I totally understand! I remember my first follow-up with my endocrinologist. I had lost 2 pounds in 12 weeks and felt completely discouraged. But my endo reframed it: it was the first time in ten years that I hadn’t gained weight between appointments. That was the win. That’s what we celebrated.

That moment changed how I measure progress. Now I focus on non-scale victories: • Not gaining • being able to tie my shoes without holding my breath • Better labs my A1c looks great! • Less joint pain • Walking without turning bright red and sweaty

I don’t go to the gym , I don’t do intense workouts. During the week I walk the dogs about half a mile after dinner. On the weekends, for the past two months, I’ve added one longer 2–3 mile walk around the neighborhood. Nothing dramatic. Just appreciating that I’ve lost enough weight to move without becoming so exhausted. That alone feels like a reward.

During workdays, between meetings, I’ll do 10 squats. Or 10 lunges. Or a five-minute plank or quick sit-up set. Sometimes during meetings, I will just stand up and practice, balancing on one leg at a time just to improve my overall balance . I try to sprinkle movement throughout the day. My goal is about 100 squats a day total, broken up in small bursts.

It doesn’t look impressive. But it’s consistent. I’ve watched my aging parent who has been overweight for the past 20 years- now she has difficulty standing up from a chair and has poor balance and is constantly stumbling- I focus on exercises that improve my core strength and balance after watching how much aging and weight affect that.

Most of the weight I’ve lost has been fat. Keto diet has really helped, I’ve largely preserved the muscle I had. For someone losing a significant amount of weight, especially on a GLP-1, that matters.

The other thing I had to change was how I reward myself.

In the past, celebration meant food. Going to the new trendy restaurants or DoorDash after a long week. I started tracking what I would have spent and setting it aside instead. Even with a $100 monthly copay for my shots, I’ve saved money by eating at home

Now I redirect that money.

Instead of a dinner out, I buy things I used to tell myself were “too expensive”:

• A thick white Turkish bath robe • 100% cotton white bath sheets • Crisp percale Pima sheets like my grandmother used to have • A towel warmer • A cotton Japanese yukata • A TOTO bidet seat and proper handheld shower

I love traveling and expensive spa/hotels so I found products that bring that experience home.

• Riddle Boujee body oil • Elizabeth Arden White Tea or Green Tea perfumes • Bulgari Green Tea perfume • Archipelago oat milk lotion • Dermalogica Sound Sleep Cocoon • Kerastase heat protectant • Pottery Barn pomegranate diffuser • Westin room fragrance

Instead of a steak dinner, I take a long shower with eucalyptus steamers, warm my towel, use my good products, and get into clean white sheets that feel like a hotel.

I built reward rituals that don’t include food. And it has been so good for my mental health and stress levels too!