Non-food Presents for Motivation

We are a culture that celebrates everything with food.  Birthday and Weddings cakes are a staple.  Family BBQ's in the spring and summer.  PTA's that stock the teacher's lounge with goodies.  Its all done in kind gestures but good gravy...that's a lot of food that is not exactly nutritious.  Too keep my eye on the prize I bought myself a bracelet at the beginning of my sleeve journey.  I bought the bracelet before my surgery.  For every ten pounds lost I bought a bead.  I focused on finding a symbol of something that was an NSV (No Scale Victory) that I accomplished with those ten pounds lost.

blue stone bead- 10 lbs. lost during pre-op diet, bead is the birthstone for March, the month I had my surgery

diamond ring- first 10 lbs. lost post op, able to get my wedding rings back on, hadn't been able to wear them for years

pink flamingo- still on liquid diet, found the wonderful world of Thin Ice snowcones from Bahama Buck's

big blue stone bead- color of my first ever fitted ladies tee, my spirit shirt for my son's baseball team

50 beads- that was for my halfway point goal of losing 50 lbs

pink stone bead- color of my new tennis shoes, wore my previous pair out with all the walking I did

boot- able to wear those cute riding boots that are so popular, I was never able to get boots on my calves before that

pearl crown bead- able to get my white bath towel (not bath sheet) to wrap all the way around me and close after a shower

paint pallet- Stud Muffin and I repainted every bit of trim in our house

cross- but for the grace of God go I, my weight could have killed me easily, 100 lbs. gone

white stone square bead- for the first pair of Miss Me jeans I was able to wear, from a size 20 to a 10, love my sparkle butt jeans!

Find a way to celebrate your success without food.  What better way than jewelry?!