Still addicted...!

So, I haven't been able to fully break the soda pop habit. I've been doing better at only having a certain amount each day, instead of what I used to do -- namely, drinking it all day long, almost every day.

I keep getting headaches and end up using them as my excuse to have some caffeinated fizzy sugary yummyness.

And then immediately feel guilty about it.

August has been so hectic, I also use that as an excuse to eat/drink poorly.

I need to stop being hard on myself and make a realistic plan. Hm...

Interesting article...

Getting Real About the High Price of Cheap Food

Curses!!

Oh, dear favorite soda pop. How you torment me.

This is day 3 of having just one can of pop per day, and I'm still a tired lump, and this morning in particular I am resisting the urge to go up to the cafe and buy a delicious, ice-filled soft drink.

I've got my one-can-ration in my lunchbox. It's just waiting there for me.

I want to drink it.

But I also want to wait awhile so I don't use up my ration so early in the day.

I'm kind of embarrassed that quitting this junk is so hard.

In perhaps more positive and/or optimistic news, I received my copy of The Beck Diet Solution yesterday, and did the Day 1 activities. So far it is interesting. It's about retraining your brain with Cognitive Therapy so that you will "learn to think like a thin person", rather than about an eating plan.

Day 1's homework was to review a list of reasons to lose weight (and add a few of your own reasons), then write these reasons in order of importance on a 3"x5" card. Then make a written agreement to read this list two times daily, and to post the list in at least one other place where you'll see it and be reminded to read it.

It's a "srump"! (David will catch that reference, I'm sure.)

So...yeah... yesterday (day 1 of the second-phase pop reduction, or SPPR to you tech nerds) I was very tired all day. Today, I am really tired again.

While part of me is saying, "Go ahead and crack open a cold one" another part of me is saying, "Save it for later in the day!"

I know it is just another slump... my body getting used to a reduction in both caffeine and sugar intake. I was reading articles yesterday on how bad sugar is for us and how much sugar gets sneaked into just about everything pre-made. Some studies estimate that 25 of our diet is made up of sugar! Holy moly. Needless to say my tea was served unsweetened last night.

I've been trying to replace my soda pop sugar intake by eating more fruit instead. I slacked a little yesterday, but did have some blueberries with cottage cheese for a midmorning snack. We also had grilled pineapple with our salmon, stir fry & rice dinner (yum!) and I ate a couple bing cherries in the evening instead of opting for ice cream.

Week one: a reflection

Well, I survived for over a week with 24 oz. of soda pop per day, only going over my limit on the day my whole family went out to eat. I made the excuse to myself that it was OK because the glass was so full of ice, then proceeded to have 3 glasses of cola. Argh!

That said, I've noticed a few things already in this short amount of time, just having reduced and limited my soda pop intake:

1. My teeth don't hurt!
2. I've been sleeping a little bit better
3. I've been craving other fake sugars LESS
4. I've been eating more fruit and vegetables
5. I've been drinking water or milk with dinner instead of pop

Today will mark the first day that I reduce my intake limit yet again, this time to 12 oz., or one can of soda per day.

I will see how I feel after one more week, and then decide if I'm even going to finish the case of pop, or perhaps switch to having one every other day toward the end of the stash.

Last night I brewed some tea to make iced tea with, and before I put the pitcher in the fridge I put a few freshly picked and washed basil leaves in it. It tastes yummy! And the extra flavor means I'm not tempted to add sugar or sweetener. I did buy a box of sweetener packets, however, in case my upcoming attempts at removing further sugar from my life become too much and I need something sweet. :)

The saga continues

Well, so far my 2-cans-a-day plan is working. I suppose I should drop down to just one can a day starting tomorrow...?

I'm feeling already much better about my cravings- they aren't too terrible, and if I just make myself wait awhile before allowing myself to have some pop, I can make it through the day just fine.

Today at work when I had some pop, it didn't even taste that good. At least, not as much as it usually does.

Today I also "splurged" and ordered 2 used books from Amazon - The Beck Diet Solution: Train Your Brain to Think Like a Thin Person and Dr. Shapiro's Picture Perfect Weight Loss: The Visual Program for Permanent Weight Loss.

I'm thinking that since now I'm not so worried about the soda addiction being such a huge problem (although I shouldn't get too ahead of myself and jinx it), I'll start on the next step of improving the rest of my food and beverage intake habits.

New Plan (Option 2) update

I've been doing ok for the last few days having a maximum of 2 cans of soda per day. I still have a few more days to go before switching to just 1 can per day.

So far, so good. I wish I'd had the stamina - and lack of migraines - to just remain cold turkey over the weekend, but, oh well!

I'm still craving pop but if I slow down and enjoy my 12 oz. can, and spread the 2 out over the day instead of drinking one right away after breakfast or after arriving at work - instead opting for mid-morning - then have the other sometime after lunch, it isn't that bad.

This morning I woke up really tired and achy, though... so of course I want to do the Dew...

Cold Turkey Day Two: FAIL

I made through most of the day just fine yesterday, which would have marked the second day of going cold turkey from my beloved and hated soda pop...

David and I took B to her grandparents' house, and then D & I went to see a movie. As we drove to the movie I could feel the familiar beginnings of a migraine: the neck tension, the occasional blurry vision in one eye, the feeling that my brain wasn't quite right.

By halfway through the movie I had a full blown migraine. We had to sit closer to the front than usual, and at the end of the row, so my neck was slightly turned the whole time. By the time we got back to D's parents' house I felt nauseous and the back right side of my skull was throbbing.

While dinner was cooking, we ate a few munchies, and I caved, and partook in the consumption of my favorite soft drink. I decided that going cold turkey was a bad idea.

I could have probably just taken a ton of ibuprofen and hoped for the best but since I didn't want to vomit, I caved. The headache slowly moved from the back of my head to the front, mostly settling in my right eye. My vision was blurry the rest of the night.

So... instead of feeling all sorry for myself and mad that I couldn't even make it 2 days, NEW PLAN:

• Get a case of pop (cans)
• Have 2 - and only 2 - per day for 1 week
• Reduce to 1 -and only 1- per day for the remainder of the case
• Get a pack of those cute little 8 oz. cans, and switch to those once the 12 oz. cans are gone
• and THEN quit

I probably should have gone with a plan like this in the first place, but I was hoping that I could just be done with it sooner.

Cold Turkey: Day One

Well, it's 10:12 p.m. and I survived the day with no soda pop, and I drank almost a whole pitcher of water myself. I did have a touch of caffeine, in the form of unsugared iced tea at dinner time, and just a few minutes ago I added about 1/4 cup of kiwi strawberry Snapple to a glass of water because I wanted something with flavor.

But... I did it! I managed to go without the evil ones all day. I had a bit of a headache this afternoon, but I took a nap when Brenya took her nap, and I had an ibuprofen a little later, and now feel pretty good.

Tomorrow will probably be more difficult. We're going to see a movie and it's hard to resist those buckets o'bubbles. However, as expensive as they are, and considering the movie is 2.5 hours, I should be fine, and my bladder grateful. :)

There is supposed to be a heat wave coming (99 on Monday, 101 Tuesday, and 102 Wednesday!) so I'm sure my body will be thankful for more water and less caffeine & sugar.

I snacked on a few generic Oreos today, but I told myself I wasn't going to start worrying about calorie intake so much until after I've had the pop habit kicked for a bit.

Wish me luck.

Cold turkey.

Where did the term "going cold turkey" come from, anyway? I've been looking for my Dictionary of Cliches but can't find it. According to the Online Etymology site, "Cold turkey is a food that requires little preparation, so 'to quit like cold turkey' is to do so suddenly and without preparation." Hmm...

Either way, I'm a bit nervous about the task ahead of me this weekend. No soda! No caffeine! No carbonated bliss!

David suggested I try reducing my soda intake a little slowly, but I told him I know myself too well. It's a slippery slope. If I have one glass of pop, why not two? Heck, three or four?

The best way for me to do this is to treat it like a bandage that needs to come off. Just rip it off and get it over with all at once.

The withdrawal headaches will happen over the weekend, hopefully leaving me feeling a bit better by Monday morning. I'm not quitting soda pop just because of the calories and sugar intake reduction, but definitely also because of the caffeine.

Another positive reason to quit is that I'll be less dehydrated. I try to be mindful of drinking enough water each day, but I know that caffeine strips the body of water.

I'm looking at the soda pop 'rehab' venture as the biggest hurdle for me to face, at least at first. If I know I can break this bad habit, others might not seem so difficult.

For now, I don't plan to do much calorie counting. Gotta get this one thing done right first, then move along to the next phase. However, I also know to be mindful that I don't start trying to replace the pop with things like chocolate, or other sugary beverages.

I'm looking longingly at the empty glass in front of me...

But also happy to be starting this positive change that will hopefully lead to a chain of positive and healthy events.

Let's get all fuzzy feel-good now.

Super Big Gulp! It's super.

Well, I said that today would be my final hurrah of lovely fizzy soft drinks, so I guess my sugary habit is going out with a bang.

I'll probably regret it, but I stopped at 7-11 on the way to work and got a Super Big Gulp (and one of those little packs of Sesame Snaps, which are super good...and probably also bad for me.)

Does anyone else remember back in the old days when the largest fountain pop you could get was 32 oz.? Now 32 oz. is the little guy.

I can't believe I can sit here and drink this crap all day. Then again, I can't believe it's so hard to STOP drinking this crap all day...

A startling realization

With the help of www.my-calorie-counter.com, I found out that I have been consuming a LOT of calories per day on soda alone!

My favorite soda, which I usually consume on a daily basis, contains 110 calories per serving. A serving is only 8 oz. Since I often will drink between 24 and 48 oz. (or 3 - 6 servings) per day, that means between 330 and 660 calories.

Holy moly.

The first post

I've always loved soda pop. My favorite variety is a certain radio-active-yellow-hued lemon, lime and orange-flavored, caffeine-filled brand that is usually marketed to young men and/or skaters & BMXers.

There are a multitude of reasons I want to quit my sugary habit. Here are the first few that come to mind:

• I'm gaining weight! After losing almost all the 40 lbs. of the 'baby weight' in the first two months after I had my kiddo, I was excited that maybe I could actually continue the trend and get below my pre-pregnancy weight. Well, fast forward a year and a half, and all of a sudden I'm noticing that my pants are getting too tight around the waist again. Argh!
• My teeth hurt. I don't have dental coverage on my insurance. I brush my teeth usually 4 times a day, and I use fluoride mouthwash every night before bed, but I have been experiencing achy teeth lately.
• My daughter. She knows the names of pop brands when she sees the label. I've never let her drink soda, but she knows what it is, and she sees me drinking it all day. I don't want her to become a soda fiend! She drinks milk, water, and a little apple juice. She is a good role model for her mom.
  
• I'll save money. I honestly don't know how much I spend on average per week on soft drinks. But let's say (conservatively) I drink $1.75 worth of pop each day. That means $12.25 per week, which means $637 per year. YIKES. For some perspective: That's more than the credit limit of the credit card I'm trying to pay off. It's almost 2.5 months of rent (yes, I have an excellent rent price, but still!) For $637 I could buy a very good new digital camera or a laptop. My point is, I spend too much of my hard-earned yet meager salary on something that serves no nutritional purpose.
• I'll sleep better. When I've stopped drinking caffeine in times past, I find that I sleep better, and feel more awake and refreshed in the mornings. Go figure...

I've decided that after work on Friday (tomorrow) I will attempt to go "cold turkey" and quit my soda habit.

Since I imagine it will not be an easy journey, considering that David also drinks soda, I plan to write a little about it here. Hopefully this will migrate into a weight loss blog after I've kicked the soda habit and can refocus on my eating habits!

Maybe I should get a mini-fridge with a padlock so David can have soda in the basement and I can't get my hands on it... hmm....