Help me - how to beat this?

sydneybeachgirl

at every new year I make the same resolution - I will stop drinking a can (375ml) COKE ZERO in the mornings. and every year I fail.

Now before I get the comments on how much sugar etc etc is in a glass of COCA COLA or sugary drinks let me state - I only drink COKE ZERO and only 1 can in the morning....if I have bad day I might have 1 more can later on the day but that is it.
I dont smoke
I dont drink alcohol
I work out - plenty in fact
I dont do sugar
I hate sugary drinks - (soda..)
I have low blood pressure - my resting HRM is barely at 80

I floss - every day

But I dont seem to be able to break my addiction to coffeeine by having a can of COKE ZERO.

I tried switching to coffee but I didnt like it so I switched back
then I tried tea (green tea) - I liked the taste of it but it is a hot drink and I hate waiting for it to cool down...

anyone has any tips how I can break this in 2014?

JesterMFP

Is it causing you problems?

(I'm just thinking, if it's not causing you problems, it seems a fairly arbitrary goal to set, and one that you're expecting to fail at, and then feel bad about. Why not just enjoy your can of coke zero?)

lizziebeth1028

Is it causing you problems?

(I'm just thinking, if it's not causing you problems, it seems a fairly arbitrary goal to set, and one that you're expecting to fail at, and then feel bad about. Why not just enjoy your can of coke zero?)

^^^In agreement! I treat myself with one can of diet soda a day!

ponycyndi

I did have good reasons to quit my diet soda habit, but I'm not sure if the suggested substitutes will work for you. I like other non-caffeinated diet sodas, club soda plain or with a splash of juice. I also drink water with lemon, or crystal light. In my case, I was trying to cut down on the caffeine, and after trying lots of things, I realized that sometimes I want the carbonation, and sometimes I want something sweet to drink, other times I'm just thirsty. It was just a matter of replacing my go-to diet coke with another drink and then not keeping them around.

stt43

Just drink the coke zero. There seems to be absolutely no reason to stop, and you enjoy doing it, so why would you? When you're on your deathbed you aren't going to think 'Oh, I drank to much coke zero, I wish I didn't', you'll think 'why the hell did I make such a bloody fuss over a can of coke zero a day?!'.
It sometimes seems that people think life is a series of punishments, and the more you inflict on yourself the better a person you will be or something..

MrsLannister

I used to drink a twelve pack of Diet Coke every day. I did it for years. When I quit, it was harder than quitting smoking. I went through real withdraw, too, worse than I did with smoking.

What I did was start drinking iced tea sweetened with stevia. Any time I wanted a soda, I drank that instead. I haven't had a Diet Coke in about 3 years. I did try a diet pepsi a few months ago and couldn't even finish more than one sip, it was disgusting. Once you get off the taste you will probably stay off of it.

I occassionally drink a Sierra Mist. It's not necessarily good for you, but it is all natural and sweetened with real sugar. I also like Izze, but it is super expensive. Izze is fruit juice mixed with water and that's it. It is 70% juice, 30% water.

meshashesha2012

it's coke zero, what's the big deal?

plenty of people drink caffeine in the morning. i sometimes will drink diet mountain dew in the morning if the coffee machine at work is broke and a need the caffeine

MeanderingMammal

I will stop drinking a can (375ml) COKE ZERO in the mornings. and every year I fail.

What's your reason for wanting to stop it?

marciebrian

you're perfect enough and must have at least one flaw so humans can still relate ;-) don't get the problem here?

bonjour24

I agree with the majority. What's the issue? It's only one can. If you're adamant you don't want it, then use willpower and have a glass of water instead. Personally, i'd mainline on it if i could! that and coffee.

Capt_Apollo

do you want to stop drinking it in the morning, or in general?? personally, i would drink a soda every afternoon at 3pm for some energy. and then i read that an apple has the same amount of energy as a soda, so i started having that in the afternoon.

another way i stopped with the soda at home is that i don't keep the cans in the fridge. i keep them in a top shelf, in a cupboard. i'd leave one or two in the fridge, so that way i wouldn't be tempted to drink five in a row. also, they were in the back of my fridge, so first i had to move the water and orange juice and other stuff to get to them. annoying.


also, if you want something cold to drink in the morning with a little sugar and caffeine, you can try keeping a pitcher of iced coffee in the fridge.

HollisGrant

You asked for help in trying to break the habit, so I won't tell you to just enjoy the Coke Zero.

I googled Coke Zero to find anything negative and this blog post came up. The blogger goes through the ingredients and concludes while there are chemicals etc. they are in small amounts that probably won't hurt you.

http://www.mhlearningsolutions.com/commonplace/index.php?q=node/5587

You could break this habit the same way you break any habit:
Go cold turkey and break it from self-pride because you are somewhat addicted to it
Aversion therapy (read about it and gross yourself out, or change it - mix it with salt or sugar),
Slowly cut down -- have some but make it less and less every time
Tell yourself you can drink all you want but it has to be under special circumstances (don't keep any around and you have to walk somewhere to buy it)

Sabine_Stroehm

You could try switching to an iced green tea with no calories (store bought) and then to real iced green tea.... Or, what I love is a green tea mixed with passion tea, iced, with stevia. Sometimes I buy it (starbucks) but very often I make mine own in a nalgene bottle and drink it a cup at a time.

Dori_Gaga

If you're not having adverse health effects, then maybe you don't really need to quit.

I have struggled with Diet Coke addiction for years. I'm not talking a can a day, like I mean, I am on my 5th can today alone. I have quit 3 times and it has never lasted.

Every time I quit it was because I was having issues: constant indigestion, jitters, heart palpitations... every time I quit cold turkey and stayed away from it for a couple months. Like you, it's my only real vice... I don't smoke, or do recreational drugs, I rarely drink alcohol... I don't even drink coffee...

I was physically addicted to the caffeine and aspartame, and quitting was so hard, I went through withdrawals, including severe headaches, joint aches, lethargy, feelings of depression and flu-like symptoms.

I wanted to quit again, but I decided I am just going to try to cut back... I am going to try just having one can, a couple times a week. The reason I always go back is that I feel like I'm missing out on my one guilty pleasure, and I tell myself "Ok, I'll just have one...."

It takes a lot of willpower to give it up, and if you don't have a strong enough reason to do it, then you won't. What I mean by that is, if it's not affecting you negatively in some way, it's going to be hard to keep yourself on track when you get the cravings. When I quit the last time, to prepare for it, for a couple weeks I wrote down all the health symptoms I was having, and then I looked at that list every time I wanted a Diet Coke!

If you still really want to though, what helps is to drink lots of water... flush out your system and also if you always have water, you're less likely to go for the Coke Zero. If you are not substituting the caffeine fix, prepare for the headaches.. they only last a couple days to a week though, and once you get through them, the worst is over. If you're only drinking one a day, it shouldn't be too severe.

With the physical withdrawal symptoms over, the rest is will power. Give yourself an incentive, like a reward if you go 10 days without, then 20, then 30, etc. If you always drink it at the same time, or while doing the same thing, change your routine completely so that you aren't reminded that you would usually have it at that time.

And if you're still having a hard time, in the middle of a craving, Google the negative effects of Coke on your body... some are very exaggerated, but you won't want to drink it while you're reading how bad it is!

Ninkyou

I used to drink regular soda... for me, I quit cold turkey and I haven't had any soda is 6 months. I could have just dropped down to Coke Zero or Diet, but I really just didn't want the "habit" anymore, so I cut it out.

JustMeee333

I say just have the coke and set yourself a different resolution this year!

luckydays27

If you have no medical or health issues with drinking it, why do you want to quit? Unless of course, you just want to stop because its something that you cant seem to stop, then by all means use the standard habit breaking mechanisms.

I cant imagine you would have withdrawal symptoms with only one soda a day so its got to be a habit more than a need in you. I was told that it takes 4-6 weeks to break any habit when I quit smoking so you need to avoid coke zero for that time and the habit will no longer be there.

I drink 4-5 diet pepsi's a day. I also drink 10-12 cups of water a day. Other than having to pee all the time, I have had issues with my weight loss. I am down 62 lbs so it was not the diet soda that was making me fat.

Skarlet13

I drink a lot of caffeine free diet pop and I can't stop. Much more than one a day, unfortunately. Maybe one day I'll quit it, but not for now.

sydneybeachgirl

I will stop drinking a can (375ml) COKE ZERO in the mornings. and every year I fail.

What's your reason for wanting to stop it?

I worry about the carbon and addicity - it is not good for your theeth - it eats away the enamel...:( Even thought I floss and see my dentist every 3 months I can see the impact (((((((((((

I do drink a lot of water - easily go through a 2litre bottle a day -about 12 glasses a day

sydneybeachgirl

I did try going cold turkey...and it works for about 2 or 3 months...then I get to a stage when I have to put in some late hours work and still have my "brain" next morning...and then I reach for the coke zero ((( it is bloody everywhere!

oh..I forgot to add - I do take calcium and magnesium supplement - I have always been low in these and if you work out you can get nasty cramps if you low in calcium. whilst I am aware that the acid in the coke products can erase calcium in your body I already compensate for that ..still......I worry that come 2014 I will fail again on my resolution to break this awful habbit...:((((

lynn_glenmont

I will stop drinking a can (375ml) COKE ZERO in the mornings. and every year I fail.

What's your reason for wanting to stop it?

I worry about the carbon and addicity - it is not good for your theeth - it eats away the enamel...:( Even thought I floss and see my dentist every 3 months I can see the impact (((((((((((

I do drink a lot of water - easily go through a 2litre bottle a day -about 12 glasses a day

??Brush your teeth right after you drink the soda, if the impact on your teeth is your real concern?

OK, so if I follow this, the caffeine isn't the issue. It's the carbon (?? - you mean the carbon dioxide? -- every time you exhale through your mouth you blow carbon dioxide on your teeth) and the acidity, and you want a cold, caffeinated substitute, and you don't like coffee. What about cold iced tea? Also, I think there are bottled plain and flavored waters that have caffeine in them.

allaboutthecake

I will stop drinking a can (375ml) COKE ZERO in the mornings. and every year I fail.

What's your reason for wanting to stop it?

I worry about the carbon and addicity - it is not good for your theeth - it eats away the enamel...:( Even thought I floss and see my dentist every 3 months I can see the impact (((((((((((

I do drink a lot of water - easily go through a 2litre bottle a day -about 12 glasses a day

I used to drink acid-based diet drinks till my dentist showed me under black-light what it was doing to my pearly whites at the gum-line....and since I have a mouth full of serious money, I decided I wanted to keep my teeth more than I did the drinks. Cuz once that enamel is gone around the gumline, out comes the crowns and in goes the screw/posts at a cost of $3,300 each.

So choose to keep your teeth or not if this is truly your reason.

prezo83

Great..

Now I want a Coke Zero..

Polda2010

Well...when was the last time you went to see a dentist and he or she told you to give up the only 1 can of sugar free soda???or 2...

SLLRunner

I used to drink one of those 1 liter bottle of diet coke every day and couldn't figure out why I was jittery all the time. As soon as I cut it out, the jittery feelings went away. I found out I'm pretty sensitive to caffeine so I cut them out and only drink caffeine diet root beer and Zevia sodas (cream, ginger beer).

If you want to cut coke zero out then just do it. If you want to just limit it to certain times, do that. You have the control over food and drinks, it does not control you. Discipline is the answer.

However, if you really don't want to cut it out, then no amount of discipline will help you.

So, do you just wan to cut it out completely or just learn how to limit drinking it?

septembergrrl

Is it causing you problems?

(I'm just thinking, if it's not causing you problems, it seems a fairly arbitrary goal to set, and one that you're expecting to fail at, and then feel bad about. Why not just enjoy your can of coke zero?)

^^^In agreement! I treat myself with one can of diet soda a day!

Yup, this. I try not to overdo it, but in moderation diet soda hardly counts as a vice at all.

sydneybeachgirl

Thanks guys..
I will definately try again in 2014
it is however frustrating how such a small bad habbit is difficult to break - I am very disciplined person when it comes to exercise or working out etc but this habbit seems to be the hardest to break..never mind a new year's resolution to compete in a cycling event of 98KMs - that will be easy to deliver on.....moving from 1 can of Coke zero a day to may be only 2 cans a WEEK will be a challenge...but I will try!

allaboutthecake

I have low blood pressure - my resting HRM is barely at 80

Your resting heart rate is 80bpm? That's pretty poor and am assuming this is accurate. I would be inclined to get this checked out myself if I were you. (My resting HR is 50, fwiw). :flowerforyou:

sydneybeachgirl

I have low blood pressure - my resting HRM is barely at 80

Your resting heart rate is 80bpm? That's pretty poor and am assuming this is accurate. I would be inclined to get this checked out myself if I were you. (My resting HR is 50, fwiw). :flowerforyou:

thanks...had it checked out - part of my 6month medical I always get the green pass so I dont worry, but thanks for the concern

sydneybeachgirl

I have low blood pressure - my resting HRM is barely at 80

Your resting heart rate is 80bpm? That's pretty poor and am assuming this is accurate. I would be inclined to get this checked out myself if I were you. (My resting HR is 50, fwiw). :flowerforyou:

thanks...had it checked out - part of my 6month medical I always get the green pass so I dont worry, but thanks for the concern

oh suuuuuuuggggarrrrr....just realised I gave the wrong measurement.....80 was my BP..not RHR....apologies for the confusion foks...Xmas brain here

SLLRunner

I have low blood pressure - my resting HRM is barely at 80

Your resting heart rate is 80bpm? That's pretty poor and am assuming this is accurate. I would be inclined to get this checked out myself if I were you. (My resting HR is 50, fwiw). :flowerforyou:

I think so too. My resting heart rate is also around 50.