So, one day I was at the gym, and I mentioned to this guy how I like going out to bars and clubs, doing the "girls night out" thing, but sometimes girls night out affects my progress because I drink something that I shouldn't drink and it impacts my weight loss. He said to me - well maybe you need to change the "girls night out" habit. I didn't want to hear it at the time, but I did listen and I took it to heart. I've decreased the amount of "girls nights out" that I have because I know it could be a habit that is detrimental to my weight loss. I still go out with the girls about once a month, but I was going almost weekly, sometimes two or three days a week. Since I haven't been doing "girls night out" as frequently, it seems that my progress is moving right along.

So what habits have you given up in pursuit of a healthier you?

I don't go out OFTEN, but, this weekend I did, twice. However, I limited myself to ONE drink a night. Friday night I had a rum and coke, and Saturday night I had a beer. Normally I would have had atleast 3 of each.

Plus I turned down FREE MCDONALDS **twice** on Saturday night

The past year I don't go out anymore...normally, when I get home I sleep and do housework...when I decided to get serious and loss the weight for good this time - I knocked off some of my sleep time and added the gym. I actually have more energy although today, I don't feel like going BUT I will.

I know this is not healthy but to be totally honest the way I make up for drinking on Fridays is I skip dinner. I know you all are going to cringe but I save the calories for the drinks and because I haven't eaten in awhile, I can drink less. I know, I know - horrible!!

Have you thought about a girls night in?? I know it sounds kind of corny but it can be really fun!!

Me and my girlfriends do it every once in a while. We get sappy girly movies, snacks and whatever else we find we want to do and just stay in for the night!

Eating on the fly.

That's been a big huge difference in my habits. Before, whenever I went out of the house or office - whether to run an errand, drive to a meeting, take a road trip, whatever - I had to eat something.

It's like I'd turn out of the driveway and pull into McDonalds or Sonic or wherever as a matter of habit. Not that I ever gorged or binged - sometimes it was just a small milkshake or a small order of fries or an order of jalapeno poppers. Or even stopping at the 7-day store and getting a Diet Coke and a bag of chips or a candy bar. But the point was that I ate out of habit and routine -getting in the car = eating - and not because I was hungry or even wanted what I was eating.

Breaking that habit has made a HUGE difference for me. (Keeps my car cleaner, too!)

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Laziness. I have given up my habit of being lazy.

That means I do a LOT of work:
-Meal planning, weekly
-Giant grocery shopping runs to get to two or more stores where I can get different things (produce stand, meat market, Costco, etc)
-Cooking and dishes every. single. night.
-More laundry, more often (gym clothes)
-8 hours of exercise a week.

Before, "Lazy" told me to just go through the Wendy's drive through and get a burger, then go sit on my butt because I had a rough day. I was thoroughly and completely in a habit of being lazy. And I'm SO glad I've broken that habit, because now I get more done even than the list above...house is cleaner, more hobbies get done, more activities, and more fun.

I believe it was Jillian on TBL last season that said she has one drink when she goes out. A shot of tequila and a lime and it's 70 calories. I am not a tequila fan but that's pretty good.

I have a girls night out coming up and I am planning on not drinking at it at all. I am going to have a good time with my yummy bottle of water!

As for what I have given up, I would have to say fast food. I haven't been through a drive through at all in at least a month and I am down 7 pounds this month. I have taken the kids out twice because we have been too busy to go home to eat and both times we went to Subway and I stayed OP. Also, we stopped going out to eat as much. That was partly monetary, but also because I don't know how things are prepared in a restaurant and don't always know amount of calories. It makes it easier on me to just cook at home and know what I am putting in my mouth.

I'm thinking a lot more about what goes in my mouth. Meaning, if I am craving or wanting something "fast food" I not only check to see if I have the calories for it avail, but I really really ask myself if I want/need it. Usually, the answer is "no."

That's actually one of the alternatives we've come up with. We usually play games like Taboo, have a few snacks, and make a good time out of staying in!!! Plus, when I get home, I don't smell like a bar.

This is the ONE thing that I have a hard time giving up. I pretty much put on this weight with Ben and Jerrys, Baked goods, fast food binges eating alone in my apt. Not out having a good time being social. If I am OUT drinking rather than staying in in my mind it is not as bad.

I'm terrible too, I CANNOT have one drink when I'm out with my friends. I always end up trashed. I try to drink lower cal drinks but it's a money issue. I'm not going to pay $9 for a double rum and diet when beer pitchers are $3. Some minor tricks I plan to try are drinking on a semi-empty stomach so that I get more bang for my calories, and keeping healthy snacks in my purse so that I don't go for pizza with my friends. I'm also going to try to not get trashed, but rather semi-tipsy...which would probably equal 2-3 fewer drinks. I already try to drink water when I drink but I think I will really try to drink more in the future.

I've only got less than a year left in college and don't want to spend it staying in (even if it results in being a size thinner at graduation). If I'm smart the rest of the week, it's usually not that bad.

Yeah, I'm with Scarlett -- even if it slows down my loss, I'm not going to give up going out and making memories with my friends just to get to my goal faster. I know I'll get there, even if once a week or so I do slow down my loss (without going over my calories -- I bank calories all week to make up for it). Besides, I want to lose the weight, but I don't want to lose my 20s.

The thing I've given up is eating out. I used to eat out a. friggin'. lot. Dinner three, four, maybe five times a week, and lunch every single day. My favorite was to take long, leisurely four-hour lunches at a cafe and read a whole book while I lingered over salty/savory/nutritionally questionable food. And of course by the time I had finished lunch, I'd been there so long that it was time for dessert...

Now I meal plan, grocery shop, and cook every single day for myself and my boyfriend, and we wash a million dishes every night. It's worth it, though. Even if the cooking is a hassle, I'm so much happier with the quality of food that I'm eating now, compared to what I ate before.

I hadn't thought of it quite that way until Mandalinn said it - but has to be the "being lazy" thing for me too. I was big on not eating all day then scarfing 1500 or 1600 calories in the course of about an hour. Those calories all used to come from fast food, or something super processed that I could slap together or nuke, and a bunch of chips and dip (plopped in front of the TV) while it was nuking - and there was always room for dessert . Now, I cook every night, and put together my "daytime" food for the next day while I'm in the kitchen. There's still room for dessert but these days it's fresh pineapple or a cup of chocolate soy milk over ice. I gotta say too that I rarely sit through an entire program on TV anymore - I'm always hopping up to switch the laundry, finish the dishes, fold laundry, etc., etc., etc.....