Friday, August 28, 2009

Friday--last day of the challenge

My dear hubby is a Paramedic. And my dear hubby's paramedic shift starts at the lovely 6:00 a.m. A.M. as in in-the-freaking-butt-crack-of-dawn morning. My dear hubby works this early morning shift until the following morning at the same time--yes, 24 hour shifts. And my dear hubby, like most men, likes to eat. Which means when (and if) I pack lunch for dear hubby, I have to pack it for basically three meals. When (and if) I wake up early enough to pack his lunch, I send a variety of different things, some frozen burritos, hot pockets, taquitos, etc, perhaps some homemade sandwiches when (and if) I am awake enough to make them. 6:00 comes early y'know.

One thing that has been a life-saver with his lunches (the drinks at least) are the single-serve Crystal Light packets. They contain enough for two servings, about 16 ounces of refreshment. These are perfect for my picky husband who doesn't like water. (Who doesn't like water for crying out loud?) The available flavors have grown this last year, in that there are now a dozen or so choices to choose from. His favorite? Cherry and grape. Pretty boring, but it makes him happy. And it's a no brainer when (and if) I pack his lunch at the horrid hour of 5-something in the morning.

As for me, yesterday's water challenge went better. I noticed that if I pound down the water, taking several gulps at a time, I really get through more water more quickly (duh, Amie!). Not that that is a surprise, but Wednesday when I was just sipping all throughout the day, it really felt like I was constantly drinking yet never getting anywhere in my ounce-count. Does that make sense? By the end of my class yesterday I was half-way through my water, yet I didn't feel as if I'd been nursing my bottle the whole morning. And that was a bit more pleasant.

Today will mark the end of my week-long challenge. I've done pretty well--I hit my 8-10 glasses each day, exercised three times (last night was my third) and drank no pop the entire week. One thing I noticed is that water can cure a craving. I'm a munchy-type person. I snack out of boredom. Not necessarily out of hunger (though that is most certainly the case sometimes), but just out of needing something to do. I found that drinking my water constantly kept the hunger and boredom away.

I would like to say that my skin is clearer and I lost weight and I feel healthier and so on. However, I lost no weight, I have actually broken out a little bit around my mouth (why there?) and health-wise I feel about the same. But I also know that you can't become healthy overnight, or even over five nights. ;) It's a life-long thing.

It's good to know though, that the options are there for tasty, low-calorie drinks. And whether we use it to just replace 2 of our 8 glasses of water a day, or use them in popsicles, party drinks, snack-attacks or whatever, Crystal Light is a great option for a sweet drink without all the refined sugar of other flavored drinks. And the stuff tastes good too.

What more can you ask for? :)

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