Tips and Tricks for going Cold Turkey on Diet Sodas??

petitegreek

I am a diet soda junkie. I probably drink 1-2 cans per day. My long-term goal is to go cold turkey on it, but I've heard that you have to gradually wean yourself off of it. I keep thinking how I am going to get so tired of drinking coffee, water, and tea all the time.

Has anybody gone cold turkey on drinking diet (or regular) soda? What were your tricks?

Zomoniac

I went from 2 litres of Diet Coke a day to stopping overnight. Now I just have the occasional one. There wasn't really a magic method to it, I just stopped doing it. Just drink lots of water and get used to it. If you really need some variety get some no added sugar fruit cordial mixer.

petitegreek

Wow, good for you! I have completely cut out drinking lattes. I was drinking those about 1-2 times per week, but now I will only have one every couple months. That was a big milestone for me. Now I am just trying to work on cutting out the pop. I've heard that the Crystal Light packets are good. Maybe I should try those

Chief_Rocka

Mmmm, leftover Thanksgiving turkey sandwiches.

JasonDetwiler

Mmmm, leftover Thanksgiving turkey sandwiches.

I was about to post the same...4 more weeks.

fitmama419

I was a 3-can-a-day Mountain Dew drinker. I stopped cold turkey. It was hell for a few days, but it was well worth it!

ahamm002

I am a diet soda junkie. I probably drink 1-2 cans per day. My long-term goal is to go cold turkey on it, but I've heard that you have to gradually wean yourself off of it. I keep thinking how I am going to get so tired of drinking coffee, water, and tea all the time.

Has anybody gone cold turkey on drinking diet (or regular) soda? What were your tricks?

Get sick of drinking coffee and tea all the time? I sure haven't had that problem! There are tons of varieties of tea and coffee out there, and they're good for you too.

joytron

I used to mindlessly drink two or three beers every evening just chilling out doing work at home or whatever, then started replacing it with green tea on ice or water with lemon and lime on ice. Worked grand!

wellbert

1-2 cans is a junkie? Damn son, I drink a gallon of diet soda a day.


I've quit before, but then thought: Why?

WendyTerry420

I am a diet soda junkie. I probably drink 1-2 cans per day. My long-term goal is to go cold turkey on it, but I've heard that you have to gradually wean yourself off of it. I keep thinking how I am going to get so tired of drinking coffee, water, and tea all the time.

Has anybody gone cold turkey on drinking diet (or regular) soda? What were your tricks?

I quit drinking regular pop. I never did like diet. It didn't bother me at all. I just simply quit drinking them.

AmyRhubarb

I quite regular soda cold turkey - I just quit buying them. I started drinking iced tea with lemon instead, and now even that is rare - I mostly drink water. But I dumped the soda several years ago, and I don't miss them at all. You can do it!

awetherell

You could always buy sparkling water and stick a couple of lemon slices or mint in it. It's not entirely the same perhaps, but really fresh. It might add a little variety too. Otherwise, I agree with ahamm002 - there are so many different types of tea - it'll probably take you a while to get bored! Good luck.

deniseblossoms

I've never heard of weaning off of diet soda like it's a drug. I just stopped. I drink water and usually have one (huge) glass of green tea a day.

meadowmail77

When I gave up regular soda I added fresh squeezed lemon juice to my water for a few weeks. I had a headache for the first 2 days or. I can't say what exactly about the lemon helped but it did help me. I don't really enjoy the way lemon tastes but it didn't bother me in the water.

Mathguy1

For me, drinking diet soda makes be bloated (not pregnant bloated, but bloated none the less). I was able to go from 1 large glass/ evening to none at all (I'll still drink one at the movies or on the rare occasion that I have pizza).

Think of it like quitting smoking. For a week, cut the multiple drinks down to fewer and each week, cut out one glass/day. Eventually, after getting down to one glass/day, drop it to one every other day, etc until you get down to 1/week. Once you get down to once/week quitting entirely will be far easier.

Also, drink more water and over time, you'll crave it less and less.

TasteMeNot

I was not able to drop diet soda cold turkey, it gave me a headache trying. so over the course of 3 weeks I went from 1 (or more) a day to one every other day, to 2 a week, and then none, which worked well for me. I don't even miss it.

I drink lots of water and some tea. But mainly water with strawberry, lemon, lime, or orange slices. Mint & cumber water is also good

tinad120

I quite regular soda cold turkey - I just quit buying them.

This is what I did when I stopped cold turkey. It was easier on my teeth, exercises, and wallet doing so. I now only have the occasional one, but it's far & few between. Drink water- think of how much more your scale will go down, lol.

msrootitooti

I just stopped recently and also had 1-2 cans a day. I used to drink it just to have something different than water. I have switched to tea instead, usually hot green tea. I haven't really missed it.

secretlobster

Yup.

Flavored seltzer made all the difference for me when I was craving something fizzy, but I still drink it less frequently than I drink water. Keep yourself satiated by forcing yourself to drink more water than you normally would. It really does help to make a glass of water the first thing you ingest in the morning. I don't even want soda anymore, someone poured me a glass of coke last night at a friend's house and I couldn't drink it. Way too sweet.

camilla73

I went cold turkey. I got off of cold drinks on February 11, 2011. I have not had another since. I did have withdrawals from it. It was not easy. You will have headaches. I read where one person said it's like coming off of a drug. Well they are telling the truth. All I can say is that my body feels so much better without all of the sugar. I drink water alot and I drink one 16oz bottle of grape juice a day. You can do it, just put your mind to it.

reneepugh

Try drinking tea instead for a little while. That will give you some caffeine without the withdrawal symptoms and it's better for you.

knk1553

The main reason youl would "wean" yourself off of it is because Caffeine IS drug, and your body develops dependence and tolerenceto it. Most people who stop drinking soda tend to stop taking in caffeine cold turkey, so you will have withdrawal symptoms, especially if you're dependent on it. However, you would really only experience this if you stopped taking in caffeine. The same symptoms often times occur when people stop taking in artifical sweetners cold turkey as well too.

However, if 1-2 cans a day is a junkie, then I'm definitely screwed. I generally have one can a day in the afternoons. Any specific reason you're looking to give it up? I'm always interested in hearing reasons why people eliminate things from their diet.

BunkyBumBum

Try seltzer water. Some varieties are a little bitter, but you sort of get used to it, and some aren't nearly as bitter as others. Canfield's raspberry flavor is good, as is the lime. Chill Seltzer water, again raspberry and lime, is probably my favorite though. I'm actually not a big fan of La Croix.

Seltzer water is just carbonated water and natural flavor, there's no sugar, no artificial sweeteners, no chemicals. If you want to get fancy with it, you can try adding a little juice to it to make a spritzer.

Edit to add: I should mention, my mother drank diet coke all the time, 2-3 bottles per day, and died of liver cancer at age 40. The very highly respected doctor said that he believed the artificial sweetener in diet coke (aspartame) caused the cancer, or helped it along. He said it was just his opinion, but he felt strongly about it and I feel that if a doctor feels strongly enough to say something maybe it's worth avoiding. Plus all the research shows that stuff is bad news anyhow.

kenazfehu

1-2 cans per day shouldn't be that hard to stop. If you feel you need to wean down, that's o.k. too.

IronPlayground

If you are quitting diet sodas because they are causing you to go over your calorie limit, then try going from 2 to 1 to 0.

If you are quitting diet sodas because you think they are bad for you, then I would encourage you to do more research. 1 or 2 a day doesn't sound like you have a diet soda problem.

pawoodhull

I get a flavored water at Sam's Club called Sparkling Ice. It's carbonated but no calories no sodium and tastes great! The only thing it lists is a few vitamins and green tea extract. I've also seen it at the local grocery store in other flavors but at a high price. Maybe a carbonated water would help?

jdubz18

I did it cold turkey as well...definitely had some horrible headaches for the first three to four days...but after that, it was fine. I quit for about two months and then had one. Once I had one, I wanted another and then the cycle just repeated. I started again Monday of this week and no headaches this time because I wasn't having one daily this time around. I like Crystal Light lemonade for a little bit of sugar. It helps supplement my water when I get sick of drinking it

daisiemae123

Dropped diet soda when I was pregnant. I switched to flavored seltzer or seltzer with just a splash of real fruit juice in it. I will on occasion now grab a diet soda but even then I don't enjoy it as much anymore.

prairiedawg2014

i have heard so much in these forums about not drinking diet sodas cuz they still cause weight gain. i say BS to that. i have never nor ever will give up my diet soda. i drink 1 diet dr pepper everyday. have since before dieting and still do.

AngieOnTheBeach

I quit cold turkey and it's all willpower. I told myself I wouldnt have any pop for a month and I didn't. The key is to learn your triggers. When I eat pizza, for example, I want a pop. Water water water, just don't bring any pop into your house so you're not tempted!

stephfranke

I used to drink over 2 bottles of diet coke a day... over the past couple of years, I 've gone to none a day. I started drinking water, which was horrible in my mind... so I added lemon slices or lemon juice... a little better.... today i no longer drink diet coke. i did have one the other day, at a reception, because they had run out of water, and almost spewed it across the room... I cannot believe that was all I drank.... I now crave water - still with lemon, but drink that more than anything... tonnes of different teas/coffee. Even recently enjoyed hot water with lemon when I had a cold. It can be done, and each one of us is different.... if you can go cold turkey... run with it!! If not just start scaling it back! Good luck on your journey!