I’m a Soda Addict
Hello my name is Carli, and I’m a soda addict! The first step is admitting it right? I already have enough addictions (food and shopping) and now I get to add soda to list. Ugh, I can’t believe it. I knew I liked soda, and I knew I drank it pretty much every day, but I didn’t realize I was addicted to it. Not until those ladies called it liquid Satan in their book and I continued to drink it. I thought I was safe and I proudly declared, “I drink diet.” But nope, diet soda is just as bad, if not worse with all of its cancer causing agents. It was such a wake up call. So I decided hey, I’ll just quit drinking that crap, no big deal right? Day 1 being clean and sober was Sunday, no problem, I even drank water with dinner. But yesterday whew! It was awful. I had a headache, I was grouchy and sluggish and irritable. I said no way can this be from not drinking soda. So I Googled caffeine withdrawal, and found that my issues, among others were side effects that occur when you stop drinking coffee and soda. I was still in disbelief, so what did I do? I drank a soda after lunch. My headache went away and I was more alert and awake. That’s when it really became real, I’m addicted to caffeine. I also read online that caffeine addiction is one of the most acceptable forms of addiction in our society. The mandtory morning cup of coffee has become common place for many people. I felt this was something I have to conquer. Roni (my blogging & running role model) only drinks water, and my Mom quit drinking soda a couple years ago. My Mama said her doctor told her to stop drinking soda to alleviate her knee pain. When I asked her yesterday, she said it worked, her knee doesn’t hurt anymore! I had no clue that was why she stopped drinking “liquid Satan.” Anyway, I went the gym after work. I forgot my knee brace (which maybe I won’t need any more since I’m kicking the soda habit.) I went up to the track and put on my Week 3 podcast. The first half wasn’t too bad at all, and I laughed that I actually put the 80’s hit “Push It” by Salt N Pepa 
on the play list. One of the ladies who were walking around the track, slapped me a high five during one of my running intervals, and later told me she was doing the couch to 5K plan. Of course I had to let her know where she could find a much cooler podcast than the one she was listening to. The last half of the routine was a little lot harder, I kept saying “talk to me, Miss Carli, tell me it’s time to walk.” Then finally it was over. I took a 10 minute break and then hit the eliptical hard and heavy for 15 minutes. Moving on to Day 2 of Week 3.
What Did Carli Eat Today? NO SODA! Yay!
B- Fiber One Muffin & Low Fat Yogurt
L- Tortilla Soup & Side Salad
S- Apple
D- Weight Watcher Smart One Pizza (not nearly as good as the Lean Cuisine Pizza) and ½ cup of Kashi 7 Whole Grain Pilaf. 
. It’s a fun tell it like it is diet and natural nutrition book for women. I’ve gasped out loud several times when the authors said things like, “Taking medicine will make you feel better for the moment, but f*ck up something else in your body.” If you’re easily offending, this ain’t the book for you. One of the things that stuck with me was “soda is liquid Satan.” They even discuss all the bad stuff that happens from drinking diet soda (or pop depending on where you live 
It’s like you know this stuff is bad, but they make so plain, it’s hard to make excuses. I love Diet cherry vanilla Dr. Pepper, and Coke Zero isn’t too bad either. I normally drink at least 6 glasses of water every day, but a soda or two is also usually in the mix. I’m going to try to make an effort to cut back. When I finish the book, I’ll let you guys know what I think overall. I finished 
