Over the last four or five posts I've detailed my decision to do something about my extreme obesity, starting with cutting out the ridiculous amount of soda I was drinking.
So, was I able to do it? Yes. So far so good. The last time I had soda was almost a year ago on March 24th, 2010. Well, that's not totally true. About a month after I start a friend of mine brought me a Crush Creme Soda from Canada. It's pink and kinda has a strawberry taste to it. You can only get it in Canada and it is about the best thing EVER! I let it sit in the fridge for a few days and then made the decision to go ahead and drink it.
It didn't seem right to let it go to waste considering the effort it took to get it. And I viewed it as a little test. If I could drink just it and not go back to drinking soda regularly, that would show me that I was getting a handle on this thing. And I didn't even drink the whole bottle.
I've also have the occasional diet soda since Thanksgiving. I held off to Thanksgiving just so it wasn't like I was trading one addiction for another. Yes, diet soda has no calories, but it's still not good for you. And not just because of the chemicals and acidity.
The artificial sweetener in the soda causes your body to think that it's getting a ton of sugar and you body ramps up to deal with it. They've seen, in people dealing with diabetes, the body having negative reactions to the diet soda, just like if it was a dose of real sugar.
Also, because it's not real sugar, the brain is disappointed. It got the signal it was getting sugar, but it never gets it, so it craves it more. They've found that people who drink diet soda tend to binge on other sugary foods to get that fix the brain expects.
So now, if the corn syrup people don't get me, the diet soda makers might. I'm not scared though... Bring it on!!
Has it been easy? No. No. No. No. No. No. No. Heck no. It has completely sucked. People ask me how I feel now that I quit. I know they expect me to say that I feel great, but all I really feel is the desperate need for a soda. It's pure misery to be near someone drinking a soda. I can smell it from about 20 feet away. I swear there are times when I'm walking through the store that I can smell the soda through the bottles. Just talking about makes me want one.
So, what type of results did I see? Stay tuned to find out...
1 comment:
Hi Todd,
It's like wrestling a bear. I smoked for years so I know the feeling of desperation that can come over you. Every day that you make it through without drinking a soda is another victory though. You just need to stay on guard and not make excuses for yourself. After I quit smoking I found myself smoking cigars and inhaling them. I didn't smoke near as many, and I used the excuse that I was trying to keep the bugs away or I could justify having one with Jen's husband on their front porch. It finally got to the point that I was amost back to smoking full time- until I could hardly breath at night and woke up choking. Overindulging in anything is a sin and you just need to make up your mind you aren't going to do it. I don't have so much of a problem with soda right now, but give me a bottle of Pace Picante Sauce and some cheese and crackers and I'll eat until the cows come home. I really appreciate you sharing your journey Todd. We're all struggling with something and you are going to be an ispiration. Hang in there my friend. God bless.
Tom
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