Challenge: Let's Give Something Up

SLLRunner · August 2014

In my office building there is a little convenience store thing that sells snack food/soda/water and lately I've been frequenting this store a little too much. I've been thinking for a while that I need to give up this bad habit because it is really starting to hinder my weight loss efforts, but I need some accountability.

So.... I'm going to offer up a challenge for anyone who wants to join me in giving up something that that's been slowing down/preventing their weight loss or general health. We can support, encourage, and provide accountability to each other. Let's start with a week and go from there.

Introduce yourself and let us know what you will be giving up.

Who is with me???

I will be giving up nothing.

It was only when I gave up nothing that I started losing weight. I eat all the foods I love, I just eat them in moderation.

That said, I support you and those who feel need to give up something. Good luck to you!

doctorregenerated · August 2014

The OP is trying to give up a bad habit - the habit of mindless eating. That's a great goal!
I will join you with giving up reaching for a snack when I am stressed out. Instead I will grab my little notebook I bought and write down what's bothering me.
Good luck to us on our way to great health!!

It's not "mindless" if you account for it accordingly... not everyone who enjoys a cupcake is a uncontrollable tardbucket.

OK. Lets begin with "Tardbucket."
Who exactly are you calling that? And why are you name calling? What a terrible thing to do.

Of course "not everyone" is uncontrollable with a cupcake. Most of the world is filled with people who eat in moderation because its healthy and normal. Good for them! But there's a whole other group of people that have trigger foods - foods that make them want to eat more. For those people, there are steps that may be helpful for them to take. First, stop eating the trigger food for a little while. Get in the right headspace, and then begin to reintroduce the food again if necessary or desired, but in a controlled way.

But most importantly, none of this is applicable to this particular situation. The OP is giving up a habit, not a food. The habit is going into a food store with the intention of eating just because they are bored. This is not a good habit. The OP knows it. We all know it. So the OP is trying to stop that behavior.

angelexperiment · August 2014

The OP is trying to give up a bad habit - the habit of mindless eating. That's a great goal!
I will join you with giving up reaching for a snack when I am stressed out. Instead I will grab my little notebook I bought and write down what's bothering me.
Good luck to us on our way to great health!!

It's not "mindless" if you account for it accordingly... not everyone who enjoys a cupcake is a uncontrollable tardbucket.

you're missing the point. this doesnt apply to you, cool. for some, moderation simply doesnt work for certain foods and the best option is to temporarily cut them out as to avoid overeating or a binge.

im giving up booze for august, just to see how it goes. if i lose 5+ lbs ill stick it out another month or two

(Moderation can apply to anyone, except maybe an alcoholic or drug addict)

i agree, it can. doesnt make it better or easier than omitting something entirely. if i have a chip, im gonna want another chip, and another, and another. once i get the taste of one chip, the cravings get pretty intense. but hey, if i dont eat a chip, no craving. so why not avoid that temptation to eat a second and a third by omitting the first? moderation is a good strategy but if having a certain food increases the cravings for it, it can be counter-productive

maybe only binge eaters can relate, i dont know. but this is something that actually significantly helps with specific cravings

angelexperiment · August 2014

I agree. Not all people have that ability to control by moderation which I have tried to do but skipping the item is just more of a better choice for me because I am a binge eater at times. I just have to eat it all if it tastes yummy. Also the out of sight works for me too. I have to have food hidden to not eat it if I am not in that mental space where I can control myself. Now this obviously is not all people. I have to say learning to rid myself of unhealthy eating habits like eating when not hungry, eating after full, eating beyond calories, blah de blah. I have to cut out the unhealthy to learn to be healthy. Also I had to learn to do that store thing, I had to stop buying certain items while there. I had to avoid going there for awhile. Then when I was strong I could go and not buy that item every time. Its like weaning off a bad habit. Walk around the building two times then go in buy only a water a banana or some fruit. Tell yourself it is not worth it, I want to be a lean mean fatburning machine!

NYCGirl763 · August 2014

I agree. For those of you that don't have to "give up" anything, good for you! I for one have to totally give up potato chips because I cannot eat just a few of them. Maybe down the road I will be able to do it, but not today or tomorrow. I think this was a great challenge!