2 MONTHS WITHOUT CARBONATED DRINKS

DAY 1: COMING TO TERMS

The sun seems to have risen on the east but my world seems dark without cola. Breakfast wasn't hard because I am not so addicted to carbonated drinks that I would have it with morning cereal. But I could anticipate that the next three months will be hard. I thought I would follow the advice I got from the internet and substitute cola with "iced tea" or "green tea". You wouldn't understand how disappointing and useless this advice is unless you have tried doing this by yourself.

Lunch was a disaster because everything tasted different when it wasn't paired with any kind of soft drink. Water was too bland of an alternative. Just the knowledge that I am not going to consume soda for at least 60 days made me anxious. However, even though not by choice I did end up eating less than I usually do.

DAY 11: DISCOVERING ALTERNATIVES

Walking to coaching has become a harder task than usual. Every time I walk past a roadside shop all I see are the drinks inside the refrigerator. I feel like they are calling out to me. I have never craved cola as much as now. I tried to look for other alternatives like juice. To my surprise, I found myself with a glass of powdered drink in my hand every now and then what otherwise would have been a small bottle of sugary death.

DAY 17: CHANGES IN APPEARANCE

You won't have that weird bloated feeling anymore. While consuming carbonated drinks regularly, the stomach bloats and stretches a little bit from the extra gas released when the drinks enter your body.  Thus cutting down on your carbonated drink intake reduces that stretching in the stomach and you don't feel bloated all the time anymore.

DAY 35: CHANGES IN FOOD CONSUMPTION PATTERN

It's been over a month into the no carbonated drink diet. My constant urge to take a sip has gone down drastically. I have also seen significant changes in my eating habit. I have cut down on food like biriyani because I feel full consuming less food than I otherwise would have. One of the main reasons for this is that my stomach is producing less ghrelin (the hunger hormone). What this means in a bit more complicated scientific language is that carbonated drinks once consumed, gives out carbon dioxide when they enter the stomach. There are chemical receptors in the stomach that detect carbon dioxide and causes the cells at the top of the stomach to release ghrelin that makes you hungry.  When people eat and drink something very sweet on a regular basis, the body adapts and expects to consume more calories. It's hungry when it doesn't get its "fix". Stomach muscles relax and the brain releases hormones telling us we're hungry. That doesn't happen when you reduce your sugar intake.

DAY 43: WEIGHT LOSS

This is the time around when I started seeing the results of my changing eating habit.  The amount of water I consume daily has increased by almost 3 glasses. I feel my food digestion has improved a lot once I slowly shifted to water from soft drinks. I also fit into my clothes better. Though the changes in terms of weight aren't drastic I certainly have lost a few pounds. I have also found myself getting better at dealing with the cravings and the knowledge of not being able to consume soft drinks don't bother me that much.

DAY 56: HEALTHY CRAVINGS

I seemed to have moved toward healthier sources of sugar like eating season fruits and fruit juices. At this point, I think even if I have any sort of soft drink I won't fall back on being a regular consumer but would be able to control my urges.

The amount of sugar I was consuming in soda would make everything taste bland unless it was coated in sugar. As time went on, I started to develop my sense of taste again. This has also given me cravings for healthier foods. I love burgers and it's my favorite food group but I also found myself not wanting to eat it once a week along with burgers and fries.

Megha is too bored to write something about herself. You can send her memes at megharahman26@gmail.com