May 4 11

You could say that I came by my obsession with Diet Coke honestly, coming from a long line of addicts. Anyone who has ever visited me in Atlanta can tell you how stocked the outside fridge is. To me, there’s only one thing on this planet more refreshing than an ice-cold can of Diet Coke and it’s its giant fountain counterpart. Pure bliss. Having diet coke in my life was a wonderful thing. It made me smile. It make me happy.

Until, like a bad relationship, it stopped making me smile and it didn’t make me feel so happy anymore. My stomach was a mess. My mind was a mess. My body was a mess. The nasty combination of carbonation and caffeine was one that just didn’t agree with me.

“Perhaps you should give up Diet Coke,” my friends and family suggested.

Give up diet coke?

BLASPHEMY.

It is the nectar of the gods, after all.

“But it makes me so happy,” I’d argue.

“But only when it’s not making you miserable,” they’d throw back in my face.

Well, hello there addiction, nice to see you.

Well, hello there bad relationship, nice to see you.

You know how you had those friends in high school who dated the wrong kind of guys because they were cool and popular and made them feel good about themselves…but you knew in your heart that they were making a mistake because the wrong kind of guys are usually assholes and treat them like crap but your friends can’t really see it at all because they are looking at these guys through rose-colored glasses?

(Me neither.)

Well, I was looking at the world through caramel-colored glasses.

When I got the giant “watch your salts and exercise” eye-opening, smack-in-the-face wake up call from Dr. Jack, I made some decisions right then and there. I got on my elliptical trainer. I stopped drinking Diet Coke.

The first three days were a nightmare. I was like Ewan McGregor in Trainspotting, only I didn’t go toilet-diving. At least I don’t think I did…

And then something happened.

I felt GOOD.

I stopped getting the shakes. I stopped having stomach issues.

I am one pound away from a weight I haven’t been in nine years.

I haven’t had Diet Coke in a month.

I cannot believe it took me this long to break up with Diet Coke. I don’t even crave it. But you can be damn sure that I am avoiding fountains like the plague. Because I am strong, but I’m not THAT strong.

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  1. I’m SO proud of you. And I’m so glad you’re feeling so much better!

    Comment by Meghan on May 4, 2011
  2. Thanks, Meg.
    I seriously don’t think I have ever felt this good about my self and my body.I wish someone had told me this years ago…

    Comment by ali on May 4, 2011
  3. I have the same love affair. And its started making my stomach burn when I drink it. *sad face* I have majorly cut back b/c I am pregnant, but I think I need to break up with it completely, too. BUT GAH I LOVE THE CARBONATION.

    YAY for you feeling good!

    Comment by Allison Zapata on May 4, 2011
  4. OMG. I Don’t even understand this a little. I don’t think I can give up my Diet Coke, however, it’s also not making me ill (at least not that I can tell).

    Kudos to you for that willpower though. Seriously. Major Kudos.

    Comment by Jen on May 4, 2011
  5. Yes. If it didn’t make me ill and totally mess me up, I’d still be drinking it.

    Comment by ali on May 4, 2011
  6. Are you sure it was the Diet Coke that was making you ill? Seems to me that if you were drinking it so long with no problem, and then suddenly had a problem, the cause of the problem would have been something new in your diet or life, and not Diet Coke since the DC was an unchanging constant, you know?

    Viva La Diet Coke!!!!!

    Comment by Mike on May 4, 2011
  7. haha I had the same issue with Mt Dew. I’m not completely off the ‘dew, but I no longer buy it for my house. That is just too dangerous. A week after being off it, I no longer craved it and the highs and lows went away. Imagine! A life without soda! 🙂

    Good job!

    Comment by Prettylittlereckless on May 4, 2011
  8. I know in my heart of hearts that I need to break-up with Diet Pepsi for similar reasons, and I have had short periods of pop abstinence, but I just cannot seem to permanently kick the habit.

    I think I need an intervention. And maybe a 12-step program.

    Comment by Jenny on May 4, 2011
  9. Love the new design, by the way.

    Comment by Jenny on May 4, 2011
  10. When I found myself loading my 2 month old and 22 month old into the car at 7am to hit the McD’s drive thru for my preferred fountain version, I knew I had a problem. I found that seltzer, which I had never had before then (!) was an acceptable step down. Occasionally I revisit my cruel diet coke mistress, but she is far less satisfying now, thank goodness!

    Comment by Jodi on May 5, 2011
  11. Good for you! I didn’t even know you had given it up!

    I’m glad you’re feeling better! Yay!

    Comment by Kristabella on May 5, 2011
  12. Also, every time I see your new design I get a huge smile on my face! It’s so awesome and SO YOU!

    Well done Becca!

    Comment by Kristabella on May 5, 2011
  13. Ha! Me too! She is pure genius. I am so in love with it. I spend way too much time just looking at how pretty it is…

    Comment by alimartell on May 5, 2011
  14. Fountain soda is definitely superior to the canned type. I only have soda with meals now and drink water otherwise. It’s amazing how different it can make you feel.

    Comment by Avitable on May 5, 2011
  15. Solidarity sister. I gave up Coke two months ago. I still miss it.

    Comment by Issa on May 5, 2011
  16. OMG, we are in this together. I am on Day 4 (blogged about it today, actually).

    Pray for me, because I gave up the wine bottle too.

    Comment by designhermomma on May 5, 2011
  17. No way! Awesome.

    WE CAN DO THIS THING.

    Please hold my hand, mmmkay?

    Comment by alimartell on May 5, 2011
  18. I gave it up last September and since then I’ve had it only 2 times and that was when it was the only way I could get caffeine (I usually drink tea or coffee) to stave off a caffeine headache.

    Since I stopped drinking it, I’ve had to take exactly 1 anxiety pill (which is like unbelievably good, like, best I’ve done in over 5 years and the one I took was when I caught a stomach virus and was FREAKING out), I’ve had FAR fewer stomach problems and while I wish I had lost weight, I know I have saved a crap ton of money by drinking water. I’m to the point where I don’t even miss it anymore.

    Comment by Overflowing Brain on May 5, 2011
  19. We really *are* twins, eh?

    Comment by alimartell on May 5, 2011
  20. It’s almost kind of alarming.

    Comment by Overflowing Brain on May 5, 2011
  21. I worked in promotions for a bottled water company last summer. Spending a summer spreading anti-soda propaganda is enough to make you stop drinking the stuff because chemicals blah blah calories blah blah sugars blah blah. I forget the spiel.

    Comment by JustinRHoffman on May 5, 2011
  22. I go through phases of drinking an occasional soda and drinking a lot of soda. Currently I’m on the drinking a lot of it. I know I need to change this, but I love it so.

    Comment by mommabird2345 on May 5, 2011
  23. I’ve never liked the taste of diet anything (obviously), but I knew I had to give up the bad stuff. December of 2009, I gave up soda. HOLY CRAP IN A BASKET was that hard. Really hard.

    I’ve kept it up.

    Save for the occasional alcoholic drink with some bubbles and a homemade root beer, I’ve not had a soda since.

    I’m proud of you – I know how hard it is.

    Comment by Angie [A Whole Lot of Nothing] on May 5, 2011
  24. I *love* the new site design, Ali!

    And yes, I understand the pain. I gave up DC in high school (well, all sodas), and managed for 3 years before I picked up the habit again.

    Now, for my company, I work on all the Coca-Cola projects, so I’m around it. All. The. Time. (I even have a window sill with all my CC products.)

    But I’m trying to drink more flavored seltzer water and Fresca (also a Coca-Cola product) to wean off the caffeine.

    It’s so hard.

    Comment by Darcey on May 5, 2011
  25. OMG, Ali, that’s awesome! I have a thing for Starbuck’s soy caramel macchiatos, and I have no will power. It’s probably a Just Do It (or in this case, a Just Don’t Do It) thing, right?

    Also, LOVE the new decor! It looks a tad squishy on my 7″ netbook screen so I have to read you on my desktop, but it’s brilliant. Just gorgeous. 🙂

    Comment by Nenette on May 5, 2011
  26. For me, it’s Pepsi. Well, I’ve weaned myself to Pepsi One at least. But I just cannot give up caffeine. I get raging migraines that last for days. Ironically enough, my migraine pills have caffeine in them. Heh.

    Comment by midgetinvasion on May 5, 2011
  27. Oh I could NOT give up caffeine completely. I always have coffee in the mornings. I could not live without that… I am picking my battles here. I have to have some vices. Heh.

    Comment by alimartell on May 5, 2011
  28. Way to go, lady! I quit last year, and it snuck back in, but not to the epic proportions it once had. I can even skip it for days on end without twitching.

    I did, however, give up coffee two weeks ago – switched to green tea – and I feel AMAZING. Who knew?

    Comment by Angella on May 5, 2011
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  30. I have the same love affair however with Diet Pepsi. I always called it my liquid crack (never had crack but just how I imagine it would feel). I am now 42, not getting younger, wanting to be healthier, and telling my daughters that pop has absolutely nothing healthy in it, so I decided to give it up. Cold Turkey. Coffee too for that matter. I had such a wicked headache I swore I was having a stroke that first night, but alas I awoke in the morning alive and the day after that I started feeling better. I find I am more alert, sleep better and overall just feel healthier. I do believe I was truly addicted though especially after chasing after my husband to smell my husbands burp after he drank Diet Pepsi. Oh well, the craving seems to have diminished, but I still do miss it, and I agree with you, if it were healthy I would still be drinking it. Congrats to you on your accomplishment. It really is a HUGE accomplishment!!

    Comment by Alison AlBawab on May 9, 2011
  31. I gave up Coke Zero for about 10 days. I noticed a difference in how my clothes fit. So weird. I had no idea how the sodium bloated me.

    After 10 days though I was jonesin’ so bad I caved and drank one. Now I let myself have one every other day.

    Comment by Shauna on May 9, 2011
  32. I’m glad you’re feeling better!Love the new design

    Comment by van025 on May 23, 2011
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