1 Week without Diet Soda....and counting.......

Mad_Dog_Muscle

Hey MFP'ers........ today officially marks 1 week I have gone without having any Diet Drinks. Here is what I have learned:

1) Day 1 and 2: were the hardest - felt like crap, must have been my body going through withdrawals; I created a tracker on my iphone (app) that I could track the "days without a diet drink" and started ticking them off thinking this would help keep me motivated to leave them alone;

2) Day 2: was the worst, I was moody all day. Not sure if it was solely the lack of Diet Soda chemical sludge my body/ was craving or the jet lag from 30 hours of travel 2 days prior, either way, I felt like I was going to rip someones face off by the end of the day.

3) Day 3: Must have been an Easter Weekend miracle! I woke up and felt fine, really good actually. I didn't miss the Diet Drink at all. It was much easier to get through the day.

4) Weigh in Day: Hello!!! lost 3 pounds since my last weigh in! Maybe that had an effect on the loss..... I don't know but think I just got more motivated!

5) Days 5-7: over the "hump" - If there is any particular "vice" I have regarding foods, this is definitely the one. I feel like I can beat this.

So, how did I make it through the week? WATER - WATER- WATER.... and more WATER! Cant stress it enough. We have all read about how we need to drink water, and I was already drinking lots of water before I stopped drinking the diets, but this really helped, along with reading all the articles I could find on why the Diet drinks are bad us. Its really eye opening. And yes, I know.... for every article that says they are BAD, there is another article saying they are not "so bad"......

So, will I completely give it up forever?? Time will tell..... this was only week 1, but to be honest, I don't really miss it as much as I thought I would................Stay tuned!

Carl

jpowell3976

Yay Carl! You can do this!!! :drinker: (water in the mugs!)

ItsOn130

That's great! What's a normal weight loss week like... prior to giving up the soda?

Nikstergirl

Awesome!!! I was a major addict and gave it up cold turkey two years ago. Best thing I did for myself before MFP!!!!! Seriously, so much better for you, keep going, it tastes nasty now and I don't even like the smell anymore!!!!

heniko

great job Carl! I gave up soda a few months ago I feel way better now!

Mad_Dog_Muscle

That's great! What's a normal weight loss week like... prior to giving up the soda?

About a pound a week, which I was happy with....... pretty sure I will not lose 3 pounds a week going forward, matter of fact, I will be happy if I stabilize at about 1.5-2 lbs per week.

Suedre

I'm one year and two months off the stuff. Turns out, when you don't drink it all the time you realize it tastes like total crap. Know what else is kind of nice? I actually save a fair amount of cash not buying sodas. $2+ x 4 at restaurants, $2 x 7 weekly for at home soda, plus $2 x 5 for sodas here and there really adds up. Good luck!

ItsOn130

That's great! What's a normal weight loss week like... prior to giving up the soda?

About a pound a week, which I was happy with....... pretty sure I will not lose 3 pounds a week going forward, matter of fact, I will be happy if I stabilize at about 1.5-2 lbs per week.

That is still good! I wonder too if it has to do with dropping the soda... I'm kind of at a plateau and haven't given up my diet soda yet.... Maybe I should give it a go!

missy1970eb

well done carl, keep it going

Mad_Dog_Muscle

I'm one year and two months off the stuff. Turns out, when you don't drink it all the time you realize it tastes like total crap. Know what else is kind of nice? I actually save a fair amount of cash not buying sodas. $2+ x 4 at restaurants, $2 x 7 weekly for at home soda, plus $2 x 5 for sodas here and there really adds up. Good luck!

good point! cha-ching!

DianaPowerUp

Great job, Carl! I gave it up too, and it was the same for me - terrible cravings and missing it at first, and then, I didn't even want it. And...a few more lbs came off! So even tho it's diet, there is something evil (and tasty!) about it. I fell off the wagon last wk (and noticed increased bloating, more cravings, etc). Now I'm back on, and feeling better again.

I'll still have it every once in a while as a treat maybe (like with pizza??? Whenever I eat that again, lol! Oh, I could have a beer instead!), but most of the time it's just not worth it.

Mad_Dog_Muscle

Great job, Carl! I gave it up too, and it was the same for me - terrible cravings and missing it at first, and then, I didn't even want it. And...a few more lbs came off! So even tho it's diet, there is something evil (and tasty!) about it. I fell off the wagon last wk (and noticed increased bloating, more cravings, etc). Now I'm back on, and feeling better again.

I'll still have it every once in a while as a treat maybe (like with pizza??? Whenever I eat that again, lol! Oh, I could have a beer instead!), but most of the time it's just not worth it.

Great job to you too Diana! Thats what I think may happen, I will eat a particular food, like popcorn, I love to have it with popcorn, so we will see....... but ya, maybe if I string this out long enough it may get to that point where I cant stand it. I know thats how I am now with regular Coke, its way to sweet and I just dont like the taste of it.

Now beer, well there is NO WAY I will give that up completely! NOT GONNA HAPPEN! I will go kicking and screaming if I had to give up my suds! :-))

littttlelaurra

great job on this and yes it will make you feel tons better and save $'s too , I think you could have it as a treat once in a while.

Dauntlessness

I am so proud of you! It isn't an easy thing to give up soda! You are doing amazing! When giving something like that up the withdrawals can be super difficult. It is amazing you are continuing to eat healthy and not self sooth with comfort food. Just incredible!

About 8-9 years ago I was a soda addict. It was all I ever drank all day everyday. My husband convinced me to switch to the non-caffeinated type because I was bouncing off the walls and I drank that for like 3-4 months. Wow, I had sooo many withdrawals from caffeine and I think that is what affects most people when they quit. (Body aches, uneasy feelings, thirst) It makes it all to easy to "just drink one" to feel better. Then...I switched to iced tea for like the next 7.5 years(which was super difficult) and I am now drinking Crystal Light and water. I would rather eat food then drink my calories away any day. hehe

My point:
It gets easier and I still have a soda every once in a while but what you are doing WORKS! Cut yourself off and get a grip on it. If you choose to have one again, only drink it when you are out and for goodness sake don't keep it in the house. It has taken me years not to dive in to soda when we have it around the house. (We do have some premium root beer bottles in the mini fridge right but it has sat there for like a month now). That never would have happened a few years ago. If you have an overwhelming craving, maybe try seltzer with grape juice or sparkling cranberry juice (I just tried and I looove it). It is 90 calories a bottle but its not that bad for you.

Keep up the great work! You can do this!

BflSaberfan

Wow. You really are an inspiration. I am SO addicted to Diet Pepsi its embarassing.

skinnyminnie

This is encouraging because my husband quit caffeine and diet soda on Monday. Poor guy has had a huge caffeine thing for years - he's been drinking about 2 liters a day!!
Anyway, he says the only way he can do it is quit cold turkey, and he just decided last week to go for it. He's still in the middle of withdrawals - migraines all day, small fever, can't think straight. I feel bad for him but I'm SOOO proud of him.
It's nice to hear that it's worth it.

TheGoktor

Now beer, well there is NO WAY I will give that up completely! NOT GONNA HAPPEN! I will go kicking and screaming if I had to give up my suds! :-))

When I started MFP, I made a point of telling myself that I was not going to give up alcohol. I should point out that I don't have any alcohol issues(!) - I just like to have a G&T in the bath when I finish work, and a bottle of wine at the weekend! Funny thing is, because I know I can have it, I'm not that bothered about it, so I think you absolutely have the right attitude toward beer. Allow yourself to have such things in moderation, and you probably won't feel hard done by and subsequently focus on the negative feelings!

So was it caffeine withdrawal you were getting? Sounds nasty, poor you. Still, you made it through and have come out the other side all the better for it. Well done!

As for fizzy drinks - I've never been a fan. As a child I was never allowed lemonade etc. so I didn't grow up with them, and I didn't taste cola until just after my 40th birthday! I quite like Pepsi Max but I find it bloats my tummy, whereas Diet Coke doesn't. Also, Diet Coke seems to taste less sweet than Pepsi Max. I tasted the fully-leaded stuff once - eek! My mouth felt furry! I rarely drink Coke though, purely because I prefer water to anything else! In fact, I think the only time I drink Coke is when I'm almost at the end of a deadline, and I just need a little pep to help me stay focused! It's a pleasant-tasting tool, I suppose!

(Obviously I have low-cal tonic water with gin, but TBH, a small glass a couple of times a week isn't going to hurt. I hope!)

brendansmom1

wtg!! Not easy but once you get used to it...not so bad!!

I gave up diet sodas for Lent, and quite frankly, I didn't miss it. I had the occasional sip, but that was it. Well, Lent is over and yesterday I ordered a diet soda with dinner and ya know what?? I didn't even drink it...it tasted too club-sodaish. So, I will stick with my coffee, water and the occasional unsweet iced tea!!!

zaz936

I really admire you to do this. I've just joined on here, and I've cut to one can a day - since Sunday. I used to drink 3 or 4 cans, so it's progress. I hope that in a few weeks, once I've ajusted to my new routine, I can do like you, and cut down completely.

Go, go, go! You can keep on doing it, I think you have done the worst already!