The Water Experiment update

I've been getting a lot of inquiries from my readers about how my water experiment is going, so I thought I would use today's blog to give you an update. Today is the 16th day of the new year and so far I have not had one soda. Oh, a little background for my new readers and any guests who might be reading my blog for the first time. My New Year's resolution this year, like many people, was to lose weight. But I chose to go about it a little differently. I have always hated diets and have found them too complicated or too difficult to carry out for long periods of time and have concluded that that is why most people abandon them after a short while. My idea was to make losing weight simple and easy. So I created The Water Experiment. I thought of an area in my diet and non-healthy lifestyle, that I could improve or eliminate. I chose to give up sodas for the entire year (just sodas) and replace my soda consumption with water. I figured that water was good for you and obviously better than sodas, even diet sodas, which I have also disliked (except for Diet Dr. Pepper). The results? So far, after a little over two weeks into the year, I have lost 5 pounds. In addition, I have concluded that I am also saving a fair amount of money, at least a dollar or more a day, by not purchasing sodas at the restaurants I visit. As a public service to my readers, I have also been keeping a list of the eating establishments that encourage (or at least do not discourage) water drinkers by giving them regular drinking cups. In addition, I have been keeping a log (kind of a blacklist) of those dining places that make water drinkers feel unwelcome or cheap, by giving them "special" water cups instead of what the soda drinkers get. So here now is the list of what I call Water Supporters (note, some of these places my not be in your area as I live in St. Louis, MO):

Burger King
O'Charley's
Frailey's
Taco Bell
Jack in the Box
McDonald's
Culver's
Arby's
The Pasta House
White Castle

CJ Muggs

Now, here is the list of who I refer to as Water Discriminator's:

Einstein Bros Bagels
St. Louis Bread Co.
Panara Bread
Subway

The Fatted Calf

Lion's Choice

I will say that at St. Louis Bread Co., I did ask the cashier for a regular cup and she gave me one, so negotiation can be effective on a case by case basis. On the other hand, Bread Co. has the smallest "special" water cups and they place them by the soda machine to make you feel even more "not part of the plan"! Obviously, I will continue to keep updating my lists and will eventually put them on my blog permanently (on the right-hand column). Well, that's a wrap for now. I have to think about where I will go to lunch today...