Goodbye Diet Coke...

I've been drinking diet sodas for as long as I can remember. I would say AT LEAST 20 years, if not longer. I started out drinking Diet Pepsi, then switched to Diet Coke about 10 years ago. I absolutely LOVE this stuff. I use to say that I was addicted to the carbonation, since no other non-carbonated drink would hit the spot like a good Diet Coke. But I know this isn't true. Carbonated water is good, but not nearly as yummy. It isn't even the caffeine that I'm addicted to...because while I enjoy a good cold glass of caffienated iced tea, it isn't the same either.

What I've been addicted to all these years is the aspartame. This man-made substance that is in almost all of our sugar-free treats. It is a chemical. And it never really hit me how dangerous this COULD be until more recently.

Supposedly this stuff is safe, and has been proven so through research. But I dunno. I know it's HIGHLY addictive. I am living proof. And now that I have children, this little voice in the back of my head has been nagging at me to stop drinking it. What if this chemical substance gives me cancer one day? I don't want to die and not be here with my kids simply because I HAD to have my Diet Coke.

That sounds extreme, I know. But WHAT IF. I've already figured out that this chemical is keeping me from losing weight. It's keeping me out of ketosis, keeping me from burning fat, and it's INCREASING my hunger. I also believe it has been irritating my bladder. Who knows what other toxic effects it is having on my body.

So as of today, I am de-toxing my body of aspartame. It's not easy. I really don't want to give up my diet sodas, to be perfectly honest. But I really feel that if I want to be healthy and stay healthy, this is a step I need to take.

So far, so good. I am not feeling really bad, but I know the worst is yet to come. I really don't think that little white chemical is going to give me up so easily.