I LOVE iced tea. I make it unsweetened and use Splenda. I drink it morning, noon and night. Now most of you are laughing at me because tea is actually pretty healthy in comparison to soda, right? I'm inclined to agree. But I'm not a doctor and my husband seems to think he knows better than me...he claims that black tea is not really that good for you because it contains caffeine and if I'm going to drink tea it should be green tea. Two things: screw him and pass me the Splenda. No really, I dug my heels in on this one. I have given up carbs...no potatoes, no rice, no bread, no sugar...hell, I don't even eat most fruits! I was NOT giving up that beautiful amber elixir of the gods. No. Just no. But after a "discussion" about the evils of caffeine, he somehow talked me into going one week without all beverages besides water.
So one other thing you should know about me: I HATE water. I hate water more than I love tea. For me, water is good for three things: cooking, cleaning, and making tea. That's it. You don't drink it because it's gross...it doesn't taste like anything! Yuck!
So my first day sans caffeine was pretty rough, I won't lie. I barely drank anything because I loathe the "flavor" of water so much...which living in Florida in August, that's just not a good idea. I was miserable. I felt like garbage. But, I'm stubborn and wanted to prove to my husband that I could do it. So on to day two...
Can we just agree that caffeine is a life-saver? I'm fairly certain there were at least three instances where I seriously considered homicide to be a perfectly reasonable response to something my husband was doing. I seem to remember one being because my husband helped himself to another helping of ice cream but had to dirty another bowl to do so.
I think my lowest point was when I went to Publix the other day. In order to get home, I have to drive by a Dunkin Donuts and all I kept thinking was, "they have awesome iced tea. I think it's any size for 99 cents and I could probably suck it down before I get home...he'd never know!" I am proud to tell you that I resisted temptation. However, it didn't strike me until later, recounting my story to my husband, that I really might have a problem. I considered "cheating" for a glass of tea. I could have gotten a doughnut! If I was going to cheat, wouldn't that be the thing I want most? The doughnut I haven't had in MONTHS vs. the tea I got to have three days ago!?!?
Fast forward, the week is over and it's not so bad. I actually discovered a little recipe, if you will, that makes water more palatable. I've been sucking down this water like it's going out of style and I feel GREAT. I woke up this morning and didn't miss the coffee or the tea. I don't get headaches from the withdrawal, and I just feel better about myself for making another healthy choice. So anyway, here's my 'recipe.'
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| I keep mine in 2 qt bottles. |
1 gallon water (I used the filtered stuff from the fridge)
2 limes
1 lemon
1/2 cucumber
1. Wash and slice your produce.
2. Add to water. Refrigerate for at least an hour.
3. Drink in copious amounts. :-)
I read on Pinterest, where I originally found this little recipe, that lemons aid in the absorption of sugars and calcium and help to curb your sweet tooth, limes promote a healthy digestive tract, and cucumber acts as a diuretic and flush fat cells. The original recipe calls for mint, as well, but I didn't have any one hand. I plan to pick some up the next time I'm out. Just another little tip...when you add mint to a drink like this, give it a little spank...it releases some of the oils in the leaves without completely tearing it up.
Oh, and just FYI...we're on week four of our low-carb lifestyle and I'm down 11 pounds! Yay!
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