Helping each other keep on track with the goals we've set for ourselves.

Monday, February 11, 2008

How Depressing

Just watched a Good Morning America segment on diet sodas. It was yet another study showing that artificial sweetners seem to affect the metabolism in an unkown way, leading to weight gain, metabolic syndrome, and other bad stuff.

I either have metabolic syndrome or am darn close to it - it's the current term describing the confluence of insulin resistance, high blood pressure, and weight gain. Hmmm, that sounds familiar. And I drink a lot of Diet Coke, in fact, I can't really get through the day without it - and it's not just the caffeine. The doctor on GMA said, "these individuals know who they are, that they should give it up." I know I should, but it's SO hard. It fits with everything medical I've been going through, but it's so hard to stop. I feel lousy when I don't get my fix and it really is a fix - an addict getting what she wants.

Now would be a good time to do this - I have 2 2L bottles of Diet Coke, and that's it in the house right now. I'm gonna try. Oh, this is so depressing - but if it makes the appetite and weight loss easier to deal with, not to mention the whole metabolism thing, I really have to give it up.

5 comments:

Jill in MA said...

You can give it up, I'm sure that you can. I gave up coffee at one time. (OK, so I'm addicted again, but I did it conciously.) Cold turkey might be the right way for you, but if you're addicted to the caffeine, you might try easing off slowly. That's the way I did it. If you get withdrawal headaches, it will be really hard to go cold turkey. Think, "how much do I really need to prevent a headache?" Drink only that much.

Ann in NJ said...

It's not the caffeine, because I will drink coffee. It's something else, and I know this because if I'm jonesing for my fix, Caffeine free will do just fine.

I think I have to do cold turkey, at least until the worst is over, or I won't get over it - one a day is enough, so it has to be none.:(

ooolia said...

You can do it. If it's a metabolic thing, you can even try replacing it with regular soda. Although it would be better to replace it with water. Sometimes I want a little more than water, so I have a bottle of juice (those single serving containers with a screw back on top) in my mini fridge at work. I add a splash to my water. I try to make the bottle last the whole week.

Jill in MA said...

You could also try sparkling water. I find that sometimes I have that craving for a carbonated beverage and that can help satisfy it. A trainer I once had claimed that the carbonated waters are not as good for you as water, either, but they're unsweetened, so they can't be too bad. The pomegranite flavor is pretty good.

Susan Z said...

Cold Turkey was always the best for me. I also noticed that I really wanted it partly out of habit but partly when I got stressed. I picked up the soda habit again when I started back with taking classes...I didn't drink soda when I was pregnant with the boys.