Day 50: Not Miami Vice, A Different Kind

I remember a wise Garth Algar once saying “At first they’re constricting, but after a while they become a part of you”. Sure, he was referring to tightie whities, but I think the same can be said about bad habits and vices. Initially we may feel bogged down or even enslaved to whatever it is that keeps us from being our best self, but after a while we get used to it, and it just becomes a part of who we are.

I know that I personally have fallen victim to a vice or two. Today I’ll only talk about my health related depravities because I try to keep these blog posts under 5,000 words. I LOVE FOOD! There, I said it! That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but the types of food that I like have really been a hindrance to my overall health in the past. I’ve talked to lots of super athletes including Ironman triathletes who really love food. They love to eat all the time. The difference between me and them is that they love eating the right foods and I’m still learning to love them. I still get the occasional craving for some of my favorite foods. I’m not sure what triggers the cravings but if I’m not careful they could blindside me one of these days.

My first vice (that I have been free of for 50 days) is that sweet nectar known as Diet Pepsi. Let me give you a bit of background about my history with this beverage. When I was an early teen I drank the hard stuff (Regular Pepsi). I drank it quite a bit and by the time I hit my late teens I was drinking it every time I had the chance. I’d grab a big gulp on my way to work, two more big gulps during the day, and then another one on my way home. Heck, I’d even have another 1 or 2 while I was out with my buddies at night. I’ll bet I was consuming over 150 ounces a day. That’s 5 Quarts! I went on my mission and I quit cold turkey. To this day I don’t know why I started drinking it again. I was “dry” for two full years and almost like clockwork I started drinking it again when I got home. As I got married I knew that I should cut back on the calories so I actually made the switch to Diet Pepsi. This was a really big deal for me. Something funny happened though, switching to diet didn’t make me lose weight. In fact, just the opposite happened. I started gaining weight. It was slowly, but sure enough I was gaining weight. I knew there were no calories in the soda. It was sugar and calorie free. how in the world could I be gaining weight? I didn’t know it at the time, but this article from Yahoo Health helped me understand what was happening.

It may have only 5 or fewer calories per serving, but emerging research suggests that consuming sugary-tasting beverages–even if they’re artificially sweetened–may lead to a high preference for sweetness overall. That means sweeter (and more caloric) cereal, bread, dessert–everything.

I was definitely getting fewer calories from the soda, but that sweet taste just made me want other kinds of junk food, not to mention it was basically the only liquid I was taking into my body. I understand that this research is fairly new, but I really do think this is what happened with me. Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not condemning the consumption of diet soda (or any soda for that matter). I just tend to have an addictive personality and quitting overnight was the best way for me to cut it out. I have a hard time moderating my intake of those types of things, but if you’re able to do it, I say “Bottoms Up!”

My second vice is basically anything that can be dipped in batter and deep fried, which I’ve learned from Paula Deen is basically anything. I really like Onion Rings, Jalapeno Poppers, and Fried Chicken. I’ve heard of stuff like fried Twinkies or fried Snickers bars, but even for me that seems pretty grotesque. I’ve always been more of a salty fan than a sweet fan. I like the occasional dessert but in the past I’ve been able to find all of my unneeded calories from these five food groups: McDonalds (I wish I owned stock), Wendy’s, Pizza Hut, Arby’s, or Beto’s (awesome carne asada).

Now before your salivary glands kick into full gear and you make a poor food choice make sure that you read the rest of this post. Even though I’ve had those temptations and poor eating habits in the past, I couldn’t be happier to be done with them. Having the will power to say “no” and to choose to eat a healthy alternative does feel nice. Take the time to cook a nice meal for yourself. I think you will quickly find (as I have) that good healthy food can taste better and is MUCH more satisfying than these other foods. Here’s to 50 more days of living with one less vice!



2 Responses to “Day 50: Not Miami Vice, A Different Kind”

1. BJ Neilsen says:

   September 3, 2009 at 1:08 pm

   Hey Sull, stoked to see you rocking this so well. Keep in touch with me at bj.neilsen@gmail.com (Google Talk?). I deleted fb and twitter (some of my vices)

   Some light reading if you want more… http://www.rand9.com/blog/learning-how-to-focus

   Reply
2. Lessons of Sacrifice from D-Wade, the King, and Chris Bosh | Ask A Fitness Coach says:

   July 12, 2010 at 12:49 am

   [...] finding our ideal shape or fitting into that man-speedo by Labor Day? What about the possibility of cutting out soda completely, or replacing our meals with a shake, or only eating until we’re 80% full? What if we gave up [...]

   Reply