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!
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See you tomorrow!
Well, since having to go gluten free cakes and cookies have become very difficult so I will put those on my don’t bother. I will save my splurges for my favorite ice creams.
No problem with the alcoholic drinks but soda will be replaced with water. I can bypass donuts and greasy pastries easily. Now dark chocolate is a favorite so small chunk for a treat will be welcomed.
Well, since having to go gluten free cakes and cookies have become very difficult so I will put those on my don’t bother. I will save my splurges for my favorite ice creams.
Well, since having to go gluten free cakes and cookies have become very difficult so I will put those on my don’t bother. I will save my splurges for my favorite ice creams.
Said good-bye to many of these years ago. I really don’t enjoy hard candy unless I’m nursing a sore throat. Don’t like many sweet things with cooked fruit…pies, tarts, etc. Love the rich and sweet, just have to get myself to enjoy 1 serving and don’t double the recipe!
Said good-bye to many of these years ago. I really don’t enjoy hard candy unless I’m nursing a sore throat. Don’t like many sweet things with cooked fruit…pies, tarts, etc. Love the rich and sweet, just have to get myself to enjoy 1 serving and don’t double the recipe!
Store bought cake (the generic “fill in the blank space” ones) I can do without, forever. I love cake. But I love homemade cake. Why waste my splurge on what I don’t like? The first thing that popped in mind since they just brought one in the office. 😉
Store bought cake (the generic “fill in the blank space” ones) I can do without, forever. I love cake. But I love homemade cake. Why waste my splurge on what I don’t like? The first thing that popped in mind since they just brought one in the office. 😉
The things I can eliminate are muffins (not filling or satisfying), cake/cupcakes and definitely pies. I’ve also learned to use whole wheat pasta instead of the white stuff–still tastes the same to me!
The things I can eliminate are muffins (not filling or satisfying), cake/cupcakes and definitely pies. I’ve also learned to use whole wheat pasta instead of the white stuff–still tastes the same to me!
The things I can eliminate are muffins (not filling or satisfying), cake/cupcakes and definitely pies. I’ve also learned to use whole wheat pasta instead of the white stuff–still tastes the same to me!
This is a really useful strategy I never thought of, becoming really selective about the stuff you really love, sometimes when you comfort eat you don’t even think if you really like what you eat.
Love Salt & Vinegar chips; don’t need plain chips. MUST HAVE Reese’s (only regular size, not small) but can do without most other chocolate. Coworker brought in Peeps…not at all difficult to stay away from those. Whew!
Love Salt & Vinegar chips; don’t need plain chips. MUST HAVE Reese’s (only regular size, not small) but can do without most other chocolate. Coworker brought in Peeps…not at all difficult to stay away from those. Whew!
Love Salt & Vinegar chips; don’t need plain chips. MUST HAVE Reese’s (only regular size, not small) but can do without most other chocolate. Coworker brought in Peeps…not at all difficult to stay away from those. Whew!
Good point. I vow to henceforth resist all the fries and junk I only sort of like and wait for the good stuff. Incidentally, I’ve stopped buying the kids the cheap candies when candy is called for. Most of it tastes like wax anyway. I get them one or two Lindors or Lindt instead of a bag of cheap stuff.
Good point. I vow to henceforth resist all the fries and junk I only sort of like and wait for the good stuff. Incidentally, I’ve stopped buying the kids the cheap candies when candy is called for. Most of it tastes like wax anyway. I get them one or two Lindors or Lindt instead of a bag of cheap stuff.
Good point. I vow to henceforth resist all the fries and junk I only sort of like and wait for the good stuff. Incidentally, I’ve stopped buying the kids the cheap candies when candy is called for. Most of it tastes like wax anyway. I get them one or two Lindors or Lindt instead of a bag of cheap stuff.
Not a huge fan of snacks and sweets (do enjoy chocolate tho!) but I indulged on something I have been trying to avoid at all cost…bread. I had 2-45 calorie slices of bread toasted for breakfast and…it was lovely! I truly could eat my weight in bread and knowing this has saved me countless calories. Thanks!
I find that I’m already giving some things up — just because. I’m not a huge fan of cake, so it’s easy for me to skip it. What I need to do more, is snacking just because I can or because I’m bored and it’s something to do. If I do decide to snack, I need to pick up a few carrots, etc, instead of a scoop of ice cream, chips, etc. Baby steps, baby steps…