WOAH Withdrawals!!

This is crazy!! I knew I was a Diet Coke addict, but honestly, I had it cut back to 20oz or less a day. I guess I didn't figure in all of the caffeine in my naughty coffees each weekday morning or the caffeine in the chocolate I would eat daily (although I was also doing that in moderation). Add to that cutting out sugar and my body is going "HOLD ON ONE MOMENT HERE!!" To say it's rebelling is a slight understatement. I actually Googled the symptoms of sugar and caffeine withdrawal today. I'm a walking billboard! Here are a few that show up on both lists...

• Dizziness: It is common to feel somewhat dizzy when withdrawing from the consistent ingestion of high amounts of caffeine... CHECK
• 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... CHECK
• 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... CHECK
• 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... CHECK CHECK CHECK!!
• Irritability: If caffeine gave you a slight mood boost or subtle feelings of happiness or perk, it is common to be irritable when withdrawing... CHECK (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... CHECK
• 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... CHECK!!!
• Mood swings: Some people experience minor mood swings during their withdrawal period... 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 although, this is me every day!
• 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

There were others, but most of these showed up on both searches. Crazy huh?? I am not going to say I didn't know that Diet Coke wasn't good for me. I know that. I just chose to keep drinking it, but I cut back. Today... I still want one! LOL It's not a crackhead craving where I'm jittery and jonesing for one, but I know it would taste good and would make me happy. Yes, I know it would make me happy... it does that to the brain you know. But feeling like I have the last 24 hours... I can see how hard of a time my body is having at resetting itself. Anything that creates these types of symptoms (plus several more) just because you stop drinking/eating it probably isn't all that wonderful for your body huh?? I just hope the symptoms pass quickly!!

On another note... the recipe I posted last night for the Bunless Cheesburger... OH MY GOODNESS!!! It tasted so good! The hubby grilled the burgers, added some bacon and cheese. I honestly think leaving the bun off made it taste even better. It definitely hit the spot and will be a staple item in our house. Tonight's dinner will be my first time attempting to eat spaghetti squash! I'm making Dreamy "Mac & Cheese" Spaghetti Squash. If it goes well, I'll post the original recipe and then the one with my alterations to make it THM worthy. This is me stepping WAYYYY outside of my bubble for sure!

A quick note on the rest of my meal plan today...

Breakfast: 1% cottage cheese & blueberries (FP)

Snack: Fudgy No-Bake Cookies (made out of oatmeal and yummy goodness) and some nuts (S)

Lunch: Chicken & Strawberry Salad with SF Raspberry Vinegarette

Snack: Apple & Cheese Stick

And dinner you already know about. Dessert will probably be a couple No-Bake cookies if I'm still hungry.

Yesterday's meals were very similar, so I won't take up space to post them. I'm working with the groceries we have this week and will shake it up with some new options next week!

Okay... today I'm going to wrap up with a giant product gush! This is an absolute must for people who have to pack for the whole day at work. I love it!! I saw it on another blog and had to have it. It's called Rubbermaid LunchBlox.

I can't say enough good things about this little set up. I got the bigger version and it was about $15 at Wal-Mart. It comes with one long container, to small containers the width of the big one and then two more half that size. I had already eaten my morning snack by the time I took these pics, but I put the main meal in the big one with a side in a middle sized one, a snack in a middle sized one and a small one. And then the other small one has been used for dressing, but could hold any small side. Now the kicker... those blue things in the middle... ICE PACKS!!!! They all sit right in there in my lunch bag. I throw one more small ice pack in for the size of my bag to keep my drinks cold and it stays nice and cold all day. So slick!!

Anyway... that's my product gush for today.