Debbie Cousins's Journal, 18 Feb 19

Yeap, consistency and patience are the key! You don't need to worry about the daily fluctuations, or for a diet coke.  

Hang in there Debbie. I like your sunny way of looking at it. This is going to be a good whoosh challenge for you. Good luck with it. I think the problem I had with my goal last time I did this was that I sort of realized that it did not fix all my issues magically. I am working on more realistic expectations this time. Always working on something LOL 

You could be right. Once you reach your goal there's just maintenance and that can be boring for some. I'm looking forward to being bored some day, LOL. 

YIKES, @Keilin_4 and @Anna Bear54! Nobody told me I'd have to have patience AND consistency to make this work!!! I've never been very good at EITHER - just ask my kids! I've always told people, "I'm a great STARTER." Maybe I should just pretend that I am STARTING this weight-loss journey TODAY, instead of thinking of it as having been going on since 1976 (when I was 22). What I need to do is some exercise - ANY exercise, every day! I also need to STOP going over on my RDI, and STOP eating as close to my Net Carbs as I can get without going over. Whenever the day is ending, and I see there are net carbs left, I try to find something else I can eat to use them up. I think I'll go take a nap and see if I feel like doing either of those things when I wake up. I DID just finish my first bottle of water (after starting the day with Diet Coke - usually once I start, I can't stop, so that's progress!) There are lots of stressful things going on in my life right now, and that doesn't help any.  

The "stress and the guilty" part after overeating play a big role on our daily routine. I hope your life gets better soon.  

I have an addiction to soda/pop as well. I’m drinking 40oz per day currently. It’s very hard for me to Get away from so perhaps doing a switch to green tea will Help 

If you are so close to your goal, I would transition to a maintenance plan and aim to lose the last 10 at a rate of 1 pound per month. It's far more important to find ways to maintain now, to make your loss permanent, than achieve a number on the scale. Whatever habits you have built so far, make sure they are firmly in place from now on! The mindset should be less about dieting and more about living, and getting stress under control is MOST important. Stress is the biggest killer (of everything), as probably you know! If you can't give up the Diet Coke (which as you also might know, actually causes carb cravings), maybe make a deal with yourself. Something like: you can have a Diet Coke, but only after drinking a full glass of water, each time. If you really want the Coke you'll drink the water. :) Play games to trick yourself into doing the right thing, but make it easy enough that you'll hold yourself to it. For example, I used to tell myself I couldn't have two cookies. I had two choices: one cookie or no cookie. When you put it that way, of course you will eat and appreciate that one cookie! 

A news report just aired about diet sodas and their link to increasing chances of stroke....drink carefully! 

I was surprised to read the label on my favorite diet soda: "Sodium 160 mg." That cured me! 

Oh dear Debbie the last 10lbs is the hardest! Well actually...it's all hard. Being overweight is hard, losing weight is hard, maintaining our weight is hard. Let's choose our hard. I think you know exactly what to do. Your advice has been tremendously helpful to me. Step 1. Practice forgiveness regarding diet coke, Step 2 drink more water (my skinny friend keeps a case in her car at all times, with one in the console) Step 3 move your body! Nothing like exercise to make you want a swig of water! You've got to move it move it. Nothing crazy. Be kind to yourself. I'm coming down to split the cost of your therapy appointment. I crossed the 180 line this morning and worried all day about how I might blow it this week. 

Have you not seen the world news about diet sodas causing heart attacks and strokes in women ? I have not had a soda in 7 years and I don’t miss them . Diet sodas make you retain fluid . Water and lots of it will move the fluid out of you body . Don’t drink diet anything unless it’s sweetened with stevia . There is a drink called zevia that’s pretty tasty . 

try carbonated waters. maybe it's the gas and bubbles you love lol. I drink it in winter cause I have hard time downing water. helps make me feel like cold soda. but watch ingredients on crappy drinks. you want carbonated water and natural flavor to be only ingredients. 

I make my own. You can buy on Amazon Cola and Root beer flavored Stevia drops. They are a little weak for me anyway, I tweaked them a bit. 4 droppers full of Sweet Drops brand. Add to Pellegrino or club soda about 10-12 oz. The flavors weren't quite right so I added to the Root beer bottle of Stevia some Wintergreen flavor extract (also on Amazon, you'll have to taste for your flavor extract level- everyone is different of course).. made a huge difference. To jazz up the Cola stevia drops I added Key Lime flavor extract (also to taste) and a tiny bit of Apple Cider vinegar for the acid it was missing. Also helps if you let it sit and I will make up a couple drinks and let them sit overnight in fridge. I also add to either flavor of soda a Tb of Coffeemate SF liquid creamer either Vanilla or Italian Creme. Then it's like a Root beer or Coke float. For 15 cals 😉 Just tried this again tonight but I used Valencia orange stevia drops and a little ACV and creamer so it was like a Creamsicle. Hope that helps. 

Thanks, everyone! I think that making my own soda would be too time-consuming, @Wa No. I DO think Diet Coke is a "habit" AND an "addiction" for me, at least - and a hard one to break. I went for over a month and then listened to that little voice in my head that said, "Why not have JUST ONE today - you DESERVE IT." I should have recognized that voice - it's the one which has been tempting people with food since the Garden of Eden! It's okay, though. I'm not going to beat myself up about it. IF I'm going to indulge in Diet Coke, I am going to REALLY try to get in all my water for the day FIRST! I don't like using anything "bad" as a reward for good behavior, though, and that's kinda what I would be doing. Sigh. 

We all go through, our ups and downs, and with everything that's going on, with this pandemic, that's understandable?, but let's not stress eat, let's us keep our focus to make our goal, and ihis goes for me too.