Lent

[Head Mutant]

sarahbot said:

Some years I give up stuff, but I generally forget and indulge anyway. Personally, I currently can't last more than 24 hours without coffee, sweet elixir of life. I did give it up for a week last fall, just to see if I could. I could. It wasn't fun. So I know I'm addicted, but right now I don't care.

Well, I'm not addicted, per se. I've been drinking pure decaf for the past couple years, so I don't need a sugar/caffiene buzz to get me going in the morning. It's more like the comforting heat and the taste that becomes a morning ritual.

And yeah, observing Lent by giving up something is meaningless by itself. The whole thinking behind it is that it's similar to a fast -- you give up something important to you to help "clear" your life out for a bit to concentrate on God. By giving up something small during the Lenten season, every time you miss it it's supposed to make you think of the season and what it means to you.

My friend Bob, who IS addicted to coffee, gave up the drink one year in college. It was the most harrowing 40 days of my life -- he was like a cranky dinosaur on a nonstop rampage of terror.

[PoolMan]

docd83 said:

I don't celebrate Lent, but just by coincidence I went vegetarian a couple weeks ago. Just to see what happens.

Just a word of caution: be careful how you do it. Going veggie properly can be perfectly healthy, but doing it without a plan can lead to bad times. You have to make sure you're still getting all the vitamins and proteins you'd normally get from meats are still all there.

I tried it myself a few years ago, and crashed, big time. It was awful. My wife's vegetarian, so we pretty much eat veggie at home and I eat meat when we dine out or when I'm at work. That works very well for me, considering she's had years to figure out the balance of nutrients.

[DocD83]

Out of curiosity, why?

Just to see if (a) I could do it, or (b) it'd improve my overall health.

I've actually been travelling this last week. It's a pain to eat out as a vegetarian when you really like meat, so I put it on hold. Kind of a cheat, I suppose.

Just a word of caution: be careful how you do it. Going veggie properly can be perfectly healthy, but doing it without a plan can lead to bad times.

I'm getting plenty of protein (I'm one of those halfhearted vegetarians who eats fish and eggs). What other nutrients does a vegetarian diet lack?

[Hilasophy]

I gave up TV on the week days. It's been good. I get a lot more school work done.

[RobOfTheDead]

I gave up drinking soda or anything carbonated. Sometimes I feel like drinking soda at home when it's all we have but then I just grab a water.