16 Weeks of No Treats Recap and April's Cookie of the Month

Easter Sunday marked 16 weeks of no chocolate. Or marshmallows. Or ice cream (still haven't). Or caramel, cake, frosting, sprinkles, doughnuts, or anything of the like. 16 weeks!  Sometimes it felt like a really long time but the last month flew by.

I had mixed feelings about eating treats again. I wasn't craving them and I felt great and feared not feeling great if I ate Easter candy or dessert. I abstained all day long but then I decided I was over-thinking it all and ate a Cadbury egg and chocolate covered marshmallow late that evening.

Ending this treats fast, I felt like an alcoholic leaving rehab. Can I resume my normal life without going crazy. Can I eat in moderation? I sure hope so or I might have to do this again and it was no way to live.

Here are my goals and how I did.

1. No treats from New Years to Easter.  I did great.
2. Drink tons more water. Eh, kind of failed that one. I'm just not a thirsty person.
3. Exercise 5 days a week. Awesome. I missed one day due to crazy early-morning doctor's appointment for Henry and my elbow really hurt that day too.

The main purpose of this was to lose baby weight without dieting and I lost 14 pounds which I think is pretty good. Here are some other health benefits I observed: My teeth feel so clean at the end of the day. My face looks clearer and less dry. My mood feels more controllable (this is probably mostly due to post-pregnancy levels slowly balancing out). My energy level stays more constant throughout the day.  I don't think I had even a mild stomach ache that entire time and or digestive discomfort. And I never went to bed thinking "I shouldn't have eaten that" or "why did I eat a second one?" Nope, none of that. No more food guilt or regrets. At first everything I ate was a mental exercise of "Can I eat this? What can I eat?" but after a few weeks I thought about food less than I ever had before.

Big shout out to Justin who did this right along with me. He didn't want to but because he loves me and knew I wouldn't be baking anything good anyway. Plus my sisters and brother that participated as well and put up with my sporadic check-in emails. I don't think I could have done it without their accountability and commiseration.

The rest of 2017 will be the Year of the Cookie. Each month I will be trying out a new cookie recipe and I will let you know how they turn out.

This month: Peanut Butter Cadbury Thumbprint Cookies.

On Sunday,I took this recipe and instead of squishing in kisses, I put in a Cadbury egg. It made 57 of them so if you are lucky enough to be visit or home taught by Justin or I, you got a plate full of them.
I thought they turned out great. They aren't as soft as my regular peanut butter cookies but that's the point. These held up to being squished with candy while my regular recipe falls flat every time.