Diet Coke addict!

I hear ya. I only drink about 1 a day and not quite every day, but it's still hard to not think about it. Every time I think I'm going to try not to drink a Diet Coke, I end up getting one. I'm hoping to hear how others have been with this addiction.

Mine is Diet Mtn Dew. I have one at work every morning. Most days I am down to 1 can a day. I used to drink 2-3 cans a day. However I know its not good for me. I need to quit drinking it all together. All pop. Curious to see how others have given it up. I have been drinking pop since I was 12 and way too much of it. That is nearly 20 years of a habit I need to end.

Try transitioning to fruit-flavored seltzer waters instead, they taste just as good as diet soda (and practically are.) But don't stop there... Go from that to flavored waters, and then from that, to just water. Or you could try soaking some fresh fruit slices in a jug of water in the fridge for a day, and see how you like that. There are lots of alternative options for you... The best thing is to just drink water if you're thirsty, but if you have to transition to that slowly, it's better than keeping up the soda habit!

I used to drink diet sodas all day, every day, until I learned that they affect your blood sugar practically the same way that regular soda does. I had symptoms of insulin resistance (precursor to Type 2 diabetes) and now I don't. The biggest thing I changed was that I almost never drink soda (maybe 2 or 3 times a year, I have a small glass.)

One more thing you could do, is you could try to deter yourself from the soda. When you find yourself reaching for it, try drinking 1-2 cups of water instead and wait a few minutes, and then ask yourself if you "need" that soda.

I have found that switching my diet coke out for a sparkling water has helped. You can add lemon to it and it definitely gives it a nice little flavor. I know it is not the same as a Diet Pepsi, but it has helped me cut back...although I still have an occasional dp. Good luck

By the way, someone else on MFP referenced this medical lecture, and I was watching it this morning. I'm only half-way through it, but so far, it's been astounding!

It's called "Sugar: The Bitter Truth" by Robert H. Lustig. Here's the link:

http://watchdocumentary.org/watch/sugar-the-bitter-truth-lecture-video_32ed59447.html

Last night I had a Diet Coke, knowing it would be a diet STIMULANT and it did, indeed, cause me to snack to excess after I closed my food diary for the day. I am a Diet Coke junky. I love the stuff. But it is just too much of an appetite stimulant to allow it to sabotage my efforts toward keeping my circumference less than my height. So, look at it as a drug that is leading you down the path to pudginess and set it aside. Only have it on occasion, if at all, and only when you are going to eat anyway and do not have access to excessive snacks. Sadly, my evening Diet Cokes are, after last night, no more. I am bereft. But we can DO IT!!

This goes for all artificial sweeteners. For many of us, they simply drive us to eat more. They trigger our bodies with their sweet taste to say, "Oh, boy! Food's on the way. I want it! I want it! I want it!" I don't know if this reaction increases with age. It seems to have for me anyway.

Oh, and as to flavored seltzers. Make sure you get the ones without hidden artificial sweeteners like aspartame. They are often somewhere you wouldn't expect to find them. In the grocery we frequent they are over with the Quinine water and other mixers rather than with the other flavored waters.

Hi,
I've been on my weight loss/healthy life style journey for almost 2 years before joining MPF.
So I've already been able to get myself into good habits (sometimes I fail...:) ) and learning to actually enjoy eating healthy and exersizing. But my problem is and has been for quite awhile now is the Diet Coke.
It was actually easier to quit smoking than to stop drinking it. I know that Diet Coke has zero cals, but it's just not healthy...period. Especially the amount I drink in a day.
So I was wondering if anyone else has this problem or if someone had this problem and how you you able to stop drinking it?
I guess this goes for calorie sodas/drinks as well.
Thanks in advance for your help.

I used to stop on the way to work and get 32 oz then again during lunch another 32 oz. Now I only have one maybe once a month or so. Worst part for me was the caffeine headaches. Just a matter of sticking with it. I had to do unsweatened tea for a while just for the caffeine.

Hi,

Maybe you can try drinking Perrier, my favorite one is with lemon.

Nadine...;-)

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).

jjuullzz:

Honestly, I don't claim to know anything about Type 1 diabetes, but when I drank diet soda constantly, it made me hungry- constantly. Your body still registers the diet soda as tasting sweet, and releases more insulin. Your body's anticipating sugar that doesn't arrive, so you get stuck with more insulin in your blood stream than needed, which can lead to insulin resistance. Insulin resistance may lead to Type 2 diabetes. It doesn't look like a whole lot of difference to me than drinking regular soda.

hmm try ICE water maybe that can help you. Try that for a week and see if you can get addicted to a healthy way.

Just stop drinking it.

I was a diet coke addict, too, and I just quit cold turkey. It sucked for a week, but after that I no longer crave it - and when I do, I tell myself no. For me, when I have quit soda before, the moment I give in, I break.

It's all about willpower, and you have that.

I just stopped drinking it.

you have to make the decision and then stick to it.

I'm not saying it's EASY....cause as all addicts know, it's not. But making up your mind is that easy....it really is.

however to be honest, I have a whole laundry list of things I would rather be addicted to than Diet Coke...

so it really wasn't a struggle for me.

Ok - my first post on the MFP boards and I choose a topic near and dear to my heart. I've never smoked but I think quitting Diet Coke can be about as hard as I imagine quitting smoking being for people, and I'm one of those people. Or as some folks say... quitting is easy, I've done it a million times! I actually have given it up for periods of time but somehow always find my way back to it after a while. As for how bad it is or is not for you.... I don't know, I think there are too many weird chemicals in it for people to think it's healthy at all but I'm also sure there are far worse things I eat on a daily basis but to answer your question about how to quit, I quit two different ways.
1. Cold Turkey
2. Gradually
When I quit gradually I just figured out how many I was drinking per day and started working my way down from there. As an example on week one I drank 4 per day. Then week two I would drink 3 per day. On week three I'd drink 2 per day. One week four I'd drink 1 per day and then the 5th week I was at zero.

Both ways worked for me (cold turkey and gradually) however I'm also now currently drinking it again.... so like I said earlier... quitting it is easy, I've done it a million times! For me the hardest part was giving up the caffeine as I'm not a coffee drinker.

Anyway I'm rambling but good luck in whichever route you choose. Let me know if I can help with anything.