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!
definitely like this less than part 1 haha. your list was a good starting point – I feel similarly about most of those foods. will continue to keep this in mind as I continue to make food choices to work out what I should be cutting out of my diet. this has been a great exercise.
I don’t really love many desserts, so most pies, cakes & crunchy cookies are on my never list. I try to cut down on calories in other things like brownies, by making them with applesauce & less sugar.
I really like this second part! I often eat high calorie junk food just because it’s available. No more! To remind me and keep me in check, I have a post-it on my refrigerator & pantry that says “Do I really want it TODAY?”
I really like this second part! I often eat high calorie junk food just because it’s available. No more! To remind me and keep me in check, I have a post-it on my refrigerator & pantry that says “Do I really want it TODAY?”
I really like this second part! I often eat high calorie junk food just because it’s available. No more! To remind me and keep me in check, I have a post-it on my refrigerator & pantry that says “Do I really want it TODAY?”
I sent my brother back to the nursing home with 2 bags of chips & candy that I can do without. And by sending them to the nursing home I given the foods to people who do not normally get to splurge at all.
An interesting reframing for me. I unconsciously snack on whatever treat is handy without thought and feel guilty later. This gives me some freedom to splurge on the items that I truly like, but in a wiser manner.
An interesting reframing for me. I unconsciously snack on whatever treat is handy without thought and feel guilty later. This gives me some freedom to splurge on the items that I truly like, but in a wiser manner.
I love milk chocolate but not dark or semi-sweet so that will help. Also if a food is better fresh and hot and it’s not hot just leave it alone! The same thing goes for cold items. If after taking one bite and I don’t love it leave it alone!
I love milk chocolate but not dark or semi-sweet so that will help. Also if a food is better fresh and hot and it’s not hot just leave it alone! The same thing goes for cold items. If after taking one bite and I don’t love it leave it alone!
I love milk chocolate but not dark or semi-sweet so that will help. Also if a food is better fresh and hot and it’s not hot just leave it alone! The same thing goes for cold items. If after taking one bite and I don’t love it leave it alone!
I snack because its there not because I love it. My husbands snacks (chex mix, chips, fritos, candy) aren’t even what I love to eat. He can have more, they will last longer and I have stocked the fridge in bite size fruits and veggie….and with all the water I’ve been drinking I’m not really craving any snacks.
When it comes to wanting something sweet, there are so many things I like. It will be easy to pass some things, but I really love ice cream. My biggest problem with Ice cream is once I buy it and bring it home, it’s all I want. So, I have decided that when nothing else will do, it is best to just buy a scoop in a cup and eat it slowly, savoring every bite. If I don’t bring in a tub, it’ll not be here in the middle of the night.
When it comes to wanting something sweet, there are so many things I like. It will be easy to pass some things, but I really love ice cream. My biggest problem with Ice cream is once I buy it and bring it home, it’s all I want. So, I have decided that when nothing else will do, it is best to just buy a scoop in a cup and eat it slowly, savoring every bite. If I don’t bring in a tub, it’ll not be here in the middle of the night.
When it comes to wanting something sweet, there are so many things I like. It will be easy to pass some things, but I really love ice cream. My biggest problem with Ice cream is once I buy it and bring it home, it’s all I want. So, I have decided that when nothing else will do, it is best to just buy a scoop in a cup and eat it slowly, savoring every bite. If I don’t bring in a tub, it’ll not be here in the middle of the night.
this gives me something to think about, but sometimes when I have a bad craving for something, I eat some unhealthy snack whether I like it or love it, just to satisfiy my craving. I guess I gotta think before I eat whatevers lying around.
Thinking back to what I ate over the weekend, I realized there was a lot of mindless eating of foods I really didn’t care for. There are certain breads I love, but I can forgo the rolls and buns. Plus, all the candy that is just sitting around….well, I’m going to find a happy home for it somewhere else, so it doesn’t end up on my hips.
Thinking back to what I ate over the weekend, I realized there was a lot of mindless eating of foods I really didn’t care for. There are certain breads I love, but I can forgo the rolls and buns. Plus, all the candy that is just sitting around….well, I’m going to find a happy home for it somewhere else, so it doesn’t end up on my hips.
Checking in for Day 9, I’m a little late but I have 15 minutes left here in the Midwestern US 🙂 I’m going to do away completely with my ice cream, may be hard over the summer months but I can do it! Going to check out Day 10 now since I noticed that in my inbox as well!
I will have to revisit this. Being on Whole30 I don’t eat sugar of any kind is grains. So there isn’t much cheating. I do know at holidays and birthdays I will pick one item to enjoy at that event. So a cookie, or a slice of cake but not both and only one piece.