Carbs and a Diet Coke

I love carbs. I mean, I really really love carbs--cake, baked goods, bread (especially white), potates (hello, Idaho!), pasta--you name it, I love it and I eat it. Lots of it. I also love Diet Coke. I love it anytime, anywhere and I don't think I can ever get enough of it.

But this week I gave up my carbs and Diet Coke.

Cold turkey.

Today is day 5 and I'm proud to say that I've made it this far without cheating. I've been cranky and irritable, headachy and hungry, and quite frankly a real pain to be around all week, but I've done it.

Why you ask? Well, I've been "dieting" since giving birth to Lisi (she's almost 4) but I've never gotten very serious about it. It's very hard to lose any weight when you're only kind-of, sort-of serious about it, but not really dedicated. I've always relied on exercise to keep the weight off, but that hasn't worked the last few years because I'd exercise and then eat cupcakes after dinner, canceling out anything good I'd done for myself. A couple of years ago I was running about 3 miles a day, a few days a week (no weight loss with this mind you), then back and knee problems hit.

Apparently my back has a herniated disc and a degenerating disc, which means that there have been days when I couldn't even walk, lay down, sit up, move, stay still--everything hurt. Fortunately, steriod shots got that under control, for the most part. And tennis has done wonders for my back because it's strengthened the muscles around my spine. My knees have some arthritis--just a little bit, but it's amazing what a little bit can do to your ability to move--crackling knees aside! Tendonitis hit when I started playing tennis again, I could barely walk, fortunately, I met someone through tennis who introduced me to some anti-inflammatory supplements that have stopped the knee problems.

But to really help the back and knee problems, though, there's one thing I need to do: take weight off! Which, as I said before, I've been semi-serious about (work out for an hour, great! chocolate cake? Don't mind if I do!)

Flash forward to last week, when I found out two of my friends were doing the South Beach Diet. I have to tell you that they really inspired me, so much that I started it myself this week. I'm really not one for diet plans or weight watchers or anything else like that--but realizing that I do need to lose the weight and that my weight loss plans have not worked, I decided to give them a try. Last weekend I went on a carb bender--I think I ate every carb I could, just to get ready for the famine on Monday.

But giving up the Diet Coke? I hadn't planned on that one. Over the same carb bender weekend mentioned above, I had some crazy heart palpatations (Chris calls them SVTs). Two times in two days. Never had those before. Went to the doc on Monday, he ran an EKG--no irregularity, heart rate 55 bpm, no blood pressure problems, etc. His diagnosis--besides the fact that I'm getting older and this is more common in "older" people (yes, he did say that!), I'm drinking too much caffeine!!

So I let it go. Completely. I guess I didn't think I was addicted to Diet Coke, but I felt like I went through total detox this week. My cravings today are all but gone for my favorite drink, but boy, was it hard. On Tuesday all I wanted was a piece of my favorite sourdough bread from Costco (toasted, and buttered) and a "mama's juice" (Lisi's term for Diet Coke--what is that saying??).

As of today, I've lost 5 pounds, only 9 more days to go on the strict phase of the diet. Yay!

Tonight I have to face my toughest test ever...a chocolate fountain at Rook Night at Salins!