Caffeine Free

I know!  Can you believe it?  And stick with me, because this is actually going somewhere.

But caffeine free? I think I actually heard several friends that know me well gasp in surprise!  That is because if they have known me for long they know I usually have a diet coke in my hands.  The only reason it was diet was because I had gestational diabetes with my third pregnancy and was scared into switching to diet.

Not the best trade off, but it worked for me.

I am not a juice drinker.  I am not a coffee drinker.  And no, even though I am from the south, I am not a tea drinker.  That leaves, you guessed it, WATER!

And while water is really good for you, really it is, in my opinion it gets boring.

So diet cokes became my staple.  I won't even share how many I could consume in one day.  It became a habit and a crutch.  But with the hounding of a daughter and the encouragement of a few friends, I have been on a quest to cut the diet cokes from my life.

And actually not really because of the caffeine, but all the artificial sweeteners and such in them.

Here is what I found-

• I do not think the caffeine was my addiction, I think the carbonation was.  Last time around (yes I have been down this path before) I had really bad headaches from withdrawal.  This time, not so much.  I did wean myself rather slowly which might have helped.  

• Not all "natural" drinks out there are created equally.  Some just plain taste bad.  Like really bad!  I have now found one that has old fashioned sugar as a sweetener, and I limit myself to one a day.  Unfortunately it also has dyes in it (so much for natural) so those too will be out soon.  I can only tackle one thing at a time.

•  Water is still boring.  But I am learning to deal with that, because I drink a lot of it.  If I keep a water bottle in my hands I tend to drink more, not want to reach for a canned drink, and HOPEFULLY will drop a few pounds.  We will see. 

• I really do want to be more healthy, but I have zero will power.  Zero.  I can get on a trend and stick with it for a good while, but if something throws me off, I am done.  Like, I had been on the treadmill 5 days a week since July when I got horribly sick with pneumonia and bronchitis right before Christmas.  I was in bed for a week and coughed for over 2 months.  True story!  Getting my rear end back on that treadmill has been like pulling teeth.  I am finally back to 3 days a week, but I am still not having fun.

• I need motivation!  And I am thankful for the friends who know that!  Guilt works for me.  So do words of affirmation! (No surprise there, right?)  And occasionally I cheer myself on just for good measure! ;)

So why ramble on and blog about something so silly?  Because we all have our "thing."  OK, we have LOTS of things, but the point is we all have things in our lives we struggle with.  Some serious, and some not so serious.

Overeating.  Addictions.  Depression.  Hard marriages.  Hurting children.  Disease.  Loneliness.  Over spending.  Money problems.

The key is ALL.  As in everyone you know.  Even bloggers who seem to have it all together (not that you thought I did).

Don't be fooled.  No one has it all together. No one.

You are NOT alone in your struggles- whether small, seemingly insignificant ones, or the really big ones that threaten to overcome you.

 Reach out to others, and reach up to God! And if you need a friend, you have one here!


Blessings,