It always is a bit difficult when you are in control of the reward.
Half way through my weight loss I bought a new bike. It was very rewarding but I should have bought it whether or not I had met my first goal because my original bike was too big, too uncomfortable, to ride much.
When I reached my final weight goal plus some exercise goals I was going to buy a nice road bike. I ended up getting the bike early because the frame I wanted was not going to be available next year. I'm glad I got it early as I got to ride a new bike in early fall and enjoy some great road rides.
One big reward for me was new clothes. While I was losing weight and ditching old clothes I did all my shopping at thrift shops as I knew the clothes were not going to last long. That turned out to be kind of fun as we were doing a lot of traveling at the time and I hit up many, many such shops hunting for deals.
The biggest reward when losing weight was the thrill of watching the scale and the pounds drop, seeing myself in the mirror and looking thinner, the complements from people I knew after a significant amount of weight was dropped. And most of all, just feeling better with less pounds and more activity. Now that I am where I want to be these rewards are not the same as I am adapted to the new me. I am now getting used to not being fat. I think reinforcement for keeping the weight off is harder than for losing weight. The drama of it all is gone.
When I recently hit my final goal weight I did buy some new clothes. I got a couple of very nice Ibex wool sweaters, a jacket from a local maker (Wintergreen) that I had always lusted for and never got when I was fat because finding clothes that fit was difficult when I was fat, and a bunch of cool cycling jerseys.
I continue to regularly weigh myself and have exercise goals. My plan is to do something significant for myself every six months that the weight remains off. It might be N + 1. It might be something else. I am only a couple of months into six months so I'm still new at this. My problem with this plan is that when I was fat I pretty much bought whatever I wanted anyway once I retired (except for the clothes) so distributing my purchases into rewards is kind of like punishment. But if the rewards are things that relate to being fit and active it might work out because I won't want them and can't use them unless I am fit and active.
Next fall, after a year of weight loss, I think it will be a ICE recumbent trike. Full suspension. Or a custom build touring bike. I would like to do an overnight bike tours. That is something for me to work for that has meaning and I can't just make happen by pulling out the credit card. So, the reward has no meaning unless I am meeting my goals. I also have the goal of riding a Habitat for Humanity ride, 500 miles in seven days. Being able to do that is a reward. Plus, I probably can eat all I want over those seven days.
