I’m puttering around the Brooklyn apartment this 3-day weekend, still getting over the remains of a head cold and avoiding the flash thunderstorms we’ve been having around here lately. I’m determined to use the time to get this place looking better. I made a to-do list I think is pretty realistic.
✚ Clean/vacuum/etc.
✚ Order new sconce for bathroom
✚ Mount hanging rail in kitchen Hmmm, I actually think we don’t need it…
✚ HANG STUFF ON THE WALLS
✚ Install closet shelving
✚ Organize closets
✚ Pack up winter clothes
✚ Figure out how to hide the electrical panel (I need to think about it more)
✚ Plan food for the week (I’ll do that tomorrow)
✚ DON’T DRINK COFFEE
Yeah. So. That last thing. Coffee. Not drinking it. I know, I know. I have a reputation as being a bit of a coffee fiend, and it’s no joke. I’m not one of those people who drinks cup after cup, but I definitely have at least one giant cup of the stuff a day—and more often than not, two giant cups. Or maybe three. I don’t really need it to get going in the morning, but I cannot make it past noon without coffee if I want to avoid developing a massive, throbbing headache that never fails to make me think I’m dying. Then I have a coffee, and everything is better.
Next week is going to be a bit of a “detox” test for me, though. I’m doing a three-day BluePrint Cleanse and eating raw food for three days on either side, and I want to cut out caffeine completely for a full week. It’s a bit of a reset, really—I need to get myself back on track with eating well. I don’t really believe in temporary “cleansing,” but mentally I do think that having a regimented diet for a set period of time is a very good thing for me. I’ve been eating way too much packaged, processed food lately (seitan, frozen veggie burgers, Spicy Sweet Chili Doritos…you get the picture), and I just don’t feel good.
I’ll let you know how THAT goes, and I’ll take photos of the apartment as it comes together, too. I’m excited about both things!
→ “It’s Always Worth It” print by Lisa Congdon
26 Comments
No need to feel bad about drinking coffee anymore, now that coffee consumption is inversely correlated to death! http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa1112010
Good luck with your to-do list and the not-drinking coffee thing! I gave up diet pepsi last month (part of my own healthy reset) and could not be happier. Not that I think the two are at the same level of awfulness, I’m fully aware diet soda is way worse. Had some nagging headaches the third and forth day off of it, but overall I feel much better. The only thing I miss is the habit really. Getting comfortable at night in front of the TV, or with a good book still doesn’t feel quiet the same with a glass of water.
Can’t wait to see some apartment photos! I have been anxiously waiting to see how you’ve personalized the place!
That’s a neat idea, pairing up an internal cleanse with an external/apartment cleanse. 🙂 Good luck with everything!
Headaches from drinking less coffee than usual are not uncommon. I heard once that a lot of people have headaches in the weekend because they drink a lot of coffee at work and forget to do that in the weekends. Also it can come from dehydration (that’s what happens when you drink too much and end up with a hangover).
Ugh, caffeine headaches are the WORST! Especially when you know exactly what you could do to fix it, but are specifically not drinking coffee. A few times a year I try to give my body a break from coffee and have found the only way to do it without a day of misery is gradually stepping down my coffee intake over about a week or so. Towards the end of the week I become that “crazy” person getting small coffees that are half or 3/4 decaf. heh. Works though! No headaches. But good luck with everything! And I’m intrigued by the juice cleanse, so please report back!! 🙂 And I can’t wait to see pictures of the new place.
Ok, maybe this will sound weird, but. I quit coffee for 5 months once; no side effects. Then I had an accident and head injuries that left me with migraines. Painkillers only worked so well…a few months after that (so a total of 7 months without coffee?) I started drinking coffee again. Voila. Migraines begone.
Nope, doesn’t sound weird AT ALL. I totally get that, and it’s part of the reason why I want caffeine to still be effective enough that I can rely on it for relief when I need it.
I can’t wait to hear (should you care to share) how your cleanse goes. I have been thinking of doing this for a while now but they always make me nervous. I looked into the one you’re doing after you mentioned it, and it actually looked really sensible. Hope it goes well!
Yeah, the BluePrint cleanse seems pretty rational and totally healthy, and I’ve heard good things about it from everyone I know who’s done it. I definitely DON’T want to fast or deprive myself at all—I really just need to let my body get itself bad to a good place.
I’ll update after I’ve done it!
Seriously, I did the Lemonade Diet and it was awful. I mean, it worked from a weight loss stand point as I dropped a few pounds but it was MISERABLE. To cook food for my family, to smell it, to watch them eat it and then drink my concoction was torture. I missed chewing, ya know? And I only did it for one full day and about 3/4 of another… lol I’ll have to check out your link.
And about the packing of winter clothes… Do you keep clothes at the apartment? What about your favorite stuff? Would you buy 2 of something so you could have it at each place and not have to haul it around? Having two different dwellings fascinates me and I have always wondered how it worked for things like that. And maybe I have too much time on my hands that I have thought about it this deeply… 🙂
oook, so I checked out the link and it is a total juice diet. I didn’t mean to be a Negative Nelly about juice only diets in my above post. But this is only 3 days, right? You can totally do it. 🙂
I just looked up the “Lemonade Diet,” and honestly, I don’t think you can make a comparison between the two. What you did was basically starve yourself by consuming nothing with lemon water with maple syrup. The juice cleanse I’m doing involves about 20 POUNDS of raw fruits and vegetables every day—it’s a completely different thing, and it has nothing to do with weight loss. It’s not a starvation diet or fasting. (To be honest, that Lemonade Diet sounds like a terrible thing to do to your body—I’m not surprised it felt like torture!)
I don’t really have any “favorite stuff” clothes-wise. I only have 3 or 4 outfits (3 pairs of jeans, 2 pairs of leggings, 2 tunics, 2 shirts, 1 cardigan)…I basically wear the same things every day, all year round. The only difference is that in the summer I wear lighter scarves and no coat. Packing away winter clothes really just meant putting all of the gloves/mittens/etc. in a bag and moving the coats from one closet to another! So no, I don’t haul clothes around. I just wear what I’m wearing and change my underwear!
I didn’t drink coffee other than very exceptionally until I moved to the US for two years, when I became a drinker like you describe yourself.
I started having heartburn so I cutted out coffee completely… that seemed to be a really bad idea. By an office colleage suggestion I started making my coffee with half decaf and half regular coffee, and the headaches were easing their tight fist on my afternoons. Then I could go without coffee for days. Then I got pregnant and nursed a baby for 6 months, and were able to easily observe the effects of caffeine on the baby (without even trying a drop of the black elixir).
My first cup after weaning my baby was pure bliss and I’m back to the ocassional cup, but I haven’t experienced any more headaches.
Well, just sharing my experience here… not very sure anyone cares, but still… it’s interesting to reflect on a Monday morning…
I have an electric panel that is flat-ish to the wall and hung a small tapestry over it. I only attached it at the top so that I can lift it to get in there if I need to. you’d never know that ugly thing was there!
I’ve always wanted to try this juice cleanse but the shipping was too expensive to LA. I just found that they sell them at a nearby market and was considering trying it out, so I’m looking forward to hearing about how it goes. I’m not necessarily big on cleanses either but these juices look pretty tasty and sometimes it’s nice to have specific rules to get you back on track when you’ve been eating unhealthy (basically everything you said). Once I start eating healthy, I tend to crave healthy food and vice versa. The coffee part would be the hardest for sure, even though I don’t drink a ton, I do get awful headaches as well if I don’t. Anyway, nice progress on your to do list!
I try to make “realistic” to-do lists and still never complete them. You’re much more productive than me 🙂
I cut out coffee for quite a while but it didn’t make me feel any different for it, if anything, I missed having a nice hot cup of coffee. Thought cutting out caffeine would be an idea because I get migraines but I’ve had them since I was a kid and I’m pretty sure I wasn’t drinking coffee then 🙂
Looking forward to seeing apartment photos.
Anna! Thank you so much for sharing the link to the cleanse. I can’t wait to hear how it goes for you, please post about it as soon as you can. I might do it in a few weeks, it seems like a great experiment and like you said in the comments above, rational and healthy. The only thing I’m worried about is the process of doing it — the possible side effects I might experience while working full time!
My roommate suggested I watch Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead on Netflix, have you seen it?
Thanks again!
You are always so good about your to-do lists! Mine was overly ambitious for the long weekend and I only managed to cross off one thing.
I have also been going through a coffee cleanse. I’m down to half a mug in the morning. It took me three weeks. But I feel better! I wake up before my alarm and am not as tired. And this is coming from someone who had a major coffee addiction.
I’ve wanted to try this cleanse since I first heard about it so I am excited to hear how it goes for you. I’ve done a couple detox diets from a book, and while they made me feel fantastic, my least favorite part is all the cooking/preparation/planning you have to do! Definitely not in the budget right now, but maybe some day. Do they publish the nutritional info anywhere for the juices? I couldn’t find it on their web site but maybe I missed it. Just curious.
Maggie, yes, they do—you have to choose which cleanse level you’re interested in, and then click Learn More/Nutritional Info:
http://blueprintcleanse.com/choose-your-cleanse.html
Thank you for the link!
I quit coffee a few years ago and switched to tea. I feel like it has all the benefits—it’s great hot or cold, decaf (herbal) or hi-test (black), it’s comforting, there’s morning/afternoon caffeine, lots of flavonoids, organic is affordable—with fewer side effects—NO jitters, no matter how much you drink, and MUCH less caffeine withdrawal headache. The new apartment is super cute! Great job!
i decided to do the blueprint cleanse after one of my friends had great success with it. i hear the second day is the hardest. i’m waiting on my bottles now- cannot wait! do let us know how it goes for you!
this reminds me- i’ve also been taking Renewal Greens from Innate. a glass for breakfast and you’re set for the day, even if your eating habits are a bit suspect (like mine are). http://www.innateresponse.com/
(i’m not paid for this or anything. my acupuncturist gave me a sample and i really love it).
Idea to hide your electrical panel…
Hang a mirror or piece of art by hinges so that it conceals it!