Honestly though, I know how nasty the stuff is. I know that it can clean a car engine and that artificial sweeteners can cause cancer in lab rats and that it can actually add fat to the belly exactly like sugar and and and and. I've forced myself to read every link posted on Facebook and Twitter. Sometimes it keeps me from drinking diet soda for a day or two, sometimes it doesn't even phase me. My biggest crutch is that we're always on the go without an actual schedule, so I can never just settle in and get rested up. So of course, I turn to easy caffeine.
I do know that I can drink coffee. Or that I can "try to replace it with something healthy and bubbly!" I have tried, believe me. This is my stock pile of attempts at quenching my thirst/caffeine addiction in other ways:
Teas, electrolyte drinks poured into bubbly water, coffee, espresso, and protein drinks. I do actually end up drinking them all, but I follow them up ashamedly every time with a diet soda. Why the hell can't I do this???
So there it is. My addiction is caffeine and artificial sweetener. I know, it could be worse. And honestly I'm totally fine with having the caffeine addiction. A girl's gotta have a vice, dammit! But I am serious about getting serious on the quitting of the sodas. Or something like that, but maybe not so absolute. Shit, I just want to make it through a day without more than one soda. I've tried to instill healthy habits into my children, and I feel horribly guilty when they see me drink a soda and tell them to eat right. They look at soda like beer (and even interchange the words) that it's a "grownup drink, bad for kids", and I want to show them that I can be an excellent example. Well, except I'm not going to stop drinking beer. Beer is good.
Anyone else been in my shoes? What did you do? Should I start some sort of a challenge? Maybe a "stop your unhealthy vice" sorta thing? Let me know what you think!
*****Don't forget to head over to my headband/Nuun giveaway, it ends on Monday July 2! I had a woman at the gym actually beg me to make her one today, so you know they're awesome. Get yo'self some headbands!!!
I'm in the midst of trying to kick the Dr Pepper / caffeine habit. It's hard. :/
ReplyDeleteI am kicking the caffeine habit and it is ugly. I agree that nothing tastes quite as good as a Coke Zero. Dang it. But, I have to say that after a few weeks, it is really starting to HELP with the headaches I was getting. So that is incentive for me to stay off it! Good luck!
ReplyDeleteYou and I are in the same boat my friend (and with the same drink!) I am amazed at how I don't need the Coke Zero on the weekends when I am not at work, but every day at lunch I have to have one! I would definitely be up for a challenge of some sort to try and kick this habit!
ReplyDeletei'm lucky in that i never really liked soda much. but i know how horribly addicting it is. for me, whenever i'm trying to quit a nasty little habit, it's somehow easier to make it a HUGE strict change. like, if i had tried to just quit chocolate, i would've failed miserably. but cutting out ALL added sugar and ALL additives for a couple of weeks was somehow relatively easy. i have to play little mind tricks on myself. when i'm feeling weak, i remind myself of how there's a huge industry WANTING me to be addicted to this crap because it generates big profit for them and they don't care one bit if it endangers the health of millions. so i turn my brain to "i'm not going to be the victim of those assholes!!" and somehow that does the trick. oh, and watching the sugar talk video on youtube was such an eyeopener. SUCH and eyeopener...
ReplyDeleteyou can do it!! iced latte, iced tea, yummy smoothies, apfelschorle... DO IT! stock your freezer with fancy icecubes (fruit cubes, coffee cubes, tea cubes... you can sweeten intense tea cubes with a tad of honey and then just add them to a cup of water for an instant fancy drink) that make it easy for you to treat yourself whenever you start to feel the urge. you are stronger than that shit. oh, and how much is a can of pop? put cash into a jar for every one that you don't drink. you can buy yourself some cute new running shorts next month. :)
gah! sucker. blogger just ate my huge comment. :(
ReplyDeletenevermind. apparently it posted. good. :)
ReplyDeleteoh, for fruity iced refreshments, i love the celestial seasonings zinger types. yummmm. i don't even sweeten those.
ReplyDeleteDiet Coke is my vice. I'm mostly off of it but once it sneaks back in, it's hard to get rid of again. I really think there is an addictive quality to it because the more I have the more I want. My substitutes are carbonated water with a little juice in the morning when I want something bubbly (we have a soda stream and carbonate our own water) And iced tea when I want the caffeine. I love Earl Grey Iced Tea and keep a large pitcher in my fridge at all times. I pour it in my vente reusable Starbucks cup and take it everywhere with me. You can do it!!
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