I just gotta LENT...

[GreenEyesBright]

Lent is for quitters. Seriously though, I'm not Catholic, but my wife is. She doesn't typically do Lent though. I'm gonna go see if I can guilt her into it.

edit: I asked her what she was quitting for Lent, she said "you".

Wife FTW!

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[Shaun1105]

I agree with you, that isn't what the intent of Lent was all about. The Lenten season was about sacrifice, real sacrifice in an effort to help you become a better person.

It didn't exist for me until about 2 years ago. I didn't know about it. I never wanted to cheat. Between Ash Wed and Easter there are 46 days? Something like that, so Sunday is the day that you can give in. It doesn't make sense to me and I find it strange that the day is Sunday, but whatever... Just like most things, people won't do it if it's "hard."

I don't think the idea of not observing one's sacrifice on Sunday is really about "cheating". Lent is a period of sacrifice as you prepare for the Easter season and remember Jesus' sacrifice. Sunday is always a day to celebrate the Resurrection, so it's ok not to fast from whatever it is you've given up; though I don't think there's anything wrong at all with choosing to continue abstaining. Particularly not if indulging on one day will make it more difficult for you during the rest of the week.

I wasn't brought up doing much of anything for Lent, but other years I have given up coffee, candy, or pizza. I didn't give it much thought this year, so haven't really made a plan for it yet. I will definitely be endeavoring to read/study more during Lent than I have been.

[Gainsdalf the Whey]

Wife FTW!

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Lol. She thought on it the rest of the day and decided she was going to give up post-dinner crappy eating. Any post dinner deserts will be fruits or smoothies and such. This goes with one of my next challenge goals of all snacks and desserts being paleo.

[GemNoir]

I've gone vegetarian for Lent and have given up chocolate. So far its all good but seem to be eating a few more biscuits than normal... me thinks I should nip this in the bud lol.

[LRB]

I was raised Catholic, but have left the faith (am now Unitarian Universalist), but Lent still has meaning to me and holds sway over me. It's more than a six-week challenge, more than a new-year's resolution. It's a promise I make, that is between me and my god (whatever/whoever that may be) and nobody else. Cheating on it is a big deal.

One year, in college, I gave up peanut butter for Lent -- until that point, I was going through about a cup a day of the stuff. Afterward, and even still now (cough . . . twenty . . . cough years later), my consumption of pb is much more reasonable.

So, this year, Lent and the next six-week challenge overlap pretty remarkably. I am giving up refined grains, with the 'out' (a/k/a 'cheat') that if I am at a group function or special event and there is no way to avoid them without being obnoxious, I will have them. And yes, I know that's a vague standard, but I'm going to be rigorous in its application. If I'm at a cook out and everyone is having burgers, I'll have mine without the bun. And if we get pizza, I'll eat the toppings but not the crust. And if there's a birthday celebration, I'll skip the cake. But if we're at a friend's house for dinner, and they've made macaroni and cheese, I'm not going to skip dinner or ask for something else.

Here we go . . . wish me luck!

[macnip78]

Grew up Catholic and have since become more non-denominational. One of the perks of leaving was Catholicism was that I could eat meat on Fridays. I did a lot of thinking about Lent this year and realized that I should be sacrificing for the Lord I love. Not because I have to (I hate being told I have to do anything, Jesus' sacrifice was a gift, not a threat), but because I want to.

I am comitting to Primal (plus dairy) for Lent. Hardest part of this will be giving up diet pop and splenda in my coffee. No cheats for me outside of a birthday party I have planned for my wife in a couple of weeks. I will also be fasting from dinner on Thursday to dinner on Friday.

Whether you are a believer like myself, or someone who wants to use Lent to just make themselves better, step up to the plate and get it done

[AKLulu]

My mom said we could cheat on Sundays because Sundays are each like a "little Easter." I don't think I ever really cheated on Sundays though - if I give myself an inch, I'll try to take a mile (or at least that's what I tell myself).

I agree with the notion that Lent is for bettering oneself and my approach to that this year is going Paleo I'd already stopped drinking soda but once a week, so I didn't have a lot left to do.... I think the thing I crave most is cheese.

[Red1263]

I too am Catholic, and I'm confused as to what sacrifice I will do for this Lent, so far, on Fridays it'll be 1 meal, no meat, save for Fish. So far, I'm leaning towards volunteering at a hospital, sacrificing my Time, in service of others. Which I'm hoping to start next week.

IF one cheats on anything, in my opinion, it means that they're not fully dedicated to the idea of Lent, which means that they don't understand the point of it all, which kinda makes one wonder, why they'd even bother in the first place

[AuroraNorth]

I lived in a convent for six years and Lent was always fun- 40 cranky women who'd given up chocolate/coffee/booze.

I started NF on Ash Wednesday and am going to stick to my scheduled workouts.

[Synapse]

I gave up Facebook. I am already going through information withdrawals. Is it sad to feel as though no one is going to remember who I am, or care about what I have to say? FB is such a safety net--click "like" a few times and you feel as though you're interacting with people's lives, even though that couldn't be further from the truth.

Blah..Just philosophical non-sensical rant.

Oh, and sex. I gave that up too. No touching-flirting-kissing-making eyes at anyone.

TMI FTW!

[Red1263]

I gave up Facebook. I am already going through information withdrawals. Is it sad to feel as though no one is going to remember who I am, or care about what I have to say? FB is such a safety net--click "like" a few times and you feel as though you're interacting with people's lives, even though that couldn't be further from the truth.

Blah..Just philosophical non-sensical rant.

Oh, and sex. I gave that up too. No touching-flirting-kissing-making eyes at anyone.

TMI FTW!

I don't think that's just ranting. I think you should hold on to that ideal. To truly interact with people outside of a screen. then you can really find out which of them is worthy of the title of 'Friend'

[AKLulu]

Hahaha, Synapse! I know what you mean about Facebook being a safety net. I go on there too many times a day hoping something exciting will happen. It rarely does. I haven't quite decided to give it up yet, though. I find that when I'm away from my own laptop for days or weeks at a time I don't really go through withdrawals too much, so I don't figure I have too bad of a problem.

The sex thing, that's not too much of a problem... I'm pretty alone in that department I can't guarantee I'll stop making eyes at people though... some guys are just too fun to look at!

Good luck!

[Synapse]

I don't think that's just ranting. I think you should hold on to that ideal. To truly interact with people outside of a screen. then you can really find out which of them is worthy of the title of 'Friend'

Thanks Red! I was finding Facebook unhealthy for me: able to glimpse people's lives in a way that was too voyeuristic and passive.

[Synapse]

The sex thing, that's not too much of a problem... I'm pretty alone in that department I can't guarantee I'll stop making eyes at people though... some guys are just too fun to look at!

Good luck!

Yeah, I'm alone, so it's not like I'm giving up toooooo much, lol-but I guess I'm chilling out on the casualness of the whole ritual.

[AKLulu]

I can dig that. Stay strong!