About 8 weeks ago, it happened. I stepped on the bathroom scales, and discovered that I have grown to a weight I never thought I would reach. Right then and there, I determined that my middle age spread had gone far enough. It was time for decisive action. And so, the diet began, and I’m happy to report that I’ve discovered a few great tasting items like lemonade-flavored Crystal Light to ease the process. I still have a ways to go, but I’ve managed to gradually lose nine pounds in eight weeks. Allow me to elaborate.
I am a cola fanatic, and have been all of my life. The idea that losing weight would mean that I would have to stop drinking RC, Pepsi, or Coca-Cola has always been repulsive to me, and yet I have always known that these sweet drinks are high in calories and low in nutritional value. For me, finding a sweet-tasting drink without the calories was critical in making a diet work. Then came my discovery of Crystal Light, more specifically, the lemonade flavored variety of this product. I have also gained a new appreciation for the good taste of cold water, but for the times that the drink has to be sweet, Crystal Light has become my beverage of choice. It has made it easy for me to give up colas for over two months now, without so much as a single sip of my old sugar-filled weakness. I have never liked the taste of diet sodas, but the lemony Crystal Light manages to satisfy my sweet-drink cravings.
Maintaining a diet is a different task for everyone who tries, and it is important to set up rules that you know you can stick with. While swearing off cola was a difficult decision for me, I knew it was important if I wanted to return to a healthy body mass index. I also knew that I would need to commit to a walking regime about three days per week, at least to the degree that it wouldn’t completely wreck my lifestyle. On the other side, I knew that a complete elimination of fried foods and potato chips would be nearly impossible. And so I began to discipline myself in the areas I knew I could be successful; and so far, the results have been good. Finding the sugar-free Crystal Light drink mixes to replace the cola in my diet has been a huge help.
Crystal Light comes in convenient little pre-measured plastic containers that mix quickly with a water in a 2-quart pitcher. Crystal Light also comes in other flavors, including Raspberry Ice, regular Iced Tea flavor, and a Peach Tea. It also comes in pre-measured carry-around packages that are sized appropriately for bottled water. I haven’t tried all of the flavors yet, but the lemonade is wonderful, and has been a important tool for my diet.
Some might be concerned about the fact that Crystal Light uses an artificial sweetener in the flavoring, and that there may be health issues associated. In my case, a family history of heart problems has suggested that adding a little aspartame in my diet was probably less risky than carrying the extra weight.
Will I ever go back to drinking sodas? I probably will, but not until I can reward myself for reaching a weight-loss goal during my diet. Even then, having a cola with a meal will be a much rarer occurrence. Finding Crystal Light will make moderation a lot more tolerable.
