(typed up last night but fell asleep before I hit post - on the lounge again!)

Today is the end of day two of me not drinking diet coke. I decided that I needed to give it a break as I was drinking far too much to be considered healthy (4-5 cans during the day at work and if there was a bottle at home 1.25 litres at night). It had got to the point where I was drinking no water at all and just buying more and more d.coke. So I stopped. And I take my hat off to anyone who has a serious substance addiction because coming off d.coke has been hard. Pathetic isn’t it.

Day one started well with me feeling really positive and drinking loads of water and the ocassional cup with a splash of cordial in it. I perhaps could have been considered ‘bouncy’. But after lunch that all changed. I was craving it and I got the biggest headache behind my eyes. I got sleepy and cold and I was getting goose bumps on my arms and legs (it was a 33 degree day). I took some headache tablets and that helped a little but I was getting dizzy and I got the shakes at about 3.00pm. I drank 3 litres of water during the work day (only 4 cups of which had cordial in it) and I ate really well but it was hard work as I was trying not to eat my d.coke craving.

Today was a bit better. Even though I am used to having a can for breakfast the real cravings don’t kick in until lunch time. I still had a headache today but a lot more bearable than yesterday. But by 3.00pm I had eaten all the food that I had brought with me and when I got home I must have opened the fridge about a hundred times looking for ’something’. I ended up eating 1/4 of an avocado with a tablespoon of pinenuts - scraped right out of the shell, and 4 celery sticks covered in cream cheese. I also ate all of Oscars left over steak (about 1/3 of a small steak) so I suppose I did OK. After we picked Mark up from the airport we had a little late surprise Birthday party (it was his birthday on Monday) and I did help to eat some of the mini mud cake. But in the end I still did not go over points for the day (yaaay me)

It is days like these that I need a good hug.

And I got one.

When I was coming back from my walk at lunch time I went through Pitt Street Mall and this guy was there giving away free hugs. No one was hugging him so I went right up to him with my arms out wide and gave him the biggest hug.

It felt really good.

Please note that the film clip has music in it which is fantastic so turn up your volume, and I am not in the film clip - this was done a little while ago and sent to me by Cath a couple of weeks ago. Which is how I knew who he was. I encourage everyone to hug a stranger, and there is no one stranger than me LOL.

Original post by M