I decided to break up with soda for 2021. I am nearly done with Day 6 and doing much better than I predicted. I thought I would be DYING for just a SIP of Caffeine Free Diet Coke. Instead, I occasionally feel a flutter of a soda craving that is easily squashed with some fruity sparkling water.

I think two things have been helping me with my 2021 Soda Fast.

First, my soda consumption was out of control in December. I was guzzling caffeine-free soda almost constantly. My blood was probably brown with Caffeine Free Diet Coke. By December 31, 2020, I was honestly sick of soda.

But I made myself keep drinking soda on New Year’s Eve as a sort of last hurrah. My gums were actually hurting but I soldiered on. I was disgusted with the stuff by the time I went to bed on the last day of 2020. I woke up on New Years’ Day eager to shed myself of an addiction that had turned from pleasure to burden.

Second, I am tracking my soda free days. I tracked a lot of my self-care practices in my bullet journal in 2020 but decided to get fancy with my tracking this year and created some templates on Canva.

At day’s end, I fill in a heart bubble to commemorate the success of another Soda Free day. It’s very satisfying to see the bubbles filling up. Now that I have a streak, I feel even more motivated to see just how long I can keep this fast going.

It seems absurd that filling in a heart bubble with green crayon makes me glow with pride, but it does. Maybe next month I’ll up my game to shiny star stickers…