The Dollar Jar

I thought this was interesting too and I don't drink coffee!
~
The Dollar Jar
By Linda Spangle, RN, MA
Would you like to have $100 to spend any way you want? Here's what you do: First, plan you will budget one dollar a day toward this project. Then take out a jar or similar container and set it on your kitchen counter. At the end of each day, place a dollar in the jar. Over the weeks ahead, if you protect your budget and deposit a dollar into the jar every day, you'll easily reach the total of $100. But suppose one day you feel really tired, so you decide to spend your dollar on a cup of coffee. Although you didn't harm your little savings account, you also didn't make any progress toward the goal. Maybe the next day, you spend your dollar on a cup of coffee again. Later that day, you can barely keep your eyes open so you decide to have a second cup of coffee. Since you've already spent today's budget, you have to reach into the jar for the coffee money. That day, your total savings went down by one dollar.If you have a lot of days with two cups of coffee, you'll soon be back where you started-with an empty jar, and nothing saved toward your goal of $100.
Dieting works the same way
Just like saving money, each day you stay on your diet, you make progress toward reaching your goal weight. But eating a few extra cookies or skipping your exercise can make the scale stay the same. And on days when you totally exceed your calorie budget, you risk sending the scale in the opposite direction.You can't stay on a diet half the time and expect to see results. Instead, your progress depends on the number of days you actually stick with your designated plan. That means if you follow your diet during the week, but eat whatever you want on the weekends, you'll probably gain weight instead of losing or even maintaining.Do the jar plan for 100 days!Every day you stay solidly on your diet plan, put a dollar in a jar. On days you slip a little but are likely to maintain your weight, give the dollar to someone else. And on any day you overeat enough that you're in the gain mode, give away two dollars-the one in your hand plus another one that you pull from the jar. Instead of overspending on your diet, focus on staying on track and reaching the total of $100!
Linda Spangle, RN, MA, is a weight-loss coach specializing in emotional eating, and the author of 100 Days of Weight Loss, a book of daily lessons that helps people stay committed to their diet and exercise plans.