Saying goodbye's the hardest part

Over the weekend, I had a conversation with a few girls I work with. One of them recently had a baby and is still trying to lose that baby weight. Since we all only work there at the end of the month, we made a goal together that we would lose ten pounds by the end of next month. This is where another lady chimed in with a suggestion to go off sugar. I thought, "why not?" And thus began my new lifestyle . . . (really?!)

I think I've mentioned this, but I've been feeling very apathetic about a lot of things lately. I feel almost indifferent at the thought of never having sugar again. Whatev!

At the same time, I have been thinking about visiting a dermatologist about this mess that my face has been in. Let's just say, France was not kind to my skin! My mom brought up the idea that I could be allergic to dairy products. I have definitely known for a while now that I am lactose sensitive (chocolate milk is my favorite self-torture), but I never thought that dairy products could cause allergic reactions to the skin. And while in France, I sure ate a lot of dairy products. Not my fault that they are pros! Ice cream, cheese, cheese, more ice cream, butter, etc., etc., etc. You get the idea. I can say for certain that there was not a day that I did not eat dairy. Anyhow, my mom thought it might be a good idea to stop it with dairy for a while and see if that doesn't help this whole skin situation. We'll see. 

Au revoir, la glace! (obviously a double no-no)

So there you go. In a matter of days, I decided to make quite a drastic lifestyle change. I'm feeling really good about this, though, and I'll tell you why:

1. Remember that whole word of wisdom thing? For the past few years, I have been thinking about how I honest-to-goodness haven't been following it as I should. Granted, I have never drank coffee, tea, alcohol, and never smoked anything in my life (unless you count all that second-hand smoke in France!), but I have not been eating grains, fruits, and veggies like I ought to. And if I want to be a recipient of those wonderful blessings, I need to change something.

Let me pause for a second here to say something: I don't think that everyone needs to make such a drastic change in eating to be obedient to the word of wisdom. One of my friends and I often talk about "personal commandments." I feel like this is one of mine right now--and not even specifically this, just the idea of eating healthier and trying to master this body of mine.

2. Cooking? This has been one major downfall of being single for me. It's not just an excuse for me--I honestly have no desire in me to spend time in the kitchen when I could eat something quick that tastes just as good. I'm hoping that this experience will force me to learn a few things about cooking. Haha, we'll see!

3. Discovering new foods. The are a honking lot of vegetables out there. Maybe one day I will try them all. Until then, I will continue spending a whole lot of time in Winco.


So if anyone has any good sugar-free, dairy-free recipes, feel free to pass them along!!