Friday Ramblings: Ode To Starbucks
Friday, June 22, 2012 at 12:00AM 
Last Saturday marked my 100th day sans coffee and caffeine (did I mention I can't even have decaf?).
And while I know this change overall is better for my health, there's really only one way to sum up exactly how I feel:
This. Blows.
Because you'll wanna trust me when I say: A WRITER WITH NO CAFFEINE, IS NOT SOMEONE YOU WANT TO MESS WITH.
I should get that printed on a t-shirt.
Maybe at some point down the road, I'll get to where I'm no longer counting the days - after all, this is a total lifestyle change for me, and something I plan on committing to for the rest of my life.
Yep, I actually typed that...out loud.
Granted, I will say I've let myself splurge a time or two. Because you might be able to take away my morning tall, double, skinny, hazelnut latte, but may the Gods be ever in your favor, if you take away chocolate, too.
So while I attempt to come to grips with the fact Starbucks indeed, will NOT shut it's doors because I've stopped going there every morning (I do live in Seattle, after all!), I've succumbed to wandering the tea aisle at my Whole Foods...with a longing gaze over my shoulder at all the glorious coffee only shelves away; inhaling deeply as I walk past and fighting the urge to find a way to pump it straight into my veins.
At least I've been fortunate to come across some pretty amazing caffeine-free teas: Tazo Vanilla Rooibos (although I've learned the side effect of this one, is terrible heart burn!), Yogi Egyptian Licorice, and Numi Honeybush. Any of the above with a spoonful of blackberry honey = yum.
However, great teas aside, I have no idea how I'm going to handle when fall rolls around - because that right there, means only one thing:
This my friends, is almost better than...well, I could list a number of things here. Because yes, it's that good.
But...I digress.
And now I'm off to go refill the hot water in my cup for my tea. Ho hum.
With that, I'll leave you to answer: have you ever had to give up something you never thought you could and how did you handle it?
Happy Friday, everyone - hope you all have a wonderfully caffeinated weekend!
Caffeine Free, Ramblings, Starbucks in Friday Ramblings
Reader Comments (8)
Former Starbucks barista here. I have a way of curing you of your Pumpkin Spice Latte craving: The first time I ever tasted it, the first thing that popped into my head was melted down Crayola crayon. Now all I taste is crayons (you know, assuming I actually know what crayons taste like). All that aside, you're pretty brave giving it up, but probably also very smart! Coming home from shifts at the Bux reeking like coffee, and not in a good way, was also a pretty good deterrent...for a while at least. :)
You are a brave soul,I don't think I could give up my tea. Granted, I don't heap it with sugar or other intrusive add ons. I've gone weeks without it,but forever? nah...
I have given up on sugar and processed foods! At first I thought it would be impossible, but once you get the hang of it....it is pretty easy and I feel healthier :)
fantastic post! Thanks for sharing...
No coffee?!?!?! You mentioned that you were going caffeine-free in a previous blog post, but I kind of glossed over it. I figured it couldn't be true. ;) But 100 days without?! You're my new hero.
I tend to go for the 90% rule - 90% of the time, I'm a ginormous health nut, 10% of the time, I indulge. For example, I rarely drink alcohol, but once every few months I'll have a glass of wine. I also rarely eat processed sugar, but, same as with the vino, I'll have something spectacular (Alden's Cookies & Cream Ice Cream, I'm thinking of you) once every few months. I tend not to cut things out entirely, because that makes it harder to go without. But that's just me. :)
And I've decided that coffee is a health food.
KIDDING!
I indulge in coffee (1 cup a day), but sometimes take a break for a week or two to let my body get over the addiction. :)
Last year I ruined my digestive system by going on a high fiber diet too quickly. Every time I ate sugar, fruits, vegetables, or fiber I'd have burping episodes so back that I couldn't talk. The other thing I discovered about burping is that you can't burp and breathe at the same time. Doesn't sound too bad until I tell you that I would burp continuely for HOURS!!! And it was worse when I drove, meaning that I'd be behind the wheel and get light headed, and have to force myself to take breaths in order to make some of it go away. There were nights I'd have to drug myself to sleep.
As a result I had to give up sugar, fruits, vegetables and fiber. I've always been an "eat dessert first" kind of girl so this was REALLY hard for me. I don't usually deny myself. I've never given anything up for lent because, what's the point? Life's too short. It turned out I am also allergic to ALL the artificial sweeteners except sorbitol so I went MONTHS without anything sweet. (Fruits, vegetables and fiber were much easier to give up).
It got easier but I always missed it and was much more willing to cheat. I was so thankful when I was able to put sugar back in my diet (something I discovered by cheating every once and a while).
It's been more than a year and I've been able to put almost everything back in my diet. The big no nos continue to be mango, peach, and apricot (I've also discovered I'm allergic to papaya but that's another story) and I miss them terribly.
Good luck, Erin! I can't even begin to fathom giving up coffee and caffeine, especially as coffee with some 1/2 and 1/2 was the one beverage that actually helped quiet my burping and so has become one of my best friends. But Maureen is in your shoes. Her list is even longer, things she won't be able to have the rest of her life (caffeine, alcohol, sugar). I asked her once if she missed them. She said she did but the longer she went without them the easier it got. So you go girl!
I forget if I've spouted off here about David's Tea--it's what I do anytime I see someone talking about giving up coffee or caffeine--but they have one called Oh, Canada which is really great for fall. It's rooibos tea sweetened with maple syrup/maple candy. Or if the cinnamon is what you're after, there's Forever Nuts--I've mostly had that one cold, so I can't speak for what it's like hot, but iced it sort of makes me think of Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal. They sell online, but if you ever find yourself in Canada, the stores are great because you can smell all the teas. Anyway, since a David's moved into my neighborhood (there are two NYC stores now! Maybe they'll come across the border elsewhere!) I've gone off coffee pretty much entirely.
Pumpkin spice latte!! Oh Starbucks, how I love your seasonal drinks (with the exception of the eggnog latte, which I completely disagree with on a personal level)!! Those things are SUCH a money sucker! Can you still have their Chai tea latte? Or does chai have caffeine?
I love Republic of Tea products~ the ginger peach and rainforest are two of my favorites~ check out their website if you need a new tea place to drool over: http://www.republicoftea.com/ Oh, and Teavana! Teavana is a fun store and you can lessen your caffeine grieving by buying cute tea accessories too: http://www.teavana.com/ I've bought a lot of stuff for my stepdaughter (aka, the tea fiend) from there.
Jaime - Yes, I too, worked coffee all through high-school and college...which kinda became my downfall, since I had access to it twenty-four / seven. And as sick and twisted as it sounds, I loved smelling like coffee after my shifts (it was better than smelling like bleach from cleaning everything!)! :) And melted down Crayola crayon? Nope, not deterring me in the least. I'd gladly suck on the end of one of those, if it would do the trick! :) Like I said, sick and twisted, I know!
Maryellen - I'm not to big a fan in adding sugar to me tea, either! I do love flavored honey (this Blackberry honey from Great Harvest is a-mazing!) and some cream - but that's about it. And full on giving up sugar and processed foods? Yes, sadly this day will come for me too, and I've been trying to wean myself off. It's been hard enough to cut out gluten, but I'm at least 70% there on that one. One step at a time, I guess!
B! - Yeah, I know, crazy huh? What I'm trying to do is cut it out for now, and then, maybe in a few months, I'll allow myself to have a cup once a month - like a really good cappuccino or maybe just one pumpkin spice latte in the fall. Cause I'm a believer in moderation, too...and while I know this change is good for me, I can "reward" myself with it a few times per year. :( So sad... And I must have some of this cookies and cream ice cream that you speak of! That is one of my ALL-TIME favorites (well, aside from my Haagen Dazs chocolate chocolate-chip)!
Cathy - Yikes - what a shock your system had! It's amazing to think what changes in our diet can do to our bodies, huh? At least you've been able to allow most of it back in though - I think it would be one thing to not have most fruits and vegetables, but sugar? Wow, can you imagine how cranky I'd be? :) And I'm so sorry Maureen is off all the "good stuff" too. Between the three of us, we really make a team, huh? I hope you're well - when are we going to do dinner? Seriously, we need to get something on the calendar! Lunch would work too...oh, and are you the two of you going to the PNWA conference this year? Hmmm, I think I owe you a long email. :)
Mrs. S. - thank you, thank you, for the fabulous David's Tea recommendation! I definitely need to try that rooibos sweetened with maple syrup - that sounds de-licious!!! And iced tea that tastes like cinnamon toast crunch? SOLD. I just pulled their site up on-line...oh, I think I may be in heaven. :) Thanks again!
Jess - see, this is why you and I, we get along so good! Pumpkin spice lattes. Gingerbread lattes. BUT NO ON THE EGG NOG LATTES, bleck! And I'm not sure on the chai...I'll have to check on that! I do also love republic of tea teas - and yes, Teavana is so much fun to stroll through - and I love all the accessories! What can I say, I'm a sucker for that kind of stuff!
Thanks, everyone for stopping by! And thanks too, for all the words of encouragement and all the great recos! I'm sipping my Egyptian Licorice tea right now...but man, I sure wish it were a latte. It will be weird to see if my calcium levels go down, now that I've stopped drinking all that milk.
Have a great week!
Wow--to go caffeine-less, in Seattle? Caffeineless in Seattle. Was that a movie? Anyway--that's quite a challenge, Erin. And if it's for the good of your health, then I hope you succeed and that soon the very thought of caffeine will be odious to you! Stay strong. Tea is an excellent alternative. Actually, I prefer tea (hot, of course--not iced as the locals here drink it... IKKKY!), but I can't have my tea decaffeinated. Yes, I've been vegetarian for 22 years, but I cannot forgo my caffeinated tea! I'm just not that strong... :)