No-Candy Pledge 2010

Okay kids, here it is…the official No-Candy Pledge of 2010. You thought I was kidding, didn’t you? You were HOPING I was kidding, right?

Before I publish the actual pledge, I wanted to give you some information on the background of the Pledge. It began back in October of 2001, 9 years ago. After spending many years overweight and miserable, I was in the middle of a weight-loss contest. We started in August of 2001 and ended in November of 2001. October has always been a bad time to lose weight for me. Why?

Because I am a candy and chocolate addict.

Plain and simple.

As soon as the stores started carrying the bite-size chocolate bars, I bought them and hid them in the cupboard. Thinking no one knew where they were but me. I ate them during the day like they were, well, candy, duh. I told myself “at least I am not eating a whole candy bar”. But you know what? If you eat 10-20 a day, umm, that’s a candy bar, or two. But I was addicted.

So here’s my problem. I was in a contest. I wanted to win. I wanted to lose weight. The pressure was on, so here’s what I did. I sat down with my kids who were at that time 4 and 7. I made a promise to them that I would not buy any Halloween candy. I made a promise to them that I would not take any of their Halloween candy. I asked them to help me so I wouldn’t eat any candy. I looked into their eyes, held their hands and made a promise to them.

That changed everything.

Not only was I holding myself accountable, but now I was accountable to my kids. It worked. I made it through the holiday without indulging. And I lost weight.

Now back to 2010. 9 years later. What happened during that time? Well, I got into a habit. A good habit. I sat down every year with my kids, held their hands and looked into their eyes and PROMISED them. And I kept it every year. And I have been the same size 4 since 2002. Not bragging, just being realistic here. This is coming from someone who NEVER thought I would get below size 10, ever. But I have been for 9 years now. This is not a fluke. This is life now. This is health.

I was addicted to something that was not good for me. Candy and chocolate played havoc on my hormones and my metabolism. It kept me fat. It kept me miserable. Not only the physical affects of overeating sugar and crap, but the EMOTIONAL affects of having something else take the place of what I really needed – LOVE.

• Eating the candy is not going to replace the love you want.
• Eating the candy is not going to make your relationships better or easier.
• Eating the candy is not going to give you the love that you want.

I’m being honest here. You’re not going to find the solutions to your problems by eating candy. So there’s my candy story…now about the pledge…

• Yes, it’s funny
• Yes, it’s serious
• Yes, it’s radical

You may think…

• She’s gone over the edge this time.
• She’s trying to make us feel guilty about eating candy.
• She’s making a big deal out of nothing.
• And of course, she’s trying to take the fun out of Halloween.

Well, here’s the reality…

If you don’t want to do it, DON’T. No one is forcing you to do it. Stand up, come on, let’s do it together, put your hands on your hips, and collectively, roll your eyes up, all together now. There. Just don’t do it. Problem solved.

HOWEVER…if you feel the slightest twinge that something in this blog clicked with you. Or you have been wanting to get control over candy and chocolate in your life. Or you are stuck in your weight loss. Or you just want to be healthy for once and all. THEN…take the pledge. Go out on a limb. Do it.

I will hold your hands, I will look into your eyes, and I will do it with you. You are not alone. This will change your life. I guarantee that this will change your life. So are you with me?

Notes: You can download the No-Candy Pledge on my Facebook fanpage, print it out and keep it somewhere you will see it daily.