I'm Mary Ann... and I'm a Diet Coke-aholic. I will down a DC at any time, any day, any occasion. My love for this carbonated wonderland cannot be replaced or supplemented by any other diet soda (though the short-lived Diet Pomegranate 7Up gave it a run for its money). I am a connoisseur of the differences between cans, bottles, and fountain DC, and I recognize the subtleties between them. Raging hangover? A can won't cut it (I find Sonic's SonicSize DC, with best-ever ice crumbles and a splash of cherry is the best cure). Road trip? 20 oz. bottle it is. 2 liter? Never stands a chance of lasting over a day in my fridge. 12 oz. aluminum silver bullet? A staple that I reach for every morning.I've always thought my love for DC was totally justified -- I never developed a taste for coffee (unless it's smothered in things that are horribly bad for you, like sugar, caramel, sugar, whipped cream, more sugar, and broken candy cane pieces), and (just like the rest of America) I need a caffeine fix to get me started in the morning. I think a lot of my friends "grew out" of their love for soda and embraced coffee, but I guess my tastebuds never matured. I am as reliant on DC today as I was at 3 am in Fellows, writing a ridiculously procrastinated paper on any given night at Denison.
Lately, I've come to realize the realities of my addiction. As my hatred for Diet Pepsi increases, I found myself refusing to eat at Taco Bell (despite their yummy 150 calorie fresco grilled chicken taco) unless we could go somewhere to get a DC first. I am becoming a raging b on wheels in the morning if I don't get a DC within one hour of waking up. I will give up other (necessary) grocery items, such as milk or bread, to make sure I have a 12 can surplus of my little lover on hand.
That said, I recognize that this love affair is past the point of obsession. Having "plateaued" at a 12 pound weight loss, I have to 'fess up and admit that the amount of caramely cola coursing through my bloodstream (calorie free or not) cannot be helping the battle of the bulge. I know that being hydrated is one of the number one keys to weight loss and overall health, and although I do manage to down 10 8 oz. servings a day (thanks, Brita "Filter For Good" bottle!), the dehydrating effects of DC must be counteracting that.
This week, I've limited myself to one serving of DC a day. Since I am still living a normal life, and do not want my co-workers to suffer, that one serving may be a 12 oz. can, but it may also be a 32 oz. fountain. As I work my way out of this caffeine-obsessed spiral, I'm bound to hit some roadblocks, and I figure baby steps is the way to go. Wish me luck!
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3 comments:
MA,
As a fellow former addict, I totally feel your pain here. Once I started to take the DC out of my diet, I realized I had actually been doing it more out of habit than need. I was shocked to discover that I didn't really miss it that much.
These days I'm trying not to drink any diet soda. Something about metabolic syndrome? I don't really understand it, but I'm trying to lose those last few pounds of belly fat, and I'll do anything at this point.
Instead of DC, these days I'm drinking almost an entire bottle of Diet Ocean Spray per day. Forty cals per bottle, but I dont care. It's too good. I just DONT like water. I cant bring myself to drink it straight, so I'm also doing those crystal light drink mixers.
Proud of you for recognizing the problem:) Even prouder for the (lucky #) 12 pound loss! You're awesome! Keep up the great work and post some progress pics:)
FYI - I can see below my post that my word verification is "hooker". Yes, I'm a ten year old.
:)
Nanny and I are SOOOOOOOO happy to hear that you are finally working on kicking this habit. As you know, since my cancer, I have sworn off any type of diet or regular soft drink. The metabolic syndrome is for real and lots of studies have been done with two different groups on diets with one group only drinking your beloved diet coke. The diet coke drinkers still had the belly fat. DRINK WATER!!!!!! MOMMY IS VERY HAPPY.
I cut way down on the dc intake but I also have never been a cup o'caffeine in the morning kind of girl. I think it is much more difficult to give up the caffeine than the dc. i read a study that women who get at least 7.5 hours of sleep a night will naturally lose weight. that is one healthy lifestyle change i can get behind. i think more sleep would make caffeine-less mornings easier.
And when you do have the occassional dc...how sweet it is!
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