One Year Without Diet Soda !

cortezpj

Actually it's been one year and one week. I had my last Diet Coke on December 10, 2011.

Between one or two (or three or four) 12oz cans at home every day to one or two 16oz bottles from the vending machines at work to the 44oz fountain drinks I'd buy almost every time I filled up my gas tank, I estimate that I was drinking an average of 36 ounces of Diet Coke every day. And that's a conservative estimate. I was probably drinking more than that.

Why'd I give it up? I really don't have one specific reason. But I found myself starting to wonder what impact it was having on my overall health. I got tired of constantly feeling bloated and the highs and lows that went along with the rush of caffeine. I also got tired of that gritty feeling my teeth had after I'd had more than my share of the stuff. I still consume food products that have Aspartame and caffeine, but my overall consumption is down compared to when I was still drinking diet sodas.

For those who might be wondering if I noticed any weight loss because of my kicking the diet soda habit, the answer is no. But that has to do with the fact that my eating habits were still pretty bad until I started exercising and watching my diet more carefully in late April of this year.

So I was a little curious and decided to crunch some numbers. Feel free to correct me if my calculations are wrong:

36 ounces a day per 7 day week = 252 ozs per week

Total ounces over 372 days (1yr+1week) = 13,392

There are 128 ounces in 1 gallon

13,392 / 128 = 104.6 gallons

There are 15.5 gallons in 1 keg

104.6 gallons consumed / 15.5 gallons in 1 keg = 6.75

So in the past 53 weeks, I've gone without 6.75 kegs (yes...kegs) of Diet Coke.

Kudos to me !

firefoxxie

Wow, congrats!
I can't relate to how difficult it must have been but I'm sure it was very difficult.
I haven't had a sip of soda in over 8 years thanks to my mom getting me into the habit of only drinking water

FitBeto

I will kneel to you my friend. I consume diet coke like an alcoholic consumes rubbing alcohol after running out of rum and losing his car to a DUI and is still drunk from the nail polish remover so he doesn't want to walk. I quit smoking and drinking I am not quitting coke haha

smileyII

Wow good for you!! I was constantly on the soda then off the soda, but if you can do it for a year, so can I. Thanks for the inspiration:)

NikoM5

I consider Aspartame safe but consuming that much or anything isn't a great idea!

Mommyjenlynn

Congrads!!! I have been soda free for a long time too. When I got pregnant with my son (he is 7 1/2 yrs old) I did not want to drink soda but when I did I got horrible heart burn. After he was born. I drank it a tiny bit but quit it entirely because I just did not enjoy it that much, knew it was unhealthy for me, and wanted to start getting my baby weight off. Now I maybe have 1-2 sodas a years since. Before my pregnancy, I drank soda all day long. I mostly drink tea or water. That is all. I do not miss my soda anymore.

Firefox7275

Well done! How much money have you saved?

Suewags

It's been about 2-3 months for me without Diet Coke. I used to drink it like crazy as well. I would tell myself it was no calories so I could drink as much as I want. Plus, I reasoned, drinking it satisfied my sweet tooth and kept me from eating other stuff not good for me. After I read an article about what is in it and the various bad things that it can do to you, I decided to cut it out and replace it with water. I think my overall sugar cravings have reduced and I am getting in much more water now than I did before. Whenever I do have a urge for something other than water, I go with iced tea sweetened with a little Splenda.

Bakkasan

2 cans a day helps my sanity! I bow to your resolve!

xoyasminxo

Nice job! I don't ever drink any soda...don't really like taste, no health benefits, and carbonation...no thanks. That is absolutely amazing you cut it out of your diet.