December, unsweetened, No. 12

12/21: Sleep would be helpful

This blog chronicles the author's attempt to endure the month of December, 2019, without eating sugary foods or drinks.

We're only four days away from Christmas and I'm still hanging on to my commitment for an unsweetened December. By a thread.

Bokay

A few days ago, my cat/best friend, "Bokay," had to have surgery to remove a few stones from his bladder. Merry Christmas. But what does that have to do with not eating sweets?

I'd read, a few years ago, that if you don't sleep well you're more inclined to eat sugary food the following day. If you start your day dragging, your brain tells you to eat sugary things for quick energy so you can push through the fatigue.

It makes such recommendations all day long, until you're able to catch up on your sleep. A nap is never a bad idea, assuming you can find a pocket of time during the day to take one. During the holidays? Good luck with that.

There are times, like this, when your brain doesn't really give you the best advice. Maybe it means well, but in this case it would be better if it kept its suggestions to itself.

Back to Bokay. Getting him into a cat carrier to go to the vet is like trying to catch lightning in a bottle. Probably harder. So, while I was worried about his anticipated operation, I was even more concerned about how I was going to get him ready to transport to the vet.

Then, of course, I was stressed about Bokay's surgery and recuperation. For a span of nearly a week, I didn't sleep well at all... making it a very bad time to do food shopping.

They're everywhere.

Sweet temptations were at the end of every aisle. Special holiday displays featured cookies, pastries, cakes and, of course, Ferrero Rochers in festive Christmas tree-shaped containers. All the while, of course, my brain was doing its best to convince me I needed something sweet to help me get through the day.

Bokay seems fine. The surgery went well and now I might be able to get some solid sleep. I have 13 more days to go without sweet treats. Twenty-one days in and I still can't say I'm feeling any better.

If anything, I've been feeling sort of blue, although that could be a result of increasingly abbreviated daylight. Dusk seems to follow dawn all too closely, these days. Seems I just finish breakfast, brush my teeth, and then the sun goes down.

Thirteen days. I can do this. Pretty sure. But will it have been worth it?