Diet Soda - Quit Cold Turkey or in Moderation

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  • LiftAllThePizzas
    LiftAllThePizzas Posts: 17,857 Member
    What's wrong with learning moderation?
  • HaleyxErin
    HaleyxErin Posts: 94 Member
    I have always hated diet soda so I was quitting the real thing. I haven't fully given it up, not really, I'll get a can from the vending machine at school every now and then (like once a month or less) but I always drink water.
  • alpine1994
    alpine1994 Posts: 1,915 Member
    Switched from diet coke to setlzer. I still have coffee in the morning so I didn't experience any caffeine withdrawals. I have a diet coke every now and then...maybe once a month.
  • MyInnerActor
    MyInnerActor Posts: 1
    I quit cold turkey once, you might get a headache, but it passes.
  • HealthWoke0ish
    HealthWoke0ish Posts: 2,078 Member
    I used to drink two to three two-liters of diet cola a day. I tried to do moderation but it didn't work for me. I quit cold turkey around April 2010 and haven't had a drop of soda since.
  • FionaDFair
    FionaDFair Posts: 125 Member
    Oh... and you can always try Zevia soda... you can find it at any health food co-op. It's sweetened with stevia which comes from a plant... so there is no sugar, no calories in this soda. Of course the nutritional value is low, but it helped me get off regular coke...

    This is my go-to if I do decide to drink a carbonated beverage. However, it has been at least a week (maybe longer) since I last had a soda. I might drink one a week, if that much. Increasing my water intake has helped me, and also reminding myself that there is a lot of acid in sodas and I don't want that in my body.
  • bluesky248
    bluesky248 Posts: 18 Member
    I was a diet coke freak, I never drank coffee but after breakfast so began the diet coke drinking..I drank 8-10 a day.

    I quit "cold turkey" a year ago February, it was hard and I had the horrible headache for 2 days but I don't miss it now, it can't be healthy to drink. On the holidays I have a caffeine free pop as a "treat" but it doesn't taste as good as I recall, so I drank like 4 diet pops last year, sticking with the water nstead. I gave up smoking the year before and found giving up nicotine and caffeine has made me less hyper and edgy too.

    good luck, you will feel sooo much better :)
  • camilla73
    camilla73 Posts: 2
    My last cold drink was February 11, 2011. I quit cold turkey. I had bad withdrawals from it. I'm happy that I did quit like I did. I did have to go through the weaning process. I have never regreted getting off of the cold drinks and the weight you lose is terrific! I hope this helps you.
  • tnwebb611
    tnwebb611 Posts: 6
    If you are at all suseptable to migrane headache DO NOT quit cold turkey. I did once and had the worst mirgrane of my life for 4 days. My normal migrane treatment wouldn't touch the pain, so I wound up in the emergency room. Quit slowly.
  • 1hotwoman
    1hotwoman Posts: 7
    I quit drinking diet coke cold turkey, January 1, 2013 (my new years resolution) I was drinking 2 - 3 cans a day for years and years and it was hard at first, but I did it.

    Good luck! :smile:
    S~

    I also quit cold turkey on January 1, 2013. Before I was drinking caffeine free diet coke every once in awhile. But then I read that the ingredients make you fat, I quit.
  • kimmynw1
    kimmynw1 Posts: 97 Member
    If you quit cold turkey be prepared for a massive headache that will last for days and days! I switched from diet soda to black coffee and it was easy. I know I have a caffiene addiction and have tried stopping in the past and the headache got me. I am gradually reducing my caffiene intake so eventually I will be caffiene free.
  • kimmytjoy
    kimmytjoy Posts: 16 Member
    I quit cold turkey about 9 years ago. I was a BIG diet soda drinker but I quit for my sister who was dying of cancer. She only had to ask me once!! She was a big aspartamine(sp?) drinker and her Dr. felt it had something to do with her cancer. (Not to get into the aspartamine discussion) Now I have a Zevia(made with Stevia) soda every once in a while.
  • JellyButter
    JellyButter Posts: 160 Member
    I quit cold turkey. I haven't drank pop in about......4 years.
  • ohenry78
    ohenry78 Posts: 228
    If you listen to people in these forums, they will tell you that diet soda does/contains the following things:

    -- Legit cancer
    -- 300lbs of aspartame
    -- Electrodes that re-program your brain to be a nazi
    -- The tears of starving children
    -- Makes you fat
    -- Makes you hungry
    -- Makes you kill your family

    And so on.

    I've said it before and I'll stick with it. There are great reasons for stopping soda, diet or not. Dental health is a great one. Personal preference. Doctor's orders. Or maybe you just found a drink you like better. That's great! In that case, to answer your question, I'd stop slowly and wean yourself off because, like any other addictive drug, caffeine causes withdrawals and your body needs time to adjust. Cold turkey MAY work but I imagine you will be much happier going slow.

    But if the only reason that you're quitting is because of the artifical sweetener, I'd say don't stop. There haven't been clear, unbiased studies about negative effects on diet soda, and there are plenty of people here who drink them all the time (myself included) and don't have health problems because of it. If missing the caffeine is going to make you upset and irritable and potentially stray from your fitness path, keep it in your diet. That's the most important thing :)
  • HRLaurie614
    HRLaurie614 Posts: 260 Member
    I quit cold turkey 5 weeks ago. Last diet come I had was Feb 5.was fine the following day. The next day was brutal. I felt sick. I went home, drank lots of water. Then I was fine. I don't drink coffee so I started with diet soda in the morning. Now, any caffeine affects me.
  • NYCNika
    NYCNika Posts: 611 Member
    My rule of thumb -- diet Coke is OK only when rum is involved. :)
  • agulamali
    agulamali Posts: 44 Member
    Cold turkey is probably the best option, but I think moderation is fine, like once or twice a week on weekends. Try Zevia, though. It's all-natural.
  • BreezySunshine22
    BreezySunshine22 Posts: 9 Member
    I have been a Coke Zero fanatic for years, drinking 4-5 a day. I was crazy because I was on a beta blocker to lower my heart rate as well. I finally wised up about caffeine and read a lot of bad things about how the aspartame affects insulin so I gave it up pretty much cold turkey. I love the fizziness so i switched to a LaCroix sparkling water. I drink 1 or 2 a day and now make half decaf iced tea at home. I've cut my caffeine to about 1/8th of what I used to drink and my body is thanking me. My heart rate improved, headaches improved (but the first week was bad). Now I rarely get headaches and I'm less jittery. I just feel better about my choices. Good luck. It CAN be done. Hard to believe though.
  • Dulcemami4ever
    Dulcemami4ever Posts: 344 Member
    I quit soda cold turkey. I was drinking like almost 10 cans a day lol. Now if I have anything fizzy its like once a week diet soda on fridays...one can.
  • McCelmer
    McCelmer Posts: 99 Member
    Moderation. I like those small 8 oz. cans of Coke Zero.
  • Matt_Wild
    Matt_Wild Posts: 2,673 Member
    Just drink it if you like it and not stop drinking it. I have a glass or two a day and if I'm really crazy I drink a bottle. I know, crrraaaazzzy.
  • VitaBailey
    VitaBailey Posts: 271 Member
    I started tapering down by just drinking it with meals out of the house. I did that for a few weeks and then stopped completely. The hardest part was breaking the habit of ordering diet coke, not actually giving it up. Good luck to you!
  • Ashwee87
    Ashwee87 Posts: 695 Member
    Cold turkey. I haven't had a soda in a couple of weeks. As long as I have my coffee, I don't care to have soda. Just water and coffee for me. :)
  • chrismpalmer
    chrismpalmer Posts: 18
    Moderation. Similar to my advice for normal soda, moderation is the key. Drinking a can a day is probably not a good idea, but every few days won't kill you.

    From what I've seen, you're far more likely to be successful if you don't cut out the things you love cold turkey. I'm not suggesting a "cheat day" or anything like that (I find those grossly overrated), but allowing yourself the things you love on occasion instead.
  • microscrubbers
    microscrubbers Posts: 22 Member
    I was addicted to Diet soda BIG time. I used to drink at least 12 - 15 cans a day....! I quit cold turkey and had huge headaches during the first week. I don't drink coffee. I switched to water only. It's been about a month now for me, and I do not miss it at all anymore. Just get over the hump and you'll be fine. And like others have said, when you go back for a 'new' sip you'll see how gross it actually tastes. Drink lots of water during the withdrawal and you should be fine. Get the chemicals out of your body.....!
  • N0EXCUSE
    N0EXCUSE Posts: 23 Member
    I went cold turkey. I read up about all the additives, caffeine and crap that are in soda and decided that I was worth more than that. I only ever drink water, fresh juice, smoothies and herbal tea now :)

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