Don’t worry, I don’t know how to pronounce that blog post title either. It’s just a nod to the fact that my “Aquatober” challenge – where I try to spend the entire month of October drinking water instead of soda and other sugary drinks – has extended itself all the way through April. Hence, Aquatoberpril.
In my original post about Aquatober I noted that I have varying success every year I try to detox myself (and my wallet) on all of the soda I consume (it’s my liquid vice of choice). Some years I don’t make it the full month. Some years I make it a bit further. Well, this time I’m still going strong some six months later – minus a milkshake I made myself the other day.
I don’t say this because I want a bunch of virtual pats on the back or expect someone to round the corner with a trophy. I mention it because it taught me something new this year. It was the first time I ever mentioned it to anyone beyond my immediate friends or family. And suddenly I felt much more compelled to stick to it. Something about declaring it to the blogosphere made me more committed than ever to not slip up and apparently to not give up – even once November rolled around. It wasn’t like I expected a public shaming if I opted for a Coke one night (heck, it’s not like you’d know) but the enthusiasm you guys showed for it in your comments was apparently a strong motivator to me.
It’s funny because there haven’t been lots of visible rewards for being soda free for six months. Sure, there are probably some extra dollars in my bank account from weeks of just ordering water at restaurants. My dentist might like me a smidge better. But overall I haven’t noticed my energy being way up, my skin being more lustrous or whatever and I certainly haven’t dropped weight (although the book tour might be to blame thanks to all the cupcakes). I think the main satisfaction I’ve gotten is the confidence that I can muster up some willpower when I need to. I can stick to something and I can create a new habit. So I wanted to thank you for your role in that, whether you realized you were helping or not.
Oh, and I’m totally not making any promises about giving up soda for good from here on out. We’re about to enter those hot and humid summer months where all my body wants is something cold and distinctly not water tasting. Anyways, what’s keeping you guys motivated these days? Or, if you’ve ever given up soda, did you notice any big differences from the experience?
John, I am really happy for you. You may not notice significant changes, but your brain sure is thanking you! Chemicals in pop (yes, it’s pop, not soda) like aspartame and dies are extremely bad for you. I really hope you keep up the great work : )
You will be surprised how sweet soda is when you do have one again. We gave it up a few years ago and now can’t enjoy it like we used to. By the way.. we don’t call it soda. We call it pop.
Way to go on being soda free! I drink a lot of water and try to avoid soda most of the time too (with a diet coke as a treat every once in awhile!). On the days when I need a little something else or when I’m out to lunch or dinner with friends and want something more, I find that unsweetened iced tea (decaf if you don’t want the caffeine) with a little lemon does the trick. I also drink a lot of plain seltzer w/ or w/o lime or even any of the naturally flavored seltzers fill the need for something fizzy. Good luck during the summer!!
I never really though about it till now but just because I’m such a cheap-o ($2.79 for a giant cup at a restaurant over time), I stopped ordering soft drinks at restaurants a long time ago! I drink it so rarely now that on the random occasion where I do order a bubbly beverage, I can’t even finish it because I find it so sweet now. We don’t even keep it in the house.
Good for you. I feel better about drinking more ice cold water in general now, too. Hooray!
not the first time you shared aquatober
Oh yes, he linked to the first time he talked about it in the first sentence. Just like you might see us revisit Clara and Burger 500 times over here (new pics, videos, etc) you might find an update post like this in the mix :)
xo
s
i know i’m being picky, but i mean it’s not the first year he’s shared outside friends/family about aquatober. in your archives he talked about it in previous years.
You’re right! He mentioned it offhandedly in a post or two this post from 2010! We both forgot all about that, maybe because they weren’t posts dedicated specifically to that (and just little mentions?) :)
xo
s
Wow! You know you have devoted readers when they can point out miniscule facts that even you, who wrote them, can’t remember! Ha. I’m seriously amazed! What a compliment! :)
Haha, it’s true! Sometimes you guys know more than we do!
xo
s
John! I gave up soda 175 days ago and am excited to see you gave it up also! I have fallen in love with sparkling water so I bought a soda stream (I don’t add any of the flavors…just drink straight sparkling water!) and it is heaven. Spices things up a bit from plan water. I highly recommend it :)
My best friend has one and loves the sparkling water too!
xo
s
I’m super into sparkling water too! I’m waiting to invest in the soda stream ($100) until I see how long this phase lasts.
I gave up my daily soda habit for Aquatober and have stuck with it! I still drink a pop here and there, but not daily like I used to. I substituted sparkling water, and finally just switched to a SodaStream a few weeks ago. It’s great! I’m more hydrated than even and even less tempted to drink pop. Rather than flavored syrups I mostly use fresh/frozen fruit. Today I have two flavors along at work: blackberry lime and meyer lemon. Give it a shot to help ease the summer soda cravings!
This is great timing for me. I’ve just come out of a not-so-successful April Camp NanoWriMo and am kind of in the market for an achievable goal to set and possibly build on. My habit-forming faith kind of took a knock, it has to be said.
I’m not saying it’ll be water, but that’s good advice on making it a bit public. Having a bit of background positive peer pressure on my side might be the way to go. May even see if I can’t ‘go public’ on the forums (if that’s not too ‘off topic’ for over there).
But congratulations on majorly succeeding, even after the finish line!
Good for you, John! I am hopelessly devoted to Coke and resolve to ditch it about twice a week. You give me hope!
And, for all you “pop” people, my part of the world says soda, too. Oh, regional differences… why must you divide us so? :)
Where I came from, it was coke. Everything was coke. You got asked what flavor of coke you wanted. Asked to bring coke to a function? No one batted an eye when you brought grape Shasta.
That’s so funny!
xo
s
We call it soda up here in central PA too :) Kathryn, are you from the deep South? My husband is and when we go to visit his family, and I order “Coke” they ask me “What kind?”. I was always so confused until hubs explained to me that all kinds of “soda” is referred to as “coke” down there. They also put peanuts in their glass bottle Coca Cola which I thought was weird until I tried it; not too bad!
P.S. Congrats John! You should definitely feel proud of yourself! I cut down on my soda intake and upped my water intake and I’ve noticed that I’ve lost some weight. I’m not bloated anymore and I find myself craving ice cold water instead of ice cold soda. When I do have soda, it just doesn’t taste as good anymore.
That’s a Georgia thing… calling it Coke when you’re talking about 7Up or Sprite… :)
I live in Texas (Austin, actually… not Texas), and we call everything coke as well. My coke of choice being Dr. Pepper. My boyfriend is from upstate New York and still gives me a hard time about saying coke (and about me saying y’all). He refuses to jump on the southern bandwagon unfortunately. I give him a hard time about saying “all’s” instead of “all” though. Is that a normal thing for northerners to say? He sounds intelligent when he speaks, until he throws an “all’s” in there. Cringe. Regardless of it being a typical northern thing or not, I make sure to ridicule him as much as possible for it.
Haha, I don’t say all’s (Jersey girl, born and raised) but know lots of people who do, so I totally think it could be a regional thing!
xo
s
In Australia we call it “soft drink”. No idea why-it’s not particularly soft is it!
I’m soda free 7 weeks tomorrow, and it was completely unintentional. I had strep throat and could barely swallow anything except water and chicken broth for 5 days and once I realized I wasn’t having headaches from the lack of caffeine I decided to reinvent myself as someone who doesn’t drink soda (like you, I’m not promising forever, but it’s a healthy choice at this stage).
I do still drink tea sometimes as well, but my office now has a large water dispenser with infused water (just cut up some strawberries, cucumbers, lemons, lime – whatever you like). It definitely helps to have a bit more flavor on occasion.
I’ve always preferred water to other drinks.
The cost of non-water drinks at restaurants astounds me. I always think of what could be done with that money! There’s bound be a few projects or Macklemore Challenges in the savings. (Even if it’s $2/week.)
We never had soda when I was a kid and I never got the taste for it. My dad had worked as a Coca-Cola delivery guy when he was younger and he had literally rotted his teeth out drinking cokes and my mother wanted me to have good teeth.
I drink mostly water–and if I need a kick, I like to get an unsweetened Iced Tea –I carry a few Stevia packets in my bag to use to sweeten it a little.
Congrats, John! Have you ever tried Kombucha? It’s supposed to be a natural soda-substitute, my husband dislikes it (although I think he just says that because he’ll drink it anyways), but I love it. It’s tangy and fizzy and good for you. Perhaps once/if you start drinking soda again, that could be a healthy buffer between carbonated drinks.
Never tried it!
-John
Good job! My husband and I are trying to eat no sugar for the foreseeable future. And by “no sugar”, I mean no refined sugar, and we do cheat on special occasions. But when we do, things are SO sweet now, and we don’t really crave them. Energy-wise, though, I’m mostly just tired. Oh well.
Good for you!! I pretty much prefer water most of the time, but I can definitely relate to the challenge and amazing feeling of reward in forming a new (good) habit. It’s actually one of my favorite concepts, because its what makes us as humans so amazing. Not only can we step back and evaluate ourselves (and I am not just talking about eating habits, but more so personality and relationship ones, etc and anything about ourselves) but we can CHANGE ourselves, and the way to do that is one habit, one tendency, at a time. Good on you!!
Also, you really didnt feel more hydrated than normal or energetic or anything?? Just goes to show you can’t always trust all the “expert” health hype you read online.
Yeah, I wish I could report some major change in my energy or something. Maybe I’m just not in-tune with my body enough to notice? I dunno.
-John
I cut out Pepsi when I was told it was leaching the calcium out of my bones. Not totally convinced of the truth of that claim but I figured it wouldn’t hurt. Of course I switched to sweet tea so no loss of calories or caffeine! Eventually I switched to water or unsweet tea and noticed that I dropped 10 lbs rather quickly. It is all part of the plan to eat less processed foods. I don’t worry about the occasional lapse (usually sweet tea not soda) and the only benefit I notice is in my wallet (which is substantial as I drank 5 or 6 cans a day from a vending machine at work).
So interesting how different regions call it different things. We also call it pop over in Ontario. I try to limit myself to 1 can of coke zero a day, if at all.
Congrats to sticking to this! It can def get hard some days. Is Sherry on board too? I don’t if I could give up coffee…
I don’t really drink soda much to begin with (or sweet tea) so John was more of the power-consumer and I would sip something if he got it (so without him ordering it I’ve been on board too – I just didn’t really feel as addicted to begin with :)
xo
s
I’m fascinated by the regional differences! I love this map that shows what people in the US call soft drinks generically. http://thefw.com/soda-pop-coke-map/ I’m a generic “coke” person who grew up in a generic coke state. Now I’ve lived 3 years in a place where they say “pop,” and it still sounds so odd to me.
That’s an awesome map! My love of maps, soda and infographics all rolled into one.
-John
Good for you John! I am a little short on willpower myself these days…lost 50 lbs 1 year ago and have maintained but just can’t climb up on the bandwagon again for the next necessary 50 :-(
wonderful to realize that you “skinnies” have willpower challenges too (we chubbies often think it is just us!) AND that little steps can win the race…your post today was encouraging …thank you!
….and great news about the new house! And greater news that your little baby girl is soon a BIG THREE!!!! Yppe for you guys!!!
i try to do this every year too, but during the summer months. However I always cave for a nice fresh glass of lemonade. maybe i should try it in the fall instead. aquatober sounds good to me.
i drink water all the time but a nice ice cold glass of coke makes my day sometimes.
i live in Newfoundland, Canada and we call it soda, cola and pop, all means the same to us!
That’s awesome! I gave up soda about a month ago- basically I love a GOOD Coke from McDonalds and it was getting a tad out of hand. I have tried in the past but I always did the “ok, this is my last soda.” and that didn’t work. And then I had rules for when I was allowed to have a Coke. Well the rule list grew by the day haha. This time, I sort of non-consciencely just stopped drinking soda and it’s been at least a month (not sure the exact date). I haven’t noticed many changes either except I eat a heck of a lot less fast food (barely any except Chick-Fil-A) because McDonalds or Taco Bell or BK is just not as good without a soda. ;)
Oh my gosh Laura! I thought I was the only one! McDonalds Coke is way better than anywhere else. It’s the only place I get regular pop.
Congrats! Sticking to anything for this long is great and proof to others that its totally possible! (I need to remember this!) I never really drank pop and I maybe have…3 pops a year? Other than something like a smoothie/juice or an occasional iced tea… Anyways, do you think “everything in moderation” would work for you? Or would you be happier cutting it out totally? Either way, it’s awesome!
I’ve found I’m not good at “in moderation” for some reason. My brain works much better with a cold turkey commitment, which is actually how this all started years ago. I had tried to just “cut back” on my soda drinking and it wasn’t working, so I decided I had to swear it off completely for a full month.
-John
You may not notice a big difference now that you’re drinking more water a day, but if you cut back you may notice that you’re lacking it! I moved from a position where I was at my desk more often and was drinking 48oz.+ during the work day, to one where I was on my feet in the lab more often and lucky to down 12-20oz. a day. I definitely noticed the difference! I was more tired, my skin was drier, my lips were chapped…it was terrible! Definitely a reminder to keep drinking that water.
Thanks Emily!
-John
Kudos John! That is a long time to go without any soda. Question for you – Is green tea (unsweetened) allowed for the aquatober challenge?
I don’t like tea, so it’s out for me, but I think it’s healthy, right? Maybe it would be nice to allow it (kinda like how I let milk in).
-John
Uh oh I found an article that green tea does have caffeine in it: http://www.naturalnews.com/034227_green_tea_caffeine.html
So I guess that puts it in your banned list for the challenge :(
I need some pick-me-up in the morning, water just won’t do it for me. What did you substitute for morning coffee?
I have now become a chai tea obsessed weirdo, which has caffeine in it (never used to drink it, but in the last few months I’ve become addicted to one cup in the morning). John has never been a “morning boost” person though, so he just has milk in his cereal and water to drink. Oh those were the days… haha!
xo
s
Chai tea is yummo! Hubby makes chai for me every morning. A little trivia for you: chai is the Indian(Hindi) word for tea. So “chai tea” literally translates to “tea tea” haha!
Who knew? Thanks for the fun fact!
-John
Congrats, John! Six months is AWESOME!
My blog keeps me honest too. I don’t have 500 million readers like you guys do, but even the few I have keep me from skipping out on things! Like going to an auction house this morning! I didn’t really feel like I had time, but I did it because of the blog and now I’m so glad I did!
My dad has worked for Coca Cola since I was born and Diet Coke basically ran through my veins up until last October. And I mean, 60 ounces on a *good* day. I knew that once I got the lap band I would have to give up carbonation all together, but getting the surgery was worth it to me. I thought for sure it was going to be the hardest thing I ever did in my life, but it ended up being a surprisingly easy thing to do. Every once in a blue moon I’ll cheat and have something carbonated – the thought of an ice cold fountain Sprite or Diet Coke still make s my mouth water. But when I have it, it tastes HORRIBLE! I’ve seriously wondered if the three or four different places I’ve had pop from since October have just all happened to be out of syrup, or if that’s what pop really does taste like, and I just “grew” addicted to it? I’m so glad it’s out of my life now, though!
I’m just like you–I quit drinking diet coke (which I drank to the exclusion of everything else) about a month ago. I think they sound SO good, but when I taste them, they’re horrible! I can’t believe I’ve been drinking–and loving–the taste of that!
Good job, John! My vice is orange soda – has been ever since I was pregnant with my little guy, who’s now 11 months old! I drank the caffeine free stuff while I was expecting. But I’ve recently given it up in favor of water with lemon and lime – so tasty!
Did you find that there was a point where you didn’t crave sugary drinks at all? Or is it still something you have to work on? I would love to just drink water but I always crave the sweetness of juice!
Yeah, it definitely wore off after a couple of weeks. The first few days were tough to break the natural habit of just ordering a drink at a restaurant, and once I broke the instinct there were a couple of days where I had to consciously fight off the craving. But somewhere around the middle of October it was almost second-nature. That’s part of why I didn’t want to break the habit once I had formed it!
-John
Congrats, John! Will power is a great thing! I’m caffeine free right now, so I don´t dring coke or diet coke at all, but I can drink another soda flavors or naranjada or limonada (a mix of water bubble, orange juice or lemon juice with plain water). This is because I got medical advice and sometimes is really hard for me to stick on this, but Im happy because is good for me… So go ahead!
This is fantastic! John, I’m so happy to hear about your ongoing success. I was actually just thinking of Aquatober a couple days ago as May was approaching because I need to give up the sugar for a while. I could live off of froyo and cookies. But not wanting to be diabetic by the time I hit 30, I decided it was time for a little break. Although I couldn’t come up with a name as clever as “Aquatober” (but I am open to suggestions if anyone else out there has an idea), I’m now two days strong, and maybe you’ll inspire me to keep it up until October! Thanks for sharing!
Go John! I cut myself back on caffeinated drinks in general starting last fall when I wanted to put some of the $75-$100/month I was spending for non-water beverages back in my pocket, and that’s definitely been the most obvious benefit! I had also gotten so used to caffeine that I would have a headache if I happened to not have any for 24 hours before, and it’s nice not to have to worry about that anymore! Totally winning!
That’s awesome, 6 months and your will power and determination still intact! A few years ago, during a family challenge, I gave up drinking pop (aka soda I’m Canadian, we say pop). I felt so good not having the sugar rush so I continued with it. I only have the occasional root beer (like twice a year). Two months ago, I gave up all things junk food, sugary and deliciously sweet. Amazingly I don’t even crave chocolate or cake (my vices). I feel so much better and have noticed weight loss. I find the biggest pat on the back you can get for making a big lifestyle change is from yourself. I feel so great!
What used to happen on November 1? Soda all day long?? haha
You don’t crave that delicious crisp Coca-Cola flavor anymore? :P
I’ve usually always eased back into it, so no binges so far! :)
-John
Way to go! When I was in college, I had to give up caffeine for health reasons. Admittedly I was not a total soda addict to begin with, but after nearly a decade without drinking it at all, soda actually tastes bitter and almost corrosive whenever I venture a sip! These days if I want something fizzy and sweet, I put fresh berries in the bottom of a glass with club soda. So light and fresh and good, I don’t think I’ll ever crave another “real” soda.
A good cup of coffee, on the other hand, is still hard to pass up…
You’ll probably be totally shocked next time you have one (if you have one!) because they’re so darn sweet!! I quit drinking them and decided to have one a few months later as a treat–oddly enough, the sugary overly sweetness just grossed me out. I guess I never realized how sweet they were until I went without.
You should check out the book Salt, Sugar, Fat by Michael Moss. It’ll change the way you think about soda for sure!!
I’m actually reading that next! It’s sitting unread on my night table. Ha!
-John
I second (or third?) the suggestion for a soda stream. I mostly cut out soda about a year ago or so when I started following (mostly) a paleo diet. I find that if I’m having a craving for something other than water (like, maybe soda?) a little carbonated water does the trick. Even better with a little squeeze of lime in it. Over the summer I’d put mint leaves in the water overnight before fizzing it – delicious! Sodastream also sells non-caloric and non-chemical sweetener flavor essences that you can add which are pretty good too.
Sounds awesome!
xo
s
Wowza! That is amazing!!! Not even an ICEE or cup of koolaid? Color me impressed :)
Awesome! Do you ever do flavored water? I like to keep a pitcher of water with orange slices in my fridge. It gives me something different than just plain old H20!
I love flavored water! John doesn’t really seem into it. He says things taste like “watered down gatorade” – haha!
xo
s
This is completely off-topic, but I wondered if you guys would ever do a post on books! I know you’ve mentioned off-hand in other posts about books you’ve read and reading in general. I’m always looking for new book recommendations (and frankly feel like I really don’t read enough!), so I’d love to hear about what you guys read!
Do you buy books? Borrow from library? Borrow from friends? E-readers? My boy and I have a ton of books that we’ve read once and now fill up our book cases! What do you do with all your books once you’ve read them?
That would make a fun post! I’ll add it to the list and hopefully we can tackle it soon!
xo
s
Thanks guys! I really hope you do it! Looking forward to it!
I second this request!! I was just in the bookstore last night peeling back book jackets to see if I liked the actual cover enough to YHL it on my shelves. :) But then the paperback was so much cheaper, and my frugal YHL side was shouting. It was a dilemma, I tell ya. :) Would love to hear how you folks keep up your voracious reading habits on a budget!
P.S. I saw The Power of Habit on your “We’re Digging” sidebar a few weeks ago and THANKS for the recommendation! I enjoyed (most of) it!!
I would love that too!
thats a great idea! can’t wait until you guys get around to posting
I actually gave up soda in high school. I ran cross country and my teammates had all done it and said how it was better for them so, like any self-respecting high schooler, I followed what the other kids were doing haha I occasionally want a sip every few months but other than that I stick to water and juice. And I usually find orange juice to be my pick me up in the morning over coffee (that’s a train I’ll never jump on-ick!)
I haven’t given up coke, but I’ve cut down a lot. I used to drink tons of Diet Coke and the like (seriously, close to two liters a day!), but now I just have one or two glasses a week. I’m even able to keep a couple of cans in the fridge and still reach for the water most of the time without feeling compelled to drink the soda instead. I feel like I have a “healthier” relationship with coke now, and one or two cans a week works better for me than all or nothing.
As a treat to your H2Oness, you can nerd out to bike parts.
http://gizmodo.com/some-disassembly-required-exquisite-teardowns-of-every-487106890
WOAH. Mind blown.
-John
You may not feel different, but trust me, your body is thanking you on the inside! Every time we drink or eat something with refined sugar our immune system can be suppressed for up to 5 hours afterwards. Yuck! You are doing a great thing. I salute you!
I have not had a sugary drink in years. I didn’t consume processed sugar at all for about a year, but I missed chocolate and chai tea too much!
Honestly the dietary change doesn’t make me feel heaps better but being a medical student you see the end effects of poor diet every day, and this very strongly motivates me not only to encourage patients from a young age to reduce their processed food intake, but to practice what I preach (except for chocolate and chai tea- you can pry a dark chocolate bar from my cold, dead fingers!)
You go, Mr. Petersik- set a good example for your kiddo!
respectfully,
Georgia
I gave up soda April 2012. I will have sweet tea if we are eating out but for the most part it is water.
Just a few weeks ago I went to the store and bought dry roasted peanuts and in the past I always wanted a Dr Pepper to go with the peanuts. Soooo… I bought a soda, Noooo….haha but once I took a drink it wasn’t as good as I was hoping, in fact I only took a few sips and poured the rest out. We are a no soda family!
When I met my husband he had been soda free for almost 5 years. He told me he was doing it for as long as he could just to see how long he could go. He made it 7 years and finally broke down and had a Mtn Dew the night we closed on our first house! He jokes about doing it again, to see how long he could go…but I dont think he’d make it too far! :-) Im glad youre still going strong but are open to that changing! Good luck and keep it up!
I gave them up over three years ago, my son was 4 and started noticing the diet cherry dr pepper that mommy inhaled. In-haled. However, I didn’t let him have any soda, or much sugar for that matter. I figured I didn’t want to be a hypocrite in front of my kiddo-totally not suggesting you are, so three 1/2 (ish) years later, I’m still soda free. I have diet green iced tea in my fridge, and I went through a crystal light phase…but it’s mostly water! I’ve gotten to the point where I have to keep it on my nightstand for middle of the night thirst. Now sodas taste far too sweet!
I’ve actually seen less pimples and get compliments on my complexion-so that’s just a nice bonus :) I’m more a fan of not having to explain to my now 7 1/2 year old that mommy can have cokes but he can’t-one less battle :)
Good luck John, keep us posted!
I am really glad that you are revisiting this post because I should thank you! I was encouraged to go on a little cleanse when I read your post back in September, and (I’m already gluten and dairy free) decided to cut out all sugary drinks and processed sugars and flours. I still consumed tea and water, and had brown rice as my main carbs.
That being said, I didn’t know that I was like 1.5 weeks pregnant! (this is after trying for a year, btw). So, I was really thankful for the reminder, because I lost 18 lbs, and now I am back here at 8.5 months preggers just getting it back. I am still drinking much less soda, but juice tastes oh so good.
Thanks again guys, I love how you talk about all sorts of things.
Good job, John. I think it’s just a good idea, part of a simpler life ethic, and a great example to Clara too. It makes the rare moments when you do indulge that much more satisfying maybe.
I’ve never had an addiction to sodapops (let’s try to please everyone in nomenclature) but every summer when I return to the U.S. I do drink root beer about once a week because I miss that here in France. My husband thinks it tastes like medicine…
Wow – life without coffee, hardcore.
I think having kids is the thing that has given me will power, you know the way they make it so you have to do the same things over and over again (like cooking and changing diapers and cleaning) to the point where you don’t really question it or need a break anymore? That’s what has given me super discipline – if I really want to I know I can finish any project I set my mind to now. It’s nice, before I was kind of a flake, happy but flaky.
Yes, I gave up drinking pop (Diet Coke) on my birthday, back on March 10. And its true, I haven’t noticed any really big differences, either, although my daughters keep telling me that aspertame was killing me. So, I’ll plug on, with no cool refreshing beverage, unless I switch to lemonade or something this summer.
Great job John!! I drink a coke every once in a great while, but I love my sweet tea!! I can’t live without it.