My idea is every 10lbs lost, I get an ice cream cone. I recently told a friend about this, but they think it’s an awful idea. He likened the thought to someone saving a lot of money and going on a shopping spree. I disagree, it’s just one ice cream cone. I am currently doing OMAD and making really great progress. I eat pretty clean and within my calorie limit, but I can’t imagine life without ice cream lol Is this really a terrible idea?
I think rewarding yourself with food can cause an unintended psychological effect. Thinking of food as a reward rather than fuel can create some disordered thoughts or behaviors around eating and food. It’s so easy to slip backwards with “I’ve worked hard this week, I deserve a burger and fries/beer on Saturday night” or “that was a tough workout, I should grab McDonald’s on the way home”. Just be very mindful :)
No there’s nothing wrong with this. I think you’ll find you enjoy your ice cream/burger/pizza/whatever your cheat meal is if you feel like you’ve earned it. Just be sure to keep it at that singular meal and not let it spiral.
Not at all. You’re committed and have a plan so why not treat yourself good with a cheat meal every once in a while? 9 times out of 10 I eat healthy (I’m doing OMAD too!), but every other week I purposely break my fast with a not so healthy meal (weekends only lol) while staying in my proportion limits. You’re losing weight and is committed, so why make your journey miserable by holding yourself prisoner? Every few weeks or so I need a fish and fries basket or some loaded nachos 😅 . Than the next day I’m back to eating clean as a whistle. Get you a nice large chunky ice cream cone, but use it as desert next to your meal lol. I don’t want you to get full off of only ice cream 😄.
Don’t reward with food! Our problem is food has ruined our reward center! Rewarding with food reinforces our problems! Reward with a new piece of clothing that didn’t fit before, reward with a fun experience or self-care, anything….anything but food! **exclamations due to emphaticness not yelling
You don’t have to imagine a life without ice cream. An all or nothing, good food/bad food dichotomy, or completely avoiding social eating, isn’t sustainable in the long term. Having moderate treats in your window is healthy. Over restricting leads to burning out and regaining, and for some people binging.
Personally I don’t use food as a reward. I just think it kind of screws up our mentality towards food and can create even more disordered eating.
That said, hell yeah I treat myself all the time!
New clothes, a massage, some nice makeup, whatever it is that I have my eye on at the moment I’ll use it as motivation to reach the next goal I set for myself.
I save a bunch of money and then spend a bunch of it… That’s… why I saved the money?
I lost a bunch of weight and then loosened my diet up and stayed healthy…
I don’t understand this. Do what makes you happy and to hell with everyone’s shitty opinions.
I don’t think it’s terrible at all! On the contrary, celebrating one’s self and progress is crucial during such a process. It’s a way of rewarding yourself for how far you’ve come and to keep pushing for more. And as you said it’s just one ice cream cone, it won’t ruin much comparing to the efforts you’re making. I have been on a calorie deficit for the 1st time for the last 5 days and I’m definitely taking tomorrow to eat what i want because i’m proud of this small progress (i struggle with an eating disorder so it has always been so hard for me because of my unhealthy relationship with food).
I think ice cream every once and a while is essential. Ice cream as a reward for losing some weight might not be the best.
Maybe for smaller milestones buy yourself some new smaller clothes or something you’ve been wanting. For bigger milestones (think 50lbs) I’ve been getting myself nicer things, in my case really good tattoos.
I don’t think it’s a good idea. Not because you shouldn’t have that ice cream. I totally think it’s ok to have the occasional ice cream, but I don’t think it’s a good idea to have it as a price. It turns it into something desirable and it might have negative psychological effects. You will start to find more and more arguments why you might deserve a treat and find yourself craving for that ice cream more than you should.
Instead, make yourself aware of the amount of sugar and fat that ice cream has and you might find that you don’t really want it that much anyway. Then you can have the occasional ice cream and not make a big deal out of it.