I decided at the beginning of 2013 that I was going to go for the entire year without eating pizza. I guess you could have called it a New Year's Resolution. For the past several years, I've tried to come up with a year-long sacrifice, discipline or other lifestyle change that would force me to experiencing something different just so I could see how it affected me, a kind of extended Lent season.
The primary reason behind choosing pizza to give up was that it was the food most likely to facilitate my over-eating. Thinking of pizza turned into ordering entire pizza pies which often turned into eating as much of them as I could stomach - not good behavior. Mind you, I didn't give up eating the ingredients that usually make up pizza - I've had my share of red sauce, cheese and bread over the last year - so I can't claim that this was entirely about doing what was best for my health. But it was still a good change to try out, and again, the main benefit was honing my self-discipline.
I mostly succeeded in my commitment. There was one dinner with friends where they served me pizza unaware of my change, and I ate it happily so as not to make a scene. There were two other times where pizza by other names (lavosh, flatbread) were the best/only options and I partook, though a bit guiltily to be employing such semantic loopholes. Other than that, I didn't order pizza, refused it when it was available, and (somewhat sadly) avoided the restaurants and places where I would normally feast on pizza.
As today is the first of a new year, I will break my pizza fast with some pizza, and probably more of it than I should eat. But moving forward, my hope is that over time this year without will remind me to be more intentional and careful about how much I eat of any food, but especially pizza.
I'm still finalizing my new commitment for 2014. If you have any related sacrifices, disciplines or goals you want to share, please do.
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Way to go, Chris. I like the idea of using year-long experiments to increase mindfulness and intentionality, even if it's not a practice you plan to ccontinue forever.
I haven't written my blog post about it yet, but I'm undertaking a similar challenge this year. For me, 2014 will be a year without clothes. Purchasing them, that is. 🙂 I can still wear, trade, and receive them as gifts. I may even try my hand at making something to wear.
Good luck discerning your next personal enrichment exercise!
Ummm sorry your crazy!!!! A year without a Mellow Mushroom 4 mushroom pizza! I would rather poke my eyes out with ... ok not that but it would be agonizingly!!!!