The End of Coke Zero in this Condo!

I am trying to make a move towards healthy eating. I think all the running I did for my 10K run really started to make me think about the way I treat my body and the things I put into it. Plus I watched a bunch of documentaries about the food industry on Netflix that got me thinking about my diet (I always take documentaries with a grain of salt, but there were some good points made). I am not necessarily the WORST eater; I try to eat fruits and veggies every day and for most days I would say I eat roughly the amount of calories that I should.

But I am not getting any younger and I notice more and more how junk makes me feel cruddy. That, and I wouldn't mind shedding a few pounds to help improve my exercise and look a little tighter in a bikini ;). I just turned 27, and as you get older it is harder and harder to get fit. So, while I have been making a lot of changes to my diet over the past year by cooking more, reducing pre-packaged goods, and eating smaller portions, there is still one evil product constantly in my house: Coke Zero.

Now, people go back and forth on the studies around diet colas, but there is just more and more coming out about how diet pops actually make you crave more carbohydrates and sugary junk because it messes with your insulin levels. You can choose to believe it or not, but you can't argue that there is anything necessarily healthy in Coke Zero. There are no vitamins or minerals...just flavours and fake sugars. And I do notice that I snack more when I am drinking a pop, so I believe the studies are right.

I am completely addicted to Coke Zero. I honestly drink 15-20 cans per WEEK. And when you consider that I can't easily carry home cans of pop from the store I often am paying $5 for only 8 cans or $2 for a bottle at lunch. That adds up to a lot of money for a product I do not need in my diet. I also noticed that I tend to get bloated and get headaches if I drink too much Coke Zero. It really doesn't make me feel good. I would try switching to regular Coke (I have no problem with real sugar in moderation), but I would just drink so much of it that I would put on weight.

So I am going cold turkey!

Source

I actually started this last week so I am about 10 days into my Coke Zero-free life. My general plan is to stop drinking cola flavoured drinks for a month to get the cravings out of my system. Then I will only go back to drinking it on occasion (like if I am out for dinner or maybe need to mix something with rum), but I will NOT purchase another case. I am also trying to move away from pop completely- I had one sprite on the weekend, but otherwise I have been drinking mainly water and green tea (so I don't have to deal with caffeine withdrawal). I need to retrain my body to ask for water when thirsty and not pop!

I am actually surprised that I have gone 10 days already. I have tried this before and have always failed, but I think the nice weather (lol, well not recently), mixed with my new love of running and exercise has made the transition easier. Plus I have been drinking water like crazy to make sure I don't get thirsty! Already I feel better day to day (sometimes I have a second green tea in the afternoon if I need a caffeine boost) and my stomach feels so much better because I am no longer bloated from pop.

Have you ever given up something you loved, but knew was no good for you? Please share your story in the comments so we can all be encouraged to try to get a tiny bit healthier!