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....