When Antonios and I set out on our No Dessert experiment, we agreed that after no sweet desserts in January, we’d reintroduce desserts, but limit ourselves to 2 desserts per month from February to December. We decided that allowing for 2 desserts a month was important because our objective wasn’t to deprive ourselves; we are aiming for a reset to get back to the place that sweet desserts are a treat that we savor.
Week 1 of no desserts: The first week of no sweet desserts was challenging. I was ok after breakfast—the fact that I am even writing this sentence should give you an indication of how much I love cookies. But after lunch, mid-afternoon snack, and after dinner, my mind would wander. I would think about what I was going to eat in February for my 1st dessert.
How did I resist? I reminded myself of my why. Everyone’s why is different, but when you know yours, it is a powerful motivator.
Week 2 got easier, I wasn’t craving sugar as much, and when I did, it was much easier to resist the urge
Week 3-6:
Now I hardly think about sweet treats. When they are offered to me, it is now an easy response to say no thank you. That is a huge statement! Prior to this experiment, even though I limited myself in the amount of desserts I actually ate, it was a long conversation in my mind. It would go something like this:
Sweet tooth side of my brain: “Wow- that dessert looks yummy”
Part of me that loves fueling my body well: “Maybe I am just hungry or thirsty, I probably don’t NEED the dessert.”
ST: It isn’t about need, it will taste so good
FTBW: So, are you saying you’d like to fuel your smile right now?
ST: Yes, if that’s what you want me to say to get the cookie, yes, it is about fueling my smile and treating myself to something that makes me happy
FTBW: OK, as long as we savor the dessert and as long as we agree that it is the only dessert today, let’s enjoy it.
ST: yum,yum, yum, yum
Did I really just share that with the whole world? Well, if you can learn from my experience, then it is worth airing my strange internal conversations.
The new conversation:
Sweet tooth side of my brain: “Do you feel like having dessert”
Part of me that loves fueling my body well: “Do you?”
ST: I could go for a handful of raisins
FTBW: Enjoy.
ST and FTBW: sweet silence.
The top benefit I have experienced after these 6 weeks….
Less mental chatter about the dessert has led to a quieter mind.
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