Tea Time

Wow, it's been a little while since I posted. I had intended to have each experiment last about a week and report on how well it is working for me. Things don't always work the same for women with PCOS, and there are few resources out there for women whose primary goal is not to have a baby, but instead just to get healthy. So, since I can't find one, I figured I'd make one.

Anyway, I had to go to New York unexpectedly for business, and didn't have time to post my tea experiment results. So I decided two weeks might make more sense - gives me more time to see results, and I don't have to be upset if I miss my deadline by a day or two. This post is a long one; it covers 11 days of activity. Enjoy!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

So, I started out the tea experiment with very high hopes. The tea had smelled and tasted phenomenal, and I dropped a lot of money on it, which is a very good motivator. Tea works into the recommended food plan for women with PCOS, and provides caffeine, which I feel I need to function (at least for now). The recap:

Day 1: I spent a lot of time getting set up for tea - I had to find a spot on my desk and figure out the best timing for going to the break room for water. I don't generally leave my desk very often, so I felt like I was slacking off all day. But the tea was incredible, and I didn't miss the soda. I drank too much Mate Vana (4 cups!) and got the shakes around noon. In the afternoon, I experimented with their recommended iced tea method with the Rooibos Tropica/Jasmine Green blend, and loved every sip. Shortly after drinking the iced tea, I noticed that everything at work seemed to be very clear and sharply defined - as though I had been wearing a veil, and that veil was removed. Interesting.

Day 2: More of the same, but I stopped at 2 cups of Mate Vana. No shakes, no caffeine withdrawal headache. Nice. I realized today that I did not have any stomach pain, cramps, or diarrhea. Was it the soda?

Days 3-5: I am waking up earlier and more refreshed, even though I am not going to bed earlier. I am also not taking my Restless Leg Syndrome medication (naughty girl), but for some reason, I must be sleeping better than usual.

Days 6 & 7: Went on a trip to Chicago and worried about how to maintain my newfound tea-drinking habit while on the road. Found out it's much easier to locate tea and sugar with hot water than soda (at least in the morning)! And traveling is easier when you are not sick all the time.

Day 8: First week weigh-in! Whoa, up 3.5 pounds...not good. What happened, I wonder? I presume I'm taking in fewer calories from less sugar. But I just got back from vacation, and we had been drinking, eating in restaurants, and getting dessert. Plus, I did not exercise at all last week. I did the Danskin Triathlon earlier this month, and I took a short break to decide what to do next. I decided tea was not the likely culprit for my weight gain. I pack my bag and fly to New York.

Day 9: While in New York, I continue drinking tea and avoiding soda. It's honestly very easy to do. If I feel like having a soda, I just get a sweet iced green tea. I'm still getting sugar, but it's sugar, not corn syrup, and it's one teaspoon, not ten (http://www.marshallbrain.com/science/sugar-in-soda.htm). I realize as I write this that I have cut out 27 teaspoons of sugar each and every day. At 15 calories a teaspoon, that's 405 calories per day...gone. Assuming I don't add something to fill the caloric gap, that's a pound every 8.6 days!

Day 10: It dawns on me that I am experiencing increased clarity in thought. I've never had too much trouble with my brain - it's gotten me to where I am today, and I am in a wonderful place. But lately I'd been having trouble remembering things, and simple math calculations began to require paper and pencil or worse, fingers and toes. I'm excited to have my brain back...I sure did miss it!

Day 11: Back home. Can't wait to get to work to have the teas I love! I can definitely tell the difference between loose leaf teas and bag teas, and there is no contest. Back in my comfort zone, I realize there are major differences between my eating habits on the road and my eating habits at my desk. And the differences don't bode well for me.

Up next: Revelations