Resolution Update

How is my year without soda pop going so far?  Not bad I tell ya, not bad.

January 1 - There were still two cold Coca-Colas in the fridge.  That was very tempting.  But I started the day strong with a big glass of water.  By afternoon I was dying for something non-water to drink.  So Allison & I headed to the store with the specific mission to find non-water, non-soda pop beverages.  We started the trip with a stop at Starbucks for an iced caramel macchiato.  I'm not normally a coffee drinker but I needed caffeine.  I came home with... raspberry lemonade, chocolate milk, capri sun, and Izze.  Here I ran into my first test.

What constitutes soda pop?  Is it the carbonation?  It can't be that alone or Perrier would be out and clearly that is not soda.  Is it the caffeine?  Again, not alone because coffee isn't soda.  I decided it was the combination of carbonation & high fructose cornsyrup & (usually) caffeine - usually because drinks like 7-up are generally considered soda but don't have caffeine.  So Jones soda made with cane sugar is out.  But Izze - which has no HFCS - only carbonated water and fruit juice is in.

I do realize that my subsitute drinks aren't exactly stellar choices nutritionally.  But that wasn't my challenge.  My challenge (and it is a challenge for me) is no soda pop.

January 2 - Day 2 was a bit easier.  Mr. Brown drank one of the remaining Cokes (at my request) so I have a little less temptation.  I'm hoping he'll finish the other one off quickly.  I already had drink options in the house so I was able to satisfy cravings for something sweet with those.  The hardest moment was when we went in the car.  I would normally grab a pop for the drive.  With that off limits I settled for a bottle of water.  No caffeine today and so far no caffeine headaches.  I did indulge in a cherry Icee today when I ran out to pick up Allison's prescription.

You have to understand a little more about what makes this hard for me.  Not just the soda pop addiction (although that's real) - it's the trouble I have with water.  I love water.  I used to drink buckets of it.  But ever since I've been sick, water has been a real trouble spot for me.  That sounds crazy I'm sure that water could make you sick.  But it's true.  I can't just grab a big glass and chug.  That will send me straight for the bathroom.  I have to carefully time my water consumption to ensure that my food is well digested.  And I have to drink it in small amounts.  The carbonation doesn't have the same upsetting effect on my digestive system.  That's part of the reason I've gotten so hooked in the first place. 

Resolutions

Admittedly I have a ton of posting to catch up on - including Christmas and New Years.  I promise there are photos to come soon.  But in the meantime, I'm going to talk about resolutions.

I'm not normally one to make resolutions.  I don't want to be a statistic of all the people who break them.  Because I know myself... I will break them.  But this year I've been working on making positive changes slowly and as I mentioned in my last entry, it's time for some real change.

This year I have made two resolutions for the new year.  Both are for my health and happiness.
1. Get into bed by 10pm as often as possible.  I would like to say every night but that's just not going to happen.  The little people in this house are always up before 6.  There is an occasional sleep-in until 6:30 but that is few and far between.  So that means I'm getting up somewhere between 5 - 5:45 every day.  Given that I usually don't fall into bed until around 11 that means I'm getting less than 7 hours of sleep every night.  A lot less, usually, since I tend to have a hard time falling asleep.  So I'm basically functioning on 5-6 hours of sleep per night.  That's not enough to keep me sane.  I figure if I can get to bed by 10 then I might get more to a 6-7 hour average.

2. Eliminate soda pop for one year.  I'm not committing to this for a lifetime.  I'm not even really sure I'll last this whole weekend.  But I'm going to try it.  It can't hurt right?

So there it is in black & white for all the world to know.  You will all know if I succeed or fail at this.

It's 9:29... better scoot so I can hit goal #1