Oh, Diet Coke, I am sooooo over you......

...I'm getting my kicks elsewhere, babe. My apologies, sweetie, but I have moved on, kicked your butt to the curb and made a new plan, can!


I found 20 ways to leave you, lover!

1. Starbuck's non-fat Chai Latte with energy shot (hot or cold!)
2. Starbuck's unsweetened shaken black iced tea with a splash of lemonade
3. Lipton Diet citrus green tea
4. K20 Protein Water--Iced tea
5. Lipton Iced Tea to go--unsweetened, peach
6. Good old H20
7. Yogi Tea
8. Lipton Chai Green Tea
9. Constant Comment Sugar Free Chai Latte
10. Bolthouse Farms Soy Vanilla Chai Tea
11. Dole Pineapple-OrangeJuice(mixed with equal parts water/crushed ice)
12. Ocean Spray Ruby Red sugar free on-the-go
13. Ocean Spray Diet Cranergy
14. Crystal Light on-the-go honey lemon green tea
15. Nectar Roadhouse Lemonade (Protein Drink)
16. Fuze Empower-Slenderize-Pomegranate Acai Berry
17. Ginger Peach Tea (Republic of Tea)
18. Ginger White Tea (Market District)
19. Precious Divinity Vanilla Chai
20. Tzao Chai

And that's not counting my love affair with good gin, oakey wines and fun libations....

As much as I was 100% committed to doing this Lapband thing--the idea that I could never, ever, ever drink another carbonated beverage had me pretty worried. After all, I was a big time Diet Coke supporter and I lived for gin and tonics. A day with out Diet Coke seemed painful, unbearable and downright miserable. Not being able to partake in a summer night of g&t's with double lime seemed just as heart wrenching. But, I guess I wanted rid of these 100 pounds more than I needed those things. Because I have managed to live without them both--without the pain, the misery or the heart break. And, I can honestly tell you that I don't miss them one single bit. No. No. Nada. Unbelievable? Yep. I know. What's even more unbelievable is that Coca-Cola didn't need a bail-out after losing me as a faithful customer. Perhaps a new generation of Diet Coke lovers picked up the slack. But, I'll bet my favorite g&t haunts took a little while to adjust their tonic orders.
You know, I'm not a suffering kind of girl. I don't take to it very well. I'm more of a creative make-it-work kind of girl. I wish I would have thought of that during my days of fretting over the no carbonated drinks thing. It would have made it much easier to bear and I wouldn't have lost as much sleep over it all (I sure did!). Because saying good bye to those things have opened a whole new world of taste sensations for me. My beverage repretrior is now sophisticated and edgey. Not childish and safe. I've graduated from vending machines to sleek coffee houses and from bubbly drinks in plastic cups to fancy drinks in martini glasses. My drinking habits have all grown up and become more refined. Sexy and satisfying. It's done a world of good for my tongue. It now knows exactly what it wants.....

Ah, the joys of 50 and Lapbandhood....