Day 8: Splurge Strategically Part 1 | 30-Day Weight Loss-athon
Time for Day 8 of the 30-Day Weight Loss-athon. If you go crazy trying to deny yourself food that diet boot-campers forbid, then today’s 10 minutes could restore your sanity.
Read the steps first, then take 10 minutes to think about them and take action.Ready?
What You Need:
- Your sanity, right?
Step 1
First, before anyone starts planning a lifetime of lettuce and lima beans, let’s take a reality check about what’s forever forbidden.
I adore chocolate and a lot of what’s considered junk food – burgers, fries, pizza, chips, and cookies. People are always asking me how I can eat that stuff yet stay slim. The answer is: I splurge strategically.
Splurging strategically helps me to stay slim and – just as important for a chocoholic – it helps me to stay sane.
But there are two keys to splurging strategically – knowing what to eat sometimes, which we’ll tackle today, and knowing what to eat pretty much never, which we’ll deal with tomorrow.
Step 2
With all things ‘naughty’ or calorific, there’s only one solution to staying slim and staying sane: If you love it, eat it sometimes.
- If you eat it all the time, then you’ll get fat. It’s cause and effect: cruel, but unavoidable.
- If you don’t let yourself eat it at all, then you’ll go berserk – and eventually binge. Then you’ll be crazy and fat. Oopsie.
By letting yourself strategically enjoy the foods you love, you avoid feeling deprived, which stops you sabotaging your own weight-loss efforts.
The big proviso here is the word strategically. You can’t make treats a habit – they need to come out only when you want to satisfy a strong desire.
Maybe you’re one of those fabled individuals who’ve mastered emotional eating. (Note: 52 Weight Loss Missions customers, we deal with this tricky topic in Mission 43: Address Emotional Eating – Part 1 and Address Emotional Eating – Part 2). Well then, yay for you.
But for the rest of us, a little chocolate, cake or ice cream when you’ve had a crummy day is not the worst thing in the world, and can be an effective way to release the pressure valve now and then.
In the same way, something delicious and calorific when you really crave it can be pretty cool.
I’ll say it another way so there’s no misunderstanding: you cannot have these treats as a standard, habitual part of your diet: have them only when you really feel like them.
So make the decision that when it comes to high-calorie treats, you’ll eat only the foods you love, and only when you really feel like them. And when you do, thoroughly enjoy them.
Step 3
Okay, so we’ve agreed that it’s okay to have the things you really love when you really feel like them.
To help you avoid them the rest of the time, we need this final step.
Whatever treats you decide you want to have in your house, don’t have them in plain view.
Keep them out of the pantry or any place where you may accidentally come across them. Put them in a box or bag (not a clear one) and store them in a cupboard you don’t use. They’ll be there when you really feel like them, but they won’t pop out and tempt youwhen you weren’t even thinking about them.
And if you like, pop a post-it on there that says something like,
‘I can have this if I really want it. Do I really want it?’
Step 4
But wait, there’s more. The splurge strategically concept has two parts to it – so please be sure to check back for tomorrow’s action.
Check in!
And you’re done! Be sure to leave your comment below to check in and stay accountable.
If you’re reading this by email or in a reader then please click here to leave your comment. See you tomorrow!
Should have read this before I splurged on Easter candy. But now I don’t feel quite so guilty and I know I will be back on plan. And it’s o.k. to splurge *sometimes*.
I love peanut butter and chocolate esp together! So I need to remember that it should be a treat in moderation not an everyday thing!
I love peanut butter and chocolate esp together! So I need to remember that it should be a treat in moderation not an everyday thing!
I love the idea of strategic planning. I am less inclined to deprive then binge when i know that i can have favorite foods sometimes.
I love the idea of strategic planning. I am less inclined to deprive then binge when i know that i can have favorite foods sometimes.
I find that if I keep my favs on hand they are not that special, so I don’t want them as much. It’s when I tell myself that I can’t have it that I really want it. I try not to deny myself, but maybe that’s part of the problem. LOL I will have to be more “strategic” in my choices.
I find that if I keep my favs on hand they are not that special, so I don’t want them as much. It’s when I tell myself that I can’t have it that I really want it. I try not to deny myself, but maybe that’s part of the problem. LOL I will have to be more “strategic” in my choices.
Well, I took a decision not to buy choclate and chips (I’m not a fan of chips, but better yet).. If I really crave it I’ll go bye one piece of my favorate choclate brands. It’s safer that way as it needs more effort! usually 10 min without it will make the crave less and less!
Well, I took a decision not to buy choclate and chips (I’m not a fan of chips, but better yet).. If I really crave it I’ll go bye one piece of my favorate choclate brands. It’s safer that way as it needs more effort! usually 10 min without it will make the crave less and less!
I splurged on eating two miniture size of choclate whoppers I ate the whole thing. But there was so much more candy, proud I only had two.
I splurged on eating two miniture size of choclate whoppers I ate the whole thing. But there was so much more candy, proud I only had two.
I’ll have to think about that when I’m done with my Whole30 challenge. I’m thinking a couple of Hersheys chocolate nuggets on Saturday!
I’ll have to think about that when I’m done with my Whole30 challenge. I’m thinking a couple of Hersheys chocolate nuggets on Saturday!
I love this one! I had to laugh, Michelle you have a way with words. 🙂 A good friend.
gave me this advice. When you are craving something that will bring a negative to your plan, say to yourself, “I know what this tastes like and I will enjoy it again just not right now.” It can be a strong tool at times. 🙂
I love this one! I had to laugh, Michelle you have a way with words. 🙂 A good friend.
gave me this advice. When you are craving something that will bring a negative to your plan, say to yourself, “I know what this tastes like and I will enjoy it again just not right now.” It can be a strong tool at times. 🙂
When I know there is something in the cupboard that’s not good for me to eat a lot of I try and forget its in there so I don’t have the urges to eat it.
When I know there is something in the cupboard that’s not good for me to eat a lot of I try and forget its in there so I don’t have the urges to eat it.
well this day couldve went better, I probably had a bit too much chocolate, but I did well eating the easter supper, I had small portions and ate salad first.
It was my birthday…. and I didn’t even want dessert! But then the next day I let myself have 2 pb cups.
It was my birthday…. and I didn’t even want dessert! But then the next day I let myself have 2 pb cups.