No Dairy January

It's Christmas Eve Eve and I'm at Kroger, holding three wedges of cheese.  How did I get here? 

I gave up milk (not a huge sacrifice, really) about five years ago.  I also went through a few weird dairy incidents--one of which involved my lips swelling up to three times their normal size.  I did a six-day fruit-and-veggie detox in 2007, followed by a juice fast, and my allergies completely disappeared; for about six months I didn't eat ice cream or cheese, and I felt great.  Then it came back.

The cheese came back.

I've known all along that it would have to go away again.  My ass is big, my throat is phlegmy, my sinuses are all congesty and my head hurts more than it should.  Not to mention the typical digestive issues--I don't really have a lot of those TMI-sorts of lactose intolerant attacks, but every now and then a scoop of ice cream has its way with me. 

I have a few important gigs coming up--the kind where I want my sinuses clear.  I want to breathe (tuba-style) without sounding like I'm choking on south Georgia pollen.  I also want to fit back into my cute jeans again. 

So here it is: I have a week of December to get through, with these three cheese wedges and a quart of Edy's in the freezer.  I'll probably eat one more order of mac-and-cheese from Sam's BBQ1 in Marietta.  In January, I'll drop my husband off at the airport to go back to his job in Texas, and I'm done with dairy for at least 31 days. 

No Dairy January!