My New Secret Weapon

Until yesterday, I had not been on a bike ride since Memorial Day, and I have the sore knees and buttocks to attest to that today.  Yesterday's ride was wonderful, but a bit grueling for me due to my week long inactivity and this new program I am on to change my eating habits.  I have not gone public with what I am doing, so unless you log in to blogger.com and read the blog posts I don't share on Facebook, you have no idea what I am talking about.  Without going into detail, I am on the 9th day of giving up a LOT of stuff.  I will continue to give up this stuff until I reach day 30 and then I will evaluate my eating habits, how I feel, what changes I have noticed, etc, and I will decide whether to add any of the things I have given up back or to keep going with what I have learned.  I can already tell you that one week from my 30th day, I will be packing for our vacation to Carolina Beach and they have a world famous doughnut stand and I plan to have a world famous doughnut.  It is a planned treat, and there will probably be others.  I will be embarking on my second 30 days on the Monday after I return.  In case you want to read up on this, it is called Whole30 and it is fantastic!!  I can say that on Day 9.  On Day 1, I would have told you that it was torture.  In fact, during days 1-5, I would have told you that. 

One of the beloved things I have had to give up is my Diet Cokes.  I LOVE Diet Cokes!!  I have a serious problem with Diet Cokes.  This is not exaggeration, and I have family who can back me up.  At work, I have been known to drink at least 4 12 ounce cans, go home, have another 20 ounce or more, and then wake up and do it all over again.  Diet Coke is very unhealthy and I was very addicted to it.  I realize addiction is a strong word, but I have no other word for my utter dependence of those things.  Of all the things I have had to give up (including dairy), giving up the DCs has been the most difficult.  Right now, as I type this, I want one.  It has been almost 9 full days since I have had one, and I still want one. 

What do I drink since I am not drinking Diet Coke?  I drink a lot of water---a LOT of water!  I drink it with ice, or straight out of the fridge from my Voss bottle I saved and keep filled. Sometimes I drink it with lime or lemon rings, which is a nice treat.  All of that is fine, and I am doing well drinking my water, but it can get really boring, especially when you need that tingly sensation carbonated drinks give you.  My friend suggested I try club soda, which I initially balked at because it reminds me of Alka Seltzer Plus cold medicine.  However, once I got ride of my Diet Coke, and actually tried some fizzy water, I was amazed at how good it actually is.  Add a little fruit and my favorite herb, and it kicks it up a notch or two.

THIS is my new love, and my secret weapon to combat those Diet Coke cravings:

This is not a very flattering picture and when you first make it, it looks a lot prettier, but this tastes better because it has been infusing for a long time.  What you see here is infused water with strawberries, lemon slices (lime here), basil leaves, and Pellegrino sparkling water.  It is fantastic and I cannot wait to get home and have a glass.

If I have to give up some of my favorite things, I need to make adjustments, and this is one of the best adjustments I have ever made.  At the end of this 30 days, a Diet Coke may not even be on my radar of indulgences.