The sun is back after a rain-filled week…Hallelujah!
Eric and I took advantage of the nice weather to get outside for our first hike of the year.
We weren’t the only Canadians with Spring Fever! We could barely find a parking spot…
Ladies and Gents…meet Dwight K. Schrute! Or just Dwight for short. ;)
I picked myself up a Garmin Forerunner 305 at Costco this weekend!!
I have been wanting one for over a year now and my Polar RS200 has been broken for several months so I finally forked over the cash for a Garmin. Costco seems to have the best deal in Canada (aside from one sketchy website which I deemed was perhaps not the most reliable).
Eric couldn’t stop laughing at how HUGE the watch looks on my wrist. I had to explain to him that it’s a runner’s thing and I am PROUD to wear this beast!
If you are an Office fan you will understand where the Dwight name comes from. On the show, Dwight is known for wearing a huge calculator watch, which the Garmin kind of reminds me of. ;)
I can’t get over how many cool features this watch has. You can train or race against a ‘virtual partner’. This will be so motivational for me on solo runs. You can also upload all of your workouts and track/compare with the software. I still have half of a manual to read, but so far it has been quite easy to figure out! I can’t wait to use this on my 15km race this Sunday!
We tested out Dwight on the hike today. I set up the automatic pause feature, so the timer pauses every time I stop for a rest. At the end of the workout (or during) you can look at how much ‘rest time’ you had. It prevents the need to keep pausing and starting the watch each time you stop.
It was about 18C today and just perfect for a hike!
So peaceful.
Winter BE GONE!
We brought some of these on our walk for a snack:
Eric and I love going on hikes together because it gives us uninterrupted time to just talk about anything and everything…
We had one VERY interesting talk that I will be telling you about soon. :mrgreen: Oh, it’s a DOOZEY!!!!
We walked for an hour and covered 2.9 miles of hills, rocks, waterfalls, and rays…
We worked up appetites for lunch…
A protein packed spinach, lentil, hummus, and tomato Ezekiel wrap:
My breakfast this morning did an OK job of holding me over. Not as good as my first batch of vegan overnight oats for some reason (I may have just been extra hungry this morning though!).
An apple which was way too soft and not very good…(I like crunchy apples!)
and a handful of dried organic apricots and a dark chocolate:
I spent the afternoon organizing my bakery stock and taking inventory. It feels so good to get a jump start on the work week. This week is going to be VERY busy and EXCITING as I am training my first employee, meeting with the organic farmer’s market director, finalizing the new GF Glo Bar, and of course doing my regular orders!
In my last post, I told you that Eric is trying to kick something COLD TURKEY from his diet!
If you guessed COKE you were right!
And no, not the illegal kind of coke…this kind… ;)
Eric has been addicted to Coke since he was a young boy. In university, he often drank up to 6 cans a DAY as a way to be able to stay awake. He cut back a bit after university, but he still drank about 2 cans during the work day. I used to encourage him to drink healthier things, but he never showed ANY interest in stopping so I dropped it years ago.
Well, what does he do totally out of the blue last week??
He tells me that he decided to cut Coke (and all pop) COLD TURKEY out of his diet!!!!
He has not had a Coke since the beginning of our vacation in Florida, and not one sip at work. Apparently, his coworker bought him a Coke last week and set it in front of him and Eric didn’t even drink it after much teasing from his coworker. I was so proud when he told me this story I almost shed a tear! lol. I gave him a big, beaming bear hug because I am just so proud of him!
I asked him why he decided to do this all of a sudden and he said, ‘It is the one consistent thing in my diet that is bad for me and I realized that I could replace it with something healthier.’
When the craving strikes, he is trying to beat it by making tea or having 100% pure orange juice.
So far it has been working…BUT, he admitted to me this weekend that he is craving one REALLY BADLY and he is worried that he might crack and have one and then be hooked again.
I immediately thought of you guys and I knew that you could help Eric! I said, ‘MY AMAZING BLOG READERS CAN HELP YOU!!!!’ :mrgreen:
He needs the encouragement now more than ever and I was hoping that you guys could leave Eric a comment below and encourage him to stick with cutting Coke out of his life. Then he can read the comments when he is craving some. Actually, this could help ANYONE out there who is trying to cut something out of their diet. Eric REALLY wants to stick with it, but he is afraid that he is not strong enough!! Any encouragement you can offer is greatly appreciated. :) maybe those of you who are also trying to kick pop out of your life can offer each other support!
Today’s question- Do you have a story to share about pop/soda? Do you like it and have you ever tried to cut back? What about diet pop?
My story with pop is a simple one- I always disliked pop since I was a very young child. I have never been a fan of carbonated drinks for some reason! The only pop I ever drank was the orange or pink stuff…and I drank it very rarely because I always preferred juice as opposed to carbonated drinks. I know a lot of women who are addicted to diet pop…they drink about 6-8 cans a day and can’t kick the habit.
I am not a huge fan of pop … it is liquid poison. You can do it Eric!!!!!!!
Go Eric! If you feel the coke monkey getting to you, try seltzer water with juice!
I purchased a Garmin 305 last year in the hopes I’d put it to good use this year when I get back to training again. I just set it up last Thurs., but have not gotten the opportunity to try out all of the features that I am sure it has. I did not know that it had this feature but I love that, so I’ll check that out! What a wonderful place to hike, wow! I love hiking and mountain biking, fun stuff.
As for the addiction of soda pop, I once was a diet coke addict many many moons ago, and I don’t know how in the heck I was because when I taste it today, it is not a good taste whatsoever. As for regular coke, I don’t ever drink it, I don’t drink soda at all for that matter. I am a water, green tea and coffee drinker but mostly water. Now, I do have to say and I don’t know what it is, but when I’ve eaten a real hamburger, which I do not do as I am attempting to become a pescatarian, some day, but having a burger, fries and a coke just seems right. :)
I think if you have Eric go to http://members.tripod.com/Barefoot_Lass/cola.html, he might think twice about continuing to drink Coke….teehee! Or Google Uses of Cocacola….and holy schmoly you will freak!
Eric, you can do this, once you don’t have it anymore, you won’t even crave it. My hubby was once addicted to Diet Mt. Dew when he was in the Army due to the fact that it kept him alert during training, he eventually stopped it cold turkey and to this day he wonders why he would’ve even wanted to drink something full of sugar like that. I’m so glad!
Good luck!
During my worst disordered eating days I could drink up to 12 cans of diet coke a day. I gradually cut back to 1 to 3 per day BUT was drinking 3 to 4 cans of red bull per day plus coffee. I stopped my diet coke and red bull habit cold turkey when after I left my job a little over a year ago. I have not touched diet coke since but have had the occasional (I could count the times in the last year on one hand) lemonade or sunkist. The thought of diet coke makes me literally feel ill now. I don’t even like the smell if someone else is drinking it. Giving up red bull was harder. I had many slip ups the first three months or so. Once again I have had the occasional one since but no longer crave it. Carbonated beverages actually make me feel sick to my stomach now. I still drink coffee (usually just in the morning). I drink a lot of soy milk, cranberry juice and tea now. If I can kick this habit, anyone can. I think the key is to allow some slip ups but have one and get back on the wagon. No one is perfect and going cold turkey is really tough. If you forgive yourself for slip ups I think you have a much better chance for success instead of simply believing it is all too hard and giving up. Go Eric!
I used to LOVE Coke… to the point of owning a lot of old Coke memorabilia. But then one day I realized how many liquid calories you’re unknowingly consuming when you drink soda, and I think that was a turning point for me. I never drank soda at home, but every time I went out to eat I’d get one. Now I feel a sense of proud accomplishment when I go out to eat and just order water. I feel like I’m really doing something great for my body, and that makes me feel great! :D
I weaned myself off of soda back in my BA years and what helped was carrying around water and if the urger for a soda struck I would reach for a Peligreno. There’s something about bubbles in the soda that was my “crave” factor. Also, a visual representation of how much sugar is in soda can help…. Check out sugarstacks.com
Best wishes!
I also used to be addicted to Coke…it was tough for me to kick the habit. I did Kris Carr’s ACT Cleanse last April and told myself that I would go 28 days without drinking soda and then after those 28 days I would re-evaluate and see how I was feeling about things. After that time, I did not crave it anymore! I drink one every once in a while now but it tastes really really sweet to me (I never realized how sweet a Coke tastes until after I gave it up). One of the things that helped me when I was having cravings was a few sips of kombucha tea (like GT’s which they sell at Whole Foods). It’s really fizzy and gives me a burst of energy like soda used to do. I feel SO much better not drinking it anymore and you can DEFINITELY break the habit! Doubt your doubts! :)
I have found that sparkling water often helps curb my soda cravings. The carbonation is really satisfying. :)
add some club soda to your orange juice. the carbonation may help fufil your coke cravings!
I used to have a diet coke addiction about 1.25 litre bottle a day. It started when I was in grade 9 and went on a school trip (before then I had NEVER drunk coke) and lasted til I had finished university (about 3 years ago). I know have sparkling mineral water as it gives me the bubbles (and is a bit more exciting than still water) but is much better for me. I have relapsed twice (had one glass on two separate occassions) but it was just one drink and didn’t go back to drinking it all the time.
So good luck Eric and if you do slip rememeber you don’t have to keep going after that and don’t think if you have one drink you’ll be drinking it all the time again.
That’s so great that Eric is trying to be healthier! Don’t you just love it when our healthy habits rub off people around us?
My bf doesn’t eat really healthy, but he tries, and I’m glad that we are making progress :))
I was never much of a soda/juice drinker. All the sugar and stuff in it freaks me out. I’ve heard that coke makes your erythrocytes glued together, awful!
Sparkling water with a bit of lemon is a great substitution :)
Any kind of water with fizz, add some lemon, lime or orange juice. I always do lemon. Touch of sugar if you need it. It has the pop fizz that I sometimes miss from other drinks. I drink Harmony chocolate milk now where I used to drink coke (pizza, chips…………it is organic milk… about 5 per bottle but 2 back when you take back the bottle. Organic planet and whole foods carry it. Drink some see if you like it as a sub for pop. I haven’t had a pop in 2 years and drank 6 or more a day. When i really want a pop those are my treats to get past it.
Best of luck to you,
I know you can do it.
Go Eric!
I was a die hard diet soda fan from way back. In high school I had one can a day, unless we were on vacation or went out to eat. In college I started drinking diet soda with every meal (even breakfast). On weight watchers I would drink at least one can a day, maybe a 20oz bottle with tons of water. When I quit weight watchers because of my binging, I stopped using artificial sweeteners. I was still drinking a couple cans a week.
During the last few months I would drink a random can or 20 oz bottle–until a few weeks ago when I decided to buy a Sobe green tea right before work. (Do they have Sobe in Canada? Think enhanced sugary juice drinks.) I took a swig and my goodness it was so sweet! I also noticed I’ve started being satisfied with fruit for desert instead of tons of chocolate.
What helped me (because I love carbonation) was drinking sparkling water mixed with juice or the kobucha drinks from Millennium. Neither are things I would have drank when I was on weight watchers, but I feel so much better drinking these things.
I used to drink tons of juice but eventually cut back when trying to lose weight! I drink soda on occasion now but just as a treat.
I sent you the whole forward on water or coke because it was too long to post but here are some of the most shocking facts about Coke…
In many states the highway patrol carries
two gallons of Coke in the trunk to remove blood from
the highway after a car accident.
the active ingredient in Coke is phosphoric acid.
It will dissolve a nail in about four days. Phosphoric
acid also leaches calcium from bones and is a major
contributor to the rising increase of osteoporosis.
To carry Coca-Cola syrup! (the concentrate) the
commercial trucks must use a hazardous Material place
cards reserved for highly corrosive materials.
The distributors of Coke have been using it to clean
engines of the trucks for about 20 years.
Slightly and by slightly I mean really disturbing right??
Hope those give him some motivation!!!
You can do it Eric!! You’re a powerful warrior, a beast! RAWWWR! :D
and on the side note: tehe, it’s so cute that you guys call it “pop”!
Well, we share a name so OBVIOUSLY you are made of awesome! One of the best reasons to stop drinking it, is that the phosphoric acid in it, plus Vitamin C (in your diest) equals… KIDNEY STONES!! From what I’ve heard, it’s the male equivalent of giving birth! You can totally do it!! Maybe try just plain sparkling water for awhile, to get the bubbly feel. Good luck!
Yep, you need a Soda Stream! I swear you’ll never go back!
Big news? You’re such a tease! More cats? :)
Hi Angela & Eric!
Stay strong Eric, I feel like when I’m trying to kick a bad habit, I think about it more, like all the time, so the best way to beat it is distracting yourself with something else to keep your mind off those cravings. Easier said than done, I know, but keep at it, you’ll feel soooooo much better in the long run!
Also, Angela what is the protein powder that you use? I’ve been experimenting with a few, but haven’t found, ‘the one’. Any suggestions? Thanks :D
hurray for getting the garmin you’ve wanted! i bet you learn some really great things about how your body operates with it :) i have to admit, i really enjoy a diet coke or diet dr. pepper once or twice a week sometimes. it’s not a regular thing…sometimes i’ll go weeks without it, but it’s something i like. i have been drinking a lot more tea or coffee though, which helps with not drinking as many cokes as usual :)