Ordering Starbucks

Photo by shewatchedthesky

Before I learned to go with the flow with my body and develop more harmonies thoughts regarding food, the most memorable and agonizing moments of going into Starbucks (or any other coffee shop really) was a tug-of-war between indulging in a cup of full-fat caramel macchiato or depriving myself by restricting my order to a small black coffee. I had real trouble deciding what to order as I stand in that line. And, each time what drink I hold as I walk away from the coffee shop, I was usually quite unhappy and have second thoughts about what I should have ordered and what I should have avoided instead. My struggles continued for a very long until I finally came to learn more about myself and eventually my relationship with food transformed for good.

So now when I pass through the heavy glass door at any Starbucks, I can choose what I want with ease and know that I will be perfectly happy with my decision and never feel like fear and tension of ordering the “wrong” thing, whatever that may be. And today, I’ll like to share with you what goes through my head when I stand in line now and make conscious decisions about how to satisfy my appetite while staying true to healthy living.

The first and foremost important question: Do I want a specialty drink OR a sweet treat?

To me, specialty drinks and the dessert items in the pastry case are both special treats and comforting food — which means that I do not need to order one of each to satisfy my appetite. I stick to ordering only one item and I choose that item by asking myself what it is that I truly want at the moment. I do not think about which item has the least calories or which item is the best for my health, because I want to pick an item that satisfies my desire. By ordering the item that I most want, I know that I will savour every sip or every bite and I’ll have the memorable and satisfying dining experience I can get. I avoid ordering more than one thing because then I would usually end up gulfing down everything without truly tasting any one item and the whole satisfaction level will drop dramatically; plus the calories will really add up too!  Simply put, I make a choice of choosing quality over quantity.

If I choose to a specialty drink, then I will ask myself the following questions:

Which drink do I want? Again here I usually just let my foodie side take control and which drink I desire the most. The key here is to pick something that I truly want.
What size do I want? Usually I choose to order a tall size without any second thoughts, but occasionally I find myself tempted to order a larger size, with the excuse that I need the extra caffeine. But at that point I would stop myself and ask, do I really want a larger size just because I need the caffeine or do I just want to drink more? This is an important question to ask because that allows me to consciously decide how much do I need to drink to feel satisfied and it helps prevent me from mindlessly taking big gulps without appreciating each sip.
Skim-milk or regular milk? I ask for non-fat milk because personally the difference in richness seems minimal to me and I am perfectly content with less creamy drink. I don’t lose a drop of satisfaction at all and I save quite a few calories too — definitely a trade-off I’m willing to do any day. [It isn't a big sacrifice to me, but if it's more than you're willing to sacrifice, then think twice before you make the switch -- if you enjoy your latte full-fat, then go for it, just make other smarter choices elsewhere!]
Do I really need the whipped cream topping? Again, like the milk substitution, having the extra whipped cream on top of my drink doesn’t give me that much more satisfaction. So  I’m willing to   leave it out because the thought of saving the calories here so that I can better spend it somewhere else outweighs the little extra bit of satisfaction that I can get from the whipped cream topping.
Sweetness of the drink. Okay, I have to admit, I like my drinks really sweet! I know the extra sugar will add calories, but because getting a sweet drink means a lot to me, I  consciously allow myself to add in syrup shots or an extra packet of sugar. And, because I’ve saved up calories from making small substitutes elsewhere, I can enjoy my extra-sweet drink with great pleasure, without the feeling that I have lost control over my cravings.

It may seem like I over-complicate the process to ordering a simple specialty drink, but all these questions are designed to help me find out what I truly want. I already know that restricting myself to the healthier and lighter options and ignoring my true inner desires makes me unhappy and hence I rather give full freedom to choose whatever I want so that I can make conscious and balanced choices, and be able to have the most satisfying dining experience possible, which will, in the end, be much more enjoyable and healthier for my overall well being.

If I choose to indulge in a piece of sweet treat that day, the thought process is much less complicated.

My first action would be to scan the pastry shelves to see which pastries stand out. Normally there would be two or three options that seem especially appetizing. At that point, I would narrow my choices to choosing one item out of the 2 or 3 choices that I have picked out. Again, my criteria here is strictly based on taste, not considering other factors such as fat content, caloric content or even cost. By doing so, I can ensure that what I choose is honestly what I want to have and that I can truly be satisfied with making that choice.
Then, I just ask myself mentally to reconfirm that the choice I’ve made is indeed the item that I want to have the most.
The third question that goes through my mind is to ask myself how much of the pastry do I need to satisfy my desire for it? I consciously ask myself do I need to finish the whole pastry to feel like I have enjoyed it. Considering that I know that I always enjoy the first few bites the most, I rarely finish the whole pastry. Instead, I like to ask the barista for a pair of utensils and an extra paper bag so that before I even indulge in the pastry, I can save half of it to enjoy later on. Then, using the utensils, I will slowly eat it, giving myself enough time to visually admire it first, and then mindfully experience each bite before I swallow it. Through past experience, I have realized that mindfully engaging all of my senses to indulge in a sweet offers much more pleasure than allowing myself to eat the whole thing. Plus, I really enjoy the notion that I get to have yummy treat now, and I also get to have it again later on — double the pleasure and half the calories, how awesome is that!

As you can probably tell, ordering Starbucks for me may take a little while, but I make sure I do make my choices slowly because I do not want to push myself into making rushed choices that I will regret later, which will in the end lead to dissatisfaction and making me more vulnerable to make poor choices down the road. In short, I make conscious choices and that is how I have saved myself from drowning in the struggle between overindulging or extreme deprivation.