Diet Soda - a bad thing?

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  • Iceskatefanrn
    Iceskatefanrn Posts: 489 Member
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    I am an RN, worked the night shift for years and years, and simply couldn't get through a 12 or 16 or 18 hour night shift without several Diet Cokes! However I've been off nights for the last 2 years, and recently started a M-F office-type job.

    I decided last year to get off the Diet Coke. Before, when I was drinking 8-32 oz/day, I used to HAVE TO HAVE a few Tums in my pocket AT ALL TIMES for my occasional "heartburn". I was probably chewing a Tums 3-4 times EVERY DAY. Well, guess what? No Diet Coke = NO HEARTBURN! Can't remember the last time I even chewed a Tums for relief - it completely went away when I got off Diet Coke!

    I will admit I occasionally drink one for a treat, maybe twice a month. But even then I have to watch the volume, it simply upsets my stomach now if I drink too much! I drink water and tea - mostly black Chai--type tea bags but have found some terrific Chai Green tea that I really love. (Again, tea BAGS, not the "mix", don't like those!) I also love the carbonated water and fresh lime - yummy!

    If you decide to stop altogether, you can expect to expience headaches caused by caffeine-withdrawl. Take some Motrin to treat the headaches as needed, they'll go away after 2-3 days.

    Good luck! :drinker:
  • FearAnLoathing
    FearAnLoathing Posts: 4,852 Member
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    diet soda dosent make everyone crave sweets
  • jmwolffyy
    jmwolffyy Posts: 212 Member
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    Ok here is my take on soda in general. I quit sodas cold turkey when I was pregnant with my daughter, and had no problems. Once she was born, I decided that I could have clear sodas (Sprite for example) when I was eating out but I wasn't going to buy them for at home. All that faded the day I went to McDonald's and they were out of Sprite... I agreed to switch to a Coke. I honestly felt the carbonation and whatever else was in the dark soda expand my stomach that day. I had managed to get my McDonald's stops to things like a kids meal or sharing a large meal with someone else. Immediately after adding a Coke, I wanted more food.
    So for the past 10 years I have been trying to wean myself BACK off of sodas... Getting presented with the opportunity of a weight loss contest was the perfect reason to go cold turkey again, and this time I know not to even allow the clear sodas because it will go right back into the problem of what, for me, is a stomach-expanding drink that leads straight to weight gain.

    With that said, I am not giving up eating desserts in my weight loss journey. I am just learning to eat smaller portions and enjoy them more. That is what I want to keep. If you want to keep diet soda in your own diet, then as previous posters said, it is up to you. You will just have to learn your own portion control as I am with desserts. :)
  • TeenaMarina
    TeenaMarina Posts: 420 Member
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    Wow, thank you all so much. Ton of food for thought. I'm gonna wean off. I think I can make it a Friday evening treat maybe. I have quit it before and I can do it again; I just maybe wasn't sure if I needed to. Much appreciate all the posts and opinions though. x
  • PeachyKeene
    PeachyKeene Posts: 1,645 Member
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    I have done a lot of research on diet drinks because that was all I used to drink. Some of the things I found in my research is it is bad for your memory. Your brain thinks it is sugar and tell the liver to stop burning fat for fuel because here comes the sugar for fuel. It has a lot of sodium and makes you retain water. In most of the studies it showed the people that drank regular soft drinks didn't gain weight as much as people that drank diet sodas. Kind of odd!

    Read this article and also just type in your google bar is diet soda bad.

    http://health.yahoo.net/experts/eatthis/truth-about-diet-soda
  • halphord
    halphord Posts: 379 Member
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    I drink one or two coke zeros a week...other than that, it's crystal light or water.
  • moochpookie
    moochpookie Posts: 2
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    I think diet soda is a serious problem. It seems t help keep those cravings going. I had less problem getting off regular soda than anyone I know who drinks diet soda. And my big lesson was this. I had been doing great on my diet... nearly 70 pounds and then my daughter-in-law came with her diet soda. it looked so good I had a couple glasses and that was the very beginning of my downfall and now I am working my way down again from 32 pounds.

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