DeeDoo’s Digital Scrapbooking Blog

I wasn’t always a coffee with cream kind of gal. Nope, I took my poison black, thank you very much. No sissy cream and sugar for me. Then on a vacation to Mexico I was served some really strong coffee that I just couldn’t get down. But I had to have my morning fix! And they brought the cutest little pot of cream to go with the coffee. My husband encouraged me to give it a try (he needed for my mood to be improved pronto!). So I took the plunge and poured until the combined fluid reached the rim of the cup. To my surprise and delight it was delicious! Yummy! Well, it had become coffee-flavored milk, after all. And I was hooked, right then. So for years I have continued to drink my coffee with cream, although I did make the switch to nondairy creamer for its simplicity—no fat, indefinite shelf life, doesn’t dilute the drink.

Until now. In the interest of my continued good health, and in hopes of improving my overall physical condition and appearance, I’ve decided it’s time to do something about my various habits. Eating and drinking are both something I do on a daily basis, no way around it, so I’ve decided to start there. The first stage of this plan involves changing some of my existing small habits, with the hope being that together all the small changes will add up to an overall BIG change.

So, what’s the first thing to go? Yeah, you guessed it, my beloved cream in my coffee. I know. How in the world could I do such a thing?! Let me tell you, it’s not been easy. But I did the math, and my ‘little’ creamer habit, in just one cup of coffee, was adding up to about 60 calories a day! That doesn’t sound like a lot until you start plotting out how much you’re going to be able to eat and remain within a 1200-1500 daily calorie limit. Believe me, stuff adds up so fast I can reach the limit before lunch! So, goodbye little stuff, and creamer, you are now little stuff.

It’s also significant that I start the day with my coffee, and doing without the creamer is a reminder of my commitment ‘for this day’ (sometimes just ‘for this moment’—I’m bad), that I am going to follow a plan and change this habit.

I’m here to report that I’ve made it ten days drinking my coffee black. To my surprise, only the first, oh, SIX days were difficult. Seriously, this particular habit died a relatively easy death. I honestly don’t think about the creamer (okay, maybe just a little) and I enjoy my coffee now for what it is for me – a means to get my reluctant body to open its eyes in the morning and start the day.

Now for my next habit? This one is going to be pretty difficult. It involves NOT eating anything that isn’t nailed down after 7 PM every night. Da da da da ……