it's the heart

The motive behind junkless june is to give up things that you struggle with. We are all giving up what everyone else struggles to make it a competition and so we can all join in the suffering...ha

Here's the big thing we junkless participants need to understand: it's the heart behind it that counts. The intent behind this month is to go cold turkey, not to wean or find healthy substitutes. I totally agree that we should find healthy alternatives but this contest was to get rid of the cravings all together. July can be the month we implement the healthy options. 

I have had many questions today. They were all innocent enough and I appreciate the integrity of the questions and the acceptance of the penalties incurred. 

Each time there is a question, I will give my opinion, which is my best interpretation of what I think you were saying, then I will ask the person who put it on the list and a few others. So if you are the one who said "fast food hamburgers" and there is a question about hamburgers, I will ask you and a few others for the heart behind you placing it on the list. 

Here are the questions and clarifications that came up on day one:

//can I eat a hamburger from a restaurant that is not a fast food restaurant?- yes. 

the reason is because the person who said it meant the "fast food" burgers only. The restaurant burgers are different. I think we all know the difference between a McDonald's burger and one from Max & Erma's. 

//is a sugar free mint considered candy?- yes. 

it says "hard candy" on the package. Candy is on the list, so even if it doesn't have sugar, it is candy.

//is a healthy snack with sugar free cool whip, sugar free pudding and fruit considered "sweets" or a "dessert"? - yes. 

cool whip and pudding are "sweets" even if they don't have sugar. If it is a sweet, it is a sweet. Again, the heart is to go cold turkey. I appreciate the healthy alternative but it was a snack that could be classified as a "dessert". 

//can I eat soft tacos from somewhere other than Chipolte? - yes. 

This person struggles with Chipolte soft tacos. The other places are not a temptation for her so she sees no reason to put them on the junk list.

//is tea sweetened with a sugar substitute acceptable? - yes.

This person is only giving up sugar sweetened cold tea. It is for cold tea only. You can have hot tea with sugar or cold tea with a sugar substitute. Again, it is the heart behind why this person put it on the list. 

My point: not everything on the list is "junk" - I get it. The goal is to rid you of temptation and to help develop self discipline. You can find the healthy alternative next month. This month is cold turkey. Once you know you can go without it, you will have more confidence to go with a healthy version. It will no longer have control over you and you can prove that you don't NEED the stuff you thought you couldn't go without. 

I know of at least 5 people who have incurred a penalty. Please report any penalties or questions to my email fowler163@yahoo.com . There is at least $25 in the junk pot up for grabs. 

If you have a question please ask before you do it. You will be penalized for ignorance! As long as we are all playing by the same rules and with the same unquestionable integrity, this will be painfully fun... 

Please don't miss the heart behind this month. Don't be anal about it. If you have to ask, it is probably off limits.