This year, I’m making a fairly large departure compared to most other years. That’s right folks, I’ve got myself a new year’s resolution. The idea occurred to me while I was visiting my parents last week. To make it a new year’s resolution, I had only to wait a few days, and given that I wasn’t sure I really wanted to do it, a period to ponder it seemed wise. The last thing I want is to make myself a promise, then break it days later.

I’m giving up Coke. If you know me, you know this is a resolution of some significance. I mentioned it to my mother and she reminded me that she’s told me in the past that if I wanted some sort of soft drink, I should have ginger ale. But the thing is, the caffeine isn’t what I’m concerned about. It’s the calories. My mother bought a new bathroom scale and I didn’t like what it told me. I weigh 190 lbs and I also don’t like what I see in the mirror. Granted this weight is not at all excessive for someone my height, but I just don’t particularly care for where on me the last ten pounds appears.

Let’s say I average three cans of Coke in a day. I might suggest that’s more a minimum than an average, but follow along with me, and quit interrupting, okay? Each can has 160 calories, so I’m getting 480 calories a day from Coke alone. That’s probably about 20% of my caloric intake. Just think, if I drink water instead of Coke, I can cut my consumed calories by 20%.

Sure it sounds simple, but it’s probably not a good idea that I have a bunch of Coke in the refrigerator right now! But so far in 2008, I’ve not consumed any soft-drinks. I felt out of sorts with headaches and a bizarre light-headed almost ‘out of body’ feeling for the first few days. It seems I’m a bit caffeine addicted and suffering withdrawal.

I haven’t decided how long I will keep this up but if I get used to it, perhaps those sugary fizz drinks will be a mere treat when I’m eating out rather than the staple they were until the first. I also admit to writing about it here because it’ll be easier to avoid failing if I have to tell you all that I’ve failed. Who wants to admit to that?

Update:

I discovered a calorie calculator at hpathy.com. After entering all my info, the calculator informed me that I need 2660 calories per day to maintain my current weight. To lose a pound a week, I need to reduce my daily intake to 2160 calories. The difference of 500 calories is pretty much what the Coke gave me. That said, if this reduction drops me below what I need, I’ll end up eating more, though I hope I don’t eat enough to bring me back to the same caloric level as before!