How I quit drinking Diet Coke (and tips for breaking any bad habit)

I hesitate to write this post, since I'm still fairly new to being Diet Coke free, but July marks six months of being off Diet Coke so I thought it's time to share how I gave up my daily habit. I've quit Diet Coke a couple other times, once in college for a few months, and the second time during my entire pregnancy with Graydon. (Sorry Margaret, I didn't quit it during yours! #secondchildproblemsn) That said, this time feels different in that it's both a long-term decision and a daily focus.

Here's how I quit drinking Diet Coke, and how you can break bad habits too:

1). Find accountability partners: Early in the year, I told friends, family and co-workers that I was planning to quit. I almost always brought a 32 oz. Diet Coke to work with me each morning, so I knew that if I told my co-workers I was planning on quitting they'd give me the side eye if I ever showed up carrying a large Styrofoam cup. One co-worker even wrote me a letter the week after I told her, saying that she had prayed for me and was proud of me for working on my heath. My son, Graydon was also motivated by my desire to quit. He offered to keep me accountable by reminding me of the "tentacles" (aka chemicals) inside Diet Coke. Even now, six months later he sometimes asks me, "Is that a Diet Coke mom?"

2). Focus on the Why:  Even before I stopped drinking Diet Coke, I thought long and hard about my reasons for quitting.

• My number one reason was for my kids. I started drinking diet soda around age 12 because my mom always drank it (she has since quit too). It became a shared afternoon ritual, and one Graydon was quickly adopting from me. He would steal sips of my Diet Coke all the time, and I hated thinking about him consuming chemicals at such a young age, or ever.
• I wanted to model the importance of drinking water to my kids, but felt like a hypocrite because I never drank water myself! I knew if I wanted my kids to drink water, I needed to change my drinking habits. (Now we each fill up water bottles to take with us before we leave the house, so we can stay hydrated and avoid the temptation of purchasing drinks while out and about.)
• I also hated the amount of waste it produced (millions of straws go to the landfill each day, and I didn’t like contributing to so much waste). I hated wasting money on Diet Coke too. As embarrassing as it is now to admit, sometimes as much as $40 per month went towards drive-through fees and gas station stops. I knew I needed to stop filling landfills and emptying my pockets on Diet Coke.
• Most importantly, I hated how I felt when I drank so much Diet Coke. My heart would race, my hands would shake, I'd crave super sweet things because of the overly sweet nature of Diet Coke, and worst of all, I'd crash so hard from the caffeine high.
• I also knew deep down that though I was at a low weight for me personally, I often drank Diet Coke instead of stopping to eat. I've made many changes to become healthier over the years - learning to eat intuitively, finding an exercise I truly enjoy, and adapting therapeutic lifestyle choices to help manage my anxiety - but I felt like drinking Diet Coke was a huge hurdle standing in the way of me being truly healthy from the inside out.

3). Keep your goals close by:  I wrote down my reasons for quitting and kept it in the Notes section of my phone to reference often. I've also heard another tip for reminding yourself of your goals:  if you're really focused on a goal, consider changing your password or login to the thing you're trying to quit. For example, I could have changed my work password to "nodietcoke2018," so that every time I logged into my computer, I'd be reminded of my goal. I also have a family member who writes the number of days he's been sober on his mirror, so that when he sees himself, he sees a reminder of his sobriety too.

4). Distract yourself:  In the beginning, I switched to half-sweet, half-unsweet iced teas. I found myself desperate for sugar, due to the amount of aspartame I'd previously been consuming. I allowed myself permission to consume more sugar in those early days, knowing that I'd cut back over time (and I *think* I since have). I also drank a TON of water and sparkling water. It wasn't the same as Diet Coke (and may never be!) but at least I was distracted and my mouth was busy.

5). Accept slip-ups, and move on:  I recently relapsed but was able to move one. While planning a Vacation Bible School for over 270 kids, I definitely fell back into hyper-caffeinated Diet Coke mode; however, as soon as the week was over, I recognized how much better I'd felt not drinking it, and made the switch again. Allowing myself the grace to slip up once in a while, without it erasing all of the progress I've made, has made it easier to stick to my goal over the long run.

6). Avoid common triggers:  There are some foods that just go well with Diet Coke, for example, movie theater popcorn, pizza and Chili's chips and salsa! That said, if I'm going to eat one of those things, I mentally plan ahead to bring a sparkling water, drink water with lemon, or order an iced tea. I still have days when I crave a Diet Coke, but find that if I have it, it just doesn't taste the same. I now notice the after taste from its artificial sweetener, and immediately feel its negative effects.

7). Recognize your tendencies and adapt a new identity:  I am a moderator when it comes to food, but when it comes to Diet Coke, abstaining has always been easier than moderating. Knowing that about myself has made it easier to avoid Diet Coke all together, rather than trying to just have a Diet Coke once in a while. I also added it to my identity, in a way. I don't drink alcohol, and it's been super easy to tell people in social settings "no thanks" because I just know I don't drink. The same has been true of Diet Coke. It's now just something I don't do. (Though in the same way I feel about people who drink alcohol, I hold zero judgment over people who do drink Diet Coke! It's just not for me, anymore).

I'm so happy about how I feel not drinking Diet Coke and hope to keep it up! What things have you given up? What habits have you broken? Share your tips and tricks!