*Kicking my addiction - health warnings!*

Hello, my name is Roo and I'm a diet soda addict. Yes, that's right. It seems pretty sad that I have an addiction to diet soda but I've recently come to terms with my addiction and I have finally conquered it.

It started around the age of 13 when I was even more obsessed by my weight than I had been previously. I was always the 'fat kid' and a couple of people went out of their way to make sure I knew it, not that I didn't already I mean I see myself everyday. When I initially started calorie counting I found the 'wonders' of diet soda. A immediate burst of energy, sweetness and filling for around 2kcal a glass, I remember thinking to myself this was even freaking better than meal replacement shakes! So for breakfast I would drink a glass of diet soda, at break time would follow another diet soda, lunch time would be a diet soda with some form of food, dinner would consist of a diet soda and another other form of fluid intake would be a diet soda. Are you getting where I'm going? Literally everything I drank was diet soda and I often replaced my meals with it too. Thinking about it now this is really disgusting but even up to a few weeks ago I was doing the same. I got to a point where I was drinking diet soda and nothing else. No other form of liquid passed my lips, that's right people, NO WATER!

At this point I would be shouting "well just stop drinking it, what the hell?" But it was far too late, it had become an addiction. The more I drank then more I wanted. I was suffering from violent head aches, mood swings and bloating but I just couldn't seem to stop drinking it. It got to a point where I was drinking at least £25 worth of diet soda a week.

Then one day it just twigged. I had to kick this habit. I was enduring so many negative responses from the diet soda that I just couldn't understand why I drank it. I have tried cutting down on the amount I consumed hundreds of times and so I knew the only way I was going to kick it was by going cold turkey. The first few days were the worst as I was literally having withdrawal systems but I stuck with it knowing it was for the best. Its been a couple of weeks since my cold turkey days and I have since drank four cans of diet soda (not all in one day) and to be honest I can't understand what the fuss was all about. I now much prefer to drink ice cold water.

I'm still in shock over my sudden transformation from diet soda addict to the occasional drinker and I can definitely feel and see a lot of benefits of my new love for water. My skin is much clearer, I am not bloated, I don't have my diet soda fueled mood swings and I definitely have saved a few pounds in my pocket.

If your like me and know you have an addiction to diet soda or you know that you drink a lot of it check out this website I found regarding diet soda addiction. http://www.dietdrinkaddiction.com/diet-coke-side-effects/
Although I wouldn't suggest swapping one drink to another the site does show that diet soda can be an addiction for some people.
Some of the comments on this side I can relate to which imprints it into my head even more that diet soda is not the way. Here are a few:

• Mood swings
• Hair loss
• Lack of concentration
• Fatigue
• Change in taste buds
• Migraines

I am now an advocate for drinking good old H2O, who would have thought it? Definitely not me!

*A day on track*

I get asked a lot by my friends who also use the Weightwatchers plan what I eat from day to day. So as I haven't done 'a day on track' post for a while I thought that I would share one of my days on plan with you.

This was this Tuesday's menu (weigh-in day).

 Breakfast:

Banana 0pp

Shredded wheat 4pp

Soya milk 1pp

 

  Lunch:

Tortilla wrap 3pp

Quorn fillets 2pp

Cucumber 0pp

Lettuce 0pp

Yellow pepper 0 pp

Strawberries 0 pp

Grapes 0 pp

Dinner: (I forgot to take a photo of mine so took a photo of the Grease Monkey's instead, I had Quorn fillets rather than Quorn nuggets)

Quorn fillets 2pp

Lettuce 0 pp

Cucumber 0pp

Variation of jewelled couscous 13pp

Further snacks:

Sharon fruit/persimmon/kaki 0pp

Apple 0 pp

Activia yogurt 3pp

WW crisps (I had these in my meeting and so didn't get a chance to take a photo) 2pp

Chocolate 11pp (I didn't get a photo of the wrapper either)





Total consumed: 38/42pp

So here is a typical day on track for me using the new propoints plan and so far its working on the scale.

I have a few posts that I'm working on and I hope to have up soon.

Have a fabulous week guys.

*Weekly Meeting - Planning for Christmas*

Around this time of year I seem to find that a lot of people I know begin to panic about Christmas and not just for finding gifts. Even people who are not following any kind of eating plan have a negative outlook on Christmas stating that they 'can't be bothered' as they 'know they are going to put on at least half a stone' over the Christmas period. Out of all the years that I have been on and off the Weightwatchers plan I can't remember ever dreading the festive season because of food. Although my weight has fluctuated over the past few years I know I cope best when I remember my tools learned by following the plan and as this weeks topic was planning for Christmas (I'm pretty sure next weeks topic will be the same too) what better time to start planning and using the tools suggested.

In the meeting we spoke mainly about the propoints values of 'normal' Christmas day food as this is the first Christmas all of us are having on the new plan it helps to be prepared. I guess I'm lucky in the sense that I don't eat meat and so the majority of buffet style foods that are reasonably high in pp values don't float my boat but boy oh boy do I find it hard to turn away the sweets and chocolates. Chocolate is easily my biggest downfall but cutting it out just doesn't work for me right now so I know that I will have to incorporate the consumption of chocolate into the day. Did you see what I just wrote there? Day? Yes, Christmas is just one day and so it should be treated that way or at least state Christmas will be 'christmas day and boxing day only', the more you mentally and psychically prepare for it the more successful your likely to be.

Apart from knowing the propoints values of the food your likely to consume and allocating a set day/days of celebration (and I don't mean a whole week here, I have easily gained more in a week than what I have lost in a month so keep that in mind) prepare a plan of what your going to eat and when. If you have decided to 'take the day off' on Christmas day I find it easier to state that I will eat 1 chocolate at say 2pm then I have to wait until 4pm until I can have another one. I look forward to that chocolate more than anything and when I do finally have it I'm super proud that I waited and had the will power to succeed in the small task I set myself. By doing that I am constantly praising myself with congratulations for my strength and will power, I get to eat something I love and it means I will consume less.

Another great idea is after the celebrations have ended get rid of any trigger foods that may call to you, for me that is chocolate. Give them away to friends or family, take them to a soup kitchen or take them to work. Although as I live with three other people and my sister and niece spend most of their time here too getting rid of food is out of the question so I have to constantly remind myself that unless I am willing to incorporate those said items into my daily/weekly allowance I am not to touch them, maybe just smell them.

Also don't forget that if you are following the new propoints plan you have a weekly allocation of 49 extra pp in which if you saved them could be used over your set day/days making sticking to the plan that much easier. As well as this don't forget that you can gain extra pp by doing some activity.

So there we have it. I have discussed:

• Allocating a set day/days to your celebrations - whether you plan to go off plan or not
• Allocating time slots for when you will consume your favourite things - by doing this I normally eat much, much less than I would if I decided to have a free for all.
• Plan meals for that day/days
• Save your weekly allowance for the said day/days
• Get rid of any trigger foods
• If your not going to point it don't eat it
• Earn some extra activity points
• Know your points values

That pretty much covers everything I have read and spoke about in this weeks meeting but I'm sure I will be able to add to this after next weeks meeting.

Now some of you may remember that it is my birthday soon after Christmas, in fact its new years day and I have been invited to my friends new years eve party and a birthday birthday a few days later. As I have a few days of celebrating myself I purchased a cute dress from ASOS and thought as I hadn't attached a photo for a while what better time to show you guys my new dress.

And just because it always makes me laugh, this is a little quote the grease monkey learned during his ten years in the army 'prior planning and preparation prevents piss-poor performance'. I always remind myself of this quote when I know I need to plan for something and it always seems to bring a smile to my face.

*A long awaited update*

If you follow me on twitter you will know that for the past four weeks I've had what my friends and I call a 'end of semester break down', this is where I go into total panic, rage and cry like a baby for weeks over my university work being hand-in. Thankfully that's now over until February so I have extra time to concentrate on me. Firstly I haven't neglected the propoints plan all together over the past four weeks, it just wasn't my concern at the time, my sanity was. So now I have finally finished this semester I can put 100% of me into the plan which is when I like everyone else see the best results. I read a lot of blogs and this quote always sticks in my head 'persistence, not perfection' and I think this couldn't be more true than right now. I haven't been on plan 100% but my determination and persistence of returning to the plan is better than giving up altogether.

As I have been away for a short while I do have a few things I would like to share and will do so in a number of posts over the next week. So watch this space.

I haven't done my goals since my last post so I thought now would be as better time than ever.

My goals this week:

• To pre-track my entire week - I like to pre-track so I have an idea of what to have that day but I sometimes change some items from day to day to suite my needs.
• Tweet my daily points consumed and allowance - I know a number of members from my Thursday class do this and they find it really helps. So with the mindset of tracking 100% I though this would give me a little bit more of an incentive to stay on track.
• Burn 3500kcal - Using the "Winning by Losing" theory of 3500kcal=1lb I have decided to set myself the task of burning this amount of the next week. Also I have neglected my HRM over the past month and I miss the number totting up on my wrist.

Have a fabulous week everyone and for those who feel like giving up remember the story of the tortoise and the hare, its not a race. Its about what you make of the journey and what you learn not how quickly you feel you need to complete it. Stay positive.