I do not use this term loosely. I admit it (again): I am addicted to Diet Coke.
Diet Coke is sweetened with aspartame. Recent medical studies correlate the consumption of aspartame with vision loss. Some experts think the body doesn't know the difference and confuse it with sugar, so weight loss/metabolism is compromised by high aspartame consumption (i.e., it's harder to lose weight). Some studies show that consumption of soft drinks in general is correlated with less water consumption. In general, I'm trying to eat healthier, which includes less processed foods. And beverages.
And then there's the caffeine.
Long story, short, I'm giving diet coke up. Starting today.
But I just read today that it is dangerous to give it up cold turkey. I remember a study about caffeine consumption in which the subject self-recorded ounces of coffee drank, reducing consumption daily. I'm going to try that, and you're going to help me.
I'm going to blog about this daily and share my data. I think my target will be 3 oz. by Nov. 3, zero ounces on Nov. 4 (happy birthday to me!).
I've tried this before, without success. This month, however, is the 14th anniversary of the month I gave up alcohol. I like the symmetry.
Wish me luck!
Good luck! I've never tried to give it up completely, but when I caught myself drinking a 6-pack per day, I knew I had a problem. I got myself down to one per day (caffeine free version) and was pretty happy with that. It has slowly crept back up again. I probably drink 3 per day. My biggest problem with it is it causes staining on my teeth! (My dentist always thinks I am a coffee drinker, and I am not.) Lloyd has all but given up diet sodas. He drinks a regular root beer now and then, but no sodas as a general rule. I wish I could get there. I really love the carbonation. Sometimes carbonated waters help, but they are so salty.... sigh. I wish you well with this, my friend. I have been thinking about publicly posting my weight loss and exercise goals on my blog. Got to figure out how to do that on the sidebar somehow....
ReplyDeleteFYI, Big K sparkling water (Kroger brand) is only 10 mg per serving. DC is 30 mg. Given the caffeine AND the aspartame, the 10 mg of sodium is a fine trade-off for me.
ReplyDeleteI drink as much if not more DC than you, so I thought I had a teeth staining issue, too. But recently I tried to get into a teeth-whitening study but my teeth were too white to qualify!