How I gave up bread for a week: an editorial experiment

The editors of WANT.ua took the risk of changing their diet for a week. I decided to give up... bread for 7 days.

How to replace bread to lose weight?

During our “abstinence week,” I decided to give up bread and flour and started preparing in advance. While purchasing groceries for the week, I proudly walked past the shelves with bread. In principle, it was not at all difficult to start. Although I love to eat sandwiches, it is only because they can be quickly prepared when you come home tired after work. The same goes for dumplings with pasta. So I bought nuts to snack on at work, noting that cookies would be much cheaper. I cooked rice for the week, made buckwheat soup, and in the morning I ate corn flakes instead of toast. In general, I approached the problem thoroughly and did not even feel any restrictions.

On Tuesday I went to a press conference. Standard buffet, appetizers, I eat canapés and tartlets and don’t even think about the fact that I can’t have it, because... yes, I just forgot. I have never restricted myself in food, preferring to stay in shape with physical activity. That’s why it never occurred to me that something was impossible. I only remembered about the broken rule when I came home; I felt embarrassed for myself. But I decided to keep going.

Everything went well, I compensated for birthdays in the office, accompanied by cakes, with sweets. On Friday, there was also a cake with candles waiting for me at home... With shame and awkwardness, she reminded me, “I can’t.” I expected offense, but the only response I heard was “hurray, I’ll get more.” Phew, my heart is relieved.

On Saturday, my traditional visit to my parents smoothly turned into lunch and dinner, where I happily devoured sausages and fried potatoes. For tea, my mother baked me a croissant with cheese in the microwave. When there were only crumbs left on the plate, I realized that I had forgotten again...

Limiting myself in something turned out to be of no use to me, well, I’m not used to it! The funny thing is that not eating bread and flour in general turned out to be quite simple, but you just had to put a cross on your forehead - maybe then everything would have worked out.

Making such restrictions is definitely useful, because they relate to a greater extent to frankly harmful products or relatively harmful ones (if they are abused). The restriction should be chosen after self-analysis: I think everyone knows about their “drug product” and some discomfort that it subsequently causes (excess weight, rashes on the face, insomnia, etc.). You should not make a 100% refusal of the product, because... our subconscious comes from childhood, when any prohibition caused a completely opposite reaction. Subsequently, after some time of such “food celibacy”, an irresistible craving for a forbidden product arises. And the reason is not so much the habit of regularly consuming a specific product, but rather a psychological factor.

Adviсe:

1. Allow yourself a prohibited product 1-2 times a week as a reward for self-discipline during the week. Or, reduce portions of the prohibited product during the day - this is an easier option. In search of a healthy alternative, you will always discover new tastes, products, recipes that are likely to suit your taste even more than the usual product.

2. The purpose of such restrictions is to improve your diet and create, on an ongoing basis, a food set from the most natural, unrefined products. Therefore, the very concept of “restriction” should be correctly replaced with a comfortable “replacement with a healthier option.”