Decaf Detox

I have a big announcement to make. BIG!

Decaf is NOT caffeine free.

Oh, you knew that already? Well, me too, kind of. But I didn't realize how caffeinated a decaf drink, **ahem**-a Starbucks Decaf Venti Mocha--really is. Let me tell you how I discovered (besides the fact that I Googled it). As you might have read, one of my New Year's Resolutions for 2010 is to only have one Starbucks a day. I know for those of you who are new to the blog this might sound crazy-that I was drinking more than one Venti Starbucks drink a day-but I was. But I'm not now. So, in my quest to keep to my resolution, there have been days where I didn't go get my normal drink...ALWAYS a Venti Decaf Mocha.

Jump forward a month or so...flowers are blooming, trees are budding...allergies are in the air. I've never had allergies, but an onslaught of a recent sneezing attack has made me rethink. I've always had headaches, and they seem to be more frequent, too. So, maybe, just maybe, I am acquiring allergies in my "old age." The sneezing is an annoyance. But the headache, oh, I can't handle the headaches!

Being the health conscious person I am, I started tracking when I get these headaches (I started tracking them mainly for hormonal purposes--sorry any dudes out there--it's just something that we women have to do to figure out what the heck is going on with these rockin' bods of ours. Just wait 'til I do my breastfeeding post). Anyway...I started to notice a pattern.

No Starbucks=headache.

Well, good for Starbucks, huh?

So today I've made an executive decision. I'm going cold turkey. Today, as I type this, I'm sipping on my last Starbucks. I'm sure it won't be my last one ever. But it's my last regular, get-a-coffee-once-a-day, have to have it Starbucks.

The main thing is this--I don't like my body depending on something to feel normal/good. I've de-toxed myself from caffeine before...about 8 1/2 years ago I went cold turkey from Diet Coke and Mountain Dew. It was tough...major headaches, fell off the wagon and went on a week-long Diet Coke binge, then said "enough is enough" and went totally caffeine free. Then a couple years ago I discovered I like Venti Decaf Mocha's from Starbucks. Being decaf, I thought it would be okay. But it's caught up to me and again, I say, "enough is enough." If I did it once, I can do it again.

So bear with me if I'm grumpy. If my posts are gloomy and grumpy for the next week (which is usually not like me, I'm kind of a "rose colored glasses" type of gal). Encourage me, tell me it will be worth it. I'll need it. (I sound like a drug addict getting ready to go to rehab, huh)? It'll be hard because I like the taste of my Starbucks and I'll crave that creamy, chocolatey goodness. But I can do it!

Plus, think how many calories will be taken out of my daily consumption (450 calories, thankyouverymuch).

And, cha-ching! $33 per week in my pocket.

So come on--LET'S DO THIS THING!!!!

Help me, what've I done?

Let me reiterate...decaf does not equal caffeine-free.