April 2010: Breaking the cola habit
More about the "fat juice" issue...
Anyone who knows me well will know that this will be a really tough one for me; that's why I didn't start with cutting the cola, though it's been on my mind since before January 1. So I guess I've had a bit of a mental head start (even to the point that I wrote "Last soda day" in the March 31 square of my calendar.
Again, this is a feat I have tried to manage in the past, and when I really buckled down, I was able to drop soda for a few weeks, sometimes up to a few months, and then I would start drinking it again. But I was younger then, slimmer, and not as concerned with long-term health issues. Now, things are different. I'm about 15 pounds heavier than I want to be, getting close to that magical 30th birthday (October!) and really starting to think about the long-term consequences of what I put into my body.
Not that I need to convince anyone of the deleterious effects of colas, but lately I feel like I have seen mention after mention of reports about the clear connections between colas and obesity, leading to type II diabetes; tooth decay; fatigue after consumption (happens to me all the time); and even a reduction of bone density (though recent evidence seems to suggest that it is not necessarily the cola itself which is causing calcium loss, but the replacement by soda of more nutritious foods). Bad, bad, bad!
The plan:
It's pretty simple. When I really think about it, cola can't be important enough to me to ignore everything bad I hear about it, so I am quitting, cold turkey. Since my connection to and craving for soda is so strong, I think that if I treat my soda habit like a real addiction (and I believe it is at least a psychological addiction for me), and don't even taste it occasionally, I will be able to do this.
This is the fourth non-soda day for me, and aside from some headaches I am feeling pretty good about the whole thing so far. A funny observations I've made is that I actually feel fuller when I eat food with water instead of coke, even if I eat and drink the same amounts (actually, I tend to eat less when I drink water). So perhaps I will not only cut the extra drink calories, but I may end up eating less food, too. I do crave candy more when I am trying to quit, though, so I will need to watch that sugar replacement.
Cutting cola out is as much a way to strengthen will power as it is an effort to be more healthy. Drinking cola is one of my worst and most strongly-rooted habits. If I can conquer this, I will have even more confidence in facing some of the next challenges in Project Resolution. And if I happen to shave off a few extra pounds in the process, the happier I'll be for it.
Again, this is a feat I have tried to manage in the past, and when I really buckled down, I was able to drop soda for a few weeks, sometimes up to a few months, and then I would start drinking it again. But I was younger then, slimmer, and not as concerned with long-term health issues. Now, things are different. I'm about 15 pounds heavier than I want to be, getting close to that magical 30th birthday (October!) and really starting to think about the long-term consequences of what I put into my body.
Not that I need to convince anyone of the deleterious effects of colas, but lately I feel like I have seen mention after mention of reports about the clear connections between colas and obesity, leading to type II diabetes; tooth decay; fatigue after consumption (happens to me all the time); and even a reduction of bone density (though recent evidence seems to suggest that it is not necessarily the cola itself which is causing calcium loss, but the replacement by soda of more nutritious foods). Bad, bad, bad!
The plan:
It's pretty simple. When I really think about it, cola can't be important enough to me to ignore everything bad I hear about it, so I am quitting, cold turkey. Since my connection to and craving for soda is so strong, I think that if I treat my soda habit like a real addiction (and I believe it is at least a psychological addiction for me), and don't even taste it occasionally, I will be able to do this.
This is the fourth non-soda day for me, and aside from some headaches I am feeling pretty good about the whole thing so far. A funny observations I've made is that I actually feel fuller when I eat food with water instead of coke, even if I eat and drink the same amounts (actually, I tend to eat less when I drink water). So perhaps I will not only cut the extra drink calories, but I may end up eating less food, too. I do crave candy more when I am trying to quit, though, so I will need to watch that sugar replacement.
Cutting cola out is as much a way to strengthen will power as it is an effort to be more healthy. Drinking cola is one of my worst and most strongly-rooted habits. If I can conquer this, I will have even more confidence in facing some of the next challenges in Project Resolution. And if I happen to shave off a few extra pounds in the process, the happier I'll be for it.
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