Resolution 10: The "No Sweets in January" Challenge

New Years Resolution number 10 was to go the entire month of January without any sweets.  I am beyond happy to report that (a) its over and (b) I was successful, minus a small setback I shall refer to as "The Cupcake Incident."

Let me just start by saying that this challenge was not done as a "diet." I don't believe in dieting. Rather, it was more of a detox because I absolutely lost my damn mind over the holidays and was eating way too many sweets. You see, I have the world's largest sweet tooth and absolutely no self control.  So, to rid myself of the bad habits I formed over the holiday I disposed off all things sweet in our house and vowed to abstain for 31 days. 

I don't know if I would have made it but for the following conversation I had with my oh-so-supportive husband:

Me: So, I decided I am giving up sweets for the entire month of January.

Dan: Ha, you're kidding right?

Me: No really, I am going to do it.

Dan: Melissa, there is no way you can go an entire month without having chocolate or some form of sugar oriented substance. In fact, I don't think you can go a day.

Me: (eyebrows go up) Is that a challenge?

Dan: Sure, what's the bet?

Me: I go the entire month of January without eating sweets and you have to take me out to dinner in February wherever I want.

Dan: Done. But if you fail we go out to eat wherever I want to go.

This means that I would be at some BBQ place picking through a steak covered in some sauce I didn't like.  In the alternative, if I won, sour cream chicken enchiladas and a sangria fusion margarita from Uncle Julios was in my near future.  There was no way I was losing. 

Now, I know what you are thinking, "Melissa, didn't you lose the bet us a result of The Cupcake Incident?" Well no, not exactly. Let me start from the beginning.

I have been wanting to try Sprinkles cupcakes since we move to Dallas.  However, Sprinkles is pretty far away from me so I have yet to go. Then, in the middle of January, our new intern informs the office that she is bringing in red velvet Sprinkles cupcakes to work on Friday.

So obviously this put me in a huge moral dilemma.  For two reasons, really.  One, because I really want to try a Sprinkles cupcake.  Two, because I didn't want to be that person who snubs her nose at the cupcakes because "I was not eating sweets."  You know who I am talking about?  Luckily, Dan understand the dilemma and we modified the bet to exclude the cupcake.

Here it is:

(insert voices of angels singing) 

Totally worth it, right?  Unfortunately, this was not the only cupcake I ate that day.  This is where the "incident" part of the story comes into play.  You see, I was the last person in the office on Friday, and lo' and behold there are two stupid cupcakes sitting on the counter uneaten.  Now, let me just preface this next part with the fact that THIS WAS THE BEST CUPCAKE I HAVE EVER HAD IN MY LIFE, so the thought of letting them get crusty and hard over the weekend was not an option.  So I decided to bring them home - one for me and one for Dan.  No biggie.

My cupcake lasted about an hour after I got home (See? No self control).  Then, Dan comes home and I proudly show him the cupcake.  He looks at it and says "Oh, I don't like red velvet cupcakes. You can have it."

I was then faced with the moral dilemma of eating three cupcakes in less then 24 hours.

I obviously ate it.

So that was that.  Otherwise, I was successful.

Here's the thing.  Not eating sweets was easier then I thought it was going to be.  After the initial night of sweating, shaking, and hallucinations, I feel like I have successfully detoxed my system of the sweets craving and now plan only eating sweets in social settings or during periods of intense PMS.  Oh yea, and for breakfast this morning, because if you don't think I had a Reeses peanut butter cup after the end of my 31 day detox then you don't know me that well.