I might be on to something.

Ben and I both have been trying to find ways to live a more "healthy livestyle".

Since we're both cheap (no $40/month gym memberships for us) and live in the great Artic tundra (no outdoor exercising for us) the best way for us to achieve this is by watching what we eat/drink.

For me specifically, its what I drink. I've made several attempts to cut down/out the amount of soda I drink but have always wussed out because of my no-caffeine-induced headaches and my dislike for the taste of water. Cutting out the coffee was relatively easy - but I found myself drinking another soda or two throughout the day to keep myself awake, increasing the amount of calories I consume a day.

A colleague of mine made the comment during a luncheon when asked about drinking soda that he'd "rather eat his calories" and I made the committment to do the same. Another colleague mentioned that she really liked the taste of Crystal Lite and let me try a single-serving size before I made the plunge. I was hooked.

Each sleeve is two servings and contains no sugar and 10 calories and no caffeine. I get my caffeine fix by drinking the "vitamin enhanced version" which containes 20 calories, no sugar and 10 mg of caffeine. What's even better? A pack of 10 only costs $1.98 (Great Value brand - tastes exactly the same as CL and is 1/2 the price) which is roughly the same as one liter of soda or less than one 20-ounce bottle of soda from the vending machine.

I'm really surprised, but I haven't even craved a soda since I quit about a month ago. Plus, I am drinking about 100% more water than I was before. Throughout a day, I have at least five 20-ounce bottles of water (that are refridgerated tap water in bottles I re-use). So even if I drink five sleeves of the Great Value version of Crystal Lite its still only 50-100 calories versus the 450 calories I used to consume in three sodas per day.

I keep a packet with me in my purse, along with a bottle - and I'm good to go!

The only real downfall is that now I have a small craving for sweets during the evening, but I generally keep a bag of ROLLO's in the freezer for such a craving. The best part is that my skin feels dramatically more hydrated and I don't have to make sure I have quarters in my purse for those frequent trips to the vending machine.

Try it, I dare you!