Post the Sixth - Detoxing

Don’t worry, it’s not as bad as the title sounds.

I’ve had a long-time (most of my life, in fact) love affair with a substance than most anyone you speak to will say, hands down, is very bad for you. Anyone who knows me already knows exactly what I am talking about.

This substance, while amazingly delicious, is bad for your overall health. It is bad for your teeth, it can contribute to users being overweight, it is bad for the kidneys, liver and stomach lining… It is full of sugar, empty calories and carbohydrates, acids, chemicals… It can be addictive.

My “drug” of choice has changed over the years. As a child for a time I was hooked on root beer (at least that one was caffeine free). In middle school and early high school I had a loving relationship with cherry coke. In early high school I think they altered the flavor of cherry coke and suddenly I found myself leaving my beloved cherry coke for regular coca cola, which I have remained faithful to ever since (with the occasional flirtation with pepsi (EW!) when there was no coke to be found in a restaurant). When I was younger other sodas would do but milk was only tolerable with copious amounts of chocolate and water was pretty much never an option.

As an adult (especially with my first pregnancy) I sucked it up and began drinking bottled water, but it has to be cold. In fact, during the first half of my pregnancy with P1 I drank almost no soda at all (so I HAD to drink water). Then I found out that I could actually have more caffeine than there is in one can of coke each day with no known effects on the baby. I don’t think I drank a coke every day for the rest of the pregnancy but I definitely drank a lot more than I had been.

With P2 it was more so the opposite. I drank a can of coke most days in the beginning, but about half way through I had my glucose test and the result was borderline. After a second test (better but still not great) I was declared “glucose intolerant”. Immediately after not passing the first test I called my diabetic mother to hash out a “diet” for myself that mostly involved eating the same foods I had been but with smaller portions of carbs and larger portions of proteins. I also almost completely cut out coke and sweets. These changes probably helped the second test come out better than the first.

I also had a third test, closer to the end of the pregnancy, just to check and make sure the changes to my diet were enough. I passed that one.

I still eat much better than I did before (as far as carb:protein ratio and less candy and such) but I gradually slipped back into my old coca cola habit and, once again, I drink about 12-36 oz. a day. Usually closer to 12.

Though I was losing weight at an amazing pace after P2 was born (now weighing around what I weighed before getting pregnant with P1), I have now hit a plateau. I am hoping to lose another 15-20 lbs. I also have noticed lately that I get a headache if I wait until too late in the day to drink coke and that I get a burning feeling in my stomach when I do drink it. I also have several baby teeth still and have really been feeling like I need to take better care of my teeth. OH AND I’m trying to cut the amount of money we are spending in every area possible (that is a big one).

Because of all of these reasons I have decided I AM kicking the habit. I am choosing to taper off because a) you are less likely to return to the habit if you quit gradually, as opposed to “cold turkey” and b) I can’t care for children while home alone with them if I have a debilitating withdrawal headache. I will be finished with coke by my P1’s third birthday next month. She won’t know it, but it is going to be one of her biggest birthday presents… A healthier Mommy who will hopefully have more time to spend here on earth with her as a result of making healthier choices. PLUS, she has been getting pretty interested in drinking my coke whenever I have any (I mostly do not let her) and I want to remove the temptation before she gets the idea that it is acceptable to have all the time.

I’m not going to say my kids, Dubya, or even I can’t have any soda EVER… but from P1’s birthday on it will be a special treat when we go out to eat (which is rare). We’ll all have to learn to practice self-control and MODERATION.

What habits do you have that you need to get under control so that they don’t have a negative influence on your children? Are there any habits, in your opinion, that are okay to practice but tell your children it is unacceptable for them to do the same?