musculArgirl2 wrote:tomorrow it will be strictly my smoothie, 1 can or coke or pepsi and lots and lots of water!
That sounds like a great plan. I'm just thinking about the sugar in 1 can of coke per day, and the sugar that can be in smoothies, and it really does add up, which could be responsible for your cravings.
Check out this website, it shows how soda, smoothies, and a lot of other foods look when you break down how much sugar is in them:
http://www.sugarstacks.com/I am by no means a Nutrition Saint - we both know that! - but I do know my stuff, and I promise you, it's much more likely the sugar that you're craving. I know it's what you like, but there is an element to sugar-intake that is chemical, not personal preference. Smokers "like" cigarettes, but they also chemically rely on them to maintain their "normal" throughout the day. Many North Americans don't just "like" Coke, they need sugar to maintain their "normal". Sugar is in everything, in really high doses, which induces an insulin response, making us crash, then crave more to get back to normal again, storing a lot of body fat on the way.
...I know I brought this up on the first page, and I'm sorry for harping about it! I just don't want to see you work so hard to switch to caffeine-free and smoothies, and not feel better. The focus on staying to 1 can per day, and trying to get more water in is a really nice compromise, I think, and I 100% support it - especially if you can turn that can into a sugar-free one at some point.