A season of no sweets?

Yes, it's true. For the last seven days and continuing through the season of lent, I've disciplined myself to eat breakfast every morning, to lessen snacking, and to give up the following: pastries, cookies, cakes, chocolate/candy, sugary beverages (soft drinks, chocolate milk, Gatorade-type things), ice cream...just all "sweets".

Why?

I'm acquiescent to terrible eating habits. Many of the calories I make up in my day (from either skipping breakfast or just having a pastry for breakfast) are from snacking on sweets. A regular snack for me–no joke–a fist full of chocolate chips washed down with a glass of milk. "Moderation" is not a much of a word in my vocabulary, so this would happen most days, if not, it eventually turned to having a bunch of cookies or some sort of desert for multiple snacks. I had told my parents the previous night that I was becoming unpleasantly moody in school. I had come to realize that during this week of Valentine's Day, I had been consuming sugar without control, and I was not feeling alive in the morning. My mom promised that she was willing to make me breakfast in the morning; she wanted to help in whatever way she could.

I knew for a fact that it was going to be difficult. I'm genetically and behaviorally prone to have those cravings. Alas, I know it's best for me, both physically and mentally. Here's what happened for each of my days.

Thursday-
Not so good Things 👎: I had to resist a lot of natural urges, and my stomach hurt slightly as I was going to bed. I wasn't used to that many calories being taken out of my day.
Good Things 👍: I was more attentive and not very moody at all! I felt much more cognitively and emotionally engaged.
Friday-
Not so good Things 👎: The ice cream and soft drink menus at Hickory Park in Ames were calling my name. Before bed, our coaches for Large Group offered us cookies for a bedtime snack, and a doughnut as one of the breakfast items for the next day. I was slightly disheartened when I didn't take a cookie or a doughnut.
Good Things 👍: I overall had a lovely day with my teammates. I stayed focused on hanging out with them than any concerns with my stomach. A couple of my friends had been on disciplined practices like giving up sweets or trying a paleo diet. They were very supportive, and I still was able to have a good time. I also didn't eat to the point of a stomach ache like a few other people 😝.
Saturday-
Not so good Things 👎: All of the drinks available for purchase at All State itself were soft drinks, and our coaches had leftover cookies from the day before. To give you an idea, the picture above the post ↑. It was pretty rough.
Good Things 👍: I was having too much fun to care about sweets. I realized that I wasn't really hungry between meals, and I realized that cravings and hunger are not the same thing, and they shouldn't be treated the same way.
Sunday-
Not so good Things 👎: I was...good. Not gonna lie.
Good Things 👍: I felt conditioned to it by that point.
Monday-
Not so good Things 👎: No school day, relaxing day. I felt like I was watching the clock a lot when I was in the mood to eat.
Good Things 👍: A will power complex developed inside of me, so I didn't feel the need to snack often. I was aware about my lack of hunger rather than the presence of cravings.
Tuesday-
Not so good Things 👎: My friend makes awesome cupcakes–I mean AWESOME cupcakes. I forgot for a solid second before realizing that I couldn't have any. It was sad.
Good Things 👍: I managed to make breakfast by myself, and I only had one snack between lunch and dinner–something that would actually keep me from being peckish. Also, I've been listening and understanding my body more when it reacts to food. I realized it actually tells me when I've had too much greasy food and not enough fruit; I've just been ignoring it until now.
Wednesday-
Not so good Things 👎: I realized that I regularly think about how I could get sweets, and those thoughts sometimes found their way back into my mind, and I had to correct them.
Good Things 👍: I used to just talk crap about vegans–or anyone with a different diet in general. I realized that awareness of what goes into my body actually matters. Sure, I'm not giving up animal products, but I'm making a decision for better health, not for pleasure.

Ultimately, I learned this week that if you want to change something in your life for the better–even if it's going to suck to do so–you can. It takes a lot of patience and a lot of persistence, but it's doable if you want it to be.