18 Strong

I decided to give up sweets--THIS ENTIRE YEAR.

I'm 18 days clean and counting.

It's super insane. I'm not really a sweets-a-holic; I'm just a social sweet-eater. But when you live in Utah, every social event highlights something sweet (seriously Mormons, couldn't we have made "wrapping everything in bacon" our treat of choice?), so I made this a New Year's Resolution so I would consciously avoid sweets.

Can I just tell you how hard this is? I mean, it's pretty hard. Definitely a lot harder than I thought it would be. I have a heightened sense of awareness when I see a picture of a cupcake---or a lamp that looks like a cupcake. Or a chocolate store--or a person whose sweater is "chocolate" brown. Mmmmmm. Yum.

I attempt to satisfy this hunger by: eating cereal, eating peanut butter, and eating lots and lots of carbs. It doesn't help too much, but it at least makes my body not feel so bad. After eating cake, I'd feel so gross. After eating 2 1/2 bowls of frosted flakes, I feel like I can still party.

I just wanted to tell you all that. I saw a cupcake today and asked myself the question Professor Wardle so thoughtfully asked in a book once: "What's the Harm?"

FINAL THOUGHT: Not to get all churchy and stuff, but I think the biggest motivation to keep going is not just because I "promised myself" I'd do it, but because going without sweets gives me the same benefits as fasting. By going without something for a prolonged amount of time, it helps you focus on things that really matter and draw you closer to other better things in your life. You know, like frosted flakes.