Diet coke/pepsi addiction...HELP!!

RllyGudTweetr

That stuff is full of **** .. why do you think that the big companies spend billions of dollars telling us we need to drink it. Cause they know that stuff is bad .. but they just want to make a buck, or a few billion.

So .. I stopped pop cold turkey last August and have never felt better. I used to drink Diet Pepsi like crazy .. and now, no thanks.

This is probably the same reason folks keep pushing fresh vegetables on us; Big Farm just wants to make a buck. *Nods sagely.*

Kaylee_law_123

I had the same addiction ... but somehow the cravings went away when I got pregnant, not sure it's a method I would recommend to get over the addiction though lol.

Fullsterkur_woman

That stuff is full of **** .. why do you think that the big companies spend billions of dollars telling us we need to drink it. Cause they know that stuff is bad .. but they just want to make a buck, or a few billion.

So .. I stopped pop cold turkey last August and have never felt better. I used to drink Diet Pepsi like crazy .. and now, no thanks.

This is probably the same reason folks keep pushing fresh vegetables on us; Big Farm just wants to make a buck. *Nods sagely.*

You can have my Coke Zero and my spinach when you pry it from my cold, dead hands!

fwgrant

I've noticed diet soda makes me hungry........stay away!

elissa71710

There are a ton of products out there that are approved by the FDA and the ADA. That doesn't mean that they are good for you or that they won't put your body through hell in the long run. I guess since McDonalds is allowed to operate all around the world we should be eating that every day, right? Just because some persons grandmother has been drinking it for ages and is perfectly fine doesn't mean anything. My grandma has been smoking for 60 years and she is healthy as anything. Guess what? My husbands dad died of LUNG CANCER AT 40 from smoking. Cigarettes are perfectly legal! Guess that makes them okay?

Here is a study from the FDA (which I believe to be a credible source) on aspartame toxicity:

http://www.fda.gov/ohrms/dockets/dailys/03/jan03/012203/02p-0317_emc-000199.txt

72JenniferW

Haaah! Great image- There are few things funnier than a Beaker "Meep" meltdown.

RllyGudTweetr

There are a ton of products out there that are approved by the FDA and the ADA. That doesn't mean that they are good for you or that they won't put your body through hell in the long run. I guess since McDonalds is allowed to operate all around the world we should be eating that every day, right? Just because some persons grandmother has been drinking it for ages and is perfectly fine doesn't mean anything. My grandma has been smoking for 60 years and she is healthy as anything. Guess what? My husbands dad died of LUNG CANCER AT 40 from smoking. Cigarettes are perfectly legal! Guess that makes them okay?

Here is a study from the FDA (which I believe to be a credible source) on aspartame toxicity:

http://www.fda.gov/ohrms/dockets/dailys/03/jan03/012203/02p-0317_emc-000199.txt

That appears, by my reading, to be the writings of an individual (Mark Gold) TO the FDA, pursuant to a legal action he - or the group he represented - was taking against the FDA regarding aspartame.

Mark Gold's further opinions on the subject can be seen here:
http://americanloons.blogspot.com/2011/02/154-mark-gold.html

Natmarie73

And don't forget that the FDA also approved thalydomide as being perfectly safe on the advice of Big Pharma scientists based on sound "scientific" evidence. And we all know what happened there. Not to mention the totally flawed study on saturated fat that still has repercussions today. I am waiting to see what the outcome is from the gross over prescription of "scientifically proven safe" statins.

Sorry if I sound a little too "conspiracy theory" but here I am very sceptical about "science" that is funded by pharmaceutical companies, chemical companies and governments and tend to keep an open mind about alternative sources of information.

pennymcox

I am not a scientist, but I've always thought it was just common sense that putting man-made chemicals in my body came with a certain amount of risk. That wasn't enough to deter me from my decades-long Diet Coke habit however. My nurse sister-in-law always told me 'You're going to get a brain lesion from drinking that stuff", but I chose to believe the scientific studies that said it was safe. Until 5 years ago when they discovered a growing tumor (i.e., lesion) in the left ventricle of my brain. Let me tell you having brain surgery that goes deep into your brain is very scary. Luckily I had a great surgeon at Johns Hopkins and the surgery was a complete success. I haven't touched a diet soda since I got that diagnosis. The doctor couldn't say what caused my tumor, but it was not cancer.

One thing I've learned is that many "scientific studies" (even those conducted by prestigious universities) are funded by the industry that stands to gain the most if the conclusion (or lack of conclusion) of the study goes in their favor. And anyone who is paying attention to all the health claims out there knows that many scientific studies are often proven wrong with later studies

So, bottom line is that everyone needs to decide their own risk tolerance and act accordingly. I wouldn't presume to lecture or judge anyone who chose to continue their habit. I would just caution those who have a history of consuming aspartame to be familiar with the symptoms of brain lesions and consult your doctor if you begin experiencing any of them. Luckily my tumor was not in a spot that made it "inoperable", but had it grown much larger, there was a good chance that it would become a serious situation very quickly and require life-saving emergency brain surgery.

Since my brain surgery adventure, I've learned of others who were not so lucky . A few have tumors that are not cancer but are large and/or in locations that make them impossible to remove. In the two cases I am familiar with, the tumor was going to kill them as it continued to grow. It was only a matter of time. Both are relatively young women with young families (I've since lost contact with both ladies due to a change of employment, so I'm not sure how they are today)

I feel lucky that we caught my tumor when we did, and that I now have a medical reason to get a brain MRI annually. I know that we'll be able to catch any new tumors before they get too large (hopefully not in an inoperable location).

I found this link for anyone that's interested. It includes a segment from 60 Minutes.

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/01/10/aspartame-brain-cancer-and-the-fda.aspx

RllyGudTweetr

I am not a scientist, but I've always thought it was just common sense that putting man-made chemicals in my body came with a certain amount of risk. That wasn't enough to deter me from my decades-long Diet Coke habit however. My nurse sister-in-law always told me 'You're going to get a brain lesion from drinking that stuff", but I chose to believe the scientific studies that said it was safe. Until 5 years ago when they discovered a growing tumor (i.e., lesion) in the left ventricle of my brain. Let me tell you having brain surgery that goes deep into your brain is very scary. Luckily I had a great surgeon at Johns Hopkins and the surgery was a complete success. I haven't touched a diet soda since I got that diagnosis. The doctor couldn't say what caused my tumor, but it was not cancer.

One thing I've learned is that many "scientific studies" (even those conducted by prestigious universities) are funded by the industry that stands to gain the most if the conclusion (or lack of conclusion) of the study goes in their favor. And anyone who is paying attention to all the health claims out there knows that many scientific studies are often proven wrong with later studies

So, bottom line is that everyone needs to decide their own risk tolerance and act accordingly. I wouldn't presume to lecture or judge anyone who chose to continue their habit. I would just caution those who have a history of consuming aspartame to be familiar with the symptoms of brain lesions and consult your doctor if you begin experiencing any of them. Luckily my tumor was not in a spot that made it "inoperable", but had it grown much larger, there was a good chance that it would become a serious situation very quickly and require life-saving emergency brain surgery.

Since my brain surgery adventure, I've learned of others who were not so lucky . A few have tumors that are not cancer but are large and/or in locations that make them impossible to remove. In the two cases I am familiar with, the tumor was going to kill them as it continued to grow. It was only a matter of time. Both are relatively young women with young families (I've since lost contact with both ladies due to a change of employment, so I'm not sure how they are today)

I feel lucky that we caught my tumor when we did, and that I now have a medical reason to get a brain MRI annually. I know that we'll be able to catch any new tumors before they get too large (hopefully not in an inoperable location).

I found this link for anyone that's interested. It includes a segment from 60 Minutes.

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/01/10/aspartame-brain-cancer-and-the-fda.aspx

Citing Mercola is not generally going to go too well around here, historically:

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/988949-debunked-declarations-dr-mercola-and-dr-oz

ninerbuff

I am in the same boat. I am allergic to formaldehyde (skin patch test).

May want to not eat citrus fruits then because formaldehyde is a byproduct.

A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

ninerbuff

Here is a study from the FDA (which I believe to be a credible source) on aspartame toxicity:

http://www.fda.gov/ohrms/dockets/dailys/03/jan03/012203/02p-0317_emc-000199.txt

Well not actually a study but a docket letter with concern of aspartame to the FDA. I looked at it and the sources (with the exception of one) were just "reports". Not actual scientific experimentation. There's a huge difference since scientific studies are usually controlled. Even the actual one from Journal of Applied Nutrition made no mention if subjects had PKU,or were already susceptible to caffeine, etc.

A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

fbmandy55

That stuff is full of **** .. why do you think that the big companies spend billions of dollars telling us we need to drink it. Cause they know that stuff is bad .. but they just want to make a buck, or a few billion.

So .. I stopped pop cold turkey last August and have never felt better. I used to drink Diet Pepsi like crazy .. and now, no thanks.

Or maybe they spend billions on telling you to drink it because they are a business and that is the point of marketing???

Emsie_lou

Wish I never asked the question!!!! But thanks for your answer

:noway: Wow! As interesting as all that was to read, I feel so sorry for OP whose post got hijacked! :laugh:

Listen, you said you'd been drinking over 1L a day? You had a break, then after you had some again, you felt poorly. In all honesty, I think you've figured it out. Drinking the diet pepsi/diet coke has given you a side effect. One you had probably built an immunity to before and never noticed.

I personally have never enjoyed diet soft drinks because I've always found the taste to be a little bit off, so I can't relate to the 'addiction' side of things. We were never big fizzy drink consumers in my house growing up either, so I don't know if it's a 'replacement of sugar' thing that I've heard in anecdotes before.

I can relate though to eating a lot of one food, cutting it out then when eating it again, feeling different. For me that's cheese and dairy products. There seems to be a certain level I can tolerate before it starts to affect my mood and I get disorganised thinking and panicky/anxious. So maybe there is a connection between the diet soft drink and your symptoms today (yesterday? hard to tell with time differences ).

In any case, I'd stay away from it for now, and keep notes on how you feel the next time you decide to indulge in some diet pepsi. If you feel unwell (provided they weren't a mixer with some alcohol!) then maybe you have a sensitivity to an ingredient in the soft drink and you would be better off staying away from it.

ETA: I wonder too if could be a psychological thing rather than physical? You know, for the sugar cravings? You cut out the soft drinks for a few weeks and finally indulged and now your brains kind of going "Ooh! You know what else would be good that we haven't have in a while? Sweets! Cake! High Calorie food! Come on now, you've been working so hard... treat yourself, you deserve it..." Lol, I dunno, my brain talks to me like that sometimes! :laugh:

adstott

I loved diet coke anything and drank it all the time, however I started to realize it wasn't making me feel to well so I stopped drinking soda honestly I don't really miss it. You'll get there!

nbrown88ca

Obviously putting man made chemicals into your system even if they do originate from natural products but are modified is not good for you.

Everyone can argue all day about scientific crap but honestly eat what you want if you get cancer and die its your choice. If you live to 100 eating chemicals then so be it but everyone obviouosly knows pop is not good for you... diet or not, its disgusting and if you are putting it into your body then you are accepting the outcome.

Of course you are feeling like **** after a week of not drinking it, its your body telling you WTF are you doing.

RllyGudTweetr

Obviously putting man made chemicals into your system even if they do originate from natural products but are modified is not good for you.

How, and why, is this obvious? Please clarify.

nbrown88ca

if its not obvious to you then i suggest reading up on the paleo lifestyle...

I dont really need to clarify why its bad... its common sense and if thats something you lack then no further discussion is needed.

Fullsterkur_woman

if its not obvious to you then i suggest reading up on the paleo lifestyle...

Oh. OK. Shall I also give up antibiotics, dental care, vision correction, modern clothing and shelter and advanced tool use too?