Yes, I’m doing much better since I swore off NutraSweet! Most people I know can’t believe I quit drinking Diet Coke. They’ve always known me to carry a can or bottle of it around with me. That was part of my image: long blond hair, Ray-bans, and a can of Diet Coke.
I have been waking up feeling rested. I’m not as achy. I’m not as tired. I don’t crave sweets anymore. I haven’t lost any weight, but that’s probably because I drink a lot of Coke Classic now. I don’t NEED a coke first thing every morning now like I did a Diet Coke. I used to get headaches if I didn’t have my Diet Coke within an hour or two after waking up. Now I can go all day without a coke and not have any problems. I kept telling myself it was caffeine withdrawals, but if it’s not happening now, that can’t be the case. I drink as much caffeine now as before, only now my caffeine is NutraSweet free!
My son’s behavior problems are improving now that he’s off NutraSweet and mostly off artificial colors. He’s working better in school, and he’s doing really well at learning to read and to add and subtract. He seems to be sleeping better now, too. Now when he climbs up onto my lap it’s not painful like it used to be. Uncomfortable, yes, since he’s 50-something pounds! But not painful.
My vision is improving and so is my memory. I’ve been working full-time for more than 6 months, and I just completed a quarter of college full-time as well, making two B’s and an A. I’m still prone to depression; in fact, I’ve been depressed lately. But my bouts are not as bad as they’ve been in the past. Before when I’d get depressed, I couldn’t drag myself out of bed or have enough interest to do housework. I’d sit around eating brownies by the pan full and Ben and Jerry’s by the pint. Now, I can still get my day-to-day work accomplished if I’m depressed, just not as quickly and efficiently. I think when I start taking my anti-depressants again, they may actually work since I’m not constantly depleting my serotonin levels and counteracting the effects of the medicine with Aspartame.
I’m working on losing the weight I’ve gained in the past couple of years (some 40 or 50 lbs–thank you Diet Coke, Duncan Hines, and Ben and Jerry!), and I think I might have a fighting chance now that Aspartame isn’t tricking my body and brain. I honestly can’t believe how my taste buds react to sweets now. Thanksgiving day I ate pumpkin bread and pumpkin pie for dessert instead of reaching for the chocolate cake and chess pie. I couldn’t even bring myself to taste the chocolate dishes! That is so unlike me! I remember when I was younger I used to crave salty foods and protein, like ham slices or something. That’s what I’ve been craving again lately. That and healthy foods like salads and vegetables. Amazing! Incidentally, I decided to drink a Diet Coke about a month ago just to see what it tasted like and made me feel like after a couple of months without it. Blech! That tasted nasty! Made me feel funny, too. Gave me a headache. Funny how I could come up with all sorts of explanations for symptoms instead of facing the truth that I was poisoning myself.
I talked to a woman at church a couple of weeks ago who was puzzled why she had been feeling bad lately. I found out she had just started drinking Diet Coke about a month earlier. She had been drinking only water before. I asked her if she felt like she’d been beaten with a baseball bat every morning when she woke up, if she felt like she hadn’t slept a wink, if her kids were finishing her sentences for her, if her vision was a bit blurry, if she’d been craving sweets lately, if she got headaches more frequently especially if she’d missed her morning cup of Diet Coke, and if her muscles hurt when her kids climbed up onto her lap. She answered yes to all those symptoms, most of which she hadn’t really thought about or noticed until I brought it up! I told her my story and gave her the info I got from you, and she said she’d quit drinking it and see how she felt. I haven’t talked to her in about a month, but I should see her soon and I’ll ask if she’s doing better.
Thank you so much for helping spread the word. I probably would’ve kept drinking the stuff until I killed myself if it hadn’t been for you and your crew. If I can help, I’d be glad to. I’d like to have an even better success story for you 6 months from now since I feel better physically and better about myself after getting off the poison. I feel like I can accomplish more of my goals now! My depression and achy body won’t get the best of me anymore! Hey, if I can work 43 hours a week and take 3 college courses and make a 3.33 average while being a single mom of a kindergartener, I think there’s probably even more that I can do!