Coffee Purge: The Saga Continues

For Starters:

For those who don't know me, I love coffee. For my grad gift (see left), my friends bought me a custom tumbler from Starbucks. My passion for coffee developed over my time in University, and grew during my time in Seattle - where, ironically, I tried to quit coffee. The plan was to drink lots of water, fruits and vegetables. The plan failed horribly, as each day, I would walk by the kitchen and smell freshly brewed coffee. Coffee. Free. Fresh. How could I refuse? Since then, coffee has been an integral part of my life.

No Coffee?! Why?

My love for coffee has led to consuming large amounts of coffee, leading to: headaches, abnormal sleeping patterns, yellow teeth, bad breath, and funny feelings in my heart (when I drink too much). It's easy to think why I should stop, however, the taste, the warmth, the freshness, and friendliness of this wonderful brew was something I wasn't ready to part with so easily. I wanted to quit, yet at the same time, I didn't. Or rather, I what I really wanted was control over my coffee consumption - which I didn't have at the time. After much "encouragement" from my CCF friends (www.utccf.com), I decided to give it another shot.

The Story:

I started Wed, April 7, 2010. I made a deal with Lorraine to get to her birthday (April 8 - 2 days). One of my favorite runners, Dean Karnazes, likes to say about ultramarathon running that he puts one foot in front of the other. For me, the 2-day marker was my first baby step. And here, on the right, is a picture of Lorraine's "surprise" birthday party. I'm holding a Starbucks cup, and in it, is the drink that saved me: Vanilla Roobios Tea Latte. I bought one for both Lorraine and I as a "stall" tactic as the rest of the people were preparing the "surprise". After meeting my 2-day goal, I found another birthday (Serene's) a week later. That was my next goal. Her birthday is in less than 1/2 hour!

So, how do you feel?

A full week has past since I stopped drinking coffee. Here are a few thoughts:

• Headaches: The first 2-3 days were horrible. I couldn't focus and first had dehydration headaches, then caffeine withdrawal headaches. The headaches were much better after the first few days and my focus improved.
• Energy: I have a lot more energy. The way I was drinking coffee often covered up how tired I was. The energy I have from fluids and fruits give me a more stable and constant source of energy. I'm lovin' it!
• Drinks: Tea (yes, I allow myself to still have caffeine ... it's the coffee that I've been abusing), Water (lots of it!), Lemon + Water :). As I type this, I'm drinking a delicious concoction of freshly made green tea and squeezed lemons.
• Fruits: Apples (my first apples during the "Coffee Purge" were purchased from the Wong Supermarket), Guava, ... okay, anything I love eating!
• Exercise: I'm a fairly active person. Since my coffee purge, I've joined an unofficial running addicts club :) ... basically a bunch of friends who like to explore (running / biking / etc). I've also added a daily routine to keep myself strong.
• Friends: I call them coffee police. These great friend of mine don't drink coffee (at least not excessively) and give me a well-deserved guilt trip whenever they saw me with coffee. Posting status updates on facebook attracted a lot of comments, which also helped me in my journey to a stronger me.

At the end of the day, I do this because I'm chasing a dream - to take hold of true strength. Not that quitting coffee makes me strong. When I refer to strength, I refer to my pursuit of 4 dimensional fitness, achieving strength in body, mind, heart, and spirit. The point isn't to quit coffee forever; but rather, to gain control over my desires and cravings. As I gain control over this one craving, I develop the strength to control my body, mind, heart, and spirit. I believe that God gives me the strength I need to fight my battles each day. He's given me a powerful Excalibur - I just need to take hold.

If you're trying to get rid of something that's holding you back, I'll be cheering you on with a smile :) Keep at it, stay focused, and find friends to help you stay on track.

Love,

--Josh