A Different "Diet"...

So, y'all know I was recently on a new detox and eating plan.  I have to say it is one of the hardest things I've ever done and I'm so proud of myself for sticking to it and accomplishing it.  It really wasn't a "diet" in the sense that it was a temporary restriction of calories in order to lose weight on, and then you stopped it.  Yes, it did restrict my calories, but it moved me toward clean eating and whole foods.  I really hope to incorporate much of the eating style into my everyday life, and am actively working to accomplish this. 

What I didn't tell you is that I was double-dieting.  Back when the scrapbook store closed, a co-worker/friend of mine and I were talking about how much of the store's stock we owned and had stored in our own homes.  While it was something we were laughing about, over a week or so, it got serious.  Independently, we both "cleaned up" our scrapbook rooms and discovered, wow!  We really had a lot more than we thought!  She made the comment that she shouldn't have to buy anything for a very long while.  I agreed, thinking of my own supplies.

After pondering it for I couple of days, I came up with a challenge, which I proposed to her:

No buying new scrapbook supplies until January 2012.

I have to admit, she hesitated.  I couldn't blame her.  I mean, honestly?  The shopping and buying of the supplies is really half of the fun of scrappin'?  Agree?

But, then she agreed.  We set some ground rules and a start date and we were "off".  Before the official start day, I mentioned it to two other friends, one of whom also joined in on the scrapbook diet.

Here are the rules:

• Absolutely NO purchasing of new scrapbook items.  Yes, we could receive gifts.  No, we could not ask someone to "gift" something to us.
• Exception:  adhesive.  It is something we use up quickly and obviously couldn't continue to use up our stash without  having more of it.
• Exception (later in the deal):  Cricut mats.  Some (all?) of us were struggling because our Cricut mats were losing their adhesive.  While I was able to temporarily restore my sticky with some intensive cleaning off of cat hair (not kidding), we agreed that if we absolutely needed a mat, we could purchase one.
• If we break and purchase something scrappy:  the person who breaks first has to buy the other two dinner at their favorite, most expensive restaurant.

So far, we've all done superbly well.  Although, as I mentioned previously, when I was on the detox/diet, there was a certain crazy emotional aspect that came out.  In fact, one day I was so incensed over the raging emotions inside of me, I felt I was going to break and have a) chocolate or b) buy something scrappy.  Who knew that I was addicted to scrapbook shopping as a way to self-medicate my own emotions?

Thankfully, I reached out to my co-horts in this scrappy diet and was successfully talked down.  I was even more grateful that they were not in a weak moment themselves.  Otherwise, I might have found myself being preyed upon and egged on to buy something.  I made it through both "cravings" by the skin of my teeth.

As I have asked you in the past to keep cheering me on with my fitness foibles, I am also asking you to help keep me in check with regard to the scrapbook diet.  Honestly? I still haven't used enough of my supplies to warrant any purchase anyway, so I must get a move-on to deplete some of my supplies so I can add to them when we hit the new year! 

How's your stash looking?  Think you need to go on a scrapbook diet?  It's not as easy as it looks... I can attest to that!

(Speaking of my fitness foibles, I shall be updating my stats soon. I have a fitness assessment scheduled with the Sadist...)