“I don’t accept that diet coke is bad for you in any way, and if I ever want to go back to it, even if I have to abandon this experiment, then I will.
That was my statement to my wife at the beginning of my four-week trial without my favorite liquid refreshment.
I’m not very good with external pressure when it comes to setting myself challenges as you can see. I hate advice, tips, and anything else that people offer, usually with the best of intentions (on their part). I want to get into it, quietly, in my own way, and stop when I want to.
People have been telling me for years that I drink too much Diet Coke. My answer would be that it’s zero calories, zero sugar, and there’s no conclusive evidence that it’s worse for you than any other processed drink or food. I pointed out that I don’t drink tea or coffee, my alcohol intake was usually just two drinks on a Friday and Saturday night, and being a pescatarian I didn’t eat any meat.
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I knew Diet Coke contained the artificial sweetener aspartame, but so did tons of drinks, even many fruit pumpkins and flavored waters. People also told me what happened when you left a penny in a Coke glass and how it must be doing the same to my guts – but I was by no means giving up, reports our sister title Wales Online.
Until I wasn’t. It wasn’t a conscious decision at first, I just naturally decided to have the occasional glass of water rather than open a can of Coke. I thought I could do it, so I did it again. Then, with my journalist head on, I thought I might try the experiment of giving it up completely (almost) and then writing about it for WalesOnline – hey presto!
I say (almost) above because the rules of the game were that I would still have it as a mixer with my favorite weekend drink – Tia Maria and Coke – to give it up would be a step too far in my opinion. So that was it, no more Diet Coke as a straight drink and basically no Mon-Thu at all.
Up until this point, I had my first glass of Coke around lunch, the second in the middle of the afternoon, occasionally another in the late afternoon when I was thirsty, then another with dinner, and the last around 9:30pm. One room of my house was always stocked with boxes of things and the fridge was stocked.
Day 1:
Weight: 14.7
Waist: 104 cm
I was around late 13, early 14. I liked to think that my gain was due to the weight training I was doing more of before this point – and muscle mass – but I have no real idea if that was the case or if I was delusional. My waist measurement felt bigger than before and I find that measuring your waist is far from an exact science – but last time I measured I was 103cm, a few years ago I was only 95cm when I was doing tons of exercise.
While I didn’t experience any dramatic physical effects on my first day from my sudden change in liquid refreshment and found drinking water to be fine, I did have a bit of a sweet tooth. But I had an epiphany. I realized that my glass of Diet Coke wasn’t just for liquid refreshment—I was drinking it because my body had gotten into the habit, either by design or desire, of having something sweet after every salty sip. Now that I was eating – there was no sweet to cover the salty – it was a big change and a transformative moment in my understanding of my own body and habits.
Day 2:
I wouldn’t really call it cold turkey—it wasn’t like I was giving up nicotine or anything—but if I had any withdrawal symptoms, it was today when they kicked in. I was a bit irritated and irritated. I also had a headache in the afternoon. Of course, I have no idea if any of these things were related or if it’s just a coincidence.
Day 3:
I felt like I turned the corner today – I felt up to the challenge. I was on vacation at the time, which no doubt helped.
Day 4:
The big test – I was back at work – how would I cope with no Diet Coke when I had to focus all day? Whether it was getting back to a normal routine, without my routine drinking, I was starting to miss it today. I started having debates in my own brain – my brain would say, “Just have your Coke, you love it, it probably won’t make a difference,” then another part of me would say, “No, you can do it.” this – stick to it’.
Day 5:
I rode a 55k cycle this morning in beautiful warm weather and how I longed for an ice cold coke with little bubbles forming on the outside of the glass – I could almost smell it, hear the clinking of the ice cubes. The raging debate in my head started again.
Day 6:
I felt the need for fruit today, not a feeling I’m used to – so I went out and bought some – not like me either. The fruity, juicy, naturally sweet taste of strawberries and grapes did a little to calm my cola cravings. Apparently healthier too – a bit of a side effect!
Day 7:
The first considerations and scores on the door are:
Weight: 14.5.75
Waist: 101 cm
Gentlemen! It’s not a big difference in weight, but according to my measurements I lost three centimeters in my waist. I know there is room for error and natural body fluctuations, but it felt like a great start and encouraged me to keep going.
From day 8:
At this point I stopped recording daily changes. I was in a rhythm now and used to my routine. I still missed the Diet Coke, but I didn’t crave it and found other ways to satisfy my sweet tooth – fruit!
One thing I found was that I was less tired at work. I found that I had had highs and lows before – maybe the lows after a high diet of caffeine from Coca-Cola and fake sugar. If I was tired that day, it was smoothed out rather than up and down, and much more manageable as a result.
End of week 2 weigh-ins:
Weight: 14st 5.25
Waist: 101.5 cm
She lost only half a kilo, but a slight decrease in her waist. But this week I had much less time to exercise.
At the end of the 3rd week of weighing:
Weight: 14st 3.75
Waist: 100 cm
Back on track after the waist and another 1.5lbs off the scale.
At the end of the 4th week we weigh:
Weight: 14st 4.5
Waist: 99.5 cm
My weight has returned to its normal range, but still 2.5 pounds less than when I started. But I shaved another half an inch off my waist.
End of the 5th week of weighing:
Weight: 14st 2.5
Waist: 98.5 cm
A month later, things changed like this:
Total weight loss: 4.5 lbs
Total waist loss: 5.5 cm
Conclusions:
Like I said, I went on this journey partly hoping it would make a difference. I wanted a slimmer waist and exercise alone and some dietary changes didn’t really make much of a difference. I also felt like I should shave some weight off – but my waistline was the main motivation.
I was also partly hoping it wouldn’t make any difference. I love Diet Coke, I’ve always advocated for it – and if giving it up turns out to be a waste of time (or my passport) then I might go back to drinking it like before. But I can’t ignore 5.5cm off my waist in a few weeks – that seems pretty spectacular. And the weight loss was not to be sniffed at either. Whether it was all due to the Diet Coke ban or a combination of things – the numbers don’t lie.
So from the end of this experiment I stuck to the plan. I’ve allowed myself a Diet Coke with my food on the occasional meal out (if I’m driving), but other than that I’ve pretty much cut it loose. I miss it a little – but not much. I’m hoping the weight and waistline continue to shrink – but I’ll let you know how it goes if it does.
My feeling has always been – if you want to lose weight or something – just do what you can and don’t put more pressure on yourself than you can handle. You will not be successful unless your motivation is your own and no one tells you why you should or shouldn’t do something.
I tried something and I feel like it worked and that it made a huge difference in my diet and my life. Maybe it won’t work for you, or maybe you don’t have the interest or need to try it, but for me the journey has been worth it and I continue on this journey.