Tuesday, December 28, 2010

A Slave

... to the dark stuff.




I know I promised a post about living off the health train these past few weeks but today I feel a strong urge to share an even bigger (some might even say life-changing) idea with you.

I am currently suffering from an out of this world caffeine buzz.

I'm not talking about the kind that gives you wings to fly around the house cleaning, zoom from errand to errand and knock out your to do list in a flash and with panache.

No, this buzz is of the jittery stressful variety.

Nothing's different- I made my standard one cup of French press as usual this morning


But for some reason, I'm freaking out and feeling overly jacked up.

Therefore... I'm thinking of weaning myself off coffee.

Now, I'll admit: nothing lasts forever and things like this must be dealt with one day at a time. I might as well go ahead and say this, since my numerous past attempts at quitting have failed to last for more than a month.

But this time, I've got a blog and all you lovely people to vent my frustrations to and share my successes with.

I'm tired of HAVING to wake up and make coffee every morning to be ok. And suffering from blinding headaches come lunchtime without it. Or treating those I love the most with a grump meister attitude due to the lack of a drug in my system.

I want to take control of my mood and energy levels in a healthy, safe way.

This time of year is usually a period of reflection- taking stock of what we've accomplished, what we still hope to gain and what we've just altogether given up on.

Looking at the short list I made a year ago of accomplishments I hoped to achieve before the start of 2011, number 3 on my list of 8 reads "Quit coffee."


I've obviously checked, and re-checked this list many times over the past 12 months and #3 was one of those resolutions that I thought, "Meh- things change. I don't need to give up coffee; my life is fine with heavy doses of caffeine daily." And it is: I'm one happy broad. BUT "Could life be better without a daily cup o' joe?" is the question.

My general philosophy on life is this: "You never know until you try."

And try is just what I intend to do.

So what if I fail miserably and fall off the wagon in 2 weeks? At least I'll know I gave it my all and shared my experience with you guys.

As with most addictions, I think going off coffee cold turkey after years of consumption is PROBABLY a painful and unnecessary way to go.

For that reason, I've come up with several of tiers of weaning that could change (based on my body's reaction) in the coming weeks or stay just as prescribed below:

First week (because Lord knows I've got 3 straight night shifts, one being NYE, to get through):
Switch to half-caf. Meaning I'll put one scoop of caffeinated coffee + 2 scoops of decaf in my press

Second week: 
Full on decaf

Third week:
Depending on how I feel, stick with the decaf and pay extra attention to getting at least 15-20 minutes of cardio done every morning

Fourth week:
If I have not become a complete psycho by this point, I'll try to go 2 days without coffee of any sort, instead opting for a green juice every morning + cardio and an afternoon green tea if necessary

So there's the plan.

I should also mention that I don't plan to cut out coffee, espresso and the like forever (I will be visiting Europe in April after all). Instead, my aim is to limit my intake of the deliciously dangerous stuff to special moments. Much like indulging in a candy bar on one of those days when you just have to have one, I'd like to make coffee drinks the same sort of treat in my life. Rather than an absolute MUST.

We'll see how it goes ;)

As far as getting back on the health track goes, things are rolling right along.

I enjoyed a delicious bowl of oats this morning


complete with flax, banana, 1/2 cup of almond milk, cinnamon, shredded coconut and chia seeds.

DE-lightful

I partook in many a bottle of water, along with a delicious glass of green juice mid-morning (because nothing's as good as homemade)


Lunch was a take on a sandwich I invented on a whim while in South Carolina. The California version needs a little tweaking, but it sufficed for today:

Open faced version

Closed face version

goat cheese and dijon mustard spread on toasted whole wheat bread with chopped green bell pepper, mixed greens, dried cranberries and pecans.

Nuts on a sandwich. Who knew?

Like I said, this one was a'ight. The original was on a baguette... there's definitely something to be said about that soft interior and crunchy exterior that the French do so well.

Now that my buzz has worn off and the crash has set in, I'm off to make myself busy rather than fall prey to a nap.

Anyone else out there looking to cut back on a vice of some kind in the new year?

2 comments:

  1. that sandwich looks so good! I've never had nuts on a sandwich before but I bet its wonderful!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Watch out for the caffeine withdrawal headache!

    ReplyDelete