I am very reluctant to discuss anything religious online. I am also not going to try to advise anyone on what they should or should not do if they observe Lent in a traditional or non-traditional manner. I am going to throw out my thoughts and if anything sticks that is fine, if not, that is fine too.

I do observe it myself but for me it is optional.

Last year when making my decisions about what to do or not to do for Lent I realized that being in a calorie deficit meant that I was already giving up something food related. This helped to guide me about what I would choose to do. Last year and this year I have also made my choices with the idea that I should not be too aggressive and end up miserable enough that I could not stick to my plans. I wanted to "feel" it without adding restriction(s) that unraveled everything if that makes sense.

It goes against my personal beliefs to disclose what I did and will do. I typically give up 2 things which I did last year and will do again. I have also decided to add 2 things for the first time. They are small things but I like the idea of "giving up" 10 minutes of my day to do them.

I decided not to do any full day fasting whatsoever last year. Since I am in maintenance this year the idea is back on the table but I am still not sure it is a good idea because of my exercise schedule. In the past fasting days were always pretty still and quiet days. If I do decide to do it this year I doubt it will be more than one single day.

Discuss it if you would like but please keep this confined to trying to balance health goals with any Lent goals you may have.