Categories: uncategorized
Date: 06 February 2005 21:52:51
I've sort-of decided that I'm going to give up chocolate and Coca-Cola for Lent. Along with this, I'm going to try and give up other sweet things, too, but I might give myself a bit of leeway on this and not beat myself up if I succumb to a biscuit or a non-caffeinated fizzy drink. It was a great source of joy to me when I discovered the idea that you're supposed to break your fast each Sunday, as they are feast days (it also solved the puzzle of how Lent can run from a Wednesday to a Saturday, and yet have forty days). Hopefully abstaining for six days at a time will get me used to the idea that I can do without things, without producing the despairing 'I can't have that for six whole weeks!' thing.
Chocolate is one of the classic Lenten fasts of modern times, and I guess this is because many of us love it and use it as an emotional support as well as a tasty cluster of calories. So giving it up challenges us not to rely on our usual comfort strategies. Coke in my case is more of a habit I've got into - it's my favourite soft drink, and I tend to drink a can with my lunch on workdays, and a pint when I go to the pub, which is usually 2 or 3 times a week.
A part of me (probably my Critical Parent or whatever it's called) says dispensing with the comfort-sweets is not a good fast - it's something I Ought To Do anyway, and that it will probably result in weight loss, which will be something of benefit to me, and that that's Not The Idea. For the time being, I'm telling the Critical Parent to belt up - taking care of myself and getting rid of unhelpful patterns has to be a Good Thing.
My real-life (and delightfully un-Critical) parents have just been for the weekend, and I was talking to my mum about going back to a slimming club, which is currently working well for her. But I think it just reminded me of why I hate slimming clubs, and just surfing the Weight Watchers website I could feel rebellion mode kicking in. So maybe I'm on my own (in a good way).