cover up the fact that is really a food issue?

(I hope I made sense)

MrsDash

Wed, Jun 13 2012, 1:58 pm

I can sympathize. I LOVE food. I love it so much to the point where if I reach a specific goal in my "diet" or "exercise" (and on occasion- If I reached other goals, not related to food) I reward myself with just one "cheat" food. The bigger my accomplishment, the bigger my cheat. My cheat can be as small as a little piece of chocolate to something as large as a meal.

But then that's it. I continue on as if nothing happened.

You will have a lot of people tell you not to reward yourself with food, but I do not believe that applies to all people. The only reason I can think of NOT using food as a reward is if it takes you off the diet completely. If you can manage one treat, and be on your merry way then go for it. If you know eating one little cheat food will precipitate into overeating, and ruining your diet, then it may not be a great idea.

yfrh

Tue, Jul 24 2012, 1:19 am

I will at times reward myself with food. It makes the dessert taste better if I wash the dishes first. I have done report cards and they deserve a reward. It is not a reward if it is something you need like shoes or breakfast. you cant tell yourself that if you accomplish a morning goal you will have yogurt for breakfast. You need to eat proper meals throughout the day. Maybe write a list of things you LIKE -food and other things, not things you NEED. Also make sure it is something you can afford. Another concept about rewards are they are often something you can get quickly, instant satifaction. so think of quick things you can reward yourself with instead of or in additon to treats

SS6099

Tue, Jul 24 2012, 10:41 am

You need to get out of that mindset and eventually it will kick in. Rewards don't have to be expensive. It could include a manicure, some 'me' time, or even a healthy treat if you do want to have the food.

Faigy86

Tue, Jul 24 2012, 10:55 am

I found that sometimes I know that that cheat will throw me off completely, so then I'll try to find something else to reward myself with, other times, I know that my self-control will allow the cheat, and so I'll have the chocolate or 1 slice of pizza. I find that the real issue isn't when I'm rewarding myself that I tend to go overboard, but rather when I'm eating to fill an emotional void. It isn't bad to enjoy food as a reward, just remember to enjoy it so you don't need more. Eat very slowly and you won't necessarily want more.
Or, if you find it difficult, go the mani, pedi, facial, bubble bath route for your accomplishments instead of food.