Stylized line drawing of mark playing the flute

Hacking my eating habits

I'm attempting to hack my eating habits into shape over the next month. What I'm doing isn't a new idea (and I can't remember the exact term for it) but here's the gist.

I've made a contract with a friend of mine outlining certain rules for my eating habits. If I break any of the rules, I have to give him money.

The Contract

Time period: The contract runs from 11/5 - 11/30. Depending on how it goes, I may ask for a renewal.

How it works: There is a list of rules below. If I break any of the rules, I will pay you $10 for each transgression, up to $50 in a single day.

The Rules

  • No eating candy of any kind ever.
  • No eating sweets or dessert (see exceptions below).
  • No eating any food purchased from a gas station or fast food restaurant.
  • No eating chips other than tortilla chips.
  • No eating dry or honey roasted peanuts.
  • No eating peanut butter or nutella directly from the jar.
  • No eating pizza unless Jane made it.
  • No eating between 8pm and 5am.

The Exceptions

  • One cheat day per week. This means I can eat late and have bad food. But I'm still not allowed to eat any kind of candy.
  • I'm allowed to have a piece of pie on Jane's birthday. This is an explicit exception because her birthday is on Wed and I'm planning to have my cheat day on Fri.