I made a decision that I am starting today. I have shared this with exactly…NO ONE. You’re the first to know. I was scared that I would change my mind and wuss out and I didn’t want to embarrass myself if that happened.
Starting today…
I am giving up Diet Coke.
(WHY, YES! THAT CRACKING SOUND YOU ARE HEARING IS HELL FREEZING OVER!!!!)
I hope you don’t feel mislead by my title or my tweets. Some of you may pooh-pooh this aside as a non-large issue. I know this is not an “I have an alcohol problem” or anything like that but people…
This addiction of mine?
Is bad.
BAD, bad.
And I have noticed it is getting worse.
When I like something?
I LIKE IT.
I like it a WHOLE LOT.
And there are few things in this world I like as much as Diet Coke.
I drink a staggeringly large amount of it.
Huge.
I wake up every morning and after I get the baby squared away and the kids are in school and my husband is still getting ready for work/working from home? I go for a drive and get a 44 oz and then do something that makes me utterly happy…I drive around and listen to music.
It’s my “me” time and I have come to dearly love it.
But I’ve noticed that more and more often?
I’ll pick up ANOTHER ONE ON THE WAY BACK HOME.
In the span of 45 minutes.
That means that by the time lunch rolls around, I have often had EIGHTY-EIGHT FREAKING OUNCES OF SODA.
This is embarrassing, much as I love “imbibing in the dark waters”.
I’ve given up Diet Coke once before for 6 weeks. I was hard core. I had no carbonation and no caffeine. I didn’t even take Excederine or eat chocolate. I found that I didn’t really feel any different, I gained weight and I was bored.
But…
Things are a bit different right now.
I drink a lot more of it than I used to.
Diet Coke are my meals more often than not.
Did you catch that? I often DO NOT EAT FOOD, I DRINK DIET COKE. Sometimes I go several meals in a row without eating a thing. I’m a “chain drinker”. I ALWAYS have a Diet Coke.
Always.
Since I have a smaller stomach, this means I’m often not hungry for food.
And I have noticed that my meals are getting less and less and my soda consumption is getting more and more.
I take out GARBAGE BAGS FULL OF SODA CUPS.
Right now? As we speak?
This is the table next to me:
FROM TODAY.
(Well, I’m writing this Sunday night for publish tomorrow, so I guess technically it would be: FROM YESTERDAY.)
I get a lot of email from people who are concerned about me. Who spew out that I am poisoning myself and my holy hell, one person even sent me a pie chart of my diminished life expectancy due to Aspartame consumption. (Ok, for the record? Those people piss me off a little.)
But the fact remains that this is just NOT HEALTHY.
I’ve been eying giving it up for a long time. And I made the decision a few weeks ago and haven’t breathed a word of it. I went on a trip and LIVED without waking up and immediately sucking down vats of Diet Coke in the AM. Also…I’m starting with a trainer at a gym today and I just can’t try to get healthier while sucking down vats of carbonation.
I’ve decided to give up all carbonation and just go cold turkey (and it is going to effing suckasuckasuckasuckasuckaSUCK six ways from suckville).
I HAVE to have a safety net and way out of this, though.
So…
I AM GIVING MYSELF UNTIL BLOGHER NYC ’10 (August 6-7) TO SEE HOW IT GOES.
I can’t say forever right now.
I just can’t.
RIDICULOUS as I feel saying it…I’m scared to do this.
Terrified, really.
This is going to sound incredibly ridiculous, but Diet Coke is just about the best friend I have. (NO offense to my living breathing friends…it’s a metaphor). It is constant. It calms me down. I take an insane amount of pleasure in drinking it.
And I am utterly scared to try to give it up.
The good thing about me, though?
Sometimes I make myself do the things that I am the most terrified of JUST TO PROVE THAT I CAN. I can be pretty stubborn. And I like to prove people wrong. And I know there are a whoooole lot of people who probably think I can’t do this.
But hell’s bells, people…if a girl who is terrified of flying and doesn’t like heights much can do THIS?
I.can.do.freaking.ANYTHING.
(And yes…I am the one looking RIDICULOUS in the goggles that were too tight, weirdo helmet and that is totally my heart JUMPING out of my neck as I watch everyone else on the plane jump before me before screaming “I AM GOING TO DIE” as my jump instructor is shoving me out the door of the plane at THIRTEEN THOUSAND FREAKING FEET. Seriously…why do they make the terrified-of-flying-and-not-fond-of-heights girl JUMP LAST???!)
So, here it goes.
This has been tough for me to write and I am really embarrassed. I’m sure there is a lot to mock in this post, but gosh…I really hope you don’t.
I hope I have your support.
I am going to need it.
HOLD ME.
Filed under: 
I can’t get in the car to drive anywhere, without stopping to get a Diet Coke. And it HAS to be fountain, I don’t like the cans or the bottles, I have often contemplated getting a fountain installed in my home, even to go so far as to price them out, they really are not that expensive.
I quit smoking and biting my fingernails 15 years ago, but I don’t think I could quit Diet Coke, more power to you.
You can totally do it!! Giving up regular coke (I don’t do diet) nearly killed me at times but I did it and now I can even have one on occasion without leaving my husband and child to run away with a whole truck full of the stuff. You can TOTALLY do this.
You have my support!! Thank you for not asking us to join you. I am not ready to quit my soda addiction. I give you my full support though. :)
I don’t know how you could have JUMPED. OUT. OF. A. PLANE!! I could NEVER do that. I would have peed myself.
No matter how bad I know it is for me I can’t seem to kick the habit … and I’ve got it bad. I’ve publicly declared on my blog and twitter that I would give up DC hoping that it would make me accountable. I’ve now stopped quitting cause I’m just stuck …
My mother has dealt with a serious, serious soda addiction for decades. The type of thing where our house could be nearly bare of groceries and she would not consider it a shopping emergency, but if our pantry was out of Coca Cola then that would require an IMMEDIATE trip to the store, day or night.
When I was growing up we always joked about it – I mean, who takes a SODA addiction seriously, right? We’ve dealt with some alcohol addiction problems in our extended family so the idea of calling my mother an addict always seemed sort of absurd.
But really, as she has gotten older, it has taken a visible toll on her health. Soda displaces water and healthier foods; the acid is bad for your teeth, and all that phosphorous isn’t great on kidneys, either. But even knowing all that, my mom has had a really hard time kicking her soda habit. It’s very hard to give up a behavior you’ve been leaning on for years for those minor moments of comfort that help get you through the day.
So. I appreciate the difficulty you face here, and I do think you’re doing the right thing cutting back, and I sincerely wish you luck. Something that has worked well for my mother is switching to white or green tea. So you might try that. It does still have caffeine in it, but otherwise tea is generally considered to be much healthier for you. And if you brew it yourself, it’s WAY cheaper than soda.
See, I do not want to be this and I know I am and will be. Gah.
Good for you! You can do this!
I found that giving up soda became 1,000 times easier when I drank other things with carbonation. For a while I combined seltzer water with 100% fruit juice, then went to seltzer with lemon, then straight seltzer. Also, kombucha, kefir, and other naturally carbonated beverages. For whatever reason, the carbonation is really important to me, and if I’m not getting it from somewhere, I end up drinking carbonated booze just to get my fizz on!
I know how difficult this will be, but replacing meals is no bueno.
P.S. I’m afraid of heights and I went bungie jumping! It’s such a rush to face your fears head on…but I’m pretty sure I’d die if I jumped out of a perfectly good airplane.. just from shock alone. My heart would stop.
I could NEVER bungie jump. NEVER. Even though the plane made my heart stop, it was almost surreal it was so high, you know? I could.not.bungie.jump.
You are way braver than I am.
People can be truly addicted to many different things, and it can be a VERY scary road to walk to giving up that addiction. Because it’s not about the what so much as the how, and it’s not silly at all. As a loyal reader, and not-so-loyal commenter, I just wanted to pop over and give you a hearty thumbs up for giving it a go. You are doing yourself and your body a huge favor in trying to be healthier. Good luck! You can do it!
I found a soda I like to drink more and save Dr. Pepper for a treat.. it’s called Dry. The Vanilla Bean is just purified carbonated water, vanilla bean essence and something else that I deemed safe. Good luck!
The key to breaking a habit is replacing it with something else. What is your plan? Vodka? Or maybe cigarettes?
Also. Good luck girl. You can SO do this.
Random lovers named Jaun, Alberto and Sven?
You can do it!! You’re doing SUCH a good thing for your body :)
ps- you falling out of that plane= priceless!!! lol!
Oh you are so brave! I can’t do it…I’ve tried and tried and it hasn’t worked yet. I am so bad that my mouth starts watering as I’m going up the escalator on the way to work.
There is something really addictive about Diet Coke. I used to drink a lot too…and I noticed that I couldn’t think as well anymore. It’s really hard to give up at first but over time you can tell what a huge difference it makes. I drink one about every 6 months now….usually on a trip or something…just to remind myself that I don’t want it anymore. It still sounds good, but it doesn’t feel good.
peace be with you in your time of need.
(and that trainer woulda kicked your ass if he [or she] knew about the soda you’re guzzling, too!)
I stopped drinking Diet Coke years ago after adoring it and now I DON’T EVEN LIKE THE TASTE OF IT. You can do it too! Maybe forevs.
I miss diet coke. My husband asked that I give it up with all aspratame while pregnant. Since this progeny is half his I respected his wishes but I can’t wait to chug a nice cold diet coke.
I’m not helping am I? I’m sure you will do great.
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Loralee, Loralee. Loralee said: I could really, REALLY use your support here…because this just might kill me. (Dont laugh. It will be tough for me, k?) http://ht.ly/1ITSf [...]
i was at the bloggy boot camp and heard you speak . i was the one laughing hard about your detailed description of the over cooked carrots , and naked movie night . you had me right then and there !!!! i sooooo get and appreciate your humor . then i checked out your blog …. and well , you are not only funny, but deep and soooo BRAVE . i have my own issues with my legs and am going to , come hell or high water, get them veins zapped some day . i also have VERY knobby knees . i love that you just did it and said what the hell , life is too short to live in your self – imposed box . BUT , then i saw your sky diving movie and totally fell in love with your spirit . it made me cry . that happy kind of cry when you witness someone experiencing true joy and true bravery . i believe a lot of women won’t allow them selves a lot of things that give them deep joy because it is dangerous and they are mothers. i’m sure your husband and boys fell in love with you all over again , but most importantly YOU fell in love with your self because you did it . bravo !!! sorry for the ridiculous typing , obviously i don’t .
Oh, I am so, so, SO glad you liked the session at Bloggy Bootcamp. I had so much fun speaking, even though it got emotional.
I cannot thank you enough for this comment babe. xo
I used to have Diet Coke with breakfast and continue drinking it all day every day. You wouldn’t believe the bags of cans and bottles I would have on my porch to bring to recycling that I avoided constantly. I have been Diet Coke free since August 2008 and I’m sure it’s hard to beleive but I don’t miss it at all.
If you can jump out of a plane, you can do anything. Good luck!
You can do it!!!!
I was forced to go off with my GB surgery last summer but Hubby is going off it again starting tomorrow…so I am in the boat with you chicka!
You can do it, Loralee!, But you’ll have to change that cool graphic at the bottom of this page. You wouldn’t want to be accused of false advertising.
LOL. I know. I thought about this. I will have to be clean a LONG time before switching though. I love that little Diet Coke can.
Wait, you jumped out of a plane? Are you INSANE woman?
Sigh. Sometimes I wonder about you. ;)
As I drink my big ole Coke, that I convientatly decided I had to have when I could see this post in my reader, but your site wouldn’t load; as I look at the large Starbucks cup from this morning, I well…I wish you tons of luck in all future endeavors. LOL.
I wonder about me all the time.:P
God help you, woman. You’re going to need it. I managed to wean myself to 20 oz of caffeine free diet coke every day, but only because I was preggo and felt compelled to do so. But I can’t function without my 20 oz. I wish you all the best!
That video made me cry with happiness for you. Seriously. I CRIED.
I LOVE YOU, FRIEND. Seriously. Thank you for this. xo
Hahaha! I love how you ended this. Hold me.
Addiction sucks no matter what it is. I can’t imagine giving up SUGAR! And dairy tears me up but I still eat it–and pay for it, healthwise.
This post can be likened to one by a food binger who comes clean about her 10,000 calorie binges. It’s embarrassing to admit a lack of self-control. That’s great that you’ve decided to do something about it. And in your words, people who don’t like it can suck it. :)
It’s SO embarrassing. Ugh.
I hear you. Seriously I do. I’m a 88 ounce a day girl too and I plan my trips around being able to get to the service station to get some more!
If you do it, I’ll do it. We can climb the walls together!!
were you in my head when you wrote this post? well, not the giving it up part but the drinking it obsessively part! I wish you the best…the only time I have ever given up my Diet Coke is while pregnant and those were hard times!! hard times!!!
i really hope it goes well for you and i look forward to updates, but just know that you are a brave, brave girl!
If you’re ready…you CAN do it!! Good Luck!!
I am not a “Trekie” BUT…..
May the Force be with You!! ;-)
or is that Star Wars? hmmm
WOW! Love that you jumped out of a plane. BRAVE! BRAVO! Glad it was you and NOT ME!
WOW! That you are not seriously ill from the amount of diet soda you drink each day and I just read every comment here and feel so sad for each of you.
Praying for you to not only conquer this addiction but for you to help others break free from the seriousness of what you and they are doing to their bodies.
Drink lots of water – add lemon and lime if you need flavor or Stevia which is a natural sweetner. If you have questions about health and how to eat things that will help you with your need for the sweet rush, check out my health blog http://www.breakingfreetruths.blogspot.com
In His amazing grace,
Jill
Thank you for the sincere and non-smugly-judgy part of this comment.
I don’t think that Loralee needs your pity, to be honest. Support and prayers are nice, suggestions to help might be good, but pity?
Totally unnecessary.
“WOW! That you are not seriously ill from the amount of diet soda you drink each day and I just read every comment here and feel so sad for each of you.”
Such encouraging words haven’t shined so brightly into my eyes and into my thoughts since my own stepfather gave me the strength to overcome all my obstacles in life by exclaiming how much he pitied my frailty and weaknesses and that I would never amount to anything if I kept in the direction I was heading.
If it wasn’t for him and his words of encouragement, I wouldn’t be here today, having kept going in that same direction, completely happy with a life fulfilled and dreams realized. I think all parents and friends should follow Poopdeck Pappy’s style of encouragement.
And leaving your blog link within the body of a comment is pretty douchey, FYI. The link attached to your comment is usually sufficient. Or, you know, a personal form of communication.
Perhaps she can drink the snake oil that you’re pandering on that blog of yours to quench her thirst…It’s tough to take seriously anyone who invokes the will of a deity in response to someone’s public desire to drink less water with carbon dioxide and artificial sweeteners in it. I find your condescension and lack of Christian meekness to be annoying and hypocritical. Doesn’t the book of Matthew (maybe around the 6th verse of the 6th chapter) say something about praying in secret? Few things are more annoying than bumper sticker religions…why not just save the ‘e-ink’ (lol…love that term) and tell loralee that every time she sips a DC Jesus kills a kitten!
I need to buy you a beer. From one Loralee guy fan who doesn’t put up with drama well either
Snort!
Came here from Loralee’s Facebook to read this comment. whoo whee did it take a long time to find. I had no idea my former classmate was such a well known and popular gal. I expected to be a bit offended but instead am nodding and laughing in agreement. Some people undermine the teachings of Christ and other people (in a bit of a rough way) point out how unhelpful they are being.
exactly. and anon did a great job of it. probably lost on them though. it always is
anon did a great job of it but it’s probably lost on them. it always is.
you had me at “bumper sticker religions”
Jesus kills a kitten? HA!
Sigh…I know…I should give it up too…but I can’t…and I don’t want to..one of these days…as soon as I come up with a suitable alternative addiction…like maybe to putting…in the mddle…of all my…sentences…
I don’t drink DC on a regular basis so I keep telling myself I can quit any time. We’ll see how long that lasts. I’ve had a few friends quit the stuff. It makes for very lonely drinking. But I truly wish you the best of luck–more power to you! You rock!
I quite smoking with no problem. The idea of no diet pepsi is very hard for me to fathom. Some days, I shiver with that first hit in the morning, it’s that delightful. I have started to replace a lot of my sodas with sparkling water and it does help. I need bubbles.
I wish you much success and I hope that maybe I can be inspired by you and your efforts :)
If none of that works, at least I have Jill doing her best Mr. T impression, “I pity the fool!” and maybe one of her prayers will be a beacon of light that banishes diet pepsi from my broken body.
*sigh* Wow. Preachy and self-righteous much? When I tell you I’ll pray for you… it is NOT in that way… just so you know. And you’re giving up Diet Coke??? Wow, girly. Good luck… you CAHN DOO EET! You really can. Although… it kinda takes the fun out of things.. so maybe you could just ease up on it? (Look at me, enabling your addiction…) :) Hugs to you, lady. You rock.
Never in a MILLION YEARS would I put you in the same category. You’ve never had an ounce of preachy with me, Sue. xo
Well first, I’m convinced if you can hurl yourself out of a perfectly good airplane, you can give up Diet Coke.
I gave up sugar. Sometimes I still wonder what I was thinking…HELLO! MARGARITAS!!!! Obviously, I didn’t think it through completely.
Day 1 was relatively easy – I was excited and charged about a new life decision.
Day 2 I was feeling headaches and irritation.
Days 3 and 4 I might have been described as satan’s mistress.
Now I’m out about 6 weeks and I’ve never felt better.
That’ll be you too! Fight the good fight!
Just watched your video…….AWESOME, AMAZING, so totally something I am not going to do! (I like to be on the ground (or the water – I surf)
Loralee, I LOVE Coke! No, I mean I really, really, really really love Coca Cola. I can’t drink Diet Coke because of the artificial sweeteners. They bring on massive migraines for me. So, imagine the calories I could take in in one day with Coke. I gave it up for Lent and although I didn’t really miss it because I, too, can do anything, I was happy when the 40 days was over. I felt your pain just reading your blog. Good luck. I do have to say that you should feel better when it is all said and done. That is, if you don’t lose your mind. If you don’t make it, well, there are worse vices.
How long do you have to give up Diet Coke before you are forced to give up your nifty favicon? That would be so sad! I love that little Diet Coke can (and the sassy potential trademark infringement that goes along with it!).
You can do it!!
I too have a soda fetish…Diet Pepsi. I too drink vats of it…every day since I was 14. I’m now 50. I started to hyperventilate a little as I read your blog. I know I will have to give up my addiction too one day. But I figured I should lose 40 lbs and run a marathon first. It’s goal #3. Best wishes! You’re a better woman than I am!
[...] So…after proclaiming to all my Internet world that I was giving it up, I fell off the “Diet Coke Wagon”. [...]