Say it isn't so.....

As I was sitting at my computer pondering whether to go grab a bottle of water or my trusty Diet Coke, a good friend e-mailed me a link discussing the physical breakdown of a can of Coca-Cola in your system.  I must say after reading some of these interesting facts I did second guess my usual afternoon beverage of choice.  

Please check out the following article and weigh in with your own opinions.  Will you be banning Coca-Cola from your beverage choices or will you continue drinking?

Effects of drinking one can of Coca-Cola detailed

12 News 11:05 a.m. MST July 30, 2015

A graphic that reportedly breaks down the effects a can of Coca-Cola has on a person's body is going viral.
The graphic – titled "What Happens One Hour After Drinking A Can Of Coke" – was first posted by The Renegade Pharmacist.
The graphic claims to detail what happens to the body after 10 minutes, 20 minutes, 40 minutes, 45 minutes and 60 minutes.
1. In The First 10 minutes: 10 teaspoons of sugar hit your system. (100% of your recommended daily intake.) You don't immediately vomit from the overwhelming sweetness because phosphoric acid cuts the flavor allowing you to keep it down.
2. 20 minutes: Your blood sugar spikes, causing an insulin burst. Your liver responds to this by turning any sugar it can get its hands on into fat. (There's plenty of that at this particular moment.)
3. 40 minutes: Caffeine absorption is complete. Your pupils dilate, your blood pressure rises, as a response your livers dumps more sugar into your bloodstream. The adenosine receptors in your brain are now blocked preventing drowsiness.
4. 45 minutes: Your body ups your dopamine production stimulating the pleasure centers of your brain. This is physically the same way heroin works, by the way.
5. 60 minutes: The phosphoric acid binds calcium, magnesium and zinc in your lower intestine, providing a further boost in metabolism. This is compounded by high doses of sugar and artificial sweeteners also increasing the urinary excretion of calcium.
6. >60 Minutes: The caffeine's diuretic properties come into play. (It makes you have to pee.) It is now assured that you'll evacuate the bonded calcium, magnesium and zinc that was headed to your bones as well as sodium, electrolytes and water.
7. >60 minutes: As the rave inside of you dies down you'll start to have a sugar crash. You may become irritable and/or sluggish. You've also now, literally, *ahem* peed away all the water that was in the Coke. But not before infusing it with valuable nutrients your body could have used for things like even having the ability to hydrate your system or build strong bones and teeth.

Here is the actual link if you want to read it straight from the website:

http://www.12news.com/story/news/2015/07/30/coca-cola-effects-body/30876263/

My Personal Diet Modification

Over the last several blogs I have talked about scientific and not so scientific reasons as to why we are the way that we are in terms of weight and health.  I have issued a few challenges that I know have helped me personally and I wanted to share with you now my own personal diet and my strengths and weaknesses in regards to my own nutrition in the hopes that it will help you if you find yourself in a dietary rut.

 

Source: http://rs1img.memecdn.com/i-love-cake_o_1853637.jpg

In order to show you just how bad I was before this class started, I am going to have to share with you my not so good eating habits.  This picture made me laugh so hard because unfortunately that  describes me very well when it comes to cake or chocolate.  In a work week (Monday – Friday) I would not eat breakfast and for lunch I would eat at one of the fast food restaurants in town.  My lunch would either be a chicken sandwich or hamburger with fries and occasionally I would find myself at the Mexican restaurant in town eating a burrito with chips and salsa.  Then for dinner I would usually fix something that was quick and easy without paying any attention to the calories.  And if there was anything that had chocolate in it, I would eat it.  As far as physical activity, I might walk two miles once a week if any.  Needless to say my habits were horrible and explain why I had put on a little weight.

Being that I wanted to be a good role model for my son and that I wanted to live a longer healthier life, I decided that it was time to start making some changes.  

Source: http://teresawarner.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/my-fitness-pal.png

The first change I made was to install My Fitness Pal on my phone so that I could visually see what I was eating in terms of calories.  My next step for modifying my diet was to start eating breakfast.  While my breakfast isn’t perfect, it is healthy.  I have been eating yogurt or a granola bar

Source: http://buzzchomp-4621.zippykid.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/Products_nature-valley-granola-bar.jpg

and it really holds me over until lunch time.   

At lunch I have stopped eating French fries and I have stopped eating a lot of fried anything.  My new lunch looks more like a salad with lean protein and nuts on top and at first I was hungry like two hours later but after a month I can tell a difference not only in my waistline but in my energy levels as well.  Dinner is still a work in process but for the most part I have been eating lean proteins and really paying attention to the food labels.

source: https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSZyINz84aiEaogDFXCaXgCw7vzXGaXa8k0S2RCaoTbqYovSeEW

These changes are not perfect and they do not put me where I need to be but I can say that since starting this I have lost ten pounds and I feel better than I have since before I had my son.  I have also tried to start walking more regularly and taking a multivitamin.  Along with the weight loss, I have more energy, I feel more focused and my blood pressure has lowered.  Again these changes are just my beginning because I know in order to be my best I still have a lot of work left to do.

If you have read all of the blogs I have posted thus far and you have not learned anything from them, I do hope that you may at least have gained the motivation to start your own transformation into the healthier you.