No Coke

I love Coca-Cola. I can't deny how much I enjoy drinking it. I like it so much I even have a preferred way to drink it. Warm Coke poured out of a glass bottle over ice in a glass drinking vessel is the best way to enjoy it. Nothing beats it. I also marvel about how well Coke is designed. It is the only drink I know of that won't quench your thirst but leaves you satisfied and wanting more no matter how much you drink.

Unfortunately, as of late, I have been drinking way too much Coca-Cola. 

A week ago I came to terms with this and decided I needed to stop. Let's be honest, there is nothing good about drinking Coke. A 12 oz (355 ml) can has about 10 teaspoons of sugar in it. Considering I was drinking more than a litre every day and more than two litres on many days, I was putting a lot into my body that it doesn't need. In fact, I was consuming between 5000 and 6000 Calories from Coke a week. Yes, you read that right, five-thousand to six-thousands Calories. Who needs that? I know I don't, at least not from a soft-drink.

So, while drinking Coke on my couch last Thursday I decided it was time for action. It helps that a friend pointed out my great weakness for Coke which helped with the motivation.

My plan was to start a Coke free life on Monday. I figured at some point during the week-end I would give in and drink some. It turns out I got though the week-end without any Coke. That doesn't mean there wasn't a headache or two along the way. 

As the work week started, I managed to not buy any for lunch as I had been for years. This was more of a routine action than an active decision for the last while so I just had to remind myself to not grab a bottle to have at lunch. I now drink water instead.

Once the headaches subsided I started to feel better immediately. I don't feel the same bloat from all that carbonation and a couple of pounds have disappeared. I see this all as a good thing. I also burp and fart less at the gym while I'm exercising. Also good in my books.

The best part so far is I am sleeping much better. It took a bit longer for this to kick in as I'm sure there was a lot of caffeine in my body. However, I can once again get deep restful sleep. A couple of days ago I got a lot of deep restful sleep, from 8:30 pm to 6:15 am. I haven't slept like that in a long time. An interesting advantage is my mind seems to be getting sharper again. I've been feeling a bit mushy a lot of the time, probably because I haven't had a lot of good sleep but after a couple of good nights, I feel a lot sharper, a lot more like I used to. For me the sharper I feel the more positive I become and that's been improving as well.

I'm not out of the woods yet. There are some things coming up in my schedule that will test me. I just need to find a way to not give in to the cravings. I can find an alternative or change the situation, depending on what's available. There are also times that a cold Coke would taste really good, again I will have to find a way to not give in.

I realize this is a lot different that a lot of dependancy issues but as I get the evil out of my body I am realizing that the amount of Coca-Cola I was consuming was having an impact on my life. It looks like a good road forward without it.

The whole thing has been made easier by support from friends. Just knowing that someone is willing to help makes any task a lot easier.

Now, I'm not saying you shouldn't drink Coke and I'm not saying I will never have any more in my life but for the time being I can't have any delicious Coke. Even though I know it would taste great, I don't really want to have any at the moment and that's a good thing in my books.