Most diet pop contains aspartame which we aren't supposed to have. If you have a Trader Joe's near you they sell Diet Hansen's which is made with Stevia and it's really good. I will have a can whenever I make a turkey burger and rutabaga fries! :)

Have a great day everyone!

Thanks for the prayers everyone :) I just spoke to my MIL, it looks like she may have a Common Bile Duct obstruction. She's having an MRI which should give us a more definite diagnosis. If that's the case, she'll have surgery in the morning. The good news, it would be a pretty non-invasive surgery so she'd likely be home on Sunday barring any complications! So we're counting our blessings, and hoping for good news later today :)

It's not just the sweetener - most sodas contain phosphates which should also be avoided.

Thanx, healthyangie for your support and insight. I'm trying very hard to make this work for my situation but working 100+ hours over the past two weeks, a little diet soda and caffeine helps me get through the long stressful nights. I will try to stick to just water to see if my body cooperates with my goals. Thanks!

Happy Thanksgiving fellow Saskatchewanian! Good luck on all your firsts today!

Scorbett so sorry for worries. Best wishes for all to go well.

I have travelled to visit my parents this weekend. So far it has been a struggle since my dad want me to taste everything. It really bothers him when people restrict their eating. You even have to guard your food because my dad needs to try it all. So weird!

Have a great day everyone!

AliKay, Do you know why we are not suppose to have aspartame? What makes it different then other artificial sweeteners??

Aspartame acts in the pancreas the same as sugar. It causes spikes in insulin production, which in turn will cause you to store unused glycogen as fat. If Molly or Wuv could chime in here and post the link to the article on why diet soda and aspartame are so bad for us on this diet it would be a great help to some of the newbies here. There is also a chart on the glycemic value of the different artificial sweeteners and which ones are the best to use. I personally use stevia as my sweetener.

I understand ... for the caffience buzz - one of my personal favorites in chai tea with vanilla rtd and a bit of cinammon!! Good stuff :)

Water can get boring, try jazzing it up with lemon/lime, mio, extracts, etc. You can get non-alcohol based extracts at most stores. Green teas are also great too, you can sweeten yourself with stevia or splenda.

Good luck - those hours suck :) Hope the paycheck at least helps you with it :D

hey you all!

Happy Friday!!!

If any of you try the new strawberry/banana drink let me know how it is! If it is too banana flavored I don't think I will like it...I don't want to get stuck with a whole box since I now order online... :dizzy:

Scorbett, sorry to hear the news about your MIL. Keeping you and your family in my prayers for a quick turnaround. :hug:

I bought it and actually liked it. I was afraid of the fake "strawberry" taste but it's made with strawberry puree. I did a smoothie with ice in the blender and it was yummy. It's only 1/2 as thick as the mango drink, which I think is actually better. Not too banana -ee .

Malexaschacha,
Have you talked to your coach about perhaps adding an extra packet on the days you are working these long shifts? I find that when I am doing extremely physical work my weight stalls and my losses are low. I think you said you are a nurse (?), this can be a very stressful and physically demanding job. If you are running around on your feet all night I would think that you should be adding a packet, the same as you would if you were exercising.

Yay for you!! I'm a realtor too, almost 27 years.

27 years wow..that's awesome, Rcrochet! I just turned 50 and im just starting out (couldn't decide what i wanted to be when i grew up!)

well, my first weigh in I was down 3.2.
1) I weighed in to start with about 10 days ago and then didn't start until saturday. I think i was up a few pounds in between there!
2) I've been awake since about 3.30 am. (damn old lady hormones!) ..and its not noon yet, but i feel like i need a nap!
Im pretty sure my loss was better then that. my rings are twirling around my fingers and since im a lot less bloated, my pants aren't as tight in the waist. So... I'll take the 3.2 and just be happy and move on. it is what it is!

p.s. still waiting to hear back on my "other first" today... hoping things go OK there...

I had my second WI today, down another 4 lbs! This is amazing. I have NEVER lost 4 lbs in one week on any diet (and, i have done most of them ;) I have read here about the dreaded week 3 weigh in. I do have to be out of town for a few days for work, so that is the other week 3 challenge. I am going to be ON PLAN 100%. I have already "warned" my coworkers I am dieting! Have a great weekend everyone and thank you so much for all of the information you provide here.