To say that I have a Diet Coke problem is a bit of an understatement. I am embarrassed to admit just how much Diet Coke I drink. I can go days without drinking a glass of water. I panic if there is not a Diet Coke in my house. I wake up in the morning and stumble to the fridge to grab my beloved beverage before I mumble a good morning to anyone. I have been thinking about making some big changes in my life for some time now and I know that this one will be hard but well worth it in the long run. About a year ago, I finally decided that 5 years of my body belonging to my children it was time to make my body back. I went to the gym religiously. I do not like to work out, but I hired a trainer and did it. I hated doing it, but felt great afterward. I went on a diet and stuck to it. I really worked hard at it. I joined a weight loss support group and actively participated. Nothing happened. I lost about 11 pounds total and felt defeated. I worked so hard and dedicated so much of my time and for what, a measly 11 pounds? Then I started to lose my motivation. Even when I stopped dieting and exercising not much changed. I stayed right around where I was. But I just didn’t feel good. I get plenty of sleep and I am always tired. I am cranky and have no patience. I talked to my doctor and he wanted me to take Alli and if that didn’t work then he would put me on something stronger. I don’t want to take drugs to get healthy, I just want to be healthy.
The other day, I was describing how I was feeling to friend that happens to be a personal trainer and she recommended that I read Master Your Metabolism by Jillian Michaels. I bought it the next day and actually read it from cover to cover. I felt like it was written for me. The book talks about how the over-processed foods that we eat have destroyed our metabolisms along with the yo-yo dieting that I have done all my life. Atkins. Check. South Beach. Check. Liquid Diet. Check. Some of the things that I put in my mouth are not even food, but more bio engineered experiments that someone threw a label on and called dinner. I know that it will be hard. I know that it will take baby steps, but I am going to really try to get the bad toxic foods and chemicals out of my house. The funny thing is that I would never use a cleaning product that was not non-toxic or green. I have never bought milk for my children that is not organic, (even before it was cool to buy organic) but I literally drink chemicals out of a can many, many times a day.
So today was the first Diet Coke free day of my life. So far, so good. My husband was sweet and made me a pot of coffee this morning and urged me to drink a cup to fend off the caffeine headache that was surely going to be brutal. I am not a coffee drinker, especially in the morning, but it did what I needed it to do. I went to Target and bought myself a pretty pitcher and filled it with water and ice and sliced citrus and set it out on the counter so that I would have to look at it. I am now on my second pitcher of water and honestly, there were a few moments that I longed for a fizzy Diet Coke, but it has not been so bad. So if you see me out and about and I am drinking a Diet Coke, grab it from my hands and remind me why I do not want to drink it.
After I kick the Diet Coke habit, the next thing I am going to kick is High Fructose Corn Syrup. Wish me luck.
