Diet Coke Detox

Hi Everyone! Seems like it's been forever since I posted to the blog - so much has been going on in my life, and there's never enough time in the day. Now I happen to be home suffering from the flu (ugh!) so I had a little time to update you on what's been happening around here. 

#1: I joined Instagram (yes - finally!) and I am obsessed! If you're on IG, be sure to look me up (I'm @ shopaholicinal). Follow me and I'll follow you back! Watch for my #OOTD posts (which have come to a halt this week because of the flu) - as soon as I'm well they will return.

"The First Step to Recovery Is Admitting You Have A Problem" - Twelve Step Recovery

"To Thine Own Self Be True" - Shakespeare

#2: I am on Diet Coke Detox. Recent health concerns of mine, as well as others in my family, really caused me to examine my Diet Coke habit addiction. You see - in the spirit of full disclosure, I am a full blown Diet Coke Addict. Some people will say "I am addicted to Diet Coke" but yet they "only" drink a few servings a day. Me? I would conservatively estimate that my Diet Coke consumption is somewhere in the neighborhood of two 2-liter bottles per day. That means at least 120-130 oz. of Diet Coke is making it's way through my veins.

I have an unhealthy obsession with Diet Coke, similar to the obsession of a cigarette smoker. I am scared I'll end up running out of Diet Coke. I have been known to stop by the grocery at midnight to be certain I don't have to wake up without a Diet Coke. I stockpile them - and I don't always tell the truth about how many I drink in a day's time. However - this is the truth. 120-130 oz per day, on average.

It started innocently enough...when I was 13 years old. You see, I'm one of those people who always has a drink in her hand. When I'm working - when I'm cleaning - when I'm on the computer - when I'm driving - you get the point. I even go to sleep with a drink on my bedside table. Sooo back to when I was 13 years old, I was gaining weight. No one wants to be the "fat kid" in high school, so I had the big idea that I would drop all drinks with sugar. No sweet tea, no regular Coke (was a big Coke drinker then), etc. I immediately replaced all of these with the low or no-calorie versions - unsweetened tea, Diet Coke, unsweetened Kool Aid - and the results were AMAZING. I lost 15 pounds in less than 60 days without making any other changes to my diet or lifestyle. I was thrilled, it was a miracle.

Fast forward - I am now 42 years old. I can eat healthy at less than 1500 calories per day, work out 4-5 times a week, and lose weight. But the weight loss stops at 15-20 pounds, past that I just can't lose any more. Turns out - the Diet Coke is probably keeping me from losing weight. Go figure! The Aspartame in Diet Coke is literally poison to our bodies, and has been linked to type 2 diabetes, excess weight around the stomach, bloating, and possible cancer. 

Type 2 Diabetes runs in my family and I have no desire to deal with that for the rest of my life. So - over the past two weeks, I've been trying to gradually decrease my Diet Coke consumption. 

Last Saturday, I had the equivalent of two glasses of Diet Coke. On Sunday, I went cold turkey. I am now on the fourth day of zero Diet Coke. Let me tell you - it's tough. 

Withdrawal symptoms include: nausea, sweating and then cold chills, the worst headaches EVER, muscle soreness (to the point that it's difficult to climb our 16 stairs at home), complete fatigue, and a total fuzz in your brain. At work Monday, I could barely put two sentences together. I could hardly function and do the basic math required to answer a question about a mortgage loan. It has been awful. 

I will say this: if the withdrawal symptoms are this bad, what are those chemicals actually doing to my body!?!?! I'm really not sure I want to know. When I went to the doctor yesterday (the flu, on top of all this, ugh!) we had a long conversation about the Diet Coke and the dangers of aspartame. How it affects our blood sugar is very scary. And for someone with a family history of diabetes, it's even scarier. 

My advice: if you also consume massive amounts of Diet Coke, consider trying to quit. It took YEARS for me to find the guts to do this but I think the results will be worth it. I would advise seeing your doctor first, to work out a "quit plan". My doctor prescribed anti-nausea and migraine medications to get me through the next 7-10 days, and I am using them. Get some carbonated water with natural flavors (I recommend LaCroix or Seagram's, both available at Target and in most grocery stores). I find that I miss the "bubbles" of the Diet Coke more than the actual taste, and the carbonated water really helps gets me through those cravings.

Above all, don't let your habit drag on for 29 years like I did. If I can do this, anyone can. 

Do you have an addiction? Are you worried about trying to quit?

p.s. Please forgive disjointed writing - another withdrawal symptom!