Word of the month: January

Abstinent (adj.): abstaining or withholding from, especially from self-indulgence

This word may usually refer to abstinence from the carnal pleasures, but in my case, I think I will be taking it to the self-discipline level for this month.

For me, self indulgence comes in two main forms
-food: when I crave something, I get it. No holding back.
-spending money: oh boy. This month I have spent a ridiculous amount of money on a variety of things and am beyond broke. From nights out to shows to clothes to ambitious endeavors...I have a shopping/spending money problem. Is there spendaholics anonymous?

As for taking control of my food, my goal this month is going to be almost Lent-like. I want to give up all the self-indulgent foods. No chips, no fries, no snacky items. Stick to the natural & fresh foods. I will have to allot myself some sort of treat now & again, because the more I crave it, the worse it will be. But there is no reason to go out & buy a bag of chips instead of making myself a normal dinner (even if they're baked) knowing full well that I will probably end up eating the whole package in one or two sittings. Plus I can work on replacing those indulgences with healthier indulgences like fitness. Or at least fruit.

The spending indulgences are going to be a little harder to get control of, but I am working at it. Some of the food indulgences play into the spending indulgences like eating out, buying my lunch instead of making it, and staying away from spending frivilously on unhealthy and unsatisfying foods. I can certainly curb the eating out part. Buying lunch can be avoided if I plan my meals out a bit more. And the unhealthy foods thing will come with dedication. And I have to try really hard to curb all my other shopping indulgences...the clothing spree, the arts & crafts, the entertainment expenses...this could be tragic.

Anyway--this is getting long, but the word of the month is Abstinence. Let's see how this goes. I have to come up with a plan.

Until next time