Back in the fat old days, whenever you did something you were proud of, how did you reward yourself? If you are like most of us, you probably treated yourself to something like a candy bar, an ice cream cone, or maybe dinner at a restaurant.

What do you get at a congratulatory party? Lots of rich food. The mathematical formula seems to be: success = reward, reward = food.

This approach has drawbacks when you are trying to drop a bunch of pounds. You lose some weight. You feel happy and you want to celebrate. So what comes to mind? A bag of cookies, perhaps? Can you spot the flaw in this little drama? Somehow, you need to find other ways to celebrate without the caloric overload.

Unfortunately for us foodies, it takes some rethinking to come up with non-food rewards. Fortunately, they do exist. Here are some non-food rewards that can work for you:

How about a new bottle of cologne or perfume? Take a luxurious bath or shower, then dab on some of your prize.

You could go shopping for an especially nice piece of clothing that now fits in your sleek new size. Make it something really nice.

Maybe you’re ready for a new gadget — a fancy new phone, music player, camera, video game, or a computer upgrade. If you’re celebrating a really big achievement, maybe a new TV — or even a new home theater.

You could go ahead and get the DVD or DVD set of a favorite show or movie that you’ve been wanting.

Or add some new music to your collection.

Tickets to a desired concert or show make a great prize. Just remember to go easy on the snacking.

More possibilities:

• A book you really want to read.
• A trip to the zoo. Be sure to visit the petting area!
• Any sort of toy or stuffed animal that you really like.
• Anything else you want or need, but have been putting off.

Pretty soon you will create a list of your own favorite rewards. And remember — you can repeat these anytime you like!