100 Healthy Days: Day 1 - Coffee & Cigarettes

100 Healthy Days

I've taken up the challenge of 100 healthy days that has been started by an awesome support group for all things healthy, SleekGeek. 

It's essentially exactly what it says, for 100 days you make sure that you do something healthy each day and then post a picture of it. 

http://www.sleekgeek.co.za/100days/

I'll share mine on the blog each day, and I'd like to add something that I have learnt about it as well or even just share my personal feelings or experience with each thing as we go along.

Feel free to take up the challenge as well, all you need to do is share a picture on Facebook or Twitter or where ever you like to hang out on the internet and tag it #sleekgeek100


Day 1 -  Coffee & Cigarettes 

Ok so for Day 1 of the 100 healthy days, I've decided to share some things that I'm really proud of myself for accomplishing so far.

Ask anyone in my life what the two things are that they associated with me, and it would probably be coffee and cigarettes. For years I have received so many gifts to do with coffee or smoking, you would have sworn they were my only hobbies (ok they probably were). I was the coffee person; and when I came to visit you or you came to visit me I drank coffee, and when I drank coffee I had a smoke. 

I drink at least 8 cups of coffee every single day (relax it's the weak, nasty, instant kind so i'm not buzzing on caffeine or anything) and I wasn't (and am not) planning to change that any time soon. 

It is what makes me human, and what keeps me from committing violent acts on the stupid people I regularly have to deal with. It's just better for everyone if I am allowed to have it and no one gets in the way.

So you can imagine what it was like when I first tried to quit smoking... what a nightmare. I turned into the supreme Queen Bitch after only a couple of hours of not having a smoke, and every cup of coffee I had only made me want to smoke more. I tried to quit many, many times and failed because I didn't really want to give up and I resented all the people that made me feel like I should give up, including myself and basically had a big temper tantrum about it all every single time.

Until last year, when I was told about Champix which is a tablet you take for 4 - 12 weeks and it helps to reduce the cravings and stop that craaazy feeling you get when you are getting over an addiction. I coupled this with our annual holiday so that I was away from all of my triggers for 9 days while we road tripped and I have finally been successful and just passed my 1 year anniversary for not smoking. Go me! :)

So now the time had come to work on my other vice - coffee. Every diet I have ever been on, invariably fails when I've had enough of not being able to have my coffee with sugar and milk. I would either cheat and have it, or work it into the diet using a variety of excuses and lame 'fat-itudes' - but still piled loads of sugar and milk into it. Useless.

But now with my smoking success firmly under my very tight belt, and the knowledge that I could actually do it if I really wanted to, I knew that the time had come to take the next big step and start working towards making my coffee intake healthier.

So if I had to have coffee, it was going to have to be coffee that I could fit into my new healthy life. Slowly but surely I cut down my sugar - from 3 to 2, 2 - 1, even going as far as needing that half a teaspoon of sugar that has annoyed me so many times when other people request it; to eventually having no sugar and only milk. Milk was definitely the hardest for me to give up and took another 6 months of trying on and off before I eventually just went balls to the wall and stopped it all together. That was 2 weeks ago, and I'm still going strong.

And no, before you ask, I don't drink tea and I don't want to rather have tea than coffee. It's revolting, I've tried and tried to like it but no. Why does it smell so amazing but taste so horrible? It's like the ultimate anti-climax. Though that said, thinking about it now I may actually like it more now that I don't need sugar and milk... hmmm I'll report back.

But in conclusion, as of right now, I have successfully eliminated all sugar and milk from my coffee every day. Which means that as a part of my healthy eating plan, it is now allowed. And you know what? I actually like it, which I never thought I would be able to say.

So the lesson I have learned through this whole (very long) process, is that there is really no one stopping me from being healthy but myself - and if I really want it, I can do it. 

And so can you (it may take you years to get there like it did with me, but the important part is that you keep trying, but I'm going to go now before I turn into an thinspiration)

You've got this!

xx E