No sugar

Farewell April, you’ve been awesome. Eating what I want, celebrating my birthday, three public holidays from work- how could a month be any better?

But now it’s time to pay the piper. Waistlines have expanded and there are wedding dresses to fit into, bridal shower pictures to look back on, hens night outfits to find and honeymoon bikinis to wear– and I don’t want to be a fat bride with a chubby little face in wedding pictures captured for all eternity and future generations. Not going to happen. So it’s crunch time. Time to pay the piper. Time to get real.

I have three months, 1 week and 2 days- 101 days and 52 minutes to be precise– but who is counting?!? Ummmmm I am!

So I’m hatching a plan, well actually I’m hatching lots of plans, music playlists, RSVP lists, you get the drift. But specifically the fun times are over in the He Runs, I Cook kitchen.

So here’s the plan-

Step 1: 30 day challenge

Yep, starting tomorrow we’re doing “No You May Not Drink in May”- yep alcohol free May! And I’m putting it on the blog so that no one accuses me of having a little runner or little cook on the way. It’s a 30 day challenge. I repeat it’s a 30 day challenge, not a baby!

Step 2: 3 month detox

Yes, you read that right. From May 9th, we’re doing a detox. It’s one that a naturopath gave me a couple of years ago- basically it’s no wheat, no cow’s milk, no sugar, no shellfish, nothing fun really. But it gets results. I did it for 6 weeks last time and looked and felt great- I’m hoping that doing it for 12 weeks will help me look and feel twice as good!

Step 3: Become BFF with my heart rate monitor

Basically, I’m going to exercise. More. A LOT More. A Lululemon Lot More. More cardio, more yoga, more Pilates, more Zumba, more Cycle, more who knows.. just more exercise.

Step 4: Panic

Well, not really panic. There’s no need to panic at this stage. Panic will come after my dress has been altered and I’ve spent two weeks in the US without trying it on and it’s the night before the wedding and I’m worried that it won’t fit. Then I will panic, pray and probably puke until it fits or someone sedates me. Don’t laugh… It’s not outside of the realm of possibility but let’s hope it doesn’t happen.

So that’s my plan- I’m cautiously optimistic that I won’t need step 4– I mean if people on The Biggest Loser can lose half their body weight in 12 weeks then clearly I should be able to lose a kilo or two– right???

Wish me luck, I’m going to go finish a bottle of wine while it’s still April! I’ll miss you my little red and white friends….

So obviously with a new month comes a new challenge. Eating vegan at home was awesome! We loved it – and it really expanded our horizons.

As a result, we’ve pledged to eat less meat, less often. We’re not going to give up meat completely but I can safely say we’ve discovered a new way of thinking about food and a new way of approaching what we eat.

Last night for the first time in 2 months I made steaks at home– I’m not sure if was the mustard sauce or the change in diet or our conscience haunting us- but both The Runner and I woke up complaining about how badly we slept and what weird dreams we’d both had. He dreamt he was a drug dealer being chased by police and I had four or five short small dreams that left me shaken and upset…very coincidental but very strange.

This month’s challenge– No Sugar March. It’s The Runner’s idea– which is weird.

For me, it’s a minor inconvenience of thinking a bit more about what I eat. I don’t really buy sweets very often, and when I do, it’s almost always M&Ms. I like desserts, but I can also happily not have it. For The Runner, it will be tough. Very Tough.

The Runner has a sweet tooth and is a snacker. A serious snacker. Partly because he trains so much and partly because of who he is, he eats constantly and loves sweets. There are very few cookies, sweets or desserts that the man does not eat. His favourites are Jaffa Cakes and Irish Cadbury chocolate, which his Mum lovingly sends from Ireland, but he eats most, if not all cookies and candies. When we first started dating, he used to put chocolate chips and nuts in his pockets and eat them while watching TV- similar to a squirrel tucking into his winter provisions. So for him to choose to give up sugar, I was pretty impressed– and worried.

We’re cutting out all candy, added sugar, sugary drinks, sugary foods, ice cream, cakes, basically everything with sugar in it except for fresh fruit and alcohol. (Wine comes from grapes, grapes are fruit, therefore wine stays in!)

For me, the hardest thing will be ~~not having sugar in my coffee~~ (actually, it’s Day 3 and I’ve gotten used to no sugar in my coffee).

I think the hardest thing for me will be giving up Cherry Coke. Yep, you read that right Cherry Coke. I don’t have it often, but it’s my feel good, cheer up food- or drink. If I’m having a bad day, I’ll get one after lunch. If I’m a bit tender on a Sunday morning, I’ll have a Cherry Coke to bring me back to life. I used to have one nearly every day at lunch in high school– just.because.I.love.it!!! If I’m happy I have one to celebrate how happy I am. It’s literally the equivalent of Gummiberry Juice for me.

If you’re not a child of the 1980s, you can read all about Gummiberry Juice here. Ok, in reading about it again, Gummiberry Juice sounds a bit creepy, and a suspiciously a bit like wine.

Anyway, back to Cherry Coke and true confession. For the first few years I was in Australia, other than family and friends Cherry Coke was the only thing that I seriously missed about the US. The one thing that I REALLY craved about home that I couldn’t ship over here and couldn’t get over it– until one day it started magically appearing….here, in Australia. And you could buy it by the case from Costco and find it in convenience shops and our local corner store and lots of places now. And I’m hooked all over again…. but not for the next 28 days….

Oh well, only 672 more hours until I can have one again!!!