One of the biggest problems with my weight and training has been my addiction to Mt. Dew. In college I would sit down after dinner to study with a 2 liter bottle of Mt. Dew and when it was gone it was time to go to bed. My first job out of college was a block from a Loaf n Jug and I had a 32 oz cup that cost 59 cents to refill. It was a nice break to walk to the Loaf n Jug and refill it.
Over the years I’ve tried to cut back which has worked for a little while and then I go back to drinking too much. At my current job, they have Coke and Pepsi products delivered by the case and it’s just up to us to make sure what we like to drink is in the coolers. I sit just outside the break room and it’s just too easy to get up and grab another can. I can think I haven’t had much but by the end of the day there’s a pile of Mt. Dew cans on my desk. I can easily go through a 6 pack in a day.
I’ve figured out that if I drink one can, I drink a lot. In 2003 I quit cold turkey and didn’t drink any for 6 months. I had my best race season ever and got my weight back to where it hadn’t been for 7 years. In May I won the Expert 30-34 Chalk Creek Stampede which was part of the regional championship series. In June I finished 2nd at the Fireweed 400. In August I finished in the top 20 at the Leadville Trail 100 and 4th the following weekend at the Durango MTB 100.
I think it was more than just losing weight in 2003 that helped my performance. Sure my doctor finally got my thyroid medication figured out but I think cutting out the sugar was a big impact. Refined sugar does lots of bad things to the body. I figure I need to do everything I can in order to finish RAAM and that include time when I’m off the bike.
Since with my Eiseman Hut trip I wouldn’t have access to Mt. Dew for 4 days I figured that was a good time to quit. The first week is the hardest and the trip would get me more than half way the first week. There have been days that it’s been tough not to grab a can out of the cooler but I’ve made it for 2 weeks. Since I track all my food in DietPower, I can see that my average daily sugar intake for the 3 months before I quit was 268 grams and the last week it has been 77 grams. My fiber intake has also increased 20%. The only problem is I’ve replace too much of it with diet drinks and I really need to drink mainly water.
I’d like to say I feel better but I’ve been fighting a sinus infection for a little over a week. I think though that I would have felt worse this week than I have. My weight has also gone up a couple pounds although I haven’t been over eating. I seem to remember that also happening in 2003 for a couple weeks before the weight started coming off easier. I think too much sugar causes the body to be a little bit dehydrated and so I’ve probably gained a little water weight.
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I feel your pain man, I have the same problem. I developed my addiction in college pulling all nighters in architecture school. At the time you could buy 2 liter bottles for $.79. For the past 8 years I have tried unsuccessfully to ween myself off. I have cut back (down to a few 16 oz bottles a week) and thats a start but making that final step is the hardest. Good luck to you.
I’m glad to see that even ultra-athletes struggle with something as seemingly benign as soda addiction. I’ve been trying to stay away from Pepsi for two years without much success, even though I know it would do wonders for my fitness and endurance.