Quitting soda update #5

Today is day 84 with no soda. Not one single sip! I’m truly very proud of myself.

Overall, it’s going well.

I can’t tell if I actually miss IT, or I just miss the dopamine hit that came along with it. I believe that I mostly miss having that thing to really look forward to, and then the big pleasure when I got that thing that tasted sooooo good to me.

Soda continues to float through my head at random times; as I’ve mentioned before, it’s primarily in anticipation of situations where I would “normally” have a soda. Most recent example- heading to my parents’ over the weekend and helping them pack. I had a long drive, then it was hot lugging boxes around, and it was definitely a prime “I would normally sip on a big fountain soda right now” activity.

Going out to eat is recurring trigger. On the plus side, I don’t feel any real angst anymore when I go to a restaurant and can’t order soda. It’s definitely easier than it used to be. I typically order either an unsweetened iced tea, an Arnold Palmer, or depending on the occasion, maybe a beer or margarita. I do not truly LOVE any of these other options, though. I mean, I still find them to be more of a ‘treat’ than just drinking plain water (which I also order, too), and once that initial wave of soda memory settles down, it’s honestly totally fine. It’s not like I sit through the whole meal staring off longingly at the Coke at the table next to me. Haha. Is it still a little sad sometimes? Yes, sometimes.

The good news is that those “cravings” (if you can even call them that anymore- I don’t feel like I actively “crave” it anymore- maybe it’s more of a lingering memory?) do float right on by. I keep reminding myself that every time I choose to ignore them and not drink a soda, I’m strengthening the neural pathway in my brain. “I’m no longer a soda drinker”. With time, I do believe that identity will continue to grow.

I will say, I am envious of people who happily just sip on water all day long. Or don’t even feel the need to drink much! I guess it’s probably just a bad habit, but I have this tendency to feel like I want to be drinking something all the time. (And not only water.) I think I’ve done this since I was a child. I have a clear memory of my neighbor’s mom teasing me, “You’re always thirsty!” because every time I’d go over to play, I’d ask for something to drink.

Before I quit soda, it would usually look something like: drink tea first thing in the morning. Then another cup. Then a fountain soda at some point in the morning. After that, probably some water. Then after lunch, another tea (maybe a flavored vanilla black tea, as a “post-lunch treat”). Then perhaps a can of soda in the later afternoon (for a… “late afternoon treat”? Why do I need so many treats?!?! 😩) Then maybe more tea in the evening, or more water, or a sparkling water or diet soda, in an effort to not drink yet another soda…. Definitely more soda if we went out for dinner. Etc etc.

Maybe it’s worse because I have a desk job. I just like to always be sipping on something, maybe as a distraction from work boredom? (Just sipping on plain water all day feels… boring. And yes, I do add lemon etc sometimes. I’ve tried all the substitutes. :)) Overall I’m trying to keep my sipping to either plain tea or primarily water these days. The thing is, I actually DO like water (especially out of certain water bottles). I think this is just another mental trip up for me!

I am really glad that I’ve stuck to my guns on the soda quit this time, though. Of course, I’ve had moments where I’ve thought, ARGH I hate this, why did I say I was going to quit? And worse, why did I announce it on the internet?! I’ve had a few times where I’ve thought I maybe should have put more effort into moderating. Surely I could have learned to moderate? Did I jump the gun on quitting cold turkey? 🤔

But those thoughts do pass, and then I remember how annoying it was to constantly feel controlled by soda (and all the mental gymnastics that accompanied the habit). It does really feel good to just have that decision MADE. I’m not drinking a soda, the end. Nothing to think about. It feels like a relief.

I’m excited to be at 84 days, too! It’s starting to sound like a pretty long time.

And, every time I start to waver just a little, I think about how my chronic cough has stayed away. That’s definitely motivation. It feels like concrete evidence that my body is saying “thank you!!”

I do wish that I could say I have completely given up drinking any calories/ unhealthier options. I am still getting some sugar whenever I mix some lemonade into my iced tea (which I do NOT do at home, but tend to in restaurants). I am for sure drinking a bit more alcohol than I was before (I typically used to almost always choose a soda over alcohol). I am still not drinking a lot by any means, but I’d say I now have 1-2 alcoholic drinks a week, versus 1-2 drinks/ month, before.

But, the point of quitting soda was not to 100% cut out sugar or alcohol. It was just to quit soda. (Obviously, if I switched from 3 sodas a day to 3 full sugar lemonades a day or 3 beers a day, well, that would be very dumb. But that’s not what I’ve done.)

Oh, and on the topic of diet soda- I have not had any diet soda in 84 days, either. I was never a big diet soda drinker, but I had been using it as a “filler” drink (i.e. when I wanted a soda but already had too much soda, so I’d sub in diet to have more without the sugar or calories.) My brain has tried to bargain for that a few times, too (“maybe I could just drink diet and never have regular??”). Ultimately, though, I decided NO SODA AT ALL. I don’t believe diet soda is terrible or anything, but I know myself (and my brain), and I believe I would likely end up ramping up my diet soda intake to an unhealthy level, if that were all I could have. And while I’m sure diet soda is fine in moderation, I do think there’s enough evidence that it’s not exactly “healthy” either (given my concerns about GERD and family history of dementia), so…. I decided to go big or go home. No soda at all.

So, that’s my update #5! 🙂 The short version: I’m keeping on keeping on, even though it still sorta sucks a little bit sometimes. 🙂

In other news, Ethan turned 18 yesterday!!! Can you believe it? We had a low key day (per his request) with a casual dinner out and pie at home with a few extended family members. I’ll have to share more on that later because I haven’t sorted through pics yet.

Anyone else actively in the middle of “quitting something” big?

Daily Gratitude:

I am grateful for celebrating Ethan yesterday.