This “no soda?” thing I have imposed on myself is probably going to be a fairly short lived experiment. Yesterday was HELLA rough. Details to come.
Your responses to my little experiment were surprising. Points made on this site, FB and in person ranged from fairly salient, to bat-FRICKIN-crazy. Seriously, I get the feeling that the diet soda discussion is only one step away from someone strapping on a bomb, lighting the fuse and stepping into a crowded market place hollering “Coka Cola Akbar!” Or maybe (depending on their side of this debate) they’d holler “Death to Coka Cola!”
My mouth has been like the Sahara. My head pounds. Low grade stuff, but enough that I can count heartbeats by the pain surges. Sucks. My leg goes like a jackhammer every time I sit down. Someone pointed out that the reason I yelled at that kid who broke the rain gutter on the outside of our building on Tuesday probably had more to do with my Tab-less existence than his profound idiocy. But I doubt this.
The Jones’n is the worst part. I’m constantly Jones’n. Sitting here at the computer, it occurs to me that I keep reaching to the shelf on the left of this screen (where I keep my DC while writing). There is something about the writing process that calls for Diet Coke. This is a harder process without it. Today I walked over to the fridge under the Jack Lalane photo about three dozen times. It is where I keep my Tab. It was CREEPING Cole out that I kept buzzing the tower like that. Sorry bro.
Tried some herbal tea today. Meh...
The only reason I’m still in this is pride. There is a little curiosity there, but mostly stupid, stupid pride. Oh well, in for a penny - in for a pound, right? I have created some rules and procedures for this experience, as it appears I am on a journey now (likely a very short one).
Rules/Procedures
1. To do this right, it seems to me that I should eliminate all the bad players. Soda has a bunch of stuff in it that fanatic nutritionists claim is bad for me. There seems to be no point in eliminating aspartame without also eliminating carbonation (although I’m sure there is nothing wrong with either). So, both are gone. As are artificial colors (in my drinks), artificial flavors, ALL types of artificial sweeteners (maybe not Stevia). NOT the stimulant. Nope, never that!
2. I’m looking for something to sip on (preferably with caffeine). It is what I do with the 2 diet sodas I drink per day. To those of you who are suggesting I simply go without ANYTHING or switch to water - it is not an option. I feel like sipping on something all day. It adds to my quality of life. I simply want it. NO, I don’t need it, but there are a ton of things I do/have in life that I don’t absolutely need. I’m not trying to be a monk. Just hoping some pain in my leg will go away, plus a couple of other things.
3. I’m not doing this objectively. But I’m going to do it right (for as long as it lasts). At the end of this process (TBD), I would like to be able to say that giving up diet soda had no redeeming value. It didn’t cure my knee, stomach or headaches. It just made me miss it. At which time I will pop the top on a delicious, delicious diet soda and commence to sip to my heart's content. I will make up for all the lost time without it while holding my tongue and keeping the middle parts of my hand down when engaged in the “Diet Soda?” discussion from henceforth.
4. I will bring and bear all of my training to this process. There would be few people on earth who pay as much attention to their body as I do. With my unique training and daily routines, I sit perched to shed some light on this subject where others may not be able. Objectivity will be a chore, so Rules/Procedures #5 is up to you.
5. Gonna need your help. Your perspective is going to be valuable to this effort.
6. I will post updates whenever there is new info.
It has been 4 days and I have noticed NOTHING different. As I said before, the only thing that keeps me from caving is pride. For now, the only thing I can think of that is worse than going through another day of relative misery at the hands of being Tab-less is the thought of failing in front of you. Shallow as that sounds, it'll drive me. At least a little ways. And while I'm on this journey (probably over by this time tomorrow), perhaps I can learn a few things about myself, about these cravings, about this discussion and maybe (as cheesy as it sounds) about life.
Questions I hope to answer or at least address in a thoughtful way:
1. Is this mainly psychological or physiological? Which parts are which? Why?
2. Can this be classified as an "addiction?" How do I treat it, whether it is or not?
3. Which parts of the anti-DS side have credence? Which parts are pure bogus? Why?
4. Which parts of the pro-DS side have credence? Which parts are pure bogus? Why?
5. How will quitting DS affect me?
6. Is it possible to quit at all?
7. SHOULD I quit drinking DS?
What questions am I missing? Please post to comments.
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musings
I've been trying to quit drinking diet soda. Tab (it appeals to my contrarian nature) and Diet Coke are my drugs of choice. They really are drugs, to me. I hear the "pop - swish" sound of a can being opened and it makes my mouth begin to water. Then I NEED one. It alters my mood if I can't get it. Some of you have experienced the brunt of my "altered" mood when I don't get one - sorry.
I have quit 3 times this year, but this attempt has lasted the longest (I'm at about 36 hours now). I'm hoping that quitting will alleviate some stomach acid probs (too personal?) and I'm secretly hoping there is some credence to the claims that diet soda causes inflammation. By cutting it out, perhaps my severe knee pain (multiple motocross accidents) will subside, or at least become more manageable. I doubt this is going to work. But I'm going to try anyway. It would be stupid not to exhaust this option.
I have always been convinced that most of the claims made against diet soda are nothing more than awfulism and ridiculousness. I've read the studies. Like the famous (infamous?) University of Texas study on diet soda. Remember that one? It was picked up by every news organization world-wide. It basically said that fat people drink diet soda...therefore diet soda must be making people fat. Do you see the holes here? I mean, they all breath air too. Maybe it's the air making them fat. Then again, maybe it's their faces. Maybe the people who've gotten fat while drinking diet soda hold their faces in a certain way while they are drinking it. Could be that, right?
It was a stupid study.
Maybe I'm wrong about diet soda. Maybe it really it is as evil as it is cracked up to be. Then again, maybe there are two sides of this coin. Maybe it is only bad for a certain few (I suspect this to be so) and maybe it is perfectly fine for some (also a suspicion).
What is your experience? What side of the coin are you on?
Are you undecided? Here are a couple of different stances on Aspartame (the sweeteners in most diet drinks and MANY other products). Aspartame seems to be at the center of most of the debate centered around diet soda. Anti-Aspartame / Pro-Aspartame
What are your thoughts after doing some homework? Interested in hearing your thoughts and experiences. Please post to comments, if you care to.
by Neil Anderson
Q: "Can EVERYBODY get 6 pack abs?"
A: Not everyone. Most can. Problem is, you might have to make yourself pretty sick to do it. The ill effects of doing this may last forever. It might be best to just get ripped and capable (optimally healthy) and learn to live with what that looks like, instead of pushing yourself to place that is hard to return from. Consider this story.
A client of mine had amazing abs. Not the blocky six-pack that we all dream of, but incredible nonetheless. Hers were perfect. She had been working out for years and had an incredibly sculpted body. She already had lines everywhere, especially on her abs - two down the sides, one in the middle and even the coveted inguinal crease (V-shaped lines starting at the hips leading down "to paradise"). Like I said, AMAZING.
One day she became convinced that she needed a six-pack. She simply couldn't be talked out of it. She had heard (rightly) from a bodybuilding friend of hers, that most of us can achieve this if we take ourselves to very low body fat levels. Being an extremely disciplined person, she knew she could get her body fat levels into the basement. So off she went.
Her diet became impeccable (according to those who were mentoring her - remember, I thought it was stupid. I wasn't about to help her). Her calories - very low, but sustainable, even with her increased exercise levels (she was doing 3-4 miles of running daily, on top of her daily workouts with me). And within a few weeks her abs really started to pop! But that's when the problems started.
She started to become very ill. Colds, flus, infections, even mono! Then, she became the walking injured. Seems like she had something new pop up every week that stopped her from really charging her workouts fully. Then, the hormones got out of whack. This caused sleep problems, extra stress and even depression. All of these at a level that will impact EVERY aspect of your life (marriage, kids, friends & etc.) None of which, she'd ever had problems with prior. Not clinically, like she had now.
Eventually, my friend got her six-pack! But, here is the thing ... most of the bad stuff stuck with her for life. Even today (nearly 10 yrs. later) she struggles with clinical depression and sleep disorders. This adds stress to her life that is hard to quantify. That is, unless you use her weight to do so. Soon after (within 8 months), she ballooned up 70 lbs over her previous healthy weight (which I thought was PERFECT to begin with). She's never looked or felt the same since.
"Can EVERYBODY get six-pack abs?" Probably. Is it worth it? Who knows - you might be one of the lucky ones. You might be that person who has no trouble at all getting to a six pack without adversity and will enjoy every minute of walking around showing them off. God bless you if you are. As for the rest of us, heed this as a cautionary tale. Maybe you can get them. Maybe you can't. More importantly, if you have done all you need to be healthy - maybe you shouldn't try.