Diet Coke vs. Camelbak

I like Diet Coke. And by like I mean love. And by love I mean obsessed. And by obsessed I mean addicted. And by addicted I mean I am a Diet Coke Fanatic.

On a usual day, I drink anywhere between 70 to 132 oz. Ask any previous roommate and they can vouch that I always have a 24-pack stashed in my closet. Ask any current classmate and they could probably count on one hand the number of times I HAVEN’T had a Diet Coke in class.

I don’t discriminate- I drink from a can or a cup. With ice or without. Addition of vanilla or keep it in its original form. My dealers include Sonic, Quench Buds, the Barn, or a gas station. It doesn’t matter.

My passion for Diet Coke even leads me to steer clear of Pepsi Restaurants. When I am with an indecisive group who is throwing out food options, I always veto those who refuse to serve Diet Coke. This gets a laugh from everyone, but seriously. I really don’t like not having the DC option!

Let me tell you how I got to this point... Way back in the day, at the young age of 9, I was a Dr. Pepper fan. (Gasp of horror and disgust.) My family and relatives took a week long trip to the lake. Our cabin was out in the middle of nowhere, so we went grocery shopping once in the middle of the week. With five kids hooked on Dr. Pepper, the ice chest was out of DP by Saturday afternoon. Our parents said we would have to deal and offered us water and Sunny D. Unlike my cousins and sister, I couldn’t make the switch! I craved the bubbly, brown, syrupy goodness... And my closest option was.... Diet Coke. It took a couple cans, but by the end of the weekend, my fate was set in stone.

So, I know people are concerned by my habits. It is rare that I drink water. I know this isn’t a good life choice. My nutritionist rips me a new one every time I go in for an appointment and tell her my average water intake is 12 oz. a day (which is an extreme stretch of the imagination). But I can’t seem to change. I have tried limiting my intake and going cold turkey. However, I always end up with a Diet Coke back in my hand. Even with the notion of losing more weight and avoiding possible cancer, there is just something about Diet Coke that keeps me coming back for more.

I had heard from various sisters that Camelbak water bottles increased how much water you drink. It is a "fun" way to drink water. Way better than the old time way of drinking straight from the bottle or through a straw. At this point, I am desperate to bring up my water levels (not necessarily eliminate Diet Coke, though). Both for my health and for my bank account. Diet Coke is a huge expense. So, intrigued by the possibility, I checked out amazon.com and found some great deals. Not to mention the dang bottles come in lime green!! I eagerly placed my order and received the glorious package last week.

Now, they should really send some instructions with these contraptions! Thank goodness I had some of my hip friends who knew how it worked. Their suggested technique: “Bite and suck.” with an encouraging comment of, “You’ll get the hang of it.”

While drinking my Camelbak, I feel my inner-green-hippie-self bubbling up. It feels good to hydrate in style (or at all for that matter), but I can’t really tell if the Lime Green Bottle Water trumps my desire for Styrofoam Cup with a Straw Diet Coke.

Only time will tell...

My bet is that the Camelbak’s attempt on killing the Diet Coke will ultimately fail, like every other technique that came before it.