Good-bye my sweets

My husband and I are embarking on a 6-week challenge to eat healthy.

The rules are pretty simple: no alcohol, no “junk food” and no eating after 9PM.  These are three straightforward (and obviously positive) adaptations to my daily routine.  No boot camp exercise regimen or marathon training; no early morning yoga classes or trips to the gym.  In fact, this Challenge doesn’t require me to add anything into my hectic life.  Nope.  All I have to do is wave a temporary good-bye to a few of the crutches I admittedly lean on for support.  So…

Goodbye to the beautiful glass of merlot that makes me feel like Nigella Lawson as I stand by the stove in the evenings.  The countertop will be sadly bare without you.  Goodbye to the corona with lime that allows me to imagine that I am reading my book on a white sand beach instead of on the cold leather sofa in my living room.  Goodbye to the pinot grigio that patiently hangs out in the fridge, waiting for my “white wine” neighbour to come over for a visit.  Goodbye to the sweet little bottle of Bailey’s that offers an acceptable reason to drink coffee after dark.  I will miss you all.

Good-bye to the chocolate bunnies I have stashed in the breadbox… and the drawer in the coffee table… and the pen/pencil container in my office.  I love you all… even the white chocolate ones that don’t have any filling (although admittedly I love you a little less).

Good-bye to the multi-grain nachos and the whole wheat goldfish crackers and the baked potato chips.  You all seem just a little less “junky” when you are calling out to me from the kitchen cupboard but if we are being honest… you really must go!

Worst of all… good-bye to my baking.  Six weeks without banana bread or chocolate chip cookies or super-simple-to-make rice krispie squares with a little chocolate drizzled over the top (because everything is better with a little chocolate drizzled over the top).  No carrot muffins or pudding-filled tart shells or pie.  DEAR GOD… NO PIE!

Not eating past 9PM sounded like the hardest part when I first thought about this “healthy adventure” because it’s usually well-past that time before my house settles down and I have a chance to put my feet up and reward myself with food (don’t judge me).  But as I think about it, this now seems the simplest of tasks, since all of the decent “rewards” are off limits.

The 6-week Health Challenge seemed like a grand idea when we thought it up.  Make a few minor changes (none of which take any time out of a day) and voila!  A thinner waistline, more energy, blah, blah, blah.  Nine hours in and I am already debating the meaning of life … which is very hard because I normally “soul search” with a glass of wine in one hand and a cookie in the other.