#Prohibition2016 Challenge

#ProHibition2016 (1)

On Monday, Feb 17th through Thursday March 17th, Sweat is challenging you to join us in #Prohibition2016.  This is a month long food challenge where you TAKE AWAY a particular food or drink which has a controlling or trigger effect in your eating patterns.

In other words, it’s ANY food or drink, which you consume in excess because you find yourself having to use too much will power to stop.

This challenge is HARD but done collectively as a group IN COMBINATION with REPLACEMENT TECHNIQUES works like a charm in habit change and, in turn, fat loss.

For example, I am giving up any and all nut butters, although for sure I have my deepest love affair with peanut butter.

And in and of itself THERE IS NOTHING “BAD” ABOUT PEANUT BUTTER.  It’s how easily, for me, personally, this food can go from one of my #bingeprevention #cravinghacks to becoming a #triggerfood into excess.

Peanut butter can go from a 2 TB/day type thing to a 1/2 cup indulgence if I don’t watch it… a scoop here, a scoop there… it adds up fast and since my metabolism does not do well with high fat foods, I have to be aware of my behavior with this delicious to spread fat.

TAKE 2 MINUTES RIGHT NOW… WHAT FOOD OR DRINK HAS A “TRIGGER” EFFECT ON YOU????

REPLACEMENTS

You can take this challenge and just be all “I’m a bad ass look how strong my will power is” or you can USE THIS CHALLENGE for real habit change.  This is truly what we are trying to accomplish with this.  Deprivation techniques are NOT SUSTAINABLE in the long run.  We all know this.  The research is clear that deprivation alone DOES NOT create lasting change.

For #Prohibition2016 to be effective for you and decrease the #SpringBreakFear that is rising you absolutely must open your mind to having a replacement food/drink that offers your will power relief when those cravings begin.

Oh… and craving will come!

They will come in waves especially if this food is ritualistic in nature for you… you eat/drink it at particular times of day or week or in response to stress.

*** Cravings have about a 20 min PEAK where it feels almost PRIMAL to just go back to the old habit.  HERE IS WHERE YOUR replacements will SAVE YOU FROM YOURSELF and your habit change demons….

THE 3 E’s to REPLACEMENT:

  1.  EYE CATCHING- Replacements have to be as visible if not MORE visible than what you are giving up!  If you open up the pantry 10 times a day and your child’s Chex Mix that you have sworn off is front and center, then you have asked your will power to be used each and every single time you open up that darn thing.  At some point your will power is gone.  Store your replacements in CLEAR zip lock bags or CLEAR glass containers.  If possible, put your prohibition food in OPAQUE containers.  Sounds silly as hell but the research is clear on the “out of side, out of mind” factor.  It works!
  2.  EASY- if wine is as easy as grabbing your favorite glass and pouring then your fizzy water, has to be just as easy!  It can’t live in the garage refrigerator!  If you crave your kids’ Famous Amos cookies, you can’t pack their lunches, hungry, without your replacement nearby!  Set up for failure!  You need to have your 100 calorie pack of chocolate graham crackers nearby.
  3. ENJOYABLE- if you think a massive bag of celery and bell peppers is going to get you through the peak of your craving on a random Thursday night when you are tired as hell and all you want is to dive into that left over Valentine’s Day chocolate or never ending Halloween bag of candy, then you are living in LaLa land and I’m offering you back a passport into reality!

Hi… here on Earth, we are human.  We don’t have super powers.  In comparison to chocolate, celery is a major let-down!

As for me, I’ll be making my Coconut Oil Chocolate Balls… which I like… a lot… but I don’t abuse.  They hit the spot when needed, but I never feel compelled to continue to go back for more like I do with peanut butter.  You want your replacements to do the same for you.

Candy- unsweetened gum,

Wine- club soda served up on a fancy glass, lemon/lime slice or frozen berries are always a fun twist.  you can totally buy flavored varieties to change things up.  As for this

Beer- low carb alcoholic beverage, think bourbon, vodka, gin, hard cider, rum

Pasta- squashes and zucchini noodles may hit the spot.  I prefer to serve up my marinara on a giant portobello mushroom and have giant and delicious meatballs on the side

Cookies- 100 calorie snack pack crackers

French Fries- baked potatoes, and NO… don’t feel like you have to go sweet potato!  If we are REPLACING fries, then bake yourself some wonderful still super healthy WHITE potatoes!!

Pizza- For all you real pizza lovers, I get there is no “real replacement” to this food, BUT handle it like a pasta.  You go portobello mushroom and meatballs and you’ve got your italian protein heavy dream, right????

Chocolate- I add unsweetened Ghirardelli chocolate to EVERYTHING I can that day… oatmeal, sweet potatoes, hot unsweetened almond milk.

Chips/salty snacks- I’m a big fan of cucumber slices with Tajin seasoning but you can also hit the spot w/ a baked potato.  Add the SEASONING that mimics what you love!  For example if you love Ranch chips, then grab a packet of ranch dressing at the store and add some of that to your baked potato.  Remember, it’s NOT the white potato that is bad.  We don’t have to eliminate the potato itself. It’s the fat/carb punch combo that makes you behave in excess.  I guarantee you won’t go to town on a ranch salted potato the way you do a bag of chips or a pile of french fries.  You’ll hit the spot and move on!

Your take away:

If your #Prohibition2016 is about LEARNING and getting better, then squash that “hard core” mentality that is CRIPPLING to real lasting change!  Prohibition will end, but your quest to your best doesn’t so ENGAGE AND LEARN.  When you head to the grocery store today BUY YOUR REPLACEMENTS with the 3E’s in mind!!!