It Takes 21 Days To Break A Habit

Hey y'all! I'm just going to go straight into it today. 

This topic is really sensitive to me because I'm not exactly proud of it and I haven't been able to be stronger than it. 

If you know me, you know that I usually have a Casey's cup in my hand. I don't drink coffee. I don't really like tea-only on certain occasions or when I'm in Poland. So I get my caffeine from my 99 cent refill of Diet Dr. Pepper. 

I grew up seeing my Dad drink Diet Coke and I never really started my own pop fascination until high school and I was making my own money. I would get out of school at 3:25 pm, and then go get a drink and a snack and head to work until 6 pm. I worked everyday after school so this became a routine. Eventually even after I moved on to another job, I had kept the same habit of getting a drink after school. 

Fast forward to my freshman year of college, my fiance and our best friend lived close to a Casey's/. Our friend actually worked there at the time so I would go get a pop, say hi and pick up a key to their apartment so that I could hang out at their house. This was, of course, on top of getting a drink at lunch time from the Union (what the cafeteria was called where we went to college). 

I know that this is 'addiction' isn't healthy. Other people have called me out for years; "You would lose the weight you want if you gave up pop-even if what you drink is diet", "Another pop today, Ali? Really?", "Why do you always have to go get a drink?", "It's expensive. You have to know that.", and many, many more. 

Don't think I haven't tried giving it up. I have. I've asked family to keep me accountable, I've tried doing some of those Pinterest ideas for motivation and accountability, I've tried switching to a different drink. I've tried Plexus which helped a little, but my body eventually got used to the Plexus and started craving the pop routine again. 

I'm not totally sure that it's a routine that I like, or the drink itself but it's need to stop. I don't like the idea of being addicted to anything. Of being dependent on something that is bad for my body.  

I even talked to my doctor about side effects and healthy ways to keep Diet Dr. Pepper out of my life. The doctor said to absolutely not just go cold turkey like I had tried in the past. He said however many ounces I drink normally, and subtract two ounces. I stay at that amount for a week then decrease the amount by two ounces again. He said that this would be the highest chance for success. 

Of course I'm worried about looking amazing for my wedding next year, but really, I'm more worried about my health in the future. I'm worried about being able to be at my best physical health if I continue on this road. Weight gain is a scare for me too. The doctor said that once I hit my late 20's or defintiely 30, the chemicals in soda change how your brain stores fat. My Dad, the health guru, told me that soda tricks our body into storing 200-300 calories every time we drink soda thus leading to weight gain even if we are drinking diet. However, one of my biggest dreams/goals in life is to have kids one day and to pass on healthy habits to them like all my parents did for me. My Dad and my StepMom are always active, and my Mom and StepDad cook very healthy, fresh meals almost all the time. They have passed down some really good habits to myself and my siblings. I hope to be able to do the same. But I know that way, way, wayyyy before kids come into the picture (totally not ready for kiddos yet), I need to kick my bad habits and turn them into much better ones. 

Do any of you have bad habits your are trying to break?