A question for people who have stopped drinking diet drinks

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  • jetlag
    jetlag Posts: 800 Member
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    I'm really curious, as I've never been a soda fan, and I never liked the taste of diet drinks. What is it, exactly, about diet coke that people find so addictive? Because I've seen so many threads on here about people who really struggle to give it up. Is it the taste? The fizzyness? The satisfying pshhhtt when you open the can? Are there physical withdrawals from the caffeine? What's the scoop?
  • carrie1610
    carrie1610 Posts: 54 Member
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    Thanks for all the replies. I know I need to do this for lots of reasons. I've not lost weight for ages (in fact I've put some on though have avoided the scales) and wonder if the diet coke is causing me to crave sugary and carbohydrate snacks, which I have far too many of. I feel (and look) bloated around my middle. Sometimes I even feel a little headachey when I've had too much diet coke at once - yet I still crave it. It's not good!

    Also, think of the money I'll save if I don't drink it, and how lovely not to have to lug cans home from the supermarket.

    It's such a difficult thing to give up, which is ridiculous after all I've just written!
  • neongoldie
    neongoldie Posts: 11 Member
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    Most notably, my skin cleared up and I just FEEL better after switching to only water. I tried drinking a diet soda the other day and couldn't even finish half of it... it's disgusting now.
  • SmallestGoal
    SmallestGoal Posts: 20 Member
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    The biggest problem with diet soda for me is the immoderate way I consume it. They're so low in sodium these days that that's not even really a problem, no calories, so hey, might as well have a whole 2-liter bottle in a day, what's the harm?

    The harm, my dentist tells me, is several thousand dollars in dental bills caused by crazy acid erosion of my enamel, right in the perfect pattern on my teeth that he could tell I usually drank from a bottle and not a can, even. Pro-tip: use a straw.

    Unfortunately, I don't notice any quick changes (or even slow changes) in my teeth or elsewhere in my body when I switch to carrying around a 2-L bottle of water instead. The one benefit of switching is that I sleep a lot more soundly, without the caffeine. I use the SleepBot app on my phone, which will graph how much you move around at night. Even if I stopped drinking soda late afternoon/early evening, I can still see the effects of that day's caffeine on my sleep.

    Caffeine withdrawal headaches are a bear, but in my experience, they respond really well to Tylenol (when for most other headaches of mine it doesn't do a thing).
  • WhitneyT586
    WhitneyT586 Posts: 279 Member
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    I gave up caffeine nearly 9 years ago. I still have the very occasional soda but usually I just drink water and sometimes decaf tea. I can't drink anything with a lot of caffeine because now it makes me hyperactive and shaky. I don't have "slumps" in the afternoon from lack of caffeine and I sleep very well at night. It has made a huge difference in my skin - no breakouts! And I'm not bloated from the fizz of the carbonation. I highly recommend giving it up if you are so inclined. It takes a while to get used to it, but I think the results are well worth it. Once you do it, don't go back because it'll be just that much harder to give up again. Sometimes, I'll get sparkling water and low-sugar fruit juice when I'm really craving the carbonation but most times, it doesn't bother me at all. Good luck!
  • perrinjoshua
    perrinjoshua Posts: 286 Member
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    I stopped drinking diet drinks, diet gum, diet everything basically and what I noticed is that the bloated, stiff feeling of water retention was dramatically reduced. I stopped all that about 10 years ago now and I wouldn't go back for anything. I don't know if it's relevant but I am 61 years old and on no medications whatsoever. I try to eat as real as I can but know I still eat processed foods in some form or another. I just draw the line at artificial sweeteners. I'm sure that the less chemicals we put into our bodies the better, but that's only my opinion.
  • ruthrowlett1
    ruthrowlett1 Posts: 82 Member
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    Have faith in yourself! You CAN do it!!! I was drinking anywhere from 2 upto 6 cans of diet Coke per day. Even after having a kidney stone I went back to drinking it. And let me tell ya, that was NO FUN! Once you set your mind to do it, it will go smoothly! I just drank tons and tons of water for the first couple days. Walking and exercising really helped take my mind off the matter. You can change anything about yourselef if you want it bad enough. I went cold turkey from smoking and then left diet sodas/soda in general. It is a great feeling knowing you beat the challenge!
  • lsmsrbls
    lsmsrbls Posts: 232 Member
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    It saves me lots of money.
  • maillemaker
    maillemaker Posts: 1,253 Member
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    I quit drinking diet soda and did not notice any of the miracle changes everyone said to expect.

    I had withdrawals for about a week.

    I now drink mostly water. I may drink a diet coke when I go out to eat on occasion.

    I think it is healthier not to drink them, but don't expect any magical change when you stop.
  • carrie1610
    carrie1610 Posts: 54 Member
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    "I think it is healthier not to drink them, but don't expect any magical change when you stop."

    That's a shame - I was really hoping it would kick-start weight loss and I'd feel much better and have lots more energy...............
  • k9runner1963
    k9runner1963 Posts: 108 Member
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    Lately I've really gotten into fruit-infused water. Not "flavored water" that you buy. Real water with slices of lemon, lime, orange in it. Let it infuse overnight in the fridge.

    I've also started drinking Perrier for when I'm really jonesing for the fizz.

    That sounds great! We had fruit-infused water at a restaurant once and I remember how good it was!
  • whipsmart10014
    whipsmart10014 Posts: 29
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    I had a four diet Vitamin Water drink per day habit I recently replaced with LaCroix sparkling waters.

    I tried quitting cold-turkey several times, but found myself plagued with headaches and moodiness. What was most effective for me was to gradually step down my intake over a period of eight weeks. Doing so caused few, if any, withdrawal symptoms. The first two weeks, I replaced one Vitamin Water for a LaCroix water. Weeks three and four, I decreased again (two diet drinks, two waters), and so on. After eight weeks, I'm exclusively drinking water (and the occasional glass of wine).

    Today, not only have I cut out all diet drinks, but my "taste" for them is extinct. In fact, after 12 weeks, I find my taste for sugar in general has significantly decreased. Go figure.
  • JessG11
    JessG11 Posts: 345 Member
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    I'm really curious, as I've never been a soda fan, and I never liked the taste of diet drinks. What is it, exactly, about diet coke that people find so addictive? Because I've seen so many threads on here about people who really struggle to give it up. Is it the taste? The fizzyness? The satisfying pshhhtt when you open the can? Are there physical withdrawals from the caffeine? What's the scoop?

    I can't give you scientific info here, only my personal experience. I had always drank cokes and years ago switched to diet coke. And I just developed a love for it. It became a habit to drink it if I was eating because I wanted more than water. I loved the taste, the way the carbonation felt, and the caffeine. When I tried to stop, I starting researching out diet drink addictions. I read information on the dangers of artificial sweeteners, but also the addictive aspects of them. I read that your body actually registers the fake stuff as sweeter than sugar, even though the taste was different. I, speaking for myself only, believe that had a lot to do with it. I love sweets.

    As far as withdrawals from caffeine, I didn't stop drinking caffeine. I have tried and had headaches. I cut my usage back because of issues sleeping and I had headaches for a while but it evened out. I'm sure there are more physical symptoms. I replaced cokes with coffee in the am only. I do still have tea and cokes sometimes, even diet cokes, but not daily. There is a documentary called Hungry for Change that explains some info. It's a documentary and like many can be extreme, but I enjoyed it.

    But at the end of the day, for me, it was just another bad habit that I needed to change.
  • simply_meggie
    simply_meggie Posts: 16 Member
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    I have been avoiding anything with aspartame for ages due to a severe sensitivity to it and noticed that I would swell whenever I had anything with aspartame. I also stopped drinking Mountain Dew, as much as I love it, due to the brominated vegetable oil and cut out high fructose corn syrup as well. I lost about 10lbs in less than a month just by cutting out the high fructose corn syrup first. I lost another 5 after switching from soda to coffee. Mind you, this was before starting on MFP. I needed that caffeine switch in order to quit the soda cold turkey. I expected to have cravings as I used to in the past when I avoided the soda, but I didn't. I also researched side effects of bromine, high fructose corn syrup, and aspartame (all of which terrified me into eating healthier).
    If you need to satisfy your craving for soda, you might consider getting a soda maker which has a lot of different options, including diet mixes that use Stevia, which seems to have fewer side effects than aspartame.
  • emirror
    emirror Posts: 842 Member
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    I'm really curious, as I've never been a soda fan, and I never liked the taste of diet drinks. What is it, exactly, about diet coke that people find so addictive? Because I've seen so many threads on here about people who really struggle to give it up. Is it the taste? The fizzyness? The satisfying pshhhtt when you open the can? Are there physical withdrawals from the caffeine? What's the scoop?

    For me, it felt like a physical addiction, and was as difficult to quit as cigarettes (but easier to "stay quit"). There wasn't anything about the way it tasted, felt, or sounded; it was an actual, physical craving.

    When you first start drinking it, it tastes terribly odd and pretty bad. You get used to it quickly, though, and then regular soda tastes like syrup.

    When I was stopping them, I countered with more coffee and hot tea (for caffeine). Also, replacing some of them with caffeine free diet soda helps whittle down that dependency.
  • hananah89
    hananah89 Posts: 692 Member
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    I wasn't drinking as much as you were (I had naturally cut down from several Dr. Peppers a day freshman year to probably about 1-2 a day by senior year). But one day I was travelling for work (I car travel a lot) after a long week of being on the road and drinking several Dr. Peppers a day for energy I stopped and got one with my Chickfila. I think I took 3 sips and decided it tasted disgusting and I wanted to quit. I've only had about 2 since then (April 2013)-one when I had Sprite and Rum at a bar and another because I thought I could use the caffeine boost (I didn't need it, it didn't help at all).

    So basically I went cold turkey. No crazy weight loss from stopping but I feel so much better (I drink only water 95% of the time). I think my teeth may even be whiter? Anyway, I'm glad I quit and hope to never get addicted again (I start travelling again next month so that'll be the test).
  • JustMeee333
    JustMeee333 Posts: 233
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    The thing that made me stop drinking them was actually reading the side effects on some of the sweeteners they use, Google 'Aspartame', and if that doesn't help you stop drinking them, nothing will.

    Personally, I had really bad headaches for the first few days after I totally stopped drinking them.
    I rarely drink anything other than water these days, I have had a couple (2, 3 at the most) of cans since, and I can't say I particularly enjoyed them. The cold, fizzyness was nice but the taste not so much, I get fed up of water some times, but I'm certainly not craving for coke.

    I agree with the person who said you won't have so much 'gas', that's totally one of the things I've noticed.. That, and clearer skin (which I always thought was a myth) !
  • Shellz31
    Shellz31 Posts: 214 Member
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    I cut mine down significantly, and started drinking water with crystal light packets, and I have noticed a huge difference in not only weight loss and my budget but how I feel. I just feel better. I am down to one can per day (I drank way more than 3-4 cans), if desired (I had no headaches reducing to one per day) and I will eventually - when I am ready - to cut altogether. I definitely recommend at least cutting down and replacing with water. Or rotate every other pop, water, pop, water, etc... Anyway, that is my take on it. Good luck!

    Just want to mention that most types of Crystal light also use aspartame as the sweetener, so if it's the artificial sweetener you want to avoid than Crystal light won't help much.
  • struggeling53
    struggeling53 Posts: 36 Member
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    way back when, I stopped drinking diet soda and over about 2 months I lost over 30 pounds, just doing that and nothing else. Plus the diet is hard on your kidneys and liver. Good luck, its not easy, but it is do able...
  • Roxanne_Hennessy
    Roxanne_Hennessy Posts: 130 Member
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    I've stop with all diet soda and artifically sweetend things like Splenda. Diet soda is actually worse for your diet and increases your rate of diabetes. Some also believe its linked to Dementia, which I can believe, my grandmother drank a can a day for 40 years and she has sever dementia now.

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