Have you given up Diet Soda?

For the most part I have given up soda & flavored water. The only time I have a diet soda is when I go out to eat. I usually drink plain water; occasionally, I'll have milk. I used to drink flavored water a lot, but I luckily kicked that habit.

I started getting headaches from diet products, so I've all but given them up. It's been a difficult transition, and I back slid to sugar sweetened caloric beverages to replace the diet. However, I'm getting better by drinking fruit and tea infused water.

I gave it up last July. I've found it much easier to lose weight since then, arguably because I'm drinking more water and I've read that artificial sweeteners actually make you hungrier (among other negative side effects).

I'm about a month into this no diet Soda. I had to give it up.

One a day won't hurt but...

Its when I have like 4 when its a problem. So yes, I had to give it up.

This is the second time given it up though. First time I went back to one a morning for the caffeine. Than found myself with drinking more..

So I found Starbucks ice coffee in the bottles. xD

Diet Coke Effects

Diet Coke can actually cause you to gain weight. This was the startling data found by epidemiologist Sharon Fowler, from the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, and presented to the American Diabetes Association. She found that for each diet soda that was consumed per day, subjects were 65 percent more likely to become overweight. This research is startling to those who used Diet Coke as a way to cut calories each day. Fowler contends that diet sodas tell your subconscious to eat more, as you consumed less calories because of the soda. This could prove to be a dangerous trap for someone hoping to lose weight.

Weight-Loss Plan

Someone following a strict weight loss plan may need an occasional treat or extra motivation to hit the gym. Diet Coke can be a treat that is consumed within reason, as an occasional way to reward yourself for the hard work of sticking to a diet and exercising regularly. However, it should be just that --- an occasional reward. Thinking of Diet Coke as less of a diet aid and more of an indulgence can help you put your daily consumption in check.

Better Alternatives

Easily, the best alternative to Diet Coke is plain water. When working out, your body will sweat and leave it deprived for moisture, so you should always be drinking water when exercising to lose weight. Water is also the perfect diet drink; it has no calories, no artificial sweeteners and no caffeine. You can add other flavors to it, such as lemon and lime if the flavor is too boring for you, but after switching to water, you'll find that you crave hydration more than you crave Diet Coke.

Bottom Line

Despite the clever packaging and product name of Diet Coke, Diet Coke is not a diet drink. It will not help you to lose weight and may even cause you to gain some. While it is OK to have it once per week as a treat, water should be your beverage of choice when you are embarking on a weight-loss program

I've given up all sodas. I used to drink two two liters a DAY. I slowly cut down to a about 3 cans a day. After moving in with a friend that only drank "clear" sodas (like Sprite and 7UP), I switched to only clear too. It's was rough but I pushed through it. I tried a "dark" soda (I think a Coke) after a few months of only clear and it tasted horrible to me. I slowly cut the clear stuff down until this April when I said the heck with it and cut it all out. I haven't had a soda since, and really feel better and don't miss it.

Not everyone's the same, but maybe you could try switching to clear sodas and slowly cutting down to see if it'll work for you?

Nope, I still drink it.

I went without it for a month to see if I noticed any difference in bloat, headaches, etc., and there was not one single thing different off diet soda than on it.

I haven't given it up and I'm not going to. I only drink a can every few days. I enjoy the taste, and I don't think the amount I drink is going to kill me. Why do you eat the same things every day? There are so many good things to eat that I'd die of boredom doing that!

NOPE!:drinker:

I gave it up a few months ago. How? I just stopped drinking it.