Soda | BulgingButtons

I bring you this update with a belly full of ice cream. I’ve been on a sweets binge lately, and it’s not good.

I’ve also been kinda sorta sick for about a month now, and it’s making me feel a lot like a slug. Yes, I’ve been to the doctor, and he thinks it’s viral, but it just keeps hanging around. UGH. So I just keep hanging around and waking myself up at night coughing and sniffling and then I feel like a zombie during the day. The whole thing is rather unfortunate. And annoying. And getting OLD.

As I was feeling sorry for myself, it occurred to me that I haven’t really been keeping track of my challenges, so maybe it’s time to revisit them. Here they are, in no particular order:

1. Stay away from Starbucks – Generally still accomplishing this one. I did have a week a while back where I went more than once, and that got me to go cold turkey again, so overall I haven’t been there much in 2015.

2. Eat more fruits and vegetables – Hmm, not so great, but not so terrible. I used to go days on end without any produce passing my lips, but now I generally try to have at least ONE fruit or vegetable a day. I know it’s not much, but it’s still better than nothing. I need to work on this one.

3. Stay away from the drive-thru – Overall I’ve done well with this one too. I’ve gone through a couple of times for a quick breakfast, but not nearly as much as in the past. We’ve been making a lot more meals at home and not eating out so much, so this one is pretty much a victory.

4. One Soda per Day – Most of the time I adhere to this one, but sometimes I don’t. Most of the time, though, I do. As the weather gets warmer I have to make sure that I bring enough water bottles to school, though, because I get really thirsty!

5. Move More – Fail. I’m a slug. A couch potato. A lazy butt. I don’t want to exercise. I don’t want to get outside and enjoy the gorgeous weather we’ve been having. I want to stay in bed and read, or better yet, sleep. UGH. Must. Shake. This. Cold.

So there you have it, some successes, some failures, and a lot of stuff in the middle, as usual. What are your challenges, and how are you doing with them?

I started with the Starbucks challenge, and it worked. I still haven’t set foot inside a Starbucks since I decided to go cold turkey (and no, I didn’t go through the drive-thru either!). That’s two weeks without those delicious (calorie laden, expensive) drinks. I hardly even shake as I drive by anymore, either.

Then last week I laid out the fruit and veggie challenge. Granted, it wasn’t very specific, but that’s okay. For me, it meant increasing the amount of fruits and vegetables in my diet by mindfully eating them every day. I did that too. Not a day went by this past week that I didn’t eat my fruits and veggies. Could I have eaten more of them? Certainly. But I could have eaten less, too, and I choose to concentrate on the small victories.

In the past week I’ve consumed the following: tomatoes, onions, peppers, zucchini, crookneck squash, broccoli, carrots, cabbage, celery, apples, tangerines, oranges, a tangelo, pineapple, spinach, lettuce, and raisins. Do raisins count? No? How about craisins? I had those too. And you know what? They were good. All of them.

So what to do about next week?

1. Stay out of Starbucks (it’s getting easier and easier)

2. Keep eating the fruits and vegetables

3. Cut down on soda (or, to be true to my roots, pop)

OUCH. I can’t believe my fingers actually typed those words. I love soda. I drink soda every day, usually more than one a day, so my challenge is to drink no more than one soda on any given day. This will be difficult! Still, I think it will be a good challenge, and one that will benefit my body and wallet. Even though my soda of choice is diet, it still can’t possibly be good for me, and it definitely costs more than water. It’s a win-win situation, and a challenge I’m ready to attempt.

Are you with me on this one? Anyone else want to cut down on soda this week? Join in and we’ll drink our water together.