Diet Coke addict!

lisa799

I love soda and want to drink it all day long...I used to drink a TON of diet soda. For me, I understand that artificial sweeteners aren't healthy and I don't want to consume all the sugar from a regular soda, so my goal is to drink <1 diet soda per day. That keeps me from going nutty without overdoing it. The more I cut back, the easier it got and now I can go a few days without one!

Nexir

The same... I drink at least one tin per day and I am extremely nervous when I haven't Diet Coke... It's annoying Good Luck with your journey!

StacieHof

I love soda and want to drink it all day long...I used to drink a TON of diet soda. For me, I understand that artificial sweeteners aren't healthy and I don't want to consume all the sugar from a regular soda, so my goal is to drink <1 diet soda per day. That keeps me from going nutty without overdoing it. The more I cut back, the easier it got and now I can go a few days without one!

Try this... I also love to have soda once in a while especially with some foods.

Liquid Stevia added to sparkling water is awesome without the diet soda side effects (they even have Cola flavor). My favorite are the Kal and Sweet Leaf brand's in many flavors...Caramel Cream, Vanilla Cream, Hazelnut, Almond, Chocolate, Grape, Orange Cream, Cola and many more! I love the Caramel Cream in my morning latte (my Starbucks Caramel Macchiato). There is also a Zevia (Stevia sweetened) brand soda it's a little pricy and has sugar alcohol in it but I buy it on occasion.

HotSouthernMess

I gave it up for lent this year. Really wanted one last week but couldn't bring myself to "break lent" so I just drank water and moved on. It was hard at first but I feel better when I am drinking water all day and not soda. I still have my coffee in the mornings so I don't have caffeine headaches but crave it occasionally. I think once in a while it is ok though. I also sleep better at night now. Do what works for you...if you can't give it up cold turkey then do it gradually. in the long run, 1 a day probably won't hurt...but everyone has their own opinion about this too.

TLWallperson

Thanks to everyone for their awesome tips and encouragement.
I think the best way for me will be to just cold turkey it. Probably never be able to drink it again either. With some things that's just the way it goes...which is why I don't ever, ever, ever buy ho-ho's or ding-dong's or girl scout samoa cookies...lol
Anyway thanks again. And for all those who are struggling with the same, I hope you get there.

jeansuza

I have very early memories of me having free access to and drinking colas every day. Up to last year, exactly one week before joining MFP ( that was in early May) I used to drink 2 litres of diet Pepsi a day. I was really addicted. I decided to quit because I hated that image of me always having a glass, a bottle or a can in hand and needing it all the time! One day, I just stopped. I replaced it with water, Perrier (I love the grapefruit variety), herbal tea and coffee.
I still crave it at times but I am so proud of projecting a healthier image, leaner, faster and addiction-free! It's a liberation!

Furthermore, I've had a small problem with urine leaks for some years but within a couple of weeks (not a long time at all), all my problems stopped! Colas apparently irritate the bladder. Getting no more spots in my panties is an added motivation not to fall back in old tracks...

WAHMto5

I used to be a Diet Coke freak as well;) I slowly weaned myself from it over about 6 months and now don't even really crave any pop. I maybe will have1 a week now and won't even finish it!

stacek4

Definitely recommend the flavored seltzer waters. Once I stopped drinking soda, I realized it wasn't the flavors that I was missing necessarily, but more so the carbonation. Water is great, but sometimes your body just wants a different texture.

dahlia_r

I too LOVE Diet Coke. I have not bought it for the home in almost 4 months. At work I drink 3 cans a week and on the other days, I have Perrier. So far, so good!

antdogs

i had a problem too with soda.. i just went from regular Pepsi to coke zero to seltzer.. to 0 soda at all it takes time then it goes away!

cindijelly

I drink coffee, black, but only when I work. I guess I don't want to be alert at home. I tend to drink Perrier or Hansen's soda. Love the fizz with no calories.

cindijelly

Perrier is good stuff

cindijelly

True, Hansen's has flavor with no calories, but I love carbonated water.

cindijelly

you have done well

cindijelly

you are correct.....now what is wrong with Perrier. And don't get me started on Gatorade with its flame retardant additives.

haymancm

I used to be able to drink a 2 liter easily in a day. I quit cold turkey last summer, only to start drinking Cherry Coke in it's place about a month later. I had some headaches for a few days & that's it. About 2 weeks ago, I quit drinking Cherry Coke when I started MFP after seeing the carbs, etc content. I have not had a headache or anything at all. In it's place, I have a cold 32 oz glass of water w/ a straw. I drink a ton of water now instead of coke, whether it be a diet coke or a cherry coke.

volume77

i drink them daily. i dont see a problem .

haymancm

i drink them daily. i dont see a problem .

That's what I thought 20 years ago... Then I found truth to some of the side effects, like memory loss.

TraceysJourney

I stopped Cold Turkey
I was drinking up to 2 litres a day.
The first couple of day were a bit rough, but its ok now.
I am getting a bit bored just drinking water though

horsewhisper91

I know that feeling. At two of the three jobs I work, the two have my favorite drinks. One is coke and the other is Turkey Hill iced tea. I grew up on both these drinks and would drink them like they were water. But with the low sugar in my diet and cutting back on sweets. The sweet drinks were cut out as well. That and because I had to give something up until Easter. I went cold turkey on both my favorite drinks and found myself making cups of hot green tea. And I didn't think I'd stick with it, but on my days off when I used to have the whole day, I'd find myself making about 5 or more cups of green tea to drink in a day.

Now that being said. I like my drinks sweet so I was putting sugar in it at first. But now I switched to organic sugar. It's sugar and slightly healthier since it is the real stuff and not just the sweetener stuff. Though no type of sugar is good for you if it doesn't come from fruit it seems. XD

I've been off my ice tea for about two months now and soda for over a month. It's not easy at first. But now a days, I'm more likely to take a minute to make my green tea, get a glass of orange juice, make a fruit smoothy, drink fat free milk, or just get water from the tap.

ahende3

For me to cut back I had to get a ton of different options. I bought powerade zeros, low calorie gatorade, mio (mango peach) and a Brita Filter for my water. When I did that I cut my diet sodas down a lot because it offered me some variety. I used to go through a 12 pack every 2-3 days. I can now have a 12pk of diet soda in my fridge for up to 3 weeks. The important thing to say to yourself is what aspect of the diet soda am I craving? if its the bubbles, try a glass of flavored water (does contain aspertame), or add fruit to seltzer water. If its a new taste then try your mio's or crystal light drink mixes. After the gym? POwerade zero is great! Need the caffeine....I use redbull zero


There is a bad side to most things we put in our bodies, but moderation is key. With moderation hopefully comes variety. So use variety to help inspire moderation!

Losingthedamnweight

I think the biggest issue with diet drinks is just not getting enough actual water in your body. Diet coke, coke zero, diet 7up, whatever is fine as long as you still drink a bunch of water. I like to drink a coke zero with most of my meals, so thats at least a can for 3 meals a day. But i try to offset it by drinking twice as much water. Last night at work i had a coke zero and within an hour, i downed a 24oz bottle of water. Life is all about balance, not cutting out everything you like.

Warchortle

Your brain will still increase your insulin levels even with sugar substitutes because it still thinks you're having sugar. It's the same reason why people feel hunger while chewing gum. The the brain knows you're chewing, but no food is going into the stomach... it gets confused then you feel hunger.

I don't think diet or 0 calorie drinks are evil. I think if you use them correctly it makes a difference... ie: don't drink a diet coke WITH a meal. You're already eating food. Water would be more beneficial than soda. If you're in a bind and can't make it to the next meal without something to eat/drink. Use a diet soda to get to the next meal / snack.

Cr01502

do some research on aspartame which is in all diet sodas...I promise you..you will stop drinking diet anything

This.

If you are a rat.

And consuming your body weight in aspartame.

chelseachelsea1991

I quit for Lent this year: all soda, caffeine (to the best of my ability) and coffee. I was usually having two, sometimes three diet sodas a day and a frappuccino 3-4 times a week. It took at least three weeks to start feeling better about it, especially when I'd have something that I normally paired with soda (pizza, hamburgers, etc), I don't really think about it anymore and have moved on to Diet Snapple teas when I want something other than chocolate milk or water. Cold turkey was the best way to go for me and making it a challenge guaranteed I wouldn't give in.

Cr01502

Your brain will still increase your insulin levels even with sugar substitutes because it still thinks you're having sugar. It's the same reason why people feel hunger while chewing gum. The the brain knows you're chewing, but no food is going into the stomach... it gets confused then you feel hunger.

I don't think diet or 0 calorie drinks are evil. I think if you use them correctly it makes a difference... ie: don't drink a diet coke WITH a meal. You're already eating food. Water would be more beneficial than soda. If you're in a bind and can't make it to the next meal without something to eat/drink. Use a diet soda to get to the next meal / snack.

This is also completely false.

Aspartame doesn't spike insulin and insulin is only spiked when ingesting protein and/or carbohydrates which diet soda is neither.

Also whether or not diet soda makes you feel hungry or full is simply down to the individual.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3046854

"Neither sweetener affected peak insulin levels in subjects with or without diabetes"

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/6382247

"The action of a synthetic dipeptide aspartam (150 to 180 times as sweet as glucose) on pancreatic insulin-secretory function of rats was studied in vivo and in vitro. The drug was given orally while drinking (300 mg/kg body weight) or was added to the incubation medium of cultivated pancreatic cells (20 mM). It was shown that insulin content in the rat blood serum remained unchanged 10 and 35 minutes after aspartam administration. The drug did not exert any stimulating effect upon insulin secretion following the addition to the pancreatic cell culture medium. It is concluded that aspartam exhibits no direct or mediated action on pancreatic insulin-secretory function."

Warchortle

Your brain will still increase your insulin levels even with sugar substitutes because it still thinks you're having sugar. It's the same reason why people feel hunger while chewing gum. The the brain knows you're chewing, but no food is going into the stomach... it gets confused then you feel hunger.

I don't think diet or 0 calorie drinks are evil. I think if you use them correctly it makes a difference... ie: don't drink a diet coke WITH a meal. You're already eating food. Water would be more beneficial than soda. If you're in a bind and can't make it to the next meal without something to eat/drink. Use a diet soda to get to the next meal / snack.

This is also completely false.

Aspartame doesn't spike insulin and insulin is only spiked when ingesting protein and/or carbohydrates which diet soda is neither.

Also whether or not diet soda makes you feel hungry or full is simply down to the individual.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3046854

"Neither sweetener affected peak insulin levels in subjects with or without diabetes"

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/6382247

"The action of a synthetic dipeptide aspartam (150 to 180 times as sweet as glucose) on pancreatic insulin-secretory function of rats was studied in vivo and in vitro. The drug was given orally while drinking (300 mg/kg body weight) or was added to the incubation medium of cultivated pancreatic cells (20 mM). It was shown that insulin content in the rat blood serum remained unchanged 10 and 35 minutes after aspartam administration. The drug did not exert any stimulating effect upon insulin secretion following the addition to the pancreatic cell culture medium. It is concluded that aspartam exhibits no direct or mediated action on pancreatic insulin-secretory function."

It depends on the artificial sweeteners in question since they're not all the same. Aspartame might not, but saccharin has shown signs it does.
Don't you know studies can show whatever the **** they wanna show?

Well, considering that caffeine is used as an appetite suppressant and if you drink a caffeinated diet soda. I'm going to assume it'll help curb an appetite.

Cr01502

Don't you know studies can show whatever the **** they wanna show?

Yes. But that doesn't mean that they should be ignored.

It just means that you have to research the study. Who funded it, the methods etc.

To say that studies "can show whatever they want to show" isn't an excuse to just make arbitrary remarks presented as facts.

" Neither sweetener affected peak insulin levels in subjects with or without diabetes"

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3046854

NikinCilla

Oh my I was addicted....I use to drink 600mls everyday then I gave up smoking 6mths ago & then coffee slowed down & Zero coke wasnt as bad but when Im feeling like something sweet or carbs thats when I have zero coke especially when Im trying to eat right :bigsmile: I know, trying to eat right with zero coke :laugh: I dont know how to give it up. I just drink it when Im really wanting something bad.

TheKeithEllis

Used to drink a couple of cans a day a few years back, but only tend to have Diet Coke as a mixer with JD nowadays and that's infrequent. I know there's a certain chemical in DC that can cause all manner of side effects, so I pretty much steer clear - in fact there's really not any soft drinks that I would say I really enjoy. I prefer a glass of water, or better still a good old cup of tea or coffee.