You have to quit one thing a week for 5 weeks...

Bugger_lugs
Bugger_lugs Posts: 2 Member
edited November 2024 in Getting Started
And stay quit from one forever and four for at least a year...what would you choose?

Hello, I'm new here (well not new but back).
I have set myself a goal to cut out 1 thing a week, for 5 weeks. I intend to start my diet 'properly' on the 11th March.

So heres my 5 'quits':
11th February - Quit smoking (doing this with the help of champix).
18th February - No more fizzy pop drinks.
^^ these are done.

25th February - No more chocolate.
4th March - No more sweets.
11th March - No more crisps.
^^ these are to come.



Quitting smoking is obviously my forever quit. It is what impacts my health the most.
Fizzy drinks are a habit that has got to far (I started to feel I needed a can of cherry cocacola).
Crisps, sweets and chocolate are my nighttime habit/weakness.

Replies

  • Bugger_lugs
    Bugger_lugs Posts: 2 Member
    HappyCampr1 wrote: »
    Congratulations on quitting smoking. I've been smoke free for almost 6 years now due to Chantix and it's wonderful. I can also understand giving up the soda because I hardly drink anything but water and unsweetened tea now myself. As for the others on your list, I hope that works for you. I could never even contemplate giving up the things I love, even for a year. I severely cut back my intake of them, of course, but just the thought of "I can't" wouldn't work for me. I preplan and pre-log my desserts and snacks so I can be sure they fit into my day. Knowing that I'm having a dessert after dinner usually keeps me from wanting other sweets during the day.
    I hope cutting them out works for you, but what happens after a year when you add them back in? Are you going to regain the weight you've lost? If your plan isn't to quit them forever (and it's ok with me if that's what you want to do), then maybe you should take this opportunity to learn how to work them into your life and diet. I've been in maintenance for almost 7 months now and I've found it very easy because I never changed what I ate, only how much I ate. This, I can do forever.
    Again, I wish you luck with your plan.

    ETA - I said I never changed what I ate, but that's not true exactly. In the interest of getting more fiber and potassium, I eat more vegetables and beans than I used to. So, to clarify, i didn't cut anything out of my diet, I just added in new things like the greek yogurt and flaxseed I have for my morning snack.

    Thanks for replying.
    Quitting for a year is purely to make sure I get out the habit. Instead of a treat it has become an every day thing and I don't want that. I hope after a year I will be able to have a small choccy every now and then without it becoming an habit. :)

  • GiveMeCoffee
    GiveMeCoffee Posts: 3,556 Member
    Bugger_lugs wrote: »
    And stay quit from one forever and four for at least a year...what would you choose?

    Hello, I'm new here (well not new but back).
    I have set myself a goal to cut out 1 thing a week, for 5 weeks. I intend to start my diet 'properly' on the 11th March.

    So heres my 5 'quits':
    11th February - Quit smoking (doing this with the help of champix).
    18th February - No more fizzy pop drinks.
    ^^ these are done.

    25th February - No more chocolate.
    4th March - No more sweets.
    11th March - No more crisps.
    ^^ these are to come.



    Quitting smoking is obviously my forever quit. It is what impacts my health the most.
    Fizzy drinks are a habit that has got to far (I started to feel I needed a can of cherry cocacola).
    Crisps, sweets and chocolate are my nighttime habit/weakness.

    Quitting smoking great!

    Other than that, it sounds like you are just going to make this more difficult. Maybe instead of waiting to start dieting on the 11th, start logging now, get used to it, and from there see where you can make some small changes.

    In 2 years what I gave up was: Smoking, being lazy and eating too much all the time. Other than that, I still have a soda, chocolate, nightly sweets they are just included in my day.

    But good luck to you
  • RoxieDawn
    RoxieDawn Posts: 15,487 Member
    Congrats on quitting smoking. Did you do it cold turkey? Either way that is fantastic.

    As far as limited or quitting certain food and drinks, well I think you just evaluate if you have certain cravings for these types of things and eat more of these out side of moderation.

    I quit soda because of the sugar content but replaced it with diet. I do not like to drink my calories other than protein shakes. I also have to have a sweet (chocolate, peanut butter, candy, cookies, ice cream) or this entire change would fail me.

    IIFYM (if it fits your macros) on any give day, have a treat. For starters life is meant to be enjoyed and even with a sweet, a soda, and few chips..
  • riffraff2112
    riffraff2112 Posts: 1,756 Member
    Seems like a smart way to ease into a healthy lifestyle. You may surprise yourself and find you have given something up for life.
    I did a similar thing by giving up bacon and pop temporarily and eventually realized that I didn't miss them.
    I know bacon tastes great, but I got so used to the alternative choices, that I couldn't justify the calories.
    Good luck
  • Wiseandcurious
    Wiseandcurious Posts: 730 Member
    Bugger_lugs wrote: »
    Quitting for a year is purely to make sure I get out the habit. Instead of a treat it has become an every day thing and I don't want that. I hope after a year I will be able to have a small choccy every now and then without it becoming an habit. :)

    Congratulations on quitting smoking! Also congrats on deciding to crate new habits/drop old ones. I am wondering though if with this approach you are not unnecessarily doubling your work?

    Here is what I mean. You want, if I understand correctly, to replace the habit of overeating/being dependent on some things with a new habit of consumin them in moderation. But dropping the old habit does not in itself create new habits - if it did, people would nit return to their old way of eating after weight loss. You will still have to work just as hard on creating the new habit. After learning not to eat something for a year, you will have to try just as hard to learn the new skill of eating it in moderation.

    Why not call it "replacing one habit per week" and each corresponding week, begin to take one thing in moderation only from that point on? Moderation is a process and is learnable.

    Now, I know some foods/drinks are triggers for some people, so you might be better off cutting one or some of those things completely, you are the best judge of that. But I doubt all 4 of the thing a you plan to cut out along with tobacco are triggers foods?

    Just a thought. Good luck with your health journey!
  • GiveMeCoffee
    GiveMeCoffee Posts: 3,556 Member
    riffraff2112 wrote: »
    Seems like a smart way to ease into a healthy lifestyle. You may surprise yourself and find you have given something up for life.
    I did a similar thing by giving up bacon and pop temporarily and eventually realized that I didn't miss them.
    I know bacon tastes great, but I got so used to the alternative choices, that I couldn't justify the calories.
    Good luck

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  • Kandicarebear
    Kandicarebear Posts: 1 Member
    I'm a crisp FIEND!!!!! I decided to give up crisps since January this year, I have snacked on whole grain bites and rice cakes but that's my limited. I said to myself, "nutritionally I don't need them, so why eat them. A day would not go by without me eating a huge bag of hand poked chips. I'm trying to focus on nutritional foods rather than what my palette likes. Good luck all!
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