The Cupcake Book

I checked out this book from the library last week because it had a lemon cupcake on the cover.  I used to pretty much hate cake, but in August I had the pleasure of eating the most delicious cake ever at Salut Bar. Not only was this cake served with a sparkler on top, but I got to enjoy it with three of the greatest ladies ever.  Since then I have added being a pastry chef to the long list of things I would like to be when I grow up.

So, it was kinda odd to me that I checked out a diet book because way back when...... I promised myself that I wasn't going to try any wacky diets.  No Atkins, No Southbeach, No Low Fat, No Raw, No Vegan, No Grapefruit, No What Ever Other Diets Out There but here I am with this Flat Belly Diet book.  As I'm reading it, it makes sense.  I get kinda excited over the recipes in the book.  I like how it's all laid out.  Hmmmmm, I think.  I should do this!  This is cool!  This is awesome!  I'm gonna be so freaking skinny!

I open Microsoft Excel (Have I ever mentioned my love for spreadsheets and tracking things?) and I type out my menu for the first week.  Next, I type up a shopping list.  I need the ingredients right away because I'M GOING TO DO THIS!  Yes it was late at night, but it didn't matter to me though.  I needed to get started the very next morning.  Off to the store I went.  I could not live another day without my Sassy Water.

Before I left I kissed Nathan good bye.  He said, "Where are you going?"

I causally mention that I'm going to get ingredients to start my new diet.  That with *this* diet I will not have any more bloating and I will *finally* loose all my belly fat!

He says, "I thought you weren't going to do any of those weird diets?"

I say in a shrill, excited voice, "But this one's different!  It's going to be so awesome!  It's pretty much the same as I have already been eating.  I just have to track a few things and drink this miracle stuff called Sassy Water.  Plus, the Sassy Water has ginger in it and Andrea (one of my friends who is very knowledgeable and healthy) drinks ginger water all the time so it *has* to be good for me!"

He looks at me with love (and just a tiny bit of skepticism) in his eyes and says, "Okay."

I got home that night and made my first batch of Sassy Water.  I could barely sleep that night, thinking about my new diet and all the belly fat I would lose........

The next morning I poured myself a glass of Sassy Water and made my pre-determined breakfast: frozen blueberries, grape-nuts cereal, and skim milk.  Okay, so it's not 'exactly' like the yogurt/fruit/coconut oil/protein smoothies I've been having for breakfast, but it's close?  No, not really.  But still...this is going to eliminate my belly fat!  I can do this.  I eat most of my breakfast and I continue to drink my sassy water.  At lunch I had a protein, a veggie, a dairy, and you guessed it...more Sassy Water.

I made it until my afternoon snack.  And then a little voice started to speak loud and clear, "What am I doing?!?!?  Don't I remember promising myself no crazy things?  I was going to listen to my body.  The body and the mind were going to be a team.  I didn't do this just to get skinny (hell, I can starve myself and do that).  I started all of this to be strong, healthy, athletic, and yes lean, but not just lean.  Stop right now."

And I did.  I started and stopped the Flat Belly Diet with in twelve hours because I'm not interested in just being skinny.  I'm interested in being healthy and there isn't a 1200 calorie diet on this planet that will make me healthy when I am working out two or three times a day.