Letting Go for Lent: Day 2

Alrighty...it's day 2 of my giving up sugar for Lent. And guess what? Since I like to drink black tea (lots of caffeine!) with lots of sugar, I kind of gave up caffeine by default.

Maybe I should have thought this through a bit more. *sigh*

Oh well...it's done, and it'll do me some good.

So far, I'm not experiencing any of the horror stories I've read about sugar and/or caffeine detox. I was a bit more tired yesterday and fell asleep watching TV in the early evening, and late yesterday evening and sometimes during today, I've had a low-grade headache; not enough for me to take any Advil or anything, but enough to let me know it's there. This is apparently a normal part of sugar and caffeine detoxes.

One thing I've been doing, which I didn't realize was helpful at the time, was eating oatmeal for breakfast. Apparently, it helps suck out the toxins in my body and happily scrubs them out of my intestines.

(Okay, that may have been a bit graphic and TMI, but you get the point).

I've also been eating a lot more fruit; that helps when I have a taste for something sweet. Even though food is sky high these days, I've managed to find some good sale items, and don't sleep on those markdowns that grocery stores do to try and get rid of stuff that is about to expire. I got two bags of green apple slices for $1.00 each (BARGAIN! regular price was $2.99/bag), and three pints of strawberries for $4.98 (yes, you read that right: 3 pints of strawberries in this specially marked package, for about 5 bucks). I also got some bananas. I cut up a banana in my morning oatmeal, and add some cinnamon and a bit of half-and-half, and it actually turns out pretty well. I tried strawberries but they don't taste as good to me as the bananas.

Another thing I've been doing is just eating right, period. I've been eating more vegetables too, especially since springtime is fast approaching and more fresh fruits and vegetables are becoming available. Plus, given the high cost of foods, I've been shopping at a place called Fresh Market (which is kind of a Whole Foods Lite LOL--no toiletries section). Some of their prices are less than the regular chain stores like Kroger (which is similar to Harris Teeter, Safeway/Vons, Ralph's, Giant, Albertson's etc., depending on where you live) and the produce and meats tend to be of better quality. Plus, it's right next to the public library, a branch of my bank, a Harris Teeter (if I can get some stuff cheaper there), and some other shops (like a drugstore and a very nice thrift shop run by the Junior League), so it's one-stop shopping for me.

I'm plugging along and for those of you who may be on your own Lenten journey, I wish you luck and encourage you to hang in there!

Thanks for stopping by.