A man who drank “too much Diet Coke” said he refused to accept it was bad for him. He then decided to avoid booze for four weeks to prove his belief.
Paul Turner, editor of Wales Online, said people had been “taunting me for years” over his love of Diet Coke. But he responded that it contained no calories or sugar, and said it was no worse than any other processed drink or food.
He told people he didn’t drink tea or coffee, didn’t eat meat and only had two alcoholic drinks at the weekend.
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Paul said: “I knew Diet Coke contains the artificial sweetener aspartame, but so do a lot of drinks, even a lot of fruit juices and flavored waters. People also told me what happens if you leave a penny in a glass of Coke and that it must do the same to my intestines, but I certainly did not give up.”
But one day, without thinking about it, Paul “decided to drink a glass of water every now and then instead of opening a can of Coke.” He added: “I thought ‘I can do this’ so I did it a few more times.
“Then I thought, with my journalist’s head on it, that I could try an experiment by giving up almost entirely, and then write about it. I say almost as the rules of the game were that I would still have it as a mixer with my favorite weekend drink, Tia Maria.
“That was it, no more Diet Coke as a pure drink and actually nothing at all during the week.”
Before he took on his challenge, Paul said he would have a glass of Diet Coke at lunch, another one mid-afternoon, and an occasional glass toward the end of the afternoon. He would have another with his evening meal, and a final one around 9:30 p.m.
He added: “One room in my house was always full of crates full, and there was always a stash in the fridge.”
Paul weighed 14 and a half stone when he started the challenge, with a waist of 104cm. This is what happened when he gave up Diet Coke.
Day one
“I used to hover around late 13, early 14. I liked to think my gains were due to the strength training I did more before, and muscle mass, but I have no idea if that was the case or if I was fooling myself loved.
“The waist seemed larger than before, and I find that measuring your waist is far from an exact science. However, when I was previously measured I was 103cm tall, whereas a few years ago, when I was doing a lot of exercise, I was only 95cm.
“Although I didn’t see any dramatic physical effects from my sudden change to liquid refreshment on day one, and I was fine with drinking water, I did have a little craving for sweets. But I did have an epiphany of sorts. I realized that my glass of Coke with a meal wasn’t just for liquid refreshment, I drank it because my body had become accustomed to a sip of something sweet after every bite of savory.
“Now there was no sweet to sandwich the savory. It was a huge change and a transformative moment in my understanding of my own body and habits.”
Day two
“I wouldn’t really call it cold turkey, it wasn’t like I was giving up nicotine or anything. But if I was having withdrawal symptoms, today was when they started.
“I was a bit irritable and short-tempered. I also had a headache in the afternoon. Of course, I have no idea if these things were related or just a coincidence.”
Day three
“I felt like I had taken a step forward today and was ready for the challenge. I was on holiday at the time, which definitely helped.”
Day Four
“The big test when I got back to work. How would I cope without a Diet Coke hit if I had to concentrate all day? Whether it was because I was back in a normal routine, without my daily drink, I started to miss it today.
“I started debating in my own brain. My brain said, ‘Just have your Coke, you love it, it probably won’t make a difference anyway,’ and then another part would hit back with, ‘No, you can do this – keep it up’.”
Day five
“I went for a 55km bike ride in beautiful warm weather and I was craving an ice cold Coke with little bubbles on the outside of the glass. I could almost taste it, I could hear the ice cubes clinking together. That wild discussion in my head started all over again.”
Day six
“I had a craving for fruit today, a feeling I’m not used to. So I went and bought some, also not like me. The fruity, juicy, naturally sugary taste of strawberries and grapes helped a bit to calm my cola cravings. Of course also healthier, a bit of a spin-off result!
Day seven
By the first weigh-in, Paul had lost 2 pounds and three inches from his waist. He said this motivated him to keep going.
From day eight
“At this point I stopped keeping up with daily changes. I was now in a rhythm and used to my routine. I still missed my Diet Coke, but I didn’t crave it anymore and I found other ways to satisfy my sweet tooth.” to satisfy, with fruit!
“One thing I did notice was that I was less tired at work. I noticed I had higher peaks and lows earlier, maybe the low point after the high from the Diet Coke caffeine and the fake sugar rush.
“If I was tired that day, it smoothed out, instead of up and down, and was therefore much more manageable.”
End of week two
After the second week, Paul said he had lost another half pound, but his waist was 0.5 inches bigger. He added, “But I’ve been busy this week, with much less time to exercise.”
End of week three
Paul lost 1.5 pounds and 0.5 inches from his waist size.
End of week four
Paul said his weight was “back to normal fluctuations” as he had gained 0.75 pounds for the week, although he was still 2.5 pounds lighter than when he started. He also shaved half an inch off his waist.
After the entire month, Paul had lost 4.5 pounds and shaved 2.2 inches off his waist.
Conclusion
Paul said he hoped the experiment “wouldn’t make any difference” so he could continue drinking it. He added: “But I can’t ignore the fact that I’ve lost 2 inches off my waist in just a few weeks, which seems pretty spectacular. And the weight loss was nothing to sneeze at either.
“Whether it all has to do with the ban on Diet Coke, or a combination thereof, the numbers don’t lie.
“So since the end of this experiment, I’ve stuck to the plan. I’ve allowed myself a Diet Coke with food with the occasional meal out when I’m driving, but otherwise I’ve pretty much given up.
“I miss it a little bit, but not a lot. I hope the weight and waistline will continue to shrink.
“I tried something and I feel like it worked and made a big difference in my diet and my life. It may not work for you, or you just have no interest or desire to try it, but for me the journey was worth it and I will continue on that path.”
Diet Coke contains fewer calories and sugar than regular carbonated drinks, so many experts believe it’s okay in moderation.
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