Five Years Without Soda!

In December 2006, I made one of the best decisions to positively influence my health. I stopped drinking soda completely.  It was a rocky road in the beginning, but every step of that journey was well worth the effort.

My Name Is Twinkie, And I’m A Soda Addict

It all started at an early age. When I was growing up, I only had soda “every once in a while”, such as special occasions like birthdays or holidays. Not all that bad, really, but as I got older, in middle school and high school, I started to drink soda on the weekends. I didn’t stop there.

I remember getting my first job working at a bank and I had access to cheap (sometimes free!) soda thanks to the gas station within walking distance. I started drinking soda every single day, and drank more soda than water. Some days, I don’t think I even drank any water at all! Whenever I was thirsty, I didn’t drink water, I would just drank my soda. I remember waking up in the morning and having a soda. It was a bad path that I was going on and I was spiraling down quickly.

Side Note: In addition to drinking soda, I also ate junk food and I definitely wasn’t working out. Not a good combo, I know…

All of the junk food I was putting into my body eventually caught up with me, and my skinny 5’9″ frame started to faulter and was skinny no more. After about a year into my new bad habits, this nice older gentlemen asked me nicely if I were expecting. Ouch. Double Ouch. I didn’t think I gained that much weight. Apparently, I did. This was the moment when I finally realized that I had a problem. I was addicted to soda, and it needed to stop.

A Brighter Future

I desperately wanted to change my soda drinking habits, so I tried to just cut back. For years I tried to drink soda only “every once in awhile”, but I was always dealing with the intense cravings to have a soda more often than not. I know that soda addiction probably shouldn’t be compared to an alcohol addiction, but you can’t just expect an alcoholic to just drink on the weekend or just have one drink. It just doesn’t work like that. I understood that more than anyone when it came to my soda.

In early 2006 when I was engaged to my husband, I ended up quitting cold turkey. I made that decision because I didn’t want to continue this awful habit and I knew I didn’t want my future kids to be asking for soda and have this awful habit just like me. It was honestly embarrassing how much soda I would drink.

I ended up not drinking any soda for about four months or so. This was a huge feat! In December 2006, I was at a family get together and decided to have a sip of soda for the first time in about four months. It was disgusting! I had my husband try a sip of the same drink and I asked him if it was flat or if something was wrong with it. Nope, there was nothing wrong with the soda. I just didn’t like the taste any more. It tasted like watered down corn syrup, which was something I couldn’t crave. Thank goodness!

I finally decided that I just didn’t want soda anymore and I haven’t had a single sip of soda since December 2006, and I don’t plan on ever drinking it again! Why would I? Soda isn’t healthy and has zero nutritional value.

I swapped my soda for water and began my journey to a much healthier me. It’s amazing how much better I feel since I have stopped drinking soda (and energy drinks, by the way!).

I didn’t realize how unhealthy I was until I became healthy.

Never Too Late To Stop

I am sure that a lot of you can relate to me with my (soda) drinking story. Soda can be quite addicting, since it’s loaded with sugar or artificial sweeteners that keep you hooked for as long as you are willing to be.

If you are willing to make the choice to stop drinking soda, you can overcome the addiction. Look at the nutrition label of the soda. You are putting toxins into your body every time you drink soda, which will eventually have negative effects on your body, if it hasn’t already.

In addition to knowing how bad soda was for me, I had a personal look at what soda can cause. Soda is known to cause serious health issues to the kidneys, and this was a huge wake up call when I made that connection. I had a grand parent die of kidney failure. It might not have been from drinking soda, but I decided I wanted to change my own fate for the better. You can too.

It’s never too late to stop drinking soda, and I encourage you to cut back and eventually stop drinking soda completely. Trust me, your body will thank you for it.

How To Stop Drinking Soda in Ten Weeks or Less

Whenever you are thirsty or craving soda, drink water! If you need to add some flavor, just squeeze a slice of lemon or lime into your water for a refreshing beverage.

For me, I had to stop drinking soda cold turkey. If that doesn’t work for you, start cutting your soda habits in half each week until you no longer need or want to drink it.

For example, if you drink four sodas a day…

Week 1: Drink two sodas a day

Week 2: Drink one soda a day

Week 3: Drink one soda every other day

Week 4: Drink one soda twice a week

Week 5 and 6: Drink one soda just once a week

Week 7, 8, 9, and 10: Drink one soda every other week

Week 11: Congratulations! You are no longer drinking soda!

By week 11,  you shouldn’t feel the intense cravings to continue drinking soda anymore, and I suggest never starting the habit again!

If you still drink soda, what is going to motivate you to quit the habit? If you have already stopped drinking soda, what inspired you to make the change?

Keep updated on the latest & greatest health articles by joining the Skinny Twinkie community!

Tags: addiction, motivation, soda, Twinkie

Stay Updated with Skinny Twinkie!

We are  striving to build a community of indivuduals seeking to be healthier, and willing to encourage and help others do the same!

Be sure to “like”  SkinnyTwinkie.com on today! Click on the box “Find us on Facebook”, click “like”, and invite your friends to join!

Just click on image to follow Twinkie on twitter!

Together, we can all make a difference with our Health!

Keep updated on the latest & greatest health articles by joining the Skinny Twinkie community!

Tags: communuty, facebook, Fitness, Health, Nutrition, skinny twinkie, Twinkie, twitter

Feel Young, No Matter What Birthday You are Celebrating

Today is my birthday! It’s also the first time in a long time where I truly feel that “age is just a number”. Why? Well, I have really been focused on my health this past year. I exercise on a regular basis and I eat extremely healthy. The results? I feel younger than I have felt in years!

As a birthday present for myself, I decided to start out my day with a great cardio workout. For breakfast, I had my favorite post-workout shake, and enjoyed the day with my hubby. Happy Birthday to me!

How to Feel Younger 

If you want to feel young, you have to be young. What does that really mean? Exercise. The secret to eternal youth is exercise, and I believe that far too many people underestimate the power of regular exercise. Why else would they not exercise?!

The problem with most people is that they exercise for maybe a week or two, don’t see as many results as they would have hoped (it takes time, ok?), and then they end up giving it up saying “Exercise doesn’t work for me.” Of course, these thoughts couldn’t be further from the truth.

Exercise helps your heart, lungs, bones, muscles – everything!-stay strong and healthy. Your body wants you to exercise, and not just once in a while. On a regular basis!

How to Look Years Younger 

OK, you might not look like you are in your 20′s when you are in your 80′s, but you can defintely look a lot younger than you actually are if you eat healthy (in addition to exercise). When I say “eat healthy”, I mean you should avoid processed and fried foods and stick to natural and healthy foods such as whole grains and seeds, healthy fats, fruits and vegetables.

I’m sure you’ve heard that you are supposed to eat foods that are high in antioxidants. Do you know what that means? Oxygen is what keeps us alive, but it is also what ages us! Eating foods that are high in antioxidants (anti-oxygen), will help keep you looking and feeling much younger than you actually are. Hey, I told you that eating healthy was worth it.

Keep updated on the latest & greatest health articles by joining the Skinny Twinkie community!

Tags: birthday, eat healthy, exercise, Health, Nutrition, Twinkie

Skinny Tip #8

When life gives you lemons, just add water!

Skinny Tip: 

If you are looking for a healthy cleanse, a way to boost your metabolism, and a great afternoon “pick me up”, then just squeeze a little bit of fresh lemon juice into a cup of water and enjoy!

Not only does water with a bit of lemon taste great, but did you also know that lemons are known for a plethora of health benefits?

I suggest that you take advantage of them.

Keep updated on the latest & greatest health articles by joining the Skinny Twinkie community!

Tags: boost metabolism, health benefits, lemon, skinny tip, Twinkie, Weight Loss

Grocery Store Wars

I was just introduced to this hilarious – and admittedly very cheesy- video about Organic foods, and I just had to share this with you!

Also, I’d like to thank my brother Eli for sending me the video!

Keep updated on the latest & greatest health articles by joining the Skinny Twinkie community!

Tags: fun, Organic foods, Twinkie, video