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Betsy,
Welcome! I wish I could share a No Cola Magic Spell with you, but
unfortunatly I've misplaced my book of spells. =)
I do assure you, we each have our own equivalent of your cola problem, and
what looks easy to one person is incredibly hard for another. I'm fortunate
in that I was raised without soft drinks, never acquired a taste for them,
and they don't tempt me. But so many people can't imagine life without
them. However, there are a few habits I *have* stopped (just a few!), and I
can honestly tell you they don't tempt me any more. Knowing from experience
that nearly anything is possible, and knowing from what we see all around us
that even drug addicts, smokers and alcoholics get freed from their
addictions, you should probably explore your own thinking and find out: 1)
whether you believe you can be free of yours; and 2) whether you really want
to be.
So many times we ask questions while giving the answers at the same time.
We just don't listen to ourselves. (Again, I include myself in this!) You
shared this: "About 2 yrs. ago, I had kidney infection and the dr. took me
off nearly everything but water." So you know that you CAN stop. It would
be nice if the doctor ordered you again to stop, and perhaps if you talk to
him, he will! I guarantee there is nothing health-promoting in soft drinks,
and he could probably give you some scary scenarios involving obesity,
diabetes, further kidney problems, etc. You don't want to wait for another
infection or something worse, I'm sure. You also said, "After 2 weeks, I
had lost 30 lbs." Wow, if that isn't motivation, I don't know what is! =)
Sounds simple and fantastic to me. But then, I'm not the one addicted, and
I know it *isn't* easy for you or you would have done it by now. Some
people could look at me, listen to me, and say, "Wow, if it was that easy
for me, I'd do those few simple things and lose weight." But my "simple
things" are hard for me, and my difficulty in losing weight seems very
discouraging. For instance, if I am very, very strict, I might lose half a
pound per week. I'm still too impatient, so being very, very strict doesn't
seem worth that small reward. But someone else with a more serious problem
might have to be very, very strict for three months to lose three pounds.
Compared with that person, I don't have any reason to complain!
Now about that "willpower" thing... If any of us had "willpower,"
we
wouldn't be here. We would have stopped our bad habits immediately when we
realized what we were doing. Ten, twenty, thirty or forty years ago, we
would have gone on a sensible low-calorie diet, reduced to normal weight,
and maintained it for the rest of our lives. I know a few people (very
few!) who have done just that. I don't classify them as having a "weight
problem." They just got busy, got careless, and accidentally gained weight.
They realized it, stopped doing it, and forgot about it. But I'd bet that
nearly all of us here have been on countless diets, never really addressing
the root problems, failed, tried again, failed, tried again, failed, tried
again, failed, tried again, failed, tried again...ad nauseum. The amazing
thing about us is our tenacity. We still keep trying and hoping. More
could be said, more HAS been said (read the archives), and we will go on
trying to explore this with each other for a long time. Basically, I feel
we have a faulty relationship with food, and the root problem is not usually
our bodies, but our minds.
To put a stop to this long ramble so I can go to bed (one of my other
struggles!), let me just encourage you that you are among friends, we all
understand, we all want you and all of us to succeed, and we've all realized
that diets don't work, but changing bad habits might. Go ahead and start
"No S." No snacks, no sweets, no seconds. Concentrate on getting through
just one day...one hour at a time. Don't do it by thinking about the agony,
just plan some yummy meals and then get really busy doing dozens of other
interesting things...or if you're at work, keep refocusing on your work and
drink lots of water. Mealtime will roll around more quickly than you think!
If...no, WHEN you fail (but don't plan to!), stop after ONE cola. Get right
back on the plan. As we've discussed recently, a failure is not really a
failure. Each time, you will learn something that will help you in the
future. Most importantly, after you give in, you will always realize that
it wasn't worth it!
But first, I think you should really answer those first two questions:
1) Do you believe you can be free of your cola addiction? (Two weeks "cold
turkey" says YES, and I have no doubt it can be extended.)
2) Do you really want to be? (Only you know the answer to that.)
I hope I don't sound harsh...I'm actually just using the opportunity to
remind myself of these things. I realized not long ago that at some point I
stopped believing I could ever actually get back to my proper weight. Too
many failures, too much difficulty...your body (or your mind) finally just
says, "What's the use? Why should I keep aiming for something I can't
reach?" Yet that's not really true. I haven't really done the right thing
for long enough. I also realized that at another point I just stopped
*wanting* to be that weight I used to be. I'm the kind of person who
doesn't waste energy "wanting what I can't have." If I become convinced
that it's not for me, I just quit wanting it. But some kinds of
"contentment" are not the right kind; they're more like "dangerous
complacency" or even "lethargy and laziness"....so I'm stirring myself
up to
look at this whole subject afresh.
Don't be overwhelmed! Just take a baby step. If you can't commit to No S
yet, see if you can get through two hours without Coke. Then, when you're
only drinking one every two hours, go to three, and so on. I have been
realizing lately that NO effort is ever wasted. I have not stuck to No S
properly during the past month...I've had good days and sloppy days, and a
lot of stress (but no binges, thank God--I did leave those behind years ago!
and even that is a story in itself). But I have just discovered that I
don't really like snacking any more. Let me say that the way it sounds to
me: I DON'T REALLY LIKE SNACKING ANY MORE. Snacking was one of those
"pleasures" I thought I could never give up. I just happened to enjoy what
I ate between meals, even if it wasn't something fattening, way more than
anything I ate at a meal. Well, guess what--if you go without something for
long enough (even if you're not 100% consistent!) your body gets used to
being without it and then DOESN'T WANT IT ANY MORE! Amazing!! =)
Also, anything sweet I tasted this month just wasn't worth continuing. I
hesitate to say this (I'm still only whispering it), but *I don't really
like sweets any more.* I know I will continue enjoying something homemade,
something really special (and not too sweet--that's the main problem with
these bakery things), but the other things are just gross. I took a nibble
of what looked like a homemade cookie today, at work, and it was gross, so I
threw it away. I THREW IT AWAY. (Sorry for all the shouting, but...I've
never done that before!)
Oh, I almost forgot... I did want to mention that soft drinks can create
some serious imbalances which are probably causing your uncontrollable
cravings. I would say you're probably not getting the minerals you need.
It has to do with phosphorus in the soft drinks--and the sugar and caffeine
are definitely part of the equation! Sorry I can't remember the details but
try doing a search at Google for "soft drinks sugar phosphorus" and you'll
get a start on your own research.
Okay, end of ramble. This one has been building up inside me for a while.
=) The other list members won't be surprised--I think they know me by now!
I think I even out-did Debbie this time. LOL! *elbows Deb in the ribs in a
friendly way*
Bye for now,
Diane
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