My achilles heel

I have a weakness.  It comes in a silver can.  It’s bubbly, sweet and give me a much need jolt every morning.  I really love the stuff.  I feel like when I take my first sip of it, that’s the moment my day starts.  I can begin to have conversation with people, smile and think.  Who knew such a wonderful product existed?  However this vice, this magical drink isn’t the best for my health.  Oh yes Diet Coke, I will give you up one day regardless of the joy you bring me.  My co-workers know my arrival at work by the sound of the can opening.  That familiar sound brings a smile to my face.  In all fairness to myself and my friend diet coke, I’m much better about my “drinking” habit then I used to be.  In any given day it wouldn’t be uncommon for me to drink 3-6 cans of it.  When I would only bring 2 cans to work and need more, I would just buy some at work (sorry Pauly, I love you).  I would also have some with dinner and as I watched TV or did homework.  So I guess maybe sometimes I would drink more then 6.   I gasp as I read that, so bad, so bad (shaking my head in shame).  Paul often worries about this habit of mine.  He likes to joke with me about it, but it’s in concern for my health.  He used to tease me that diet coke runs in my veins.  I have cut back to regularly consuming one can each morning and if I go out to lunch or dinner, I drink water instead of another diet coke.  Today I’m starting something new.  Did you know they have little 8 oz cans of Diet Coke.  They are like baby Diet Cokes that hold the same joy as their parent cans, but help me wean off.  It’s not that it’s horrible to drink one can of pop a day, but I really want to get to a place where I’m not addicted to bad habits.  This is a bad habit . . . isn’t that step one.  WHO HOOO FOR ME J 

Today, I’ll enjoy my 8 oz can and not miss my 4 missing oz.  I will bask in the joy of realizing how far I’m coming on this journey as I used to drink anywhere from 36 oz to 72 oz and I’m now drinking 8 oz and I’m satisfied.   Starting May 30^th, I’ll start my next phase of phasing out diet coke where I’m committed to enjoy 3 days of diet coke drinking in my 8 oz cans and learning to start my day without it 2 days during the week.   I have decided to cut cold turkey on the weekends and figure out a “natural” way to start my morning.  My end goal will included allowing myself one diet coke a week, because for me, that is representative of healthy balance.  Anyone else out there have weakness of bad habit of soda?  Do you want to join me in kicking it to the curb?

Unstoppable “stopping my diet coke habit” Mariah