One of the things I refused to give up when I started losing weight was my night-time cup of mocha. I loved the home-made concoction of hot chocolate mix, non-dairy creamer and instant coffee. It was the one thing that I knew I needed to fit into my daily calories in an effort to avoid those feelings of being deprived. There were some nights, of course, where my calorie consumption during the day didn't allow for my mocha. But most nights, it was my little reward for doing well during the day.

On the nights that I didn't have mocha because I didn't have the calories, I started drinking Celestial Seasonings African Safari Spice tea, with half a Splenda and a splash of soy milk. I didn't even realize it was happening when I started going to the cupboard before bed and choosing the tea instead of my beloved mocha, just because it sounded better. After a while, I was drinking pretty much just the tea.

Well, a few weeks ago, I had plenty of calories left over and I thought it'd be nice to have a mocha at bedtime for a change. I mixed it up, took it to bed and took my first sip, and it was just too much for me! Too sweet, to thick, too much. I drank most of it anyway, and, sure enough, when I turned out the light and settled down to sleep, that mocha sat in my stomach like a BRICK! It was just too bizarre. My taste and my digestive system had changed enough that mocha was not going to be a treat for me anymore.

It's interesting to see how these things change as we continue to make healthy food/drink choices. Now if only I could do the same thing with potato chips!