I gave up buying candy for Lent, but since I still have such a stash it hasn’t slowed my actual consumption. However, there have been other effects.

I drastically cut down my consumption of pop a year ago. It is probably healthy for me. I have contented myself to just having my daily hot chocolate at work. Then I made the mistake of looking at the nutrition information. If I have two hot chocolates, it is the same as one can of Coke. Actually reading the nutritional information of any product can scare you with the amount of sugar. So, I have found myself stopping having a hot chocolate in the afternoon.

And the weird thing is that I can feel the difference. After lunch I start craving something. I can ignore it, but it is definitely there. So apparently I have a sugar addiction. I don’t feel any healthier from my self-denial. For all I know I’m crankier.

For Friday lunch I usually buy something from the bistro next door, along with a dessert. By dinner, yesterday, I was accused of being wired. So maybe that brownie is affecting me more.

And once again Lent is upon us. As I’ve stated before, I’m not religious, but I like the tradition of self-denial.
As usual, the interesting thing is figuring out what to give up.
About a year ago I drastically dropped the amount of soft drinks I consume. I now only have a Coke when I need a shot of caffeine to stay awake. But that is not a common occurrence, maybe once a month if that. I believe it has helped me be thinner. (I can’t say it has helped me lose weight because that fluctuates too much because of muscle gain/loss.)
I regularly drink a hot chocolate at work, once a day, because it is nice to have something warm to drink, and I don’t like coffee. Then I made the mistake of reading the nutrition info. Like everything else, it has more sugar than I would like.
I’m seeing friends give up sugar, and I’m thinking that might be the way to go. But there are quality-of-life issues. Besides, on some runs I need quick energy. But I think I’ve come up with a good compromise.
For Lent I will give up buying sweet things.
This is far more effective than anything else. I admit I have a problem; I like to buy sweets and candies. Unfortunately, I have no real need to eat them. So my place has been filling up with very good chocolates and candies that have not been getting eaten fast enough. It will be a real accomplishment if I don’t buy any new ones. Maybe I can make some progress on getting rid of the ones I already have.