Thank goodness for coffee. Monday’s are tough enough as it is. The kids have to adjust to waking up earlier and so do I. While energy levels during the day remain strong on the Whole30 challenge, getting that morning boost is nice to still be able to get from a little bit of coffee. I also take my B12 vitamins in the morning and these give even more energy to get going.
I said right from the beginning, this was not a matter of weight loss, but health. Now who doesn’t mind losing a few pounds though? My family has a bad history with heart disease and diabetes (maternal and paternal side of the family). I’ve always had good sugar levels, oxygen levels, and reasonable BMI, however after each lab result I always am awaiting the inevitable bad reading or diagnosis. Especially when it comes to diabetes. Diet and exercise are alright, but you would not believe the amount of sugar and added sugar I consume on a daily basis. I want to give my children the healthiest version of myself and hopefully someday a chance to be a grandma who can do things with my grandkid.
I’m not pointing fingers, but Starbucks (which I love dearly as do many people), is loaded with sugar, even if it’s a lot of cane sugar. A few drinks a weeks add up not just in calories and sugar, but right in the pocketbook. This may be the longest streak I’ve kept money on a Starbucks gift card or gone without reloading my oh so coveted gold card. I’ve been Starbucks gold now for at least a decade amounting to a whopping 96 registered different cards, including several collectors ones-two of which are Paul McCartney-. What’s not to love? Starbucks has rewards, a great environment, wonderful baristas, an impressive variety, our kids love it, and even games.
Cost, is awful and you may have noticed your usual drink go up a few cents (as they have several times over the years, McDonald’s Happy Meals increased price too, but I’ll save that for a later day). While there are healthy options available at Starbucks, like many places. It does seem like MOST items are not anywhere near healthy. I’m not knocking Starbucks or anyone who goes there, but it’s time for myself to treat the drinks I get there for what they are a dessert. Something you should be getting on a rare occasion, not once or twice a day. I’m not cutting out Starbucks completely, but one of my goals was to reduce trips, spending, and sugar intake tremendously from this awful habit.
I’ve sworn off Starbucks many times over the years, but have never been successful in the long run. In college I wrote a paper about this for a change in behavior assignment. By the end of the paper I was going to Starbucks more often and spending even more money than before. I got an A on the paper, but to me I failed because I never broke the behavior. (In my defense I was very stressed with college, wedding planning, and working three jobs). Even during pregnancy I found safe drinks or would visit to get a nice big cup of ice. The beginning of the 2020 Covid-19 Pandemic was the next longest streak, but even that was only about two weeks.
“Here’s to saving money, calories, and reducing my added sugar intake.”
Breakfast: coffee+unsweetened vanilla almond milk (I don’t think I’ll ever just be able to drink straight coffee on a regular basis) and a banana
Snack: Bon Bon’s Two Shots of Expresso and 16 oz. of water. “I’m trying to break the Starbucks habit, not the coffee habit. Years and years and over a decade of a bad habit is no easy task to transform. I saved some money, found a new place to get some work done, and I am scoping out some new local baristas.”
Lunch: trail mix (coconut, raisins, walnuts, and cashews), carrots, clementine, Lara bar
Dinner: cut sweet potatoes baked dipped in Dijon mustard, leftover spring vegetables and steamed California blend, 100% carrot and orange juice
Takeaway: I had a lot of energy today. I also had my first workout during the Whole30 Challenge. I ran 3.4 miles and felt great! It was FREEZING outside. It’s January in Northern Indiana, the temperature was 28 degrees Fahrenheit and the feels like temperature was only 15.
Tabitha Sprunger 