Christmas without sugar!

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I have to admit.
I NEVER thought I would still be on this diet at Christmas.
When I started it on July 23, I had the likes of about 90 days in my mind.
Christmas day fell on 157 days.
Yup.
One hundred fifty-stinkin' seven days.


I have to admit.
I have had a bitter angry heart these past few weeks.
All the stories of Christmas goodies, dozens of cookies being decorated, the stores loaded with sweets.....well.....were almost more than I could handle.  I knew it was going to be ONLY through the mighty power of God that I would get through this holiday without partaking of any of my traditional Christmas delights.

Yes this is a cake! 

It all starts with Jackson's birthday being 2 days before Christmas.  We had his party this year on the 18th and the cake was incredible......see for yourself.  I had to hold it all the way to the party in my lap, all the while feeling sure that the sugar from the cake was seeping into my pores and yeast were multiplying faster than we were driving!  One of the boys at the party can not have sugar either.  He looked at the cake and said,"Boy, I sure wish I could have some of that cake".   I put my arms around his shoulders and replied," I am right there with you.  


But we both know it LOOKS way better than it would FEEL to us if we actually did eat it."
 It felt nice to not be alone "in my suffering" for once.


Forward to Jackson's actual birthday, December 23.  His favorite place to eat since he was 3 is Kanki.  I am trying to figure out if there is anything there I can eat.  Most likely not. So, I thought ahead and heated up some of my hamburger soup to take with me.  When they went around to take each order, I told the waitress I couldn't eat anything... that I had brought my own.  She seemed quite puzzled and felt like she had to write something down for me.  "Just water,  please."


I am at the Kanki ordering water. This just can't be right.


Trying to remember that this day is about my son and not me....I focus on watching him enjoy his favorite restaurant.

Kanki with Aunt Ji-Ji, Grandma and Grandpa Bundy

The fried rice gets cooked and served....
The steak and chicken doused with soy sauce...
The salad with that yummy ginger dressing....

You thought I was kidding!

Me?  I pull out my tupperware bowl of soup.  
Funny thing.
Usually after eating at Kanki I am so miserable I can hardly move.  Not to mention the bathroom is often occupied by at least 1/2 of our family.
I left feeling no such misery.  I felt a bit sorry for myself that I didn't get to eat like everyone else.  But that feeling went away much faster than the belly ache would have!




For supper we ate at Golden Yeast Roll Golden Coral.  Another of Jackson's favorites.
Me?  I got a salad with oil and salt.
Funny thing.
Usually after eating at Golden Yeast Roll  Golden Coral I am so miserable I can hardly move.  Not to mention the bathroom is often occupied by at least 1/2 our family.
I left feeling no such misery.  I felt a bit sorry for myself because I didn't get to stuff my face eat like everyone else.  But that feeling went away much faster than the belly ache would have!


Christmas Eve at my parent's house we have had a tradition for as long as I can remember.
Lasagna.
Garfield's dream dinner.
French bread dripping in butter.
Salad that no one eats that is very healthy.


Me?  I took my big bowl of hamburger soup.
Was it hard to pass the french bread around the table and not eat any?  You bet!  I even had twinges of bitterness stirring in my heart.  How can I not eat lasagna?  It's tradition for pete's sake!
Since I am severely lactose intolerant but don't care, our traditional Christmas Eve dinner leaves my belly rumbling and me feeling rather miserable.
Funny thing.
No post dinner rush to the bathroom.  No post dinner bloating.  I felt a bit sorry for myself but that feeling went away faster than the diarrhea would have.


Hummfff.


Off to the Christmas Eve service at church we go where in the middle they serve yummy sticky buns and hot apple cider.  I could care less about the apple cider but Christmas Eve at Providence is all about the sticky buns!
I was actually feeling anxious about this sticky situation.
It was part of the service after all.
It was at church.
Couldn't God just let me off the hook this one time?
Couldn't He just make the sugar NOT affect my body?
No....a sticky bun is a sticky bun....even at church.


As I passed the basket by, I was overcome with the delicious smell of the sugar and cinnamon.  We are talking about probably 700 sticky buns in one room here people!
"FOCUS on the music!"
I had to keep telling  myself.
"FOCUS on Jesus.  It's the reason you are here!"
No it's not!  It's for the sticky bun!


Hummfff.  
I made it through another event surrounded by food.
But it was not over yet.
Christmas day was still to come!


My parents and Jeff's sisters came over for our traditional Christmas morning feast.  I cooked eggs, sausage, bacon, home made waffles, biscuits.  I ate only the first 3 on the list. Then made a fruit smoothie.  I salivated over the waffles and biscuits.  I dreamed of the day I might have them again.  I remember what my belly usually looked like after our Christmas morning feast.  It resembled the same as when I was 8 months pregnant with my children.  


The real challenge was yet to come.  You see, every year that I can remember....oh...let's just go ahead and say 35 years.....I have anticipated the day when I would open my stocking at my parent's house.  Yes, there was always the nice envelope with money.  But that was not nearly as enticing as the bags of peanut M&M's, Hershey's miniatures, and Reece Cups that were found in my stocking.  I lived for this!  I know...it's just M&M's.  
I can have them any time of year.
But they were always in my stocking.  Tradition. I love my traditions.


This year my stocking had money.   

Yes, this is a fake happy smile.

No M&M's.  Not even one piece of candy.
Did my dad Santa REALLY not give me my candy?!  
Really?


Nope.  No candy in there.  Just a bag of blueberries and strawberries.
Yup.
Berries.


Hummffff.


I watched as my children got a few pieces of candy in their stocking.  Grandpa Santa did the right thing by not putting too much in there.  Grandpa Santa knows how hard I have worked on this diet.  


Peanut M&M's will not have their victory over me.

Almond meal bread

We finish our Christmas with a lovely supper.  The usual was served, sorta.  The usual was eaten.....expect by me, of course.  There was plenty of fresh turkey, green beens, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, ham, and the best of all...Parker House Yeast Rolls.....2 packages to be exact.  I brought over my almond meal bread as a substitute.  It doesn't even come close to the melting hot buttery yeast roll in my mouth.  Kinda like a hot Krispy Kreme donut.  There is really just no substitute.




Yeast rolls have always been a part of nice dinners.
Yeast rolls are tradition.
Traditions sometimes have to change. 


So....you see...I survived the holidays without sugar, yeast, Kanki, Golden Coral, mashed potatoes, sticky buns, peanut M&M's, green been casserole, chocolate pie, birthday cake, cookies, pancakes, waffles, biscuits, yeast rolls.....I was not happy.  

In fact, one might say I was a little grumpy at times.
I have to admit.
I complained. 
I moaned.
I grumbled.
I pouted.
Funny thing.
Usually after all that Christmas food I feel miserable, bloated, depressed, in the bathroom quite a bit.
I still felt sorry for myself a bit.
But that feeling went away much faster. Faster  than it would have normally taken to get back into my pants I was wearing at the beginning of the holiday.
This year I didn't have to worry about unbuttoning my pants after a meal.
I lost a few pounds.
What was that?
Yup.
Came out on the other side stronger and healthier not stuffed and miserable.


That made it all worth it.


Hummmffffff.