Into the Belly of the Beast

Hi gang..little update on the growing saga...now known as "J.T. gave up coffee on Monday and now its Saturday and he is still alive" The theory behind this wild venture is to get control of my eating habits and also that it would help me in my training for triathlons.

Earlier posts talked about wild dreams that have ensued because of this. I am happy to report that, now...I sleep like a baby.......I get up every hour and cry. No, just a small attempt at humor. My dreams have not exactly reverted back to normal, but hey...as most people who know me would say....."What the heck is normal"?. Good point. I have no rebuttal.

No more dreams of Juan Valdez, Mrs. Folgers, and Bob Vila. My wife has not appeared in any dreams recreating the bed scene in "American Beauty", but with coffee beans, not roses. My dreams have been about sunsets, spotted owls and Warren Buffet playing chess on a raft with Tom Hanks. Perfectly normal stuff.... wouldn't you think.?? Oops. Thought so.

I have emerged from the fog that is.."constant consumption of caffeine and the sugars that accompany it". My workouts have not been with as much volume as the past few weeks but the focus is there and I feel better. That last sentence is entirely true.. No Baloney. I have lost about 4 pounds and my snoring is no longer supersonic, just locomotive.

As part of my therapy allegedly proposed by Dr.Phil, but not endorsed by the American Medical Association, I went into the belly of the beast to see how I could handle..."The Abandonment of Caffeine that comes from ground beans grown in Juan Valdez's back yard".

Yep, I went to one of those world famous coffee houses-shops-stores..whatever you call those stores that are on every corner and even in Victoria Secret dressing rooms. I...(blush) was told this by credible sources. Anyway, I did the darndest thing. I went up to the counter and the kind ladies and young gentlemen who have seen me come in for a while now assumed the usual. You know how they anticipate your call?? "I'll get you that double latte-skim-mocha-espresso you always order". But I was quicker. "No thank you." I said. " I am making a change in my life and while I LOVE each and everyone one of you, I suspect you are drugging me. This coffee with mega doses of caffeine has taken over my life and I am putting a stop to it."

Actually, I just stood there and ordered......this is very weird....I ordered "After Coffee Chewing Gum. I am not kidding. I figured it was a start. I know it sounds stupid to buy gum that your supposed to use after you drink coffee, while you have an embargo against coffee, but thats what I did. I don't regret the move. I feel proud. I sat there chatting with a few of the guys whom I always trade lies with. I had gum and water. It was like Jonah going right back into the whale.

I went into the belly of the beast and I stared down that beast. I will go back.

If I order tea there, do you think it will lead me eventually down the same old path???

Or can I resist the decadence that comes from massive amounts of caffeine??

Enquiring minds want to know??