swearing off sweets

I'm gonna do it. I can do it. I will do it. What am I going to do? Give up sweets/candy/ice cream/cake for Lent. Now I'm really scared...


For those of you not real tuned in, Lent is the period of the Christian liturgical year leading up to Easter. Lent is a time of sacrifice for Jesus. The traditional purpose of Lent is the preparation of the believer — through prayer, penitence, almsgiving and self-denial — for the annual commemoration during Holy Week of the Death and Resurrection of Jesus. It's about 40 days long. Most people are familiar with Catholics not eating meat on Fridays. Didn't you know they started the Fish Fry?! Bet you also didn't know the modern fish fry tradition is strongest in the state of Wisconsin, where more than 1,000 eateries hold a weekly fish fry on Fridays. Even strongest in Southeastern Wisconsin. No wonder we all love fish fries here...


Another custom that developed later was to also give up something a person “enjoyed” receiving or doing for the duration of Lent. Although it is not required or part of any rule, many Christians today will also choose to give up something during the Lenten period.


I'm doing this for a few different reasons:

1. I need to lose this baby weight.
2. Sweets are bad for you.
3. I eat WAY too many sweets now that I'm home all the time.
4. I keep buying sweets and don't need them.
5. I should give up something for Lent because it's a good practice to suffer a little, after all, Jesus did died for me.
6. I have lost self-control when it comes to sweets.
7. If I don't stop I'll probably get more cavities.
8. Sweets should be a special treat, not another food group.

So, I'm giving up sweets for Lent. I know this will be hard. I'm going to have to make friends with those yummy Yoplait yogurts otherwise I might really lose it in the house. 40 days is long, but I've done this before. I hope, and think, that by the end of this, I will no longer crave sweets like I have been. Before I was ever pregnant I hardly had a sweet tooth and after two kids, it's really bad. I need to somehow reverse this problem and I'm starting with Lent.

Side note: Has anybody ever noticed that the Girl Scouts have BAD TIMING? I have $35 worth of cookies that will now make their way to the freezer. (I can't let Kevin eat them all!)