Week 3 Still Sugar Free

Hi Marg,

Today is Day 21. I have proven (to myself, bc really, who else cares?) I can go three weeks without sugar. It started as you probably remember with a Ted Talk.



Basically, this guy says you can do anything for 30 days and that recognizing that has enabled him to try all sorts of things. As I thought about it, I could either choose some thing additive - do yoga every day for a month - or subtractive - no dairy, no sugar. For some reason all the No's I could think of involved food. Why it didn't occur to me to bake a cake a day I don't know.

It took many months of internal debate before I made the commitment. And luckily by then there weren't 30 days before Christmas. I wasn't about to be sugar free on Christmas. 21 days seemed like plenty. And it was. I know I can do it and I don't need another 9 days to prove it.

My observations for this week are:

• it gets easier and easier. Now when Amos gets out a pint of Hagen Daz and a spoon after dinner it doesn't even look good. I don't miss sugar for sugar's sake.
• we got a box of cookies from a friend of Amos' this week. He sends them every year and they are goo-ood. I was worried that A would eat them all before my 21 days were over. I didn't mind not eating them that night or any of the other nights, but I didn't want to NEVER eat them.
• your holiday cookie baking marathon last weekend was very impressive. I wished that I could make cookies too. But then when you texted me how sick you were of baking I remembered that feeling, and I didn't feel deprived.
• still, I miss baking. I've been looking at dessert recipes for Christmas Eve in case the fruitcake is a flop. I'm making Alton Brown's fruitcake which sounds really good, but you never know. I'm ready to get back to baking.
• if you have a good dinner, you miss dessert much less than if you have a mediocre dinner. 

Overall, I'm glad I did it and I would do it again. I like not feeling like I have to have dessert. I like the different way I appreciate fresh fruit. I like knowing that I can.

I missed baking, and I missed the "special treat" moments in the late afternoon or coming home late. Herbal tea is a substitute but not a great one. Maybe if it had honey in it.

Tomorrow the baking begins!

Love, Elise