The Zero Diet

So Coca-Cola has come out with a new zero calorie soda: Coke Zero. Okay, so it's not exactly new. According to Wikipedia, the product was launched in July 2006, making it just over a year old. But a new product -- especially one vying for consumers in the soft drink war -- takes a little time to get a toehold.

My wife, who has been a Diet Coke drinker for some time now, has converted to Coke Zero. It's a zero calorie cola that truly tastes very much like original Coca-Cola. I'm a serious skeptic when it comes to cola claims. For one, I cannot tolerate the sugary sweet taste of Pepsi-Cola, and can only barely tolerate Royal Crown Cola. Coca-Cola has long been my choice. If we find ourselves eating at a restaurant that only serves Pepsi products, I'll choose Mountain Dew, but never Pepsi!

So my wife, maybe a week or two ago, challenged me to try Coke Zero. As a skeptic, I had held out for quite some time, until one day with a serious Coke craving and nothing else in the house, I opened one of her cans and took a drink.

At first, I noticed a mild aftertaste. Now, I have to say, the aftertaste of Coke Zero was nothing compared to that of other calorie free soft drinks (namely Diet Coke). The taste of Diet Coke stays with you for hours. Coke Zero has a very mild aftertaste that fades away rather quickly and, believe it or not, seems to actually enhance the flavor.

So I've become sold on Coke Zero. I haven't had any other soft drink for almost two weeks now. In fact, I told my wife that I could switch to Coke Zero and, making absolutely no other changes to my diet or activity level, actually lose weight. I believe that my metabolism is such that it is completely possible to lose weight just by eliminating the 160 or so calories I consumed in each serving of a soft drink that I had.

Well, I never actually hit the scale to test this theory until tonight. As of this evening, I weigh 190 pounds. I won't guess what I weighed two weeks ago when I eschewed all other soft drinks. But I will keep you up to date on the progress of this Zero Diet of mine, with updates several times a week.

In the meantime, I strongly encourage you to pop the top on a can (or bottle, though I prefer the taste from a can) of Coca-Cola Zero and take a swig. It really does taste just like The Real Thing!

Joe