Tuesday, August 7, 2012

How I (mostly) quit drinking sodas

First off, there's no magic to it, so don't expect smoke and mirrors from this post.  Like everything else in my life from child-rearing to marathon training, it's been a messy, sometimes backpedaling, but rewarding ride.  And I'll be honest--it's still not over.  I'm craving one right now because I'm talking about the darn things.  But I won't give in!  And this is how I've accomplished it so far:

First off and most importantly--I got that shit OUT OF MY HOUSE.  No matter how many times I'd say "let's buy it, it's on sale, I'll drink it slowly", it just didn't happen.  Hubby used to bring it home out of attempted kindness, but once he realized that I was seriously serious this time, he quit buying it too. 

Next, I took baby steps.  I allowed myself to have one if we were on an outing and just happened to be in a store with a soda machine at the front.  I suddenly went from 3 a day to one every other day by doing this.  So I was still getting my yummy caffeinated bubbles, but much less often.  I supplemented at home by adding espresso to my morning protein shake (which lemme tell ya, is delish!!) and drinking more than my fare share of seltzer water, among other drinks I'll mention in a moment.

The next step was to cut out the weekday sodas completely.  I allowed myself some treats on both weekend days, and that was it.  Now, if I didn't have one on a weekend day, I could substitute it for a weekday.  It allowed me to not be in complete and utter pain if we spent our one restaurant day on a Monday, because goodness forbid I could pass up one of those cool new soda machines with the 5,903 flavors in it!!  So fast forward to today, and I realize that I actually didn't have ANY sodas this past weekend.  None.  I thought about it once, but wasn't about to ask Hubby to stop the car just so I could get one.  I personally guilted myself out of it, and it worked!  I forgot by the time I got home, and didn't think about it again until I was ready to write this post.  It has been OVER a week since I've had a single soda.  Rock on!

Now, I'll go ahead and say that I'll probably cave and get one if we hit up a cheapo restaurant with self-serve drinks.  I have a mild obsession with Moe's, and a shitty burrito isn't complete without a soda!  But does that make me feel terrible?  No, it makes me feel human.  I've come a long way, and I'm pretty darned proud!

It's been rough at times, I'm sure the family will agree with gusto.  There were probably many moments where they wanted to just throw a Coke Zero in my face and say shut the hell up.  But I commend them for not doing it.  Mama will be healthier for them in the long run.

As for my drink replacements, I will say that I've not given up caffeine.  I've majorly decreased my intake, and I drink it in a much healthier way now.  Aside from my morning protein shakes, I aim to have one other low-caffeinated drink a day, usually in the mid-afternoon.  I vary between watered down Starbucks Via iced coffees, homemade iced lattes, and bubbly teas.  The bubbly teas are the best!  To make one, simply use a half cup of hot water to place the teabag in and make a very strong concentrate.  Let it cool, and then pour a small bit in a large glass of iced seltzer water.  It's very refreshing, lightly flavored, healthy, and low in caffeine.  Best of all, it tricks my brain into thinking it's something high in caffeine and bad for me!  

Any of you made the attempt to give up an addiction?  How's it going?  I'd love to hear about it and cheer you on as we all strive to live healthier lives!

1 comment:

  1. I have done it before, but it creeped back into my life. It is my one big vice. *sigh* I am drinking one right now.

    I like your idea of not going cold turkey. I can reserve my ice cold soda for after long runs on Saturdays.

    I need to get to the store and buy some sparkling water! Thanks for the push :-)

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