I admit to Performance Enhancers

Wednesday, April 1--Today marks five weeks of Lent, which means my fifth week without tasting the sweet, non-caloric nectar that is Diet Coke. That's right, I've yet to succumb to the urge to drink Diet Coke, an activity in which I engaged seven to 10 times a day for as far back as I can remember (actually, since the summer of 2002).

At first, I thought it was going to be tough. I remember having a headache on Ash Wednesday, the first night of my abstinence. But in the more than five weeks since, the withdrawal hasn't been that bad. In fact, I've actually felt great over the past month-plus. Since my birthday (about six months ago), I've committed to eating better (thus lowering my cholestrol) and exercising more. By kicking my Diet Coke addiction, I've made the last major adjustment to my diet and exercise routine and have experienced an unexpected and wholly welcome jolt to my system.

I think the key comes in my replacing diet soda with nature's oldest performance-enhancing drug, hydrogen dioxide, or as it's known on the street: water. Last year, reports came out that some experts suggested that the health benefits of water were oversold. I’m not buying it. Whether or not my belief in the healing power of water is psychosomatic, I certainly didn't expect it to kick in as much as it did, as quickly as it did.



Hydration helps me feel stronger during my workouts (as it regulates body temperature); lose a ton of weight (almost 10 pounds this month, I'm not a Clydesdale anymore) and eat less. Water also enhances your metabolism and flushes out toxins (an added bonus when you consider some of the lushes I surround myself with). Talk about a performance enhancer... It's no secret that water is a great tool for fat loss and suppressing hunger.

Regarding the weight loss, it turns out that this is pretty academic, according to New Mexico nutrition and fitness expert Becky “Satan in Spandex” Freeman. “If you eliminated six, 16-ounce diet sodas a day, you not only eliminated the artificial sweetener but all that sodium too,” said Freeman. “Over a period of a week, 6 of those 16oz bottles = ~ 350mg sodium per day x seven days = 2,450mg per week. Taking away all this sodium and replacing the diet soda with water--which is a natural diuretic—flushed your body out and you lost a significant amount of water weight.”

Who would have thunk—drinking more water caused me to lose water weight.

The ingredients in any soda should also bring pause to your diet soda-drinking habit.

“The artificial sweeteners are not something I promote,” said Freeman. “There is not enough research (none on humans) and they technically are fairly new to the food industry so we will not see the detrimental effects for a while. These artificial sweeteners may be one reason why our cancer statistics are rising. Along with these artificial sweeteners, you have ingredients and preservatives that you may not be able to pronounce or even know what they are and this is not a good thing. I usually tell clients that they must be able to pronounce the words; know what it is; and the food must have 5 or less ingredients listed.”

That’s a good rule of thumb, and one that brings me to my favorite ingredient, caffeine. By cutting out caffeine, I've slept much better (and needed less hours to do so).

“Caffeine increases adrenaline and mobilizes and utilizes fat for energy in the body; acting as a performance enhancement if used as a supplement (eg. not in the form of diet soda),” said Freeman. “This is why you will see certain gel packs like Gu or Power Gel that have caffeine or any other supplements on the market for that matter.”

Point taken, my triathlon partner and I, Mrs. Morganobrien.com both enjoy these supplements when we’re on the bike portion of our races and I guess will continue to do so. Trust me, you never want to cross Becky Freeman.

“Too much of a good thing is NEVER good,” warns Freeman. “I feel the population’s intake of caffeine and consistent stress levels is the culprit for lack of sleep, decrease work performance/productivity, a further increase in stress and cortisol running in the body. A consistent flow of cortisol in the body is linked to an increase body weight and overall fat mass or it can do the complete opposite and drastically reduces muscle mass and makes a person really skinny.”

For folks that drink regular soda (Full disclosure: During my detox, I’ve had a bunch of caffeine-free Sunkists on the weekend and have imbibed a few Jack and Cokes [Classic, not diet]), diet soda can be a good transition, albeit a temporary one. “A dietitian has to pick the battles and take small steps in improving a person’s dietary habits,” says Freeman.

I'd be remiss if I failed to add that drinking water makes you look better as it is good for your skin. I'll let mrs. morganobrien.com be the judge of that...

When it comes to health and wellness, I'm a big believer in mind over matter and going with what works for you (I call this the Brady Quinn school of thought*). So whether science dictates something different, I'm sold on the benefits of hydrogen dioxide.

*Brady is notorious for testing supplements over the course of a few weeks, meticulously documenting his workouts to see if there's an impact.