Ween off of Diet Soda or Quit Cold Turkey?

2

Replies

  • rayraex
    rayraex Posts: 50
    I don't understand how you can't drink coffee because of a heart arrhythmia but you can drink excessive amounts of diet coke... Either way you would be consuming lots of caffeine.
  • thisismeraw
    thisismeraw Posts: 1,264 Member
    I'm mostly concerned because I've read that diet soda can lead to sweet cravings and make temptation harder. but that sounds like a good plan cut down to 2 cans a day then see how I feel from there :) Thanks

    Don't go by what you've read in regards to sweet cravings and temptation. It doesn't happen for everyone. I find having a diet pop can actually take away my cravings for something sweet.

    If you are drinking that much pop I would imagine cutting down would be best. Some pop isn't bad for you. Personally I only think it's bad if it either personally leads you to cravings that you can't control with willpower or if it causes issues for you (some people get migraines from sweeteners for example). Unless you are drinking much less water because of your diet pop drinking it's not an issue. Your body does take hydration from everything so you are still getting hydration from pop. There is also not nearly enough sodium in them to create an issue.
  • EjaneK11
    EjaneK11 Posts: 209 Member
    I wouldn't quit cold turkey. I use to drink a crap load of pop too. I switched to diet then went cold turkey. It didn't work out to good, I went back to regular. I would stick to diet and then add a bottle of water once a day. Then slowly just add water instead of diet pop. I still drink diet but now I have 2-6 cups of water a day now. I know that isn't a lot to some people but for me it is. Never would drink water. Sometimes now I want water instead of pop.
  • libertygirlfla
    libertygirlfla Posts: 184 Member
    Based on the amount you currently consume, I'd recommend cutting down vs. going cold turkey. I've always leaned towards "clean" eating, but was never able to give up my diet soda (Coke or Pepsi). A couple of years ago, I decided I just didn't want to put all of those horrible chemicals into my body anymore. For about a year, I still treated myself whenever we ordered pizza (about 1-2 times per month), but now it doesn't even taste good. It tastes like a glass of chemicals. Guess my tastes have changed after being off of the junk for so long.

    Cutting down to two per day, then one per day and then just on special occasions sounds like your best chance at making this a permanent change. Best of luck and congrats!

    Lib
  • SlinkySpencer
    SlinkySpencer Posts: 139 Member
    I quit coffee and sodas cold turkey back in January. I was grumpy for a couple days but felt right as rain afterward, and I didn't feel like I needed a "buzz" anymore. You have more natural energy than you might expect once you start to eat right. I've had about four sodas total since then (mostly with friends), and, honestly, they just don't taste that great after you've been off them a while...
  • sunnyside1213
    sunnyside1213 Posts: 1,205 Member
    Aspartame is evil, but when I have the occasional soda, I go with Shasta. They use splenda, which isn't great but better that the evil A. Can you drink green tea? When I gave up soda, I switched to green tea and did fine.
  • LavenderBouquet
    LavenderBouquet Posts: 736 Member
    It's really up to you, I've seen different people succeed on both paths. Have you tried to quit things cold turkey in the past? If it's been successful and you've been able to maintain those kinds of changes, then it is likely you can succeed similarly in this situation. If not, gradual decrease might be best.
  • Cr01502
    Cr01502 Posts: 3,614 Member
    It's fine to ween off diet soda.

    Just make sure you do so under the guidance of a doctor or licensed professional.
  • chelledawg14
    chelledawg14 Posts: 509 Member
    IF you drink that much, don't go cold turkey unless you want really severe headaches & feeling lousy all over. I was a big diet coke drinker - I would drink about 4 cans/day. I switched to one fountain drink of coca cola a day before starting MFP, then switched to Coke Zero which I now prefer over everything else except an occasional diet mt dew. As I began my journey last year & as my exercising increased, I lost my craving for it & would treat myself to a 6 oz glass if I was wanting some. Then I started working overtime before Christmas & just finished up on March 27 (working 9-14/hrs day). I began my days with 32 oz of coke zero (I can't stand coffee) and would get another one at lunch. I'm now in the process of "detoxing" from it and am back to one can a day and am not missing it at all. I don't see a problem with drinking it as long as it's not in large amounts. I'd say cut back, bit definitely don't go cold turkey. Good luck!!!
  • runner1609
    runner1609 Posts: 9 Member
    I quit cold turkey. It was difficult for a at least a week. I found that I liked the carbonation more than anything. I started drinking sparkling water such as pellagrino. It's helped a lot. If I need caffeine or a boost- iced tea does it for me.

    Try to avoid the artifical sweetners- they care not good for you and can cause you to have sugar cravings.

    I've been diet soda free for 2 months now!
  • DawnVanSlim
    DawnVanSlim Posts: 10,468 Member
    Don't quit cold turkey, cold turkey rules! especially the day after Thanksgiving. So I guess I pick ween off diet soda :wink:
  • mattschwartz01
    mattschwartz01 Posts: 566 Member
    I'm a huuuuggggeeee Diet Soda drinker, like I could finish a 6 pack of the bottles in one 12 hour work shift. Should I just quit cold turkey or should I try to lower my intake. I don't drink coffee because I have a heart arrhythmia So I've relied on Diet Soda to keep my pep in my step when everything gets crazy in the ER. I'm usually a pretty happy person but to be honest giving up some of my favorite mood stabilizers (chocolate, Milk shakes, french fries) has given me a bit of a tude at work lol and now my diet soda whyyyyyyyyyy lol anyway any suggestions?

    All that artificial sweetener is really not good. Have you ever tried SweetLeaf Stevia drops? They come in many flavors and are a non-caloric natural sweetener. You could add the chocolate drops to coffee for energy.
  • Christin09
    Christin09 Posts: 143 Member
    I quit it cold turkey! I used to be the same 6-8 a day! Now i have one once a week if that. Just make sure you have a couple of days off when you do it because you will go thru withdrawals! (no worries its not that terrible)
  • EmRN06
    EmRN06 Posts: 85 Member
    Hi there! I use to love drinking Diet Coke. Although, I didn't drink as much as you (I only drank maybe one bottle each day), I was able to quit cold turkey. My trainer suggested I try cutting back to one bottle 3 days/week, because diet pop can have an effect on belly fat and cravings. Instead of cutting back, I decided to go cold turkey. Surprisingly, it was very easy for me. It has been about 2 months, and I no longer crave it. I only drink water and sometimes if I need some flavor I will have a powerade zero or vitamin water, however now I find that those are even too sweet at times. Since you drink a larger amount of Diet Coke per day than I ever did, I would recommend trying to cut that in half for a few weeks, and see how it goes. Good luck to you!
  • fbmandy55
    fbmandy55 Posts: 5,263 Member
    I drink a diet coke a day and I am not dying. I use Sweet N low in my coffee every morning too. Are they killing me? No. I've tried stevia and hated it. Didn't mix well or taste good.

    If you like to drink it, do so in moderation.
  • nzs110b
    nzs110b Posts: 56 Member
    I use to drink a lot of it too. I had to quit cold turkey or I wouldn't have stopped. I do have one every now and then, mostly for the caffeine.

    They say, all though I don't know if I experienced this, that drinking diet pop screws up your metabolism/ sweet cravings because there is no sugar in them for your body to process.
  • baileybiddles
    baileybiddles Posts: 457 Member
    Well, here's the thing.

    I quit caffeine cold turkey about three weeks ago. I did it on a weekend to ensure that I wouldn't be miserable at WORK and not be able to do my job. I had my last coffee on Saturday and enjoyed it greatly. Sunday, I had decaf in the morning and by noon I was throwing up with a horrifying MIGRAINE: not a bad headache, a migraine. I was absolutely, positively, MISERABLE, but I wouldn't go back and change it. I TRIED to ween myself off and failed miserably. Finally, I just threw my hands up and decided to be done. Sucked it up through the withdrawals. The next day I had a minor headache but was able to get my work done, and the day after, no symptoms.
  • links_slayer
    links_slayer Posts: 1,151 Member
    lol @ "aspartame is bad for you" ITT
  • stardancer7
    stardancer7 Posts: 276 Member
    I quit cold turkey, but my habit was with caffeine free diet coke, so I had no issues around caffeine withdrawal--those headaches are fierce! (And I will NEVER give up my Kicking Horse Kick *kitten* coffee.) But my decision was for financial and environmental reasons as well as nutritional--why pay for a beverage in plastic/metal containers when I have free fresh water from the tap?
  • eclectic_ladee
    eclectic_ladee Posts: 18 Member
    I'd recommend cutting down slowly.

    I was a diet-soda fiend as well - 3 or 4 cans a day was my usual intake. I started by limiting myself to 1 can in the morning and one in the afternoon.

    The thing about diet sodas is that they're loaded with sodium - which (in my case) wrecks my blood pressure.

    which kind are you drinking? My coke zero has 40 mg of sodium. In a day, I'm allowed 2500. 40/2500=0.016 or 1.6% of my day.

    SO......I'm not seeing the sodium numbers to match your claim.

    I drink Coke Zero and it's been going well. Sprite Zero, and other zero calorie coke products, are not bad at all! I wanted to stop cold turkey but there is nothing like a good cold one every now and then! ;)
  • keeleen
    keeleen Posts: 93
    I think it's whatever will work for you.... I used to drink regular coke all the time! I could easily drink way more coke than water, and I didn't even keep it in the house for this reason, and I still drank a lot of it! I tried the whole ween off of it thing... It didn't really work for me. I had to quit cold turkey, and I've quit cold turkey a couple times now, and relapsed.... Even though it tasted really sweet when I would drink it again after several weeks of no pop at all... It's like just having that one, made me want another, and then it would spiral out of control from there.... I went almost 2 months, and bam! I was addicted again, then I went 6 weeks recently, and then had another, and was out of control for a week. And now I'm 5 weeks without one again... So for me, I have to quit cold turkey, weening off just doesn't work for me! If I felt like I was having a headache from not having the caffeine, I'd drink tea, and it worked for me...

    You just have to figure out what will work best for you and what you can stick with... Everyone is different.
  • iulia_maddie
    iulia_maddie Posts: 2,780 Member
    Cold turkey worked for me. I was drinking tons of regular Coke, probably 6-8 cans a day which adds up to over 1000 calories.
    Gave it up about 8 months or so ago i think.
  • bindisdesign
    bindisdesign Posts: 8 Member
    This might just be a strange fluke with me or something, but I used to be a huge caffeine drinker (like 4 bottles of Mountain Dew a day-at least). My husband and I decided to do a juice cleanse for a couple of days just to jump start our diet and kind of reset our habits. Anyway, this meant giving up pop cold turkey.

    I thought it would be horrible, but I had no withdrawal symptoms at all. None. Nothing. It's been one week and I haven't even had a craving for it.

    My mom seems to think the antioxidants & anti-inflammatories in the home-made fresh juice we were drinking must have curbed the bad feelings. I have no clue, but this worked for me. It has been over 1 week of just water and juices. I just make sure to drink plenty of water and I am good to go.

    Hope you can give it up. Soda was one of my worst habits...
  • katekross
    katekross Posts: 463 Member
    I recently just kicked the habit once all my diet dr pepper was out of the house. I did a little research and I'm a big fan of Prevention magazine. I have also read in other places some of the facts from this article as well. I would have liked to do more research, but back to work it is :)

    http://www.prevention.com/food/healthy-eating-tips/diet-soda-bad-you

    Here is how it is broken down if you are strapped for time:
    1. Kidney problems.
    2. 34% higher chance of a metabolic syndrome.
    3. Artificial sweetners will trick you into thinking its real sugar, when in reality it will cause you to drink more.
    4. Diet soda have less in them which will get you drunk quicker if its mixed with your diet soda. More drunk=heavier hangover.
    5. Damage to mitochondria with chemicals that are mold inhibitors. These have evidence that they lead to hives, asthma, allergic reactions.
    6. Dental damage.
    7. BPAs... nuff said.
  • Sqeekyjojo
    Sqeekyjojo Posts: 704 Member
    Do they still do caffeine free diet coke?

    If they do, try switching to that for half your drinks, then taper it off over time. Add chilled water whenever possible.


    Nobody needs someone with caffeine withdrawal jitters treating them.
  • lkwalker71
    lkwalker71 Posts: 131 Member
    I used to drink alot of regular coke and pepsi, about 4 years ago I switched to diet. It was not as hard as I thought. I have also gone back and forth as far as not drinking them and then drinking them. I don't like coffee or tea. I will drink water, crystal light and sugar free kool aid. Personally for me, I have to have the will power to stop for good and I do struggle with that. Maybe try to cut back a little bit at a time so it is not such a shocker to your system and you don't end up with terrible headaches.
  • thisismeraw
    thisismeraw Posts: 1,264 Member
    I recently just kicked the habit once all my diet dr pepper was out of the house. I did a little research and I'm a big fan of Prevention magazine. I have also read in other places some of the facts from this article as well. I would have liked to do more research, but back to work it is :)

    http://www.prevention.com/food/healthy-eating-tips/diet-soda-bad-you

    Here is how it is broken down if you are strapped for time:
    1. Kidney problems.
    2. 34% higher chance of a metabolic syndrome.
    3. Artificial sweetners will trick you into thinking its real sugar, when in reality it will cause you to drink more.
    4. Diet soda have less in them which will get you drunk quicker if its mixed with your diet soda. More drunk=heavier hangover.
    5. Damage to mitochondria with chemicals that are mold inhibitors. These have evidence that they lead to hives, asthma, allergic reactions.
    6. Dental damage.
    7. BPAs... nuff said.

    I have yet to read any real, reliable evidence that any of these "facts" have been proven. While Prevention can be a good magazine they aren't a place to go for true facts sometimes. Correlation of people experiencing these issues while drinking diet pop doesn't mean the pop is causing the issues.

    I understand the BPA issue however BPA is still in a lot of things we handle and consume on a daily basis. A lot of regular cans (canned veggies, beans, etc) have BPA in the lining. A lot of store reciepts have BPA in them.

    Ultimately, everyone needs to read and look at reliable evidence and make their own decisions. Diet pop isn't bad for everyone.
  • thisismeraw
    thisismeraw Posts: 1,264 Member
    Do they still do caffeine free diet coke?

    If they do, try switching to that for half your drinks, then taper it off over time. Add chilled water whenever possible.


    Nobody needs someone with caffeine withdrawal jitters treating them.

    They do still make caffeine free diet coke! I believe Pepsi has one as well. I switch some of my normal diet coke to diet 7 UP which is caffeine free.
  • laurenmoe
    laurenmoe Posts: 13
    I LOVE diet coke!!!! However I am doing acupuncture for fertility and I was told to COMPLETELY ELIMINATE all artificial sweetners. I quit cold turkey. However I still have a cup of coffee in the morning to prevent caffeine withdrawals. Switch to seltzer water with lime. You still get the fizz without all the extra crap.
  • schaapj2
    schaapj2 Posts: 320 Member
    I quit cold turkey on January 21st. Had headaches for a week-just took ibuprofen and kept drinking my water. Haven't had a pop yet, but miss the carbonation. To give me the carbonation, I drink soda water, or tonic water-great to give you fizzies without the caffeine or aspartame. Make sure they are naturally sweetened and don't have added sodium. Some brands like Schwepps are killer in sodium.

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