Yesterday was my one-hundred fiftieth day without drinking any Coca-Cola. I am so happy I have made this change in my life. There is no other way to describe that stuff other than pure evil. I don't think there is a beverage on this planet that tastes that good but is so unbelievably bad for you.
Here are the facts.
With no other significant change in my life I have lost twenty-four pounds. I will admit I have been running a bit but it averages less than 5 kilometres per week so I truly doubt it has any real impact on my weight. Since changing jobs I don't walk over five kilometres each workday to get to work and back but, I am on my feet a lot more at my new job than I was at the old one. So, I have to postulate that my change from two-hundred twenty-one pounds to one-hundred ninety-seven pounds is directly related to cutting Coke out of my life.
When I was drinking Coke, pants with a 36 waist fit properly. Since then I needed to buy smaller pants so I went down to 34 waist pants. Now those are starting to be a bit loose. I don't think I'm there yet but I may even have to step down to 32 waist pants. There are two factors at play here. First, if you lose twenty-four pounds, your waist will inevitably get smaller. The weight has to come from somewhere and if we have extra weight, it tends to collect around your waist. Secondly, I don't feel bloated from the carbonation anymore and I think my waist is smaller because of it.
As we get deeper in the fall in Eastern Ontario, I am feeling the cool days more than I used to. I'm sure this is because I'm a lot leaner than I've been for most of my adult life.
A lot of people, and I mean a lot, have commented. I look noticeably different. It's a good feeling to receive so much positive feedback. It usually takes a significant change for most people to say something so there must be a big difference.
I have a lot more energy. My body is no longer relying on the sugar and caffeine to run so I don't get crashes like I used to. I don't get a headache if my routine is upset and I can adapt a lot better to change. I also sleep a lot better as my system isn't full of garbage that is trying to keep me awake.
Overall, I am very happy that I quit drinking Coke. I'm not going to lie, there are days I miss the taste but that feeling always passes and when I step on the scale, look in the mirror, or wake up from a good sleep I always think it's worth not tasting it for that momentary enjoyment.
Showing posts with label Coca-Cola. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Coca-Cola. Show all posts
Monday, November 4, 2013
Thursday, June 13, 2013
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.
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.
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