september challenge

You know me. I like a good challenge. I've been able to give up maybe 80% of my soda habit but that lingering 20% — and my love of sugar in general‚ is keeping me fat.

In the last week or so my sugar addiction imploded. I was super stressed. Online class ended, and started, and I was preparing for classes to start. Plus worrying about my beach trip being canceled because of a hurricane. I was chugging soda like it was water. I was eating candy like it was a food group. I felt like poop.

Something had to change. And it did today. I hope.

For the month of September I'm going to attempt to not drink soda, eat candy, ice cream, pastry and cake and try to kick this habit once and for all. Will I be reading packages like a diabetic? No. Will I be dumping all the forms of sweetener in my house? No. (That's my collection on the left.) I just want to tame the beast.

Day one. 

Went okay. No breakfast soda. We went out to lunch and they put mints on the check tray. I didn't eat them. I haven't hit the machine a school for licorice. Day one is easy. Day 27, is a different story.

Full disclosure. I'm going to the shore next weekend. A trip to the shore involves fudge and salt water taffy. I will have some. Not a whole pound. I will also ride bicycles, walk boardwalks, climb lighthouses and other physical activity.

Now what do I drink instead of soda? Water is the natural choice. But I have to admit that water gets old, at least for me. Even adding lemons doesn't help. I like bubbly water but don't want to pay the price. I admit it when it comes to some things I'm cheap.

One day at Bed, Bath and Beyond I saw a Soda Stream machine. It also makes bubbly water. But it's $125. I should just buy the bubble water. But that's a lot of plastic.

My colleague suggested becoming a tea connoisseur. The whole process of brewing would be relaxing and break the stress. Some are full of antioxidents and other good things. But of course it has caffeine. Don't want to go on that road.

My sister Elin was the tea drinker. She had quite a collection. My niece Bonnie is also a tea girl. Me, not so much.

Now I love ice tea. (I really don't care for hot drinks—and Chai is gross—except hot chocolate. Yeah, I know, sugar, chocolate and whipped cream.) Angel suggest becoming a connoisseur of iced tea. Is their really that much variety out there for iced? Right now I just make solar or fridge tea.

Last Thanksgiving (or was it more than that) Dave and Barb were telling us about a fancy tea store, Teavana, in the Lehigh Valley Mall. And showed us the hot tea brewing device they bought. I'm remembering that their worked kind of like French Press, where you floated the tea in it, and then plunged all the leaves to the bottom. But I could have made that up. My memory is about the size of a gnat.

I bet Bonnie would go with me to look at teas.No pots. Too expensive. Will stick with a pan of water. Not even a kettle.

In a Korig you can make tea, even iced tea, I had it at Musikfest. But all those little plastic cups... It's expensive too.

Like normal, I'm getting ahead of myself. Putting the cart before the horse mama used to say.

One day at a time, fat girl. One day at a time.