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!
Some high calorie foodsthat I could do without are chips. My kids like Cheetos so I enjoy a few of those once in a while but regular chips~> goodbye! I enjoy chocolate bars as well as brownies and cakes but the chocolate bars are only certain types and cakes and brownies, only if I make it myself (and with a busy schedule, there is not much time to bake a batch of brownies unless I REALLY want them). I cook a lot at home and we eat out once a week (unless there is some major reason we cannot cook at home) and it is usually friday night we eat out which my fav place to eat out is Dominos Pizza. once in a while we do a special meal but going out to a place like that with five children… yeah right..
I still drink my coffee but I have gone sugar free and I use stevia instead of sugar. and I have reduced my coffee to only in morning or mid morning. I allow myself one 12oz can of diet soda and that is usually with dinner, the rest of the day it is my flavored water.
Back in the summer I bought myself a pair of Nine West Jeans, They were not stretchy and they seemed a little smaller than the rest of the jeans I bought that day. They were too tight even for me so I put them away. Anyway, I have been walking on the treadmil every day. Several times throughout the day for 10 to 15 mins at a time. And folllowing the program Actually both programs (52WLM). Just for grins and giggles I pulled them out today and guess what? I slipped my Nine West Jeans on and they feel GREAT! Thank You!
Some high calorie foodsthat I could do without are chips. My kids like Cheetos so I enjoy a few of those once in a while but regular chips~> goodbye! I enjoy chocolate bars as well as brownies and cakes but the chocolate bars are only certain types and cakes and brownies, only if I make it myself (and with a busy schedule, there is not much time to bake a batch of brownies unless I REALLY want them). I cook a lot at home and we eat out once a week (unless there is some major reason we cannot cook at home) and it is usually friday night we eat out which my fav place to eat out is Dominos Pizza. once in a while we do a special meal but going out to a place like that with five children… yeah right..
I still drink my coffee but I have gone sugar free and I use stevia instead of sugar. and I have reduced my coffee to only in morning or mid morning. I allow myself one 12oz can of diet soda and that is usually with dinner, the rest of the day it is my flavored water.
Back in the summer I bought myself a pair of Nine West Jeans, They were not stretchy and they seemed a little smaller than the rest of the jeans I bought that day. They were too tight even for me so I put them away. Anyway, I have been walking on the treadmil every day. Several times throughout the day for 10 to 15 mins at a time. And folllowing the program Actually both programs (52WLM). Just for grins and giggles I pulled them out today and guess what? I slipped my Nine West Jeans on and they feel GREAT! Thank You!
That’s wonderful advice. I all too often take food for granted so I am not enjoying it as much as food should be enjoyed. Really like the Idea of smart splurging. Instead I will call it Savoring. You are not truely savoring your food if you over indulge in every treat that comes along. I will definately put this good advice to practice.
That’s wonderful advice. I all too often take food for granted so I am not enjoying it as much as food should be enjoyed. Really like the Idea of smart splurging. Instead I will call it Savoring. You are not truely savoring your food if you over indulge in every treat that comes along. I will definately put this good advice to practice.
That’s wonderful advice. I all too often take food for granted so I am not enjoying it as much as food should be enjoyed. Really like the Idea of smart splurging. Instead I will call it Savoring. You are not truely savoring your food if you over indulge in every treat that comes along. I will definately put this good advice to practice.
ah, now this is the tricky one for me! I have never been known to turn down a sweet or calorie laden food. Which is probably why I am where I am! My bf teases me about it all the time, but we’re really both the same way. If someone offers me a treat of any sort, I can’t help but take it, even if I don’t like it all that much. I know what I need to work on now!
I definitely can d without alcohol and ice cream. I’m also discovering that many granola bars have become less appealing. That leaves room for the things I love like chocolate, cookies, and other things I can’t live without. I’ve been seeing results that I don’t want to lose by splurging on something I don’t love.
I definitely can d without alcohol and ice cream. I’m also discovering that many granola bars have become less appealing. That leaves room for the things I love like chocolate, cookies, and other things I can’t live without. I’ve been seeing results that I don’t want to lose by splurging on something I don’t love.
I definitely can d without alcohol and ice cream. I’m also discovering that many granola bars have become less appealing. That leaves room for the things I love like chocolate, cookies, and other things I can’t live without. I’ve been seeing results that I don’t want to lose by splurging on something I don’t love.
Checking In!
Love it ore Leave it — a good help!
Love it ore Leave it — a good help!
I bought my kids a bag of Easter candy that I am not tempted by 🙂
I bought my kids a bag of Easter candy that I am not tempted by 🙂
I can do without fast foods. So I will pack healthy snacks for the car when I head out for a long day of errands.
I can do without fast foods. So I will pack healthy snacks for the car when I head out for a long day of errands.
That seems easy enough, if you don’t LOVE it, don’t eat it. I can live with that.
I love popcorn, but not all popcorn taste the same. So I will only eat the kind that I really like and stop considering the kinds I don’t like.
I love popcorn, but not all popcorn taste the same. So I will only eat the kind that I really like and stop considering the kinds I don’t like.
I love popcorn, but not all popcorn taste the same. So I will only eat the kind that I really like and stop considering the kinds I don’t like.