This is another life lesson learned on the journey: it's much easier to stay away from something when you travel with like-minded people. If the people around you aren't doing it, you're less likely to find yourself wanting to do it. I think this is partly due to the subtle nature of social pressure.
As human beings, being likeable is an important component of success. Being different - radically different than your peers - makes you stand out and tends to also make you less likeable. Human beings especially dislike people who look like them but do not behave like them. Instincts tell us, then, that blending in is best and we blend in best when we do what the people around us do.
So, when you're around a bunch of people drinking soda, you have an instinct that tells you to drink soda because that's what everyone else is doing. When you're around people who aren't drinking soda, you'll also feel less compelled to drink it - in fact, you may find yourself feeling hesitant to drink it - because nobody else is drinking it.
One thing I did notice wasn't positive. When my monthly cycle came, it came with cramps. I was quite surprised by this because I have read so often that carbonated beverages like soda are giant culprits in causing them, and I haven't had a single bit of them in 17 days. I will have to investigate this further, and see if it happens again next month.
I am coming up on the 20 day mile marker, and when I do I will do my measurements again to see how much change has occurred between then and now. I'm not honestly expecting to see much more, because I haven't felt the changes in the way my clothes fit this time. We'll see. My activity level has been about the same, though, and I still take daily walks of about a mile or more.
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