Vice Be Gone

Friday, April 22, 2011 marked the 6 year anniversary of my Mother's quadruple bypass. Not only does that day mark changes in her health, but also in mine. That was the day that I made the decision to get healthy, lose the weight that I had put on through four pregnancies, and be an example to my children. I decided, as I stood by my Mom's bedside, in recovery, that I would do everything in my power to fight the heart disease that is so rampant on her side of the family. As soon as I weaned Caleb, I started down the road to health, eventually losing 48 lbs.

One of the things I've never been able to get rid of is Diet Soda. It's been the vice that lingers in my life. It was what I always turned to, when I was hungry. The carbonation would fill my belly and I would be able to make it a bit longer until time to eat. I heard all the news about how bad diet coke is for you, what a poison it is, but I kept drinking it, thinking that at least it was helping me maintain my weight....that if diet coke was the only thing "bad" in my life, when it came to diet, then I was doing good overall.

Now that I am back to work and no longer a stay at home mom, it's very difficult to manage my weight. Long hours, stress, and constant "treats" in the office, have contributed to the 15 pound gain that I have seen in the last year and half. After numerous attempts to "get back on track", with the way of life that got me to my goal several years ago, I realized that I had to make a radical change and diet coke did not fit into that plan.

I dropped the diet coke all together three weeks ago, and I'm happy to say, I don't miss it. The first few days, of course were tough, but now, I no longer want it. I no longer drink 68 oz or more of it everyday.

I'm also happy to say that I've dropped 5 lbs, just by eliminating it. I now see how it would spike my blood sugar and make me hungry. I ate more when I was drinking it. I find that I don't want to eat as much. Not to mention eliminating the chemically engineered, artificial sweetener.

One more step in eliminating bad things from my life!

Below is a reminder of what I never want to go back to. For those who've met me recently and don't understand the journey I have been on, hopefully this will give you a glimpse into who I am and where I've come from...into the WHY behind my desire to live healthy and stay healthy. The me you know now, is not the person in the photo below.

Let me also say, it is NOT easy to put this out there. Cute kids, though, huh?