A Long Road...

I want to apologize to my readers. I realize I've not written in over a month. If you can believe it, I've not been well more than a week in the past month. In the back of my mind I was saying, "hey, when I feel better I'll start writing again." Alas, it seems that if I wait that long, I won't write for another few months.

I don't understand why I'm being hit with all of these bugs. I'm sure it has to do with a lack of sleep, but about a month ago I gave up Diet Coke for good. (Well, really for today--wink, wink.) I haven't had any Diet Coke in almost 6 weeks.

I didn't want to not drink Diet Coke. I've been drinking it for many, many years. It started in college because I didn't drink coffee but needed the caffeine. This was in the days before the energy drink fad (which worries me a bit, but that's a topic for another day).

Over the past few years, I read more and more about how Diet Coke was just like any other soda-not good for you. I bought into the lies about "diet" meaning better, but ultimately, it's a collection of chemicals and sweeteners that are man-made. Not all things man-made are evil. I am grateful for some, but Diet Coke was starting to affect my health in a very negative way.

First, there's the sodium content. It's not bad if you're just sipping a can a day, but I was going to Thornton's and throwing back 44 ounces at a time. At that volume, the sodium is ridiculous. I've got high blood pressure; that much sodium is not good for a normal person, let alone someone like me.

Second, there's the cravings. In my own personal (read-unscientific) study, I have found that the less Diet Coke I drink, the less I crave sweets. I have also read this in more formal studies, but for me the anecdotal evidence was overwhelming.

Third, when I went to Thornton's to purchase said beverage I would purchase copious amounts of junk food. There is really nothing at Thornton's that I should be eating. Everything there is prepackaged, heavily processed and full of salt and sugar. (Although I will say they do carry fresh fruit.) Plus, it's a drain on the wallet. If you figure I was getting a .69 cent beverage everyday and then tacking on 2-3 dollars of junk food, that's about 4 bucks a day on completely unhealthy food choices.

Most people I have talked to who gave up Diet Coke lost some weight after doing so. I will say, since I'm on a road to losing weight this appealed to me. Unfortunately, it's not happened as magically as I hoped it would. Initially I lost about 6-8 pounds, but over the past few weeks it's been creeping back. Overall, my sugary snack intake has taken a nosedive. I was in line at Target today purchasing Pull-Ups and the candy was calling to me. I was headed to Giordano's for a board meeting and knew I was going to have pizza. In the past, I would have snarfed some candy and then gone to dinner. Today, I didn't.

I was watching The Biggest Loser last night and something Jillian Michaels said really stuck. She said that small, measurable changes in our lifestyle can add up to something huge. I have been beating myself up a lot lately because the weight has not been dropping (nor have the inches or anything else). I think it's easy for me to look at the scale, look at myself and declare myself a failure.

However, when I realize that I've probably helped lower my blood pressure (by exercising more and doing away with Diet Coke), I've probably started building more lean muscle mass (by doing cardio and some simple strength training), I'm setting a good example for my kids (by not going to Thornton's everyday and not eating as much junk food) and I'm seeing success elsewhere (I'm less winded going up the stairs), I can keep going.

Yesterday and today, I didn't make great food choices. I am not feeling well and wanted comfort food. I chose poorly for lunch on both days. But that doesn't mean I ate poorly all day for both days. In the past, it would have been the signal to just go all out in the wrong direction. Today, I realize that I made progress because I bypassed the candy (and other desired sweets) and only had two pieces of pizza (instead of three). Oh, and while the thought crossed my mind to have a Diet Coke at dinner I stuck with water.

Certainly I'm not hitting home runs everyday, but I'm definitely getting a hit every time I step up to the plate. Sometimes, you've just got to grind out the win.