I'm not a dietician, but I just fundamentally try to avoid artificial anything. Just seems like the logical move since we are what we eat, and our bodies deserve the right fuel.

I do miss the occasional soda (cream and orange), but it wasn't something I had often. I try to think of those YouTube videos of Coke being used to polish metal or dissolve eggshells, and then I think of what is might be doing internally if drank regularly. That deters me whether it has fake sugar or not, ya know?

I also stay completely away from natural sweeteners which are in protein powders and protein bars, etc.. I don't trust them for a variety of reasons. I actively make sure they're not in the things I buy. "While the FDA says these sweeteners will not cause cancer, they are linked to increased cravings of sweet foods, cavities, and changes in the gut microbiome." I personally don't want to risk anything that may be rumored to be linked to cancer.

Another idea is to turn to more natural and raw foods that our bodies are best designed to handle. While turning to non-GMO and organic is probably even better, it's impractical these days. Processed foods are easier to avoid though. They may have the nutritional value, but processed anything is probably not great, and there are lots of ingredients that our bodies weren't intended to consume. I don't want to mess with that when I can control things, but it's impossible to avoid them - so I just avoid when possible.

The formula is simple. Burn more than you consume. Put the right fuel in the tank. Lots of quality water. Stay positive. Stay consistent. Stay active. It takes time for your body to change its habits, but like holding in a bear market, the momentum changes. Once it does, you can sustain it for as long as you want until it becomes second-natured. You'll also be getting results with your muscles, but it won't be easy to notice until the layers come off. You have to trust the process under the hood from the inside out.

100 reps of anything a day on top of whatever you like. It could even be hand-gripping exercises if you need to start small. Keep the blood flowing and metabolism up.