Here We Go Again... Withdrawals Suck!
Christmas was rough! We enjoyed family, food, drinks and fun for 11 days straight! My body hated me yesterday and it's still not super fond of me today. You think I'd learn my lesson about eating the wrong things... my body is not keen on junk, even if it tastes good!
So, let's revisit a portion of an old post. When I first started THM I created a blog post about withdrawals associated with sugar and caffeine. If you want to read it, check it out here. Since I'm starting over and plan to be in it for the long haul, I thought I'd grab a piece of that post and check it against my current withdrawal symptoms.
The portion I'm talking about was the checklist of symptoms one can have during a withdrawal from sugar and/or caffeine. Since I haven't had any sugar in 40+ hours, my body is starting to freak out! I have also only had about 1/2 cup of caffeine in the past 3 days (I drank a bit to help with the massive headache I have today).
Here we go...
Moving on...
With a new year comes new goals. Well, old goals, but a new jumping off point. There's something about the fresh, new start of a new year that helps with the motivation to make changes. I have a lot of things lined up to help me with my goals this year, also. It's a good feeling overall.
To start the new year, I have forced myself to pick up the habit of planning ahead and making lunches the night before. I know I'm more likely to eat well if I plan and prepare. If I don't, I will use any excuse to head down to the bagel shop one floor down from my office!
I sat down on Sunday and planned our meals for the week...
Monday - Bangin' Ranch Drummies (pg 162 of the THM Cookbook) & side salad
Tuesday - Skinny Bang Bang Shrimp with quinoa & side salad
Wednesday - Eggroll in a Bowl
Thursday - Protein Shake (I am having oral surgery, so most of my meals will be liquid for a day or two.)
Friday - Cheeseburger Pie, green beans & cottage cheese
I still have to plan the weekend, but I've got time for that. Breakfast, as usual, is protein shakes. Lunch this week is chicken caesar salad with extra veggies. Snacks are apples with string cheese or 000 Greek Yogurt with peanuts (sometimes you need a little crunch).
This week was all about getting back on track with food planning and prepping. Next week I'll need to add in some new ideas for activities to keep me moving without collarbone/shoulder pain. I'm REALLY missing karate lately!! Oh and this week I'm also focusing on water intake. I think I was lucky to drink about a cup a day during Christmas break... and that was just because I had to brush my teeth!
It's good to be back! My next doc appointment is in 9 days, so I hope to show SOME progress. Our Disney World trip is in 59 days and I'd really like to fit into my shorts and capris that are hiding in my closet. Mini goals!!!
So, let's revisit a portion of an old post. When I first started THM I created a blog post about withdrawals associated with sugar and caffeine. If you want to read it, check it out here. Since I'm starting over and plan to be in it for the long haul, I thought I'd grab a piece of that post and check it against my current withdrawal symptoms.
The portion I'm talking about was the checklist of symptoms one can have during a withdrawal from sugar and/or caffeine. Since I haven't had any sugar in 40+ hours, my body is starting to freak out! I have also only had about 1/2 cup of caffeine in the past 3 days (I drank a bit to help with the massive headache I have today).
Here we go...
- Dizziness: It is common to feel somewhat dizzy when withdrawing from the consistent ingestion of high amounts of caffeine... Not yet...
- Flu-like symptoms: Some people report headaches, muscle pain, as well as vomiting. Obviously these can be minimized with gradual tapering of caffeine as opposed to “cold turkey” quitting. Typically only people that have become extremely dependent on caffeine will exhibit flu like symptoms... YES
- Grogginess: Anyone that drinks caffeine can experience a “crash” and feel groggy. This will eventually go away as your body and brain recalibrate to life without caffeine... YES YES!
- Headache: Some people report standard headaches for the first few days of withdrawal, while others report experiencing migraines. This is your brain undergoing an adjustment – eventually this will go away. In the meantime take some Tylenol and wait a few days – the headaches will subside... OMG YES!
- Irritability: If caffeine gave you a slight mood boost or subtle feelings of happiness or perk, it is common to be irritable when withdrawing... Ummmm Yeah. :( (I blame the headache though lol)
- Lack of motivation: If you relied on caffeine to provide you with motivation, it’s going to be difficult getting through a few days or weeks in which you have zero motivation... Yes, but it could be that today is the first day after a 12-day vacation too!
- Lethargy: Most people end up feeling vey lethargic for a few days after quitting the use of caffeine. Some would say that this feeling is like a minor hangover... UGH YES!!!
- Mood swings: Some people experience minor mood swings during their withdrawal period... Still not sure I can blame caffeine for this one!
- Poor concentration: The inability to concentrate is very common. Caffeine is well known to enhance cognitive functioning so stopping it can negatively affect cognitive performance... CHECK, but I also come back to the post-vacation subject for this.
- Sleepiness: The tiredness and sleepiness may be difficult to cope with, but it will eventually subside... CHECK!!
- Sluggish: It is very common to feel like a total slug for a few days when quitting caffeine... CHECK!!
Moving on...
With a new year comes new goals. Well, old goals, but a new jumping off point. There's something about the fresh, new start of a new year that helps with the motivation to make changes. I have a lot of things lined up to help me with my goals this year, also. It's a good feeling overall.
To start the new year, I have forced myself to pick up the habit of planning ahead and making lunches the night before. I know I'm more likely to eat well if I plan and prepare. If I don't, I will use any excuse to head down to the bagel shop one floor down from my office!
I sat down on Sunday and planned our meals for the week...
Monday - Bangin' Ranch Drummies (pg 162 of the THM Cookbook) & side salad
Tuesday - Skinny Bang Bang Shrimp with quinoa & side salad
Wednesday - Eggroll in a Bowl
Thursday - Protein Shake (I am having oral surgery, so most of my meals will be liquid for a day or two.)
Friday - Cheeseburger Pie, green beans & cottage cheese
I still have to plan the weekend, but I've got time for that. Breakfast, as usual, is protein shakes. Lunch this week is chicken caesar salad with extra veggies. Snacks are apples with string cheese or 000 Greek Yogurt with peanuts (sometimes you need a little crunch).
This week was all about getting back on track with food planning and prepping. Next week I'll need to add in some new ideas for activities to keep me moving without collarbone/shoulder pain. I'm REALLY missing karate lately!! Oh and this week I'm also focusing on water intake. I think I was lucky to drink about a cup a day during Christmas break... and that was just because I had to brush my teeth!
It's good to be back! My next doc appointment is in 9 days, so I hope to show SOME progress. Our Disney World trip is in 59 days and I'd really like to fit into my shorts and capris that are hiding in my closet. Mini goals!!!
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