I have frequently said that my drugs of choice are nicotine, caffeine, and chocolate.
Well, I've quit cigarettes and am staying away from coffee (for the most part.)
But, chocolate candy bars have become my "go to" on this bumpy journey to freedom from cigarettes.
Hershey's with almonds have been my favorite; Almond Joy a close second. (And I have found they each now come in jumbo size.)
I would not keep them in the house; my resistance to chocolate gluttony is very low at this point.
So, every few days, when I'm out on errands, I have been picking up two or three.
And within a few hours, they'd be all be gone.
And, crap....
- I have gained almost 10# and my new wardrobe purchased after my recent loss of 45#, is getting snug,
- And now to top it off-- my routine blood work this past week showed an elevated cholesterol level.
Cholesterol--along with nicotine tar--are responsible for the thickening of my carotid arteries.
Which led to my decision to quit smoking.
So anyway, my cardiology practitioner asked: "Have you been taking your cholesterol meds?"
"Yes."
"Have you changed your low cholesterol diet?"
" Well, yes... I um..um.. have been eating some candy bars..." (And did not mention the pretzels, cheese and crackers, cookies and milk, french fries crisped in oil etc, etc...)
"Well, here's the thing: No more candy bars."
While she said an occasional NIBBLE of dark chocolate would be ok, (as it's much lower in cholesterol than milk chocolate ) I was to eat fresh fruits and vegetables and a generally well-balanced diet. And stay away from high-cholesterol foods.
In other words, I was to stay away from all the good stuff.
Well, I made a special trip to the store and have stocked up on green salad fixings, melon, blue berries and strawberries. Also, albacore packed in water, plain baked beans, and turkey, for a start. And have continued eating my high plant-based protein cereal with 1% milk.
Also, I found some tiny dark chocolate chunks with less that 5mg cholesterol per 8-piece serving, to be used only in "emergencies". (They can hardly be called chunks; they are more like minuscule flecks.)
So, I'm now off cigarettes AND chocolate!
Hopefully, while getting my cholesterol level under wraps, I can also lose some of that unwanted non-smoking weight gain~ Fingers crossed!!
