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Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Why Would You Give Up A Perfectly Good Bad Habit?

Why would you give up a perfectly good bad habit? That is the question I am asking myself right now.

The bad habit I am giving up is diet coke. Now before you start defending diet coke.....don't worry, I think it is a wonderful thing. No need to tell me how much fun a diet coke and some chips are...but I went beyond the pale. I drank so much, that I was feeling like I needed to quit. I'm not sure if it is diet coke that is contributing to how I feel, but maybe, so I thought I would.....wait for it.....quit. Yikes...

You see I feel squishy....and I know there is a ton of sodium in that sweet little drink. I really don't drink enough water...so I feel squishy. And I want to feel less squishy. I also don't want to have to have diet coke on hand. It's simple, I am addicted to caffeine. Caffeine is not the enemy, it actually helps with headaches, and other things....I just drink too much. I went from a nice balance to, "Gotta have it!!"

This latest journey actually started with Green Smoothies. My dear friend Patrice started drinking them quite a while ago. She is the healthiest eater I know....but she isn't weird about it....she loves all food, and eats it with real passion. She just eats well...lean meat, lots of veggies, fruits and nuts. So I started drinking them too...I knew I wasn't getting enough vegetables so this is a great way to get some real food in your body. They are easy to make, stuff spinach (and I mean stuff) in a blender, add water, juice or crystal light and then blend it up....Add some frozen fruit, personally I love any kind of berry. Strawberries, blueberries, blackberries...you get it...berries. Blend, blend, blend.....at the end add a banana. Done..... You can tweak this any way you want to. Add frozen peaches, add fresh fruit, add kale, collard greens (not too many, they are strong, but mighty). The rule is, there isn't a rule. You can't do this wrong. I have been drinking them for a few months and I noticed my nails were growing. I have notoriously weak nails, and because of that I bite them....and then I get hang nails...yikes. So this was a big change. I am doing nothing else differently...so it must be the green smoothies. I made the leap that if my nails were absorbing more vitamins, then so are my bones. That caught my attention. I don't want a hump. I have heard, maybe it's true maybe not, that soda leaches calcium from your bones...I don't know where I heard that....maybe it's totally made up...but if it is true, I will regret not drinking less later on in life....when I have a hump.

The evidence I have with Green Smoothies is now more empirical than anecdotal. My problem nails are better.

I will let you know about the diet coke thing. Right now I am on a methadone treatment.... Excedrin every 4 hours. I know it has caffeine in it...but I will eventually wean down. I am not worried about too much aspirin right now.....one thing at a time.

And from my experience with green smoothies I will give this diet coke thing about 3 months before I judge if it is effective or not. I have lots of other things to change in my life. Things that just bug me about myself. I end up feeling weak and unable to change. And I know that isn't true...I can change.

I just did....one change gives you some power to change something else. Seriously who has ever just painted a room? After that you need some new carpet, maybe some new window treatments? Change empowers change...

I knew I was drinking too much soda...I have been drinking diet soda my whole life. Remember Tab? I drank that, then diet Dr. Pepper.....then Diet Coke....Don't get me wrong, there isn't anything wrong with soda....but when a truck backs up at your house to unload, then you may have gone too far. Wish me luck!!

Wisdom for the day.......We find out at the end of our lives how important the decisions are we made at the beginning of our lives.

I really don't want a hump...

13 comments:

  1. Ahem! Well, well...I'm so impressed. Really! I've heard of the famous green smoothies. Do you drink that whole thing for one meal or what? It sounds like a lot for one meal. I feel squishy too and sometimes worse when I drink my Diet Coke. I should quit, but I can't bring myself to do it. Please let me know more about the green smoothies. What else are they good for? I started taking fish oil and flaxseed oil pills to be more "regular" but it's useless. I've taken it for a month and nothin'--worse than I was. Maybe TMI? Anyway, would green stuff help? I eat lots of fruit and veggies and drink lots of water, but I still feel squishy. Thank you very much. Drink green and not caffeine. :o)

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  2. “You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself in any direction you choose. You're on your own.
    And you know what you know. You are the one who'll decide where to go.” ~ Dr Suess
    Great thing to make little changes - they all add up...You can do it!!!

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  3. I'm squishy and I like diet sodas. Some actually taste better(my opinion) than the real thing. But, How on earth could you ever drink TAB?? That stuff was nasty.

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  4. Good job Donna!!!
    I am a recovering diet soda addict myself (I started to say I USED to be a soda addict, but all us addicts know we are only one sip away from being back in the trap!!) But as soon as I started having stomach issues -- which eventually led to a gallbladder removal -- I decided I need to give it up. I went cold turkey!

    Now trust me if you knew how much I love Diet Dr. Pepper and Cherry Coke Zero and Diet Mtn. Dew and Pepsi Max... I could go on and on..... you'd know that was a huge feat to go cold turkey. But I did it! And I know you can too!!

    Every time I crave one now, I just remind myself that a diet soda is nothing more than a mixture of man-made chemicals that have absolutely no redeeming quality to them whatsoever. Do a google search on something like "diet soda bad for you" or "diet soda weight gain" and you'll have enough reading material for a lifetime.

    Hmm... now I have to go make myself a green smoothie!

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  5. hahaha this was a great read! Don't tell Erin you are giving up diet coke, she will try to steer you back to it. :)

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  6. Ok I quit drinking COKE - yep no diet stuff for me (i heard that aspertame is bad for you -Ha Ha). Oh my, as if that were the worst of it right.

    So yes, I quit drinking Coke about a year and a half ago. I quit and it really wasn't that hard. I had a headache for about 2 days and I totally craved it -meaning I thought about it every waking moment - for 6 or 7 months but then it got better.

    Quite honestly I did not lose any weight, but on the upside I didn't have to go to the bathroom as often - I can make it through a whole movie
    :-D

    I do know it is better for your body to not be addicted to something and to not have all that sodium. I honestly still want to drink it. I've decided it's like being an alcholic - you always want it.

    I need to start drinking green smoothies for sure! I think you found something good with the green.

    I wish you much luck with the Diet Coke - it is not pleasant to be off of it, but overall I do believe it is healthier.

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  7. Good for you...I was drinking too much to so I did this...I have one can of Pepsi with 2 long squirts of lemon juice and one cup of cranberry juice, add ice and you have a great drink! Not too bad for my health I think! ;D

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  8. Donna, I was the same way with Pepsi One. Then they quit carrying it in our store. I think they quit making it. Anyway, then I 'needed'Coke Zero... Soooo I decided I was drinking too much caffeine. NOW, I'm hooked on Powerade Zero. Oh, the zeroes and ones!! they have me. (I still think they are a little better.)

    I'm working on some pounds that have piled on. It is a choice. I'm makin' it. I'll be cheering you on in your breaking free from the Diet Coke can! I know you can do it and I look forward to seeing "which room you decorate next!" =)

    You are a most wise woman and your "wisdom of the day" is dead on. blessings ~ tanna

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  9. Hurray for you and the Green Smoothies!!
    I'm trying to do those daily too. I get so I crave them if I go very long without. What a boost to my day. Keep us posted on how you do. I like your comparison to the nails and bones...my nails are becoming stronger too now that you mentioned it.

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  10. I am starting the green smoothies, too, as soon as I get home from the beach Sunday.

    =)

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  11. Meet my husband. He fills up his Tub O'Diet Coke every morning on the way to work and drinks it All.Day. I have my stash of caffeinated DC for headache days, but I do try to drink lots of water. My particular demon is sugar, particularly starchy carby sugary goodness. *sigh* I'm trying so hard to stay away from it, but in my case I never seem to get a reward for it, like losing weight. My body has gone AWOL. My recurring theory is that if can stick with it for long enough maybe my body will reset. Hope springs eternal. Green smoothies, huh? I'll have to give it a try.

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  12. I am starting with protein shakes right now, but definitely moving toward green smoothies. Thanks for the inspiration!

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  13. I have a new bad habit of drinking Frescas. They're awful and they're wonderful.

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