For the month of September, I decided not to have any sweets.

It all started with a friend of mine, Cana. Her family spends each September breaking the sweet-tooth habit, having spent the summer eating many, many sweets. A serious sweet-tooth myself, I thought this sounded like a good idea. So we did it together.

I might as well mention that I fast from sweets every Lent. We don’t fast on Sundays during Lent, though, as per tradition, so you get a break every once in awhile. Not so with Cana’s family. Go big or go home, I guess. In fact, if you have a sweet, you have to add an extra day to the end of your fast. This is Serious Business. But once I told her I’d do it with her, there was no going back.

It was a rather masochistic month. I became painfully aware of how many sweets are everywhere at college. The Bon – our cafeteria – has dessert options three meals a day. At most college events, there are sweet snacks and drinks available. My floormates went to Coldstone together, and I went too, just to hang out with them. I had friends baking together, and I went and sat in the kitchen with them as they created rice crispies and cinnamon rolls and banana bread. The scent of pastries – fresh from the oven – was painful. Most mornings, I drank my coffee black, because we don’t have any half-and-half: just flavored coffee creamer.

But after a few weeks, it hurt a little less. The scent was still mouth-watering, and I still craved sugar, but I knew that I didn’t need sugar. Did I miss it? Certainly. But I could say no without really missing out. Plus, my skin was really clearing up!

October is here now, and the first thing I did on Sunday morning – October 1 – was put French Vanilla coffee creamer in my coffee. And I enjoyed it.

But I won’t use it every morning. Because not having sweets? It hurts sometimes…

But I really like having clear skin.