Day 9: Splurge Strategically Part 2 | 30-Day Weight Loss-athon
It’s Day 9 of the 30-Day Weight Loss-athon. Time for part two of our secret splurging weapon.
Read the steps first, then take 10 minutes to think about them and take action. Ready?
What You Need:
- Honesty.
Step 1
First, let’s recap. There are two keys to splurging strategically – knowing what to eat sometimes, which we talked about yesterday, and knowing what to eat pretty much never, which we’ll turn to now.
So here’s the all-important second part of the splurge strategically concept: If you don’t love it, eat it never.
It’s not enough to only eat your beloved treats on the occasions you really want them, as we discussed yesterday. You also have to say sayonara to those calorie-saturated foods you don’t love.
Step 2
This part of the deal is crucial. You now have to be super-honest about the high-calorie foods you don’t care that much about. Sure they might be pretty yummy, but unless they totally tickle your toes, don’t waste your splurge calories on them.
Here are some ways I put this into practice:
- I adore chocolate – but not if it’s too creamy. If I’m offered creamy chocolates, I happily say no thanks, and save myself for the harder stuff.
- I love fries – but only if they’re golden and well cooked. I always ask for my fries to be well done, but any time they’re not, I leave them on the plate.
- To be honest I could take or leave cake. So I always leave it.
- If my dessert is served with ice cream, I have just enough ice cream to go with the dessert, and leave the rest. Ditto fudges and sauces.
- I love burgers but often find the bun too big, so I happily leave half the bun.
- Pizza is a favorite. Garlic bread is expendable, so I always skip it.
- I really enjoy red wine, champagne and the occasional G&T. The rest, including most cocktails, I graciously decline.
- If I’m eating anything high-calorie and not loving it, I abandon it pronto. It’s not worth wasting my precious splurges on anything sub-par.
In some ways this is a psychological chicken-and-egg. You find it hard not to want everything if you’ve never let yourself enjoy the special things. So you have to kind of ease in to allowing yourself occasional treats.
But once you get used to the idea that you can have your most-loved treats, you’ll start to feel okay about saying a haughty no thanks to the other stuff, which you’ll soon come to regard as extremely blah.
Step 3
So now it’s time to take action. Decide on the high-calorie foods you used to eat, but that you don’t truly, madly, deeply love, and let them go. Toss them, give them away, burn them in a ritual.
Save yourself for the good stuff.
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!
I am not buying many snacks to keep at the house because no one t home needs them. That will help me to not snack on them when I m not really hungry and on’t really love them.
I’ve got to check out the bread area and the least calories. LOVE bagels, french or any crust type breads but can easily eat a hamburger without a bun. Like my bread toasted usually. I did refrain from any bread at Easter dinner though!
I’ve got to check out the bread area and the least calories. LOVE bagels, french or any crust type breads but can easily eat a hamburger without a bun. Like my bread toasted usually. I did refrain from any bread at Easter dinner though!
Love In&Out burgers hate the fries but I eat the fries. Like a sweet martini don’t like cheap wine but have drank the cheap wine. Love cherry vanilla ice cream but have settled for some other ice cream. Hmmmmmm, I definitely see a pattern. What really bugs is when I eat the other stuff, it’s so not satisfying. No more, saving myself for what I really want and no substitutes. Thanks!
Love In&Out burgers hate the fries but I eat the fries. Like a sweet martini don’t like cheap wine but have drank the cheap wine. Love cherry vanilla ice cream but have settled for some other ice cream. Hmmmmmm, I definitely see a pattern. What really bugs is when I eat the other stuff, it’s so not satisfying. No more, saving myself for what I really want and no substitutes. Thanks!
Love In&Out burgers hate the fries but I eat the fries. Like a sweet martini don’t like cheap wine but have drank the cheap wine. Love cherry vanilla ice cream but have settled for some other ice cream. Hmmmmmm, I definitely see a pattern. What really bugs is when I eat the other stuff, it’s so not satisfying. No more, saving myself for what I really want and no substitutes. Thanks!
I love everyone’s comments so far! This is a hard one for me. I was diagnosed gluten intolerant last summer, and I’ve felt justified in all sweets because hey, I had already given up my favorites: donuts, cream puffs, etc. But it’s time to get real about the other foods I really can survive without. So okay, I don’t care much for milk/white chocolate. I’ll go with semisweet/dark only from now on. Also, random candy that I don’t really like, but I eat cause it’s around. Potato chips are something I eat not because I love them, but because they’re gluten free, so they will need to go too!
Great idea. I need to use this every time I contemplate eating anything. One thing I like to do is set aside one meal a week where I can eat anything I want (not necessarily as much as I want, but any food I want). That helps keep me on track the rest of the week, knowing I can splurge on whatever I’m craving in a few days.
Great idea. I need to use this every time I contemplate eating anything. One thing I like to do is set aside one meal a week where I can eat anything I want (not necessarily as much as I want, but any food I want). That helps keep me on track the rest of the week, knowing I can splurge on whatever I’m craving in a few days.
Great idea. I need to use this every time I contemplate eating anything. One thing I like to do is set aside one meal a week where I can eat anything I want (not necessarily as much as I want, but any food I want). That helps keep me on track the rest of the week, knowing I can splurge on whatever I’m craving in a few days.
I was given a baag of Hersehy drops for a work project I was on. I did not eat them, instead I put the bag in the common area, near the coffee pot, so that others can enjoy it!
I was given a baag of Hersehy drops for a work project I was on. I did not eat them, instead I put the bag in the common area, near the coffee pot, so that others can enjoy it!
Hey. I think I’ve got this! I wrote down the “I really love “naughty” foods”, and happily there are only six! None of them have a place in the house. The second part — avoid the high-calorie foods I really don’t love — will be a bit more work as it revolves around planning meals to take with me to avoid the drive-thrus. It will be some work, but I know I’ll be okay.
It’s really true…..and sometimes after a couple of bites of something I’ve had enough but I just keep eating it because it’s in my hand. I like this challenge because I don’t have to give things up completely – just be smart about my splurging.
It’s really true…..and sometimes after a couple of bites of something I’ve had enough but I just keep eating it because it’s in my hand. I like this challenge because I don’t have to give things up completely – just be smart about my splurging.
Can do without chips, whipped cream and extra sauces. Also need to say goodbye to candy just for an energy boost. Don’t really need Mr. Donuts.
Okay-been on a bit of a hiatus because of sickness ’round these parts. But, I’m feeling better-on my treadmill today and did some free weights and now it’s back to life. I cannot “forbid” foods, it just causes me more damage. But, I love her take on LOVE IT or LEAVE IT to splurge with purpose. One trick I use for chocolate is keeping it in my freezer. If I’m really desperate, I take it out to defrost before enjoying. If I’m not, it can wait because it cannot be instantly consumed….. I’m still learning to master my emotional eating……baby steps, right?
Okay-been on a bit of a hiatus because of sickness ’round these parts. But, I’m feeling better-on my treadmill today and did some free weights and now it’s back to life. I cannot “forbid” foods, it just causes me more damage. But, I love her take on LOVE IT or LEAVE IT to splurge with purpose. One trick I use for chocolate is keeping it in my freezer. If I’m really desperate, I take it out to defrost before enjoying. If I’m not, it can wait because it cannot be instantly consumed….. I’m still learning to master my emotional eating……baby steps, right?
Pingback: The Good-Girl-Bad-Girl Diet Dilemma | 52 WLM
Pingback: Day 10: Detox Your Diet Supplies | 30-Day Weight Loss-athon | 52 WLM