No sugar, no caffeine

Wondering if anyone can offer suggestions for this lil dilemma of mine...

I work in inside sales so I've got to be pretty energetic at my job to do well. I've had a lot of trouble with motivation at work in the mornings lately where I just don't feel like picking up the phone and when I do, I give a very weak pitch. I used to drink coffee every morning and it helped a ton with getting me started for the day, but alas the UC has decided to pay me a visit over the past few months.

I have no problems with coffee while in remission, but I won't touch the stuff while flaring. Can anyone recommend anything without caffeine or sugar that would be good to take for a little pep in the morning and won't aggravate a flare?

Yes, I too ate good protein in the morning...well still do. Peanut butter or egg was my choice. You might want to try some B-100 vitamins to help give you energy, or ask your doc about a Vitamin B-12 shot. The doc can also test your B-12 levels.

I've been eating protein-heavy breakfasts, and find that it keeps me fuller for a LOT longer than if I have a bowl of oatmeal or something. My current fave is a whole-grain English Muffin, toasted, with a poached egg and slice of microwave bacon (surprisingly low-cal, considering it's bacon).

As to the coffee, I weaned off it before I got pregnant by switching to hot tea for a while, and then quit the tea. I couldn't just quit coffee cold turkey w/o getting killer caffeine headaches. Anyway, once I got used to no caffeine, I was fine. So maybe it'll just take a bit of time???

Ugh Just Ugh said...
Is it the caffeine or the coffee that bothers you? I can drink a cup of caffeinated tea in the morning w/o issue. Makes me poop, but I am a morning pooper anyway so not an issue really.

To be honest, I haven't actually tried it while flaring. I just know that caffeine and sugar are considered no no's when flaring. I guess I could try it and see what happens.

juju....who made a rule about no sugar or caffeine during flares?

I have no problems with it except that coffee can trigger my morning bm a bit quicker. Certainly no reason for me to quit coffee..

You should be on rectal meds...not that I or others haven't suggested it to you in the past.

q

When I was first diagnosed my internist told me I should quit coffee, but... well, I'm very compliant in most things, but I flatly refused. When I'm flaring I do cut down to one cup in the morning, just out of my own comfort level.
I trained myself to drink it without sugar when there was a sugar-price hike when I was in college, so... that's not been an issue.
But I drink tea with sugar, no problems (except for those on special diets I hadn't heard about a "no sugar" thing before...)

I'd guess caffeine and sugar are "considered no-nos" because caffeine acts as a stimulant on the intestines and can make diarrhea worse for some people and a high sugar intake is a known risk factor for IBD. It can also make an intestinal ecological imbalance (usually candida yeast) much worse. Individual tolerance will vary, of course.

In addition to a B12 injection, you might also research herbal energy boosters like ginseng. http://www.lifescript.com/Health/Alternative-Therapies/Herbs/Ginseng_Herbal_Energy_Booster.aspx
And make sure your iron levels aren't low.

Running or getting some other exercise in the a.m. is a good suggestion. You might also consider a morning yoga program designed to stretch and energize you. You'd be surprised how good it feels.