Of all the posts yours jumped out at me the most. When I went to basic training it was two months forced with absolutely NO carbonated drinks and NO powerade or drinks with sugar - only water. At the end on family day my dad came down to take me out to eat and hang out, and I thought the only thing I wanted was a mountain dew and some M&Ms. The mountain dew made me feel lethargic and after half the bag of M&Ms I actually felt sick. Over the past year or so I have been trying this, only drinking water at restaurants and also at home. Sometimes I have some juices and tea, and I drink milk fairly regularly in the mornings. I really never buy carbonated drinks, and when I go to someone's house and that's all they have it kinda sucks because It seems I'm pretty conditioned not to even like them. They make me feel lazy and bloated, and definitely too "thick" or "viscous" if that makes sense. Generally I'll drink tap water first. I'd say just stick to your guns about the soft drinks and it will eventually come. Try longer than a week or month or so and you'll probably start to see the difference. Imagine it like a gravity well, and soft drinks are the sun's gravity. You will eventually escape and get to the point where there is no desire whatsoever.
My diet doesn't really change much...If I really make a conscious effort I can keep my calories around 1800-2000 and feel great. But unfortunately I have a problem sticking with things, especially when I'm busy, so I have days when I'd be afraid to count the calorie intake... thus my weight stays pretty much the same...
