Dessert Fast

You may think that the title may be an extract from a sentence something akin to: "Go get me some dessert fast!" But alas, it is referring to an actual fast, in the sense of going without food for a period of time. But instead of going without all food I am going on a fast of "just desserts." (pun totally intended) How long can one be expected to go without dessert, you ask?

How about the ENTIRE month of June?!

I really have my friend Tosh to blame for all of this. He started his abstinence from delicious, sugar-filled confections a week or two ago, and I thought I might as well be a good friend and do it with him, but I would wait until June to start, and then break the fast triumphantly on the 4th of July. June seems like a good month to do it, there are no major holidays, and like I said earlier,
I don't crave sugar as much when I am active, which I will certainly be in the summer.

I actually did this same thing 2 years ago, and it was hard because I was all alone, but I figure there is strength in numbers, so in addition to Tosh, I talked my friend Suki into doing it with us. This time it should be a cinch, right? Anyway, one thing I learned last time is that when you stop eating refined sugars, regular food tastes WAY better. If you don't like vegetables, see how good they taste after two weeks without sugar, you may be surprised, and you may not even want to add any salt. Another thing I learned is that the longer you go without sugar, the worse you feel when you eat it, and the less you enjoy it. This may sound like a deterrent for some, but honestly it is one of the best benefits to going without for a while. When I broke my sugar fast 2 fourth of July's ago, I ate every dessert I could see, and thought I was going to die afterwords.

Okay, so this is my last weekend when I can have dessert for a while so I have not been shy with the Dunford chocolate donuts that were at my parents' or the cookie dough in the fridge, and I think tomorrow there will be some serious last minute sugar fixes to satisfy. Maybe I should have tapered down my sugar consumption before the big day... Oh well, too late now!

So here's the rules*:

Fruit is totally okay, I can eat all I want and more.

Condiments are still okay, I can have jam on my toast and/or PB&J sandwiches.

Granola bars are okay, but only in strict moderation. (No more than one box of bars per sitting)

Desserts (especially those made with refined sugars) are all out. (That means no cookies, brownies, Crème brûlée, rice krispee treats, cake, pie, candy, candy bars, otter pops and... dare I say it? ...ice cream... )

Sugar Cereals are out.

All Soda and other sugary beverages are forbidden. (Gatorade is alright for during workouts, and chocolate milk as a recovery drink.)

No "Sugar Free" substitutes that are sweetened artificially! (Since these are worse for you than the alternative anyway, and have the same dulling effect on your taste buds, making you want more and more sugar.)

*This is not a contest, it is something we are doing for ourselves. There are no prizes, and no judges but yourself. There will inevitably be circumstances in which we must decide whether or not something should be eaten. (i.e. which cereals count as sugar cereals) This is up to the individual, we stand to gain nothing by "cheating" because we would only be cheating ourselves. We, as participants are supporting one another, not competing.

And that's about it, I will start in a little more than 24 hours, wish me luck! In the meantime, I think I could go for another bite or two of cookie dough...