Tuesday, January 25, 2011

No sweets for two weeks. I repeat, no sweets for two weeks!

I don’t know if I can make it abundantly clear just how big of a deal this is for me. I’m sure some of you are reading this title and thinking, two weeks? That’s not too bad or not even that hard. A number of you might consider yourselves to have a sweet tooth, and can commiserate with me on the difficulty of forgoing sugar for an extended period of time. But for those of you who know me well, know I don’t have a sweet tooth; I have a mouthful of sweet teeth and every single one of them craves sugar all. the. time.

When it comes to tracing the origins of my addiction to candy and desserts there is no question in my mind from where it derives. Like any good daughter, I lay the blame at the hands of my mother, literally. A great chocolate lover herself, my mother started us out young on the path towards becoming sugar junkies. With four, five, six, and eventually seven kids all under the age of twelve, my mom found that one of the best ways to keep us quiet was by sneaking chocolate chips into our mouths at opportune moments. Whether it was a fussy infant or a restless toddler, it seemed there was nothing chocolate couldn't fix. And in the end it was a win-win situation. People would marvel at my mother’s ability to keep a large brood of children sitting quietly and reverently during church, political events, movies, etc, and we would be happy enjoying our treat.

But sweets were not simply doled out with the hopes of making us behave. My mom loved sweets and loved us- her children- even more. I’m sure it only made sense to her that these two loves should be well acquainted with each other. So instead of milk bottles we drank “chocie,” “mapie,” and “equie” bottles (chocolate, maple, and equal). Ice cream with chocolate sauce was practically a daily staple and Nutella was eaten by the spoonful, rarely with bread, and certainly not on fruit.

So you can see why giving up the likes of ice cream, chocolate, cookies, and cakes would be so difficult for me. And heaven knows I’ll be experiencing withdrawal like symptoms in the days to come. But I’m taking this very seriously and bidding adieu to sugar in all its delectable forms and varieties. Here is just a small sampling of the things I will NOT be consuming in the next two weeks.

  • The four C’s: Candies, cookies, cakes, and chocolates… see ya later!
  • Sugary Spreads: Nutella, peanut butter, and jam….. farvel!
  • Breakfast Desserts: Muffins, pastries, and doughnuts… au revoir!
  • Sweets in Disguise: granola bars, breakfast bars, Luna bars, and sugary cereals… adios!
  • Sweet Drinks: Hot chocolate, chocolate milk, sodas, smoothies…. arrivederci!


The Last Dessert: Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

4 comments:

  1. I commend anyone who can go any length of time (i.e. more than 24 hours) without indulging in sweets. I certainly have always failed miserably at attempts to curb my own mouthful of sweet teeth :) Good luck and can't wait to hear how this undertaking turns out!

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  2. You've thought of all the sneaky sweets, and I commend you. That's always my downfall in abstaining from the sweets. Good luck Lulu! I'll be cheering you on...as I slurp down my sugar...haha!

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  3. I resolve to eat twice as many sweets in solidarity!

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  4. Man, I love your mother. I remember first visiting your home in NH. The day was full of postum floats and cider donuts. Heaven.

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