New Years Resolution: no more diet drinks

krist3ng

After reading up on Donald Trump’s soda habits in the news, I realized I drink waaaaay more diet soda than advisable. I could drink a 2-liter bottle in a day. I delight in going to 7-11 and getting enormous Double Gulps. It’s a huge addiction. I also drink tons of Crystal Light. So it’s my resolution this year to quit drinking beverages with artificial sweeteners.

Does anyone have experience with drastically cutting down? Is there some magical solution to this other than just drinking plain water all day? I know I have trouble staying hydrated if it’s not delicious.

I want to go cold turkey by Jan 1, but easing into it might be helpful.

Wynterbourne

If you want to cut down, cut down, but there's nothing wrong with diet soda so don't cut down just because you think it should be avoided.

https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1308408/why-aspartame-isnt-scary

RuNaRoUnDaFiEld

No way. I drink tons of the stuff.

kommodevaran

Trying to cut out something I like has never worked well, and by well, I mean permanently. Motivation to do things is complex, but I think you really have to dislike someone in order to use the fact that they do it, as an effective deterrent. I couldn't even use "health scare" or "hot body" to motivate me to lose weight. Demonizing (and that includes calling it an addiction), only makes me want it more. I need a reason I find reasonable(!) and rational. For me, eating or drinking anything besides water, black coffee and unsweetened tea between meals, unless it's a special occasion, weakens my boundaries.

(I have never been especially attracted to soda, but overconsumed other things.)

I drink water because I need to stay hydrated, not because it's fun. An easy routine for me is to drink two cups when I get up in the morning, and then one glass before each meal and/or before I brush my teeth. (I've been loosening up quite a bit. I used to make sure I really had at least 8 cups each day.)

sijomial

If your current drinks contain caffeine then "going cold-turkey" would be a mistake and possibly give you dreadful headaches. Tapering down over time would avoid that.

"Is there some magical solution to this other than just drinking plain water all day? I know I have trouble staying hydrated if it’s not delicious."
Moderation instead of exclusion?
Substitution? But beware the calories in whatever you drink instead. (I drink a lot of unsweetened tea and tap water.)

Must admit not really seeing the need or benefit to cutting out drinks you enjoy, have low calories and hydrate you.

Francl27

Diet soda made me crave sweets more... not sure why it's always done that for some reason.

Calichusetts

Diet ginger ale is a great sub and gateway to seltzer

WinoGelato

What are your specific concerns with the diet sodas and artificial sweeteners? Or is the motivation more to not emulate Donald Trump's habits?

nickssweetheart

Do you like the sweetness or the fizz? If it's the sweetness, you could try drinking water with a splash of fruit juice in it, or if it's the fizz, I like club soda with lime.

I don't know if you saw the post about choosing where to exert your willpower, but there are lots of areas I prefer to focus upon rather than depriving myself of something I like that doesn't hurt me or anyone else. We're all here for different reasons, though, so if diet soda is where you choose to focus, more power to you, but I think it's an odd choice if you are still working on other goals like losing or gaining weight or meeting your nutritional requirements.

Although I sympathize with not wanting to emulate Donald Trump.

lemurcat12

It's got caffeine, so if you want to cut down, think about cutting down, not going cold turkey. If you want to quit abruptly, it will be easier if you add in some other source of caffeine for a while. I stopped drinking it entirely for a while, but was drinking coffee, so I just subbed water for the soda. I've quit coffee cold turkey and if you've been drinking a lot of caffeine you can get headaches for a few days. I never thought it was all that bad, but tapering down will be easier given the amounts you say you consume.

You could also just put rules around your consumption -- only between certain hours or only if I drink an equal amount of water or some such. I don't think there's anything wrong with diet soda, but if you are trying to save money or wean off of a habit of drinking it to excess or instead of anything else, I don't think cutting it way back is a bad thing to do at all.

(Nicksweetheart's point about will power is why I did not try to cut back on coffee -- which I like black and is my thing I tend to drink to excess -- the first year I was losing weight. But that might not apply to you.)

AngryViking1970

Yeah, I'm good with zero calorie sodas and such. You can have my Fresca when you pry it from cold dead hands.

KANGOOJUMPS

just drink your whiskey straight.

jsminer827

I know that most would tell you that drinking diet sodas is perfectly fine... it really comes down to you. I know, for me, that drinking diet soda or diet anything... the artificial sweeteners lead to my sweet tooth convincing me that I need more sweet stuff which is a definite contributor to how I ended up 100 pounds overweight. I've gotten 75 of it off, but the thought of bringing it back, makes me think the last 25 would stay out of reach. I have learned to love seltzer - the lack of sugar/sweet resulted in a long time for me to come around to liking it, but it feeds the need for a bubbly alternative to plain water.

whitpauly

I find that diet soda helps my sugar cravings but we're all different and I could see it triggering for others,I do like that it helps me feel full of I sip it with a meal but I only drink it once or twice a week a a treat

beaglady

I don't have any advice for you. For myself, diet soda is a perfect calorie-free substitute for a sweet snack. Diet root beer or Dr. Pepper especially seem to satisfy my sweet tooth and help me avoid eating sweets as an afternoon snack. Seltzer is a great option for thirst quenching especially during hot weather.

FireOpalCO

Try Dasani sparkling water, they aren't sweetened. Coke Freestyle machines have the Lime flavor and you can buy the other flavors in cans at the grocery store. I'm partial to the Tropical Pineapple. I dislike La Croix so was pleasantly surprised when I tried the Dasani and like it a lot.


I've also found buying cans/glass bottles of what I want to drink also helps with portion control.

krist3ng

kommodevaran wrote: »

Trying to cut out something I like has never worked well, and by well, I mean permanently. Motivation to do things is complex, but I think you really have to dislike someone in order to use the fact that they do it, as an effective deterrent. I couldn't even use "health scare" or "hot body" to motivate me to lose weight. Demonizing (and that includes calling it an addiction), only makes me want it more. I need a reason I find reasonable(!) and rational. For me, eating or drinking anything besides water, black coffee and unsweetened tea between meals, unless it's a special occasion, weakens my boundaries.

(I have never been especially attracted to soda, but overconsumed other things.)

I drink water because I need to stay hydrated, not because it's fun. An easy routine for me is to drink two cups when I get up in the morning, and then one glass before each meal and/or before I brush my teeth. (I've been loosening up quite a bit. I used to make sure I really had at least 8 cups each day.)

Haha I wrote my post at like 4 am and should have mentioned that Donald Trump drinking lots of Diet Coke led to many scary articles about dementia/diabetes risks being 3x higher for regular diet soda drinkers. Although I also wouldn’t want to emulate any of Trump’s habits, lol.

I see what you mean about moderation vs total abstinence. But I know myself and I usually need some sort of a “rule” to follow, so maybe my strategy can be to cut it completely for 2 months and then just have it on special occasions.

Interesting thoughts on motivation. Personally, I like the feeling of challenge that I get from drastic changes, but at the same time drastic is harder to stick with long term.

krist3ng

AngryViking1970 wrote: »

Yeah, I'm good with zero calorie sodas and such. You can have my Fresca when you pry it from cold dead hands.

I love Fresca so damn much..... Fresca, Diet Dr. Pepper, and Diet Coke are my holy trinity....

krist3ng

FireOpalCO wrote: »

Try Dasani sparkling water, they aren't sweetened. Coke Freestyle machines have the Lime flavor and you can buy the other flavors in cans at the grocery store. I'm partial to the Tropical Pineapple. I dislike La Croix so was pleasantly surprised when I tried the Dasani and like it a lot.


I've also found buying cans/glass bottles of what I want to drink also helps with portion control.

I didn’t know that about the coke machines— I will check that out!!!

Haha unfortunately I love the feeling of cracking open a can of soda too much... whenever I buy those 12-packs of soda I just drink them all in a row

(Not a huge lacroix fan either but I might come around on it)

cwolfman13

AngryViking1970 wrote: »

Yeah, I'm good with zero calorie sodas and such. You can have my Fresca when you pry it from cold dead hands.

@AngryViking1970

Oooooo...another Fresca person. I've found that we are rather rare...I like the black cherry citrus the best...

ETA: OP, you might have better luck establishing times when you can have your diet soda rather than trying to completely eliminate something you enjoy.

I used to be a big regular soda guy...anywhere from 3-6 cans or more per day. I weened myself down and gave myself times when I could have one to where eventually I was having one with lunch a couple times per week and then eventually I just stopped drinking them.

I didn't get into diet soda for awhile because I never like most of the stuff I tried until I found Fresca...I don't drink a lot, but I do have one with lunch a few days per week and in the evening with some vodka if I want a cocktail.