Diet drinks -- need help

DancingFox

There's this lovely thing called MiO Water Enhancer. You can often find it in the aisle where they carry flavored water at grocery stores. It has no sodium or sugar in it. They carry it in all flavors. Since it has no sodium and crazy additives, it's less harmful than diet sodas could ever dream of being. If you buy some sodium-free club soda and spritz some of the MiO in, its very similar to soda. Obviously drinking plain water is still better, but you could use this to help ease yourself onto it and away from those sodas!

dia77

my husband worked for Coca Cola and they had 24 bottles per week for free! I was addicted and took me more than a month to get rid of it. It was hard but now , pays off. I drink water only( sometimes flavoured with fruit tea/herbal) I lost a lot of weight and I will never go back to that!

warphoenix

The best advice I can give you on making the switch is to find a couple that you like. Cut out other sugar filled sweats to so you "forget" what sugar tastes like. I personally enjoy Diet Dr. Pepper (with or without cherry) and coke zero. It took a couple of weeks to get used to the switch, but honestly I drink about 1 soda every 2 weeks now. I started drinking diet green tea a month ago and now I'm just brewing green tea lately. Going from a 2 liter of Mdew a day to brewing green tea was about a 3 month process and to be honest, I don't really miss soda anymore. Cold turkey is an option too if that's what you choose. Best of luck to you either way.

milaxx

I am addicted to pepsi/coke and I am finding that if I could take those out of my diet, I think I'd be able to easily stay within 1200 calories a day. However, I drink approx. 400-600 calories a day by drinking regular sodas. I know that the healthy answer is to get rid of carbonated drinks and drink water, BUT ... I've tried water, all kinds of water mixes, carbonated water, club soda, etc. I can drink some, but not at every meal. So, I think if I could find a way to drink diet drinks, I'd be doing myself a favor. I know they aren't healthy, and I LOATHE them. Any tips though on making the switch from regular to diet sodas?

Whole Foods carries a beverage called kumbucha tea. It is all natural and it;s a tea, not a soda. However it does have the fizz like soda. It will NOT replace water but it might be a good way to step down. Say you drink 2 of those a day and the rest of the time drink water. Personally I am an all or nothing type. I do best going cold turkey.

lclarkjr

I recommend finding a diet soda you can tolerate and then switching out all your regular sodas with it. Then also gradually increase the amount of water you drink at each meal to build your tolerance of drinking it. Eventually make water your #1 beverage and then have the occasional diet soda when you want.

oravavaara

Everyone here is right- you just have to suffer for a while until you kick your addiction. My parents were a pack a week soda drinkers- usually four or five a day- and they just quit. Think about how healthy you'll feel. Think about how proud you'll be. It'll be hard, but just put your mind to it. My parents had to do it all or nothing, and I'm so proud of them for sticking with it!

I used to drink a lot of soda and use them for mixers, but now I use Klarbrunn with a wedge of lime. It's an acquired taste, but worth acquiring.

Now, I find soda repulsive in almost all forms (I have a weakness for root beer). These are two things I do when thinking of drinking soda (besides the occasional root beer).

Visualize the sugar that goes into them http://www.sugarstacks.com/beverages.htm

Visualize the acid eating away your teeth
http://www.dental--health.com/bad_teeth_acid_erosion.html
(notice in that link the mountain dew teeth are worse than the meth teeth)

If soda does that to your teeth, imagine your poor esophagus, stomach, intestines, blood stream, heart, muscles....

That's my trick. It's about training your mind, which is incredibly stubborn. Visualizing the bad enough times will eventually cause you to associate soda with the long-term bad it causes instead of the immediate gratification you get from it.

Good luck!

imabigvegan

One thing you can try is variety, and working slowly towards your goal of switching. Lets say starting with breakfast for example you make yourself a delish smoothie or even a green smoothie. Gradually you work to changing lunch over to some water with a small amount of juice added. Gradually as your taste buds adjust you can rid yourself of the juice all together. In the evening you can make a nice picture of iced tea. Green tea boosts metabolism too! If you need a tiny bit of sweetness until you adjust you could put a small amount of agave nectar or stevia in the iced tea. Over time, as you put the sugar down, you will find it easier to taste it in small doses and eventually you will not even need it. If you put it in a super fancy glass with a wedge of citrus or melon, it feels like a special treat, and the fact that its good for you will make you feel great!

Diet pop will just keep you addicted to the sweet flavor you are craving. Its hard, but in reality it will be easier for you and your body if you just put it down. You will be surprised how quickly you wont miss it.

Good luck!

oravavaara

Here's another link, an article, to help further motivate you
http://www.greenhealthlive.com/index.php?main_page=document_general_info&products_id=183

Cordy1228

I love regular soda, too. Have you tried vanilla flavored seltzer? It's not an exact substitute, but it's satisfying enough IMO.