You know what? I forgot that some time last year, I launched Wellness Wednesday. Can't believe I never wrote another post about it! 🤦♀️ Well, let me just pick up where I left off.
2018: The year I decided to take a U-turn
"Coke or Sprite, Ma'am?" the waiter would ask when one-round of drink will be served already
"Do you have iced tea or juice?" I'd confidently respond.
"I'm sorry, Ma'am. We only have softdrinks," is the usual reply I get.
"It's okay, I'll just have water."
I've had this kind of conversation in all kinds of events, work-related or not, held in hotels and convention centers. And before I knew it, it's been four years since the last time I devoured an ice-cold can of Coke.
It started in January of 2018 when I came to the conclusion that the state of my health didn't seem to fit my age. I was obese and walking just one floor up, I'd be running out of breath. Two years prior to this realization, I got hospitalized for a spine injury. It's called disc bulge or if it doesn't ring a bell, you might be more familiar with disc herniation.
After getting not just one but three spine specialists' opinions, they may have had varying suggestions to, at least, help me manage the pain but they all agreed that I had to lose weight. They all warned me that I won't be able to enjoy strenuous activities such as running, biking, swimming, backpacking, deadlifting to name a few. Even long walks and trekking weren't allowed. On top of that, I could no longer carry heavy weights on my back that is 5 kgs up. How am I supposed to go backpacking when I couldn't even carry my backpack?, was my anxious cry deep inside.
Bye bye, Coke!
For the longest time, I've lived a deliberately unhealthy lifestyle. My discipline was nowhere to be found at that moment. I ate nonstop. I ate even if I'm full just because I couldn't resist free food. And here's the most alarming part, I drink soda particularly Coke as if it's water. Eating was never complete without a glass of carbonated drink or better known as soft drinks in my country, where Coca-cola and Pepsi are the leading brands.
At some point, I knew I had to abruptly cut at least one vice. Ever had that feeling that if only you could survive the hardest part, then you'll start believing that whatever comes your way, you can nail them? That's what ditching Coke was for me. It was that one hardest thing to give up; it was the steepest mountain I had to cross. A kickstart, an audibly loud and festive kickoff to my wellness journey.
It was New Year 2018 when I told myself: This is it! I'm finally giving myself what it deserves.
"Hey, I don't drink Coke anymore!"
The first few days and weeks following my bold and difficult decision to stop drinking any softdrinks, that's when the real battle started. It was easy to decide but to keep saying no every time people offer it, that's another story.
I've always found myself in the middle of the party, of simple and grand gatherings, of town fiestas, saying "I don't drink Coke nowadays" accompanied by the faintest smile carved on my lips. It's difficult to make people understand why I'm not drinking any softdrinks anymore. To be honest, it took time for my friends and my family (even my mother) to remember that Coke is no longer my drink of choice and that if unfortunately there's no other alternative, I'll choose water over it.
Some of them, even my closest friends still couldn't grasp why I ditched Coke for good. Well, it's not my responsibility to make them understand. Todate, when people ask, I just simply say "Just because". I'm just grateful that when I'm at home I can hear my mother saying "Oy, di raba na mo inom og Coke si Pat. Paliti na og juice didto!" That's just my mother finally understanding that her daughter's not taking a single drop of softdrinks ever again. 😉
So, why ditch Coke when you could just drink less of it?
You aren't the first one to ask. My addiction to sweets including soda was way out of the human threshold. The picture of me devouring an entire box of brownies is unimaginable now! But if I stopped myselft and decide to only eat two bars at most, I could've done it. But drinking soda was on a different level. It's either I drink more or drink none at all. That's how it should be. I've always felt that there's no in between. I was certain that the only way was leaving it for good. Although I believe that moderation is key, I wasn't willing to gamble on this aspect.
Loud and proud!
I often hear "I want to lose weight. I want to prioritize my health. What should I do?" So I patiently narrate my journey. What physical activities I did, what I have to stop eating (or eat less), what I have to start eating more to name a few.
I want to educate people that just like anything else we want in life, living a healthy life has its own journey, too. At first glance, this #roadtowellness seems to be extremely difficult (Well, it is difficult). And more often than not, we lose sight of what we want to achieve; and as predictable as it can be, we get tired, give up and go back to the old ways. Then we do some sort of reality check and conclude that maybe, our good state now is all we could ever be our entire lives, that better weren't meant for us.
But here's the thing and perhaps one of the mindset that helped me get through this and still helping me get through it all is that: If you want something you've never had, you must do something you've never done.
And for me, ditching Coke was where everything else revolved. It was that one important decision that helped me get things done. It propeled me forward; opened my eyes that I could grab my healthier life goals by hook or by crock.
Today, I couldn't be more proud and happy to say that I've totally ditched softdrinks for 1,620 days and counting. I stopped craving for it or developing an attraction towards it. My family still drinks it while I drink my glass of juice loaded with bits and pieces of watermelons on weekends.
And yes, there's no turning back! 😁
How about you? What's that one big thing you could do to start or restart your journey towards a healthier life? Remember that at some point, it'll be too late to start. There will be irreversible damages within.
This is the only life we have; we better take a damn great care of it! 🥰
I'm excited to share more of the things I do on a daily basis to stay holistically healthy! See you in the next Wellness Wednesday! 😉
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OMG. I also ditched softdrinks years ago, probably around 2018, too — and I think I made the right decision. I also tried avoiding milktea. Water is always my go to now. But there are times that I have to jive along with my friends everytime we go to a cafe - so I had to go with fruit juice or hot teas. 😊😊
Hey @kevcolina, really!? Apir! 😅 I rarely drink milktea, too. I hate the taste of tea with milk, so I always order water-based milktea. Diba? Ga milktea pa ko! Hahaha
My go-to in cafes is chocolate frappe ra kay I don't drink coffee. Hehe GB tries to avoid softdrinks sad kay mukatol iyang throat 😂
Trueeee. I do drink coffee just to keep me awake sa work. I'm not sure (and I think) if I am lactose intolerant — thus I avoid choco and milk drinks na pud (unless if there's a good toilet nearby. Hahaha) 😅😅
Congrats on ditching them must've been thought at first especially since you're used to it. Did you experience any withdrawal on the first few weeks?. For me personally, coke was a forbidden beverage in my family so I rarely drink them. That's because I lost an uncle who used to love coke and I reckon he had too much of it, sort of an unhealthy compound effect that leads to death.Only when I am adult, I saw people drinking that almost daily and I was like " What? how?" then I realized some people just have an addiction to that. Not that I didn't have it. For me it was Starbucks & everyone around me sort of knows me as " the Starbucks girls" but since I am away from it & have no access to it 3 months going, I guess that's a progress towards healthier life and wallet 😄
I couldn't recall any. Or maybe just the mood, days felt less lively for me but it went only for a week or two. After that, I felt I'd been reborn for real! haha As if I've regained my life's vigor that's been missing for years.
Sorry to hear this, Mac! 😔
We all have unhealthy addictions and it takes discipline, tons of it, to start distancing ourselves from these addictions. 3 months is a long time already. Are you planning on sticking to no Starbucks or just minimizing your intake?
I think that's the thing with withdrawal, I experienced similar thing but it's never anything major. I am planning on minimizing my intake, at the moment because I have no access to it, I simply just don't drink it 😄 thankfully, starbucks isn't something that's available everywhere here. I think it's a good way to detox too, going to a place where it's not accessible for a few months. It's not practical but works for me hehe
I really appreciate your desire to quit using coke.
I am also a big coke drinker, when I was in high school I drank 6 liters of coke a day, a few years ago I reduced the amount to 1.5 liters a day.
I didn't drink water at all, only juice.
Do you know what the result of this lifestyle has been?
I had three kidney operations, because all the time, because of the high amount of sugar, I was getting kidney stones.
And now I'm addicted to coke, I keep trying to quit and I have terrible headaches.
But I'm not giving up, I'll try to reduce the amount every day, maybe one day I won't drink at all.
I tried to ditch all sweets but it’s an addiction it truly is . I cut in half and had so many severe headaches for a week. So sodas only on occasions and sweets 🍭 I just don’t buy. But god I love them
Hi @brittandjosie! I love sweets, too! After I ditched softdrinks, I was starting to be drawn to frappes so I created a guideline that'll prevent me from falling into the same trap. It's called 1 frappe a month; I allow myself to buy a frappe at least once a month only (on my red days) hehe 😅
Ohhhhhh I know those days but than one frappe a day isn’t enough I have to workout more as a counter, but there is always the but!
And that gives a new butt 😂 kidding I try , and sometimes I succeed but I am half way there