Thou Dost Protest Too Much! 

 I have had countless conversations this week with women and men who, despite having all the right intentions, just can't seem to make it through the weekend, the holiday, the week, the month. The little temptations don't necessarily get them, but nevertheless, something does!  Are you like them? Do you find yourself making excuse after excuse for failing to eat well, day after day, week after week, year after year?  Face it: it has been years, hasn't it?  Granted I'm sure you've lost weight many times over, but why can't you keep it off?  Why can't the majority of us keep our minds clear enough, our emotions balanced enough, and our commitments strong enough to get through a week?  The answer is complicated, and today I am going to begin the discussion. I hope that my words will make an enormous difference in your life, your diet, and your ability to keep yourself balanced and committed to eating well, for at least a weekend.  Maybe even two? 

I suggest that you will find unimagined reserves of strength, energy and emotional balance if you were to simply give up coffee and caffeine.  In addition, you will lose weight. Simple. If these words send you reeling, your inner voice wailing at the absurdity of such apostasy, then thou dost protest too much and thou art just the person for whom I write today!

Let me guess-no, actually, I think I can hear the wailing and gnashing of teeth. "There's no way I'm giving up my coffee or my diet soda," I hear from one corner of the country. "I only have a small cup in the morning; that can't possibly make any difference," I hear from another.  Well, I ask you this: if you only have one cup per day, why is it so hard to give it up?  What is it about that single, four-ounce cup of caffeinated beverage that you cannot fathom skipping it?  Personally, I'm with you! I've been a caffeine addict for most of my life, falling off and climbing back on the wagon as many times as some of you; however, every time takes me a bit closer to kicking it once and for all. And remember, recognizing that it might be a problem is half the battle. 

Why is this a volatile topic for so many? Maybe it's because they don't see what I see. The majority of the women and men I work with take anti-anxiety or anti-depression medication. These same women and men take some type of medication to help them sleep.  And guess what else they have in common? You guessed it. Coffee and soda. These are the same people who argue that one cup of coffee cannot possibly make a difference.  This is why I am adamant on this particular issue. I see the destructive effects of caffeine daily, and I can only say that if you are defending your right to indulge in this drug, and considering deleting this newsletter, thou dost protest too much! 

Caffeine steals your energy, it steals your life, and it will drain you until you don't know what's wrong. Including making your world feel overwhelming and impossible to eat clean or to be consistent with your food when in reality it may only be the caffeine that is the culprit. Then you will begin the vicious cycle of seeing doctors, taking pills, speaking to therapists and not finding the answer. Of course you will learn some interesting facts about physical and emotional states, but you will still not understand why are you feel off, on the edge, nervous, anxious, fearful, tired, and impatient with nearly everything and everyone around you.  Sure you can numb it with drugs well enough. But not completely, right? 

You see, coffee taxes your adrenals thus compromising your hormonal balance. Coffee robs you of your natural energy, making you reliant on a false energy fix (like sugar) to get you through the day.  Coffee makes you impatient, and anxious and emotionally unbalanced.   Eventually that one little cup drains you of your life, not allowing you to be true to your goals or your food. 

Think about this: every morning you awake and consume a cup of coffee that gets you moving and thinking. This is a false energy.  Caffeine, you see, is a strong drug. A hit of caffeine will last three or four hours. After that you will feel your energy take a nosedive. Your brain won't function, so you'll take another hit-maybe another cup of coffee or a cold soda.  Ahh, that's better. More false energy.  At some point during the day you will need another hit, but you already know that if you have more caffeine, you won't be able to sleep.   So, when your energy drops at about three or four o'clock, your body will have you looking for another form of energy. Now, food is energy, and you will search for some quick food energy, but not balanced energy! Oh no, you are looking for a hit, and sugar will definitely hit the spot?  Sure, that always does the trick! Of course it brings you back up, but eventually it drops you right down. This imbalance has therefore affected every moment of your day, and you have been completely unaware of it. 

So, this is what I propose: see if by stopping your caffeine intake you will begin to feel better, more steady and able to stay clean.  Give it a shot-what do you have to lose but a couple of pounds? Here is a warning, though, it will probably cause a headache that might last up to three days. Additionally, you might feel very tired for about three weeks-yes, that long!  That it takes so long to get it out of your system is further proof that caffeine is a very potent and addictive drug.  Take note as to how you feel right at this moment; then take note throughout the next three weeks to see how you're doing. Take good notice of the 4th week when you are feeling like a new, balanced, and committed person.  You will not regret this, I promise. 

You can do this, Just Lose It!